It’s been really rich (albeit quite a lot) to rip through the gospel of Mark in the mornings.

The “Markan sandwich” and “not really cleansing” concepts are from Edwards, but I like them too. Context and juxtaposition mean so much more in interpreting Mark than I ever suspected. I’ve had to change my thinking from “this is Mark’s take of what happened” to “Mark is systematically selecting material and positioning it to make a point here – what is it?”

Nice work.

I particularly like your observations in context. Like the “fig tree sandwich” bringing out the central focus on the temple.

Instead of cleansing, Jesus himself became our atoning high priest! PTL.

In Him,
Dax