Bible TimeMillstone Into the Sea
Mark provides a series of parables in chronological order matched to the overall story of the Bible. This one is about Egypt.
Background
The argument over who is greatest continues with Jesus calling together the 12 disciples and then calling out a little child. The following is the account.
42 Mark 9:33-37
33And they came to Capernaum: and when he was in the house he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way?
34But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest.
35And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them: and taking him in his arms, he said unto them,
37Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
The 12 Gathered
To answer their question about who is greatest, Jesus calls together the twelve disciples. This action is the parable’s way of calling attention to the twelve patriarchs, Abraham’s great grand kids. After Abraham, their births are the next main event in the Bible’s original chronology. This happened while Jacob’ was in Laban’s service in the 20 years 9001 AA through 9020 AA.
The sons of Jacob ran into the issue of who was greatest also. They were arguing amongst themselves, jockeying for position. Reuben was the rightful heir to Abraham’s estate, so he would naturally be the greatest. They were stunned when their young brother Joseph began having prophetic dreams. The brothers would not believe what God was saying, and projected their own hearts on Joseph. Everyone in the family, including their father Jacob, was stunned by some of the things Joseph’s dreams implied, though they would come true in time.
Eventually, Joseph, was the greatest in his generation when he was made Prime Ministry of ancient Egypt. (About 9040 AA.) Because of Reuben’s sin, Joseph also inherited Abraham’s right of first born, as well as the ’great nation’ promise given to Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant.
Notice, though, the role of Joseph relative to the rest of the family. Joseph knew he was their servant and did all he could to provide for the needs of the rest of his family. He was both greatest and least.
The ’great nation promise’ passed to Joseph is one of the covenant promises that is key to understanding the lost tribes. The specific ’great nation’ promise passes to Joseph’s sons and eventually to the nations descended from them.
The parable continues and Jesus brings in an important word picture, the ’millstone.’ The following is the text:
42 Mark 9:38-50
38John said unto him, Teacher, we saw one casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followed not us.
39But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man who shall do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.
40For he that is not against us is for us.
41For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
42And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
44where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell.
46where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell;
48where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49For every one shall be salted with fire.
50Salt is good: but if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another.
Who would not follow?
Of Jacob’s sons, the brother who would not follow the crowd was Joseph. He was following orders from heaven.
Jesus’ editorial is the same. If they are not against you, they are for you. As Paul would say later the kingdom of God is not about perswasive words but of a demonstration of power. Joseph did that as he had and interpreted dreams, as he became Prime Minister. People don’t have to follow you, or any crowd for that matter, in order to be following Jesus.
Causing a little one to stumble, ie: selling Joseph into slavery, is replayed with a millstone tied around the neck and being cast into the seas. This was the punishment given to the brothers for what they did to Joseph.
Seas are symbolic of peoples or nations generally and the best example of peoples generally was ancient Egypt. Jacob’s sons, except for Joseph who went earlier, were cast into Egypt.
The millstone, the mechanism where they were pulled into the sea was the need for grain. The drought cased a famine in Canaan and the only place where millstones were running was Egypt as the Egyptians broke into the grain stores of Joseph. The brothers had to go down to Egypt to get grain, the food supply for their own millstones. This is what caused them to get caught in Egypt.
Each of the body parts in this parable is a reference to one of the brothers. Together they make up a whole body, but each can cause the entire nation of ancient Israel to sin in various ways. Each will be cut off later as the nation of ancient Israel is dismembered. For now they are cut off from the promised land and cast into Egypt.
At the end of the parable Jesus exhorts: Have salt in yourselves and live at peace with one another.
This encouragement ends the book of Genesis when their father has died and they come to Joseph with a lie supposedly from their father. Joseph indeed wants to live at peace with his brothers, even if they don’t believe it, nor understand it.
