Sandwiches

The other day while studying the Gospel of Mark I was introduced to something very interesting, called Markan Intercalations. According to Webster's Dictionary, an intercalation is the "insertion or introduction of anything among the others, as the insertion of a phrase, line, or verse in a metrical composition". This is similar to a sandwich (ok too obvious) or a triptych painting, in which three separately framed panes make up one painting by the fact that each is related in some way.

In Markan Intercalations, the writer of Mark begins a story about one thing, pauses in the middle and tells a different story, and then completes the first story. This in itself would be interesting to discover, but what makes these especially interesting is that each of the three pieces is related in some way. Here are six examples of the literary triptych found in the Gospel of Mark;

3:21               Jesus' family
3:22 - 30        Conflict with authority
3:21 - 35        Jesus' family

5:21 - 24        Jairus' daughter
5:24 - 34        Bleeding woman
5:35 - 43        Jairus' daughter

6: 7 - 13         Apostle's mission
6:14 - 29        Death of John the Baptist
6:30               Apostle's mission

11:12 - 14      Fig tree
11:15 - 19      Temple action
11:20 - 25      Fig tree

14: 1 -  2        Conspiracy against Jesus
14: 3 -  9        Anointing woman
14:10 - 11      Conspiracy against Jesus

15:54              Peter in the courtyard
15:56 - 65      Jesus' interrogation
15:66 - 71      Peter in the courtyard

This suggests to me that the writer of the Gospel of Mark was not only inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was also a clever fellow. Read these sections of Mark and see how each of the pieces are related. Some scholars have suggested that the entire Gospel of Mark makes up one overall triptych, beginning with Jesus teaching in Galilee, then about Jesus traveling and teaching the Disciples, and finally Jesus teaching in Jerusalem.