mark 4:38

[Mr. Rogers]

I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but I was wondering how you would all paraphrase this verse?

mark 4:38 - ...teacher! don't you care we're going to die?

the whole story is it mark 4:35-40

[GhostontheNet]

What kind of question is this? I see no need to paraphrase from how the English Standard Version has it; "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

[true_noir_chloe]

Well, this is the problem of picking one verse out of Scripture and using it. Many false teachers and doctrines and Christian cults have been formed on this type of bad use of Scripture. I call it, "the pick-and-chose" method. That is why deep Biblical study is important - to get a view of God in His entireity.

All of Scripture explains itself and all of Scripture, since the very beginning in Genesis speaks to how we need God. Christ was this manisfestation of our need for God and the ultimate answer to all our needs.

In Mark 4:38 "...do you not care we are perishing." sounds like you have a God who cares nothing for His children, yet if you read on in verse 40, "...Why are you so timid, have you no faith?" He says after calming the winds.

Basically, it is a scene of how we seem to think God is sleeping on us, when in fact He is always aware and merely has to be asked and He will take care of us.

Why would you want that verse paraphrased? Within the context of the scene it makes perfect sense.

EDIT: Sorry, Jim, if I came off too harsh, but this trend of "picking and choosing" Scripture has grown since I first became a Christian in the late 70s and I find it a very disturbing trend in the church.

[GhostontheNet]

true_noir_chloe: Erm... perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty in making accusations of a misuse of scripture when he never even said why he wanted a paraphrase in the first place, much less what he intended to do with it.