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REDISCOVERING
J E S U SAn Introduction to Biblical Religious
and Cultural Perspectives on Christ
D983137983158983145983140 B C983137983152983141983155 R983151983140983150983141983161 R983141983141983158983141983155
983137983150983140 E R983137983150983140983151983148983152983144 R983145983139983144983137983154983140983155
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 104862598309210486241048624 Downers Grove IL 98309410486249830931048625983093-1048625983092983090983094
ivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy98309010486241048625983093 by David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in the United
States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students For
information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright
1048625983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Used by
permission All rights reserved
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect
the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images Head of Christ by Antonio Allegri Correggio at J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles USA Bridgeman Images
torn paper copy kayiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983097983096983093983094-983093 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Capes David B
Rediscovering Jesus an introduction to biblical religious and cultural perspectives on Christ David B Capes
Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (casebound alk paper)
1048625 Jesus Christ--Person and offices I itle
B9830901048624983091C983091983093 98309010486241048625983093983090983091983090mdashdc983090983091
9830901048624104862598309310486241048625983092983096983096983090
P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093 1048625983092 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 10486251048624 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 1048625
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 9830911048624 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Preface 852025
Abbreviations 983089983091
Introduction ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 983089983093
Part IIntroduction Jesus in the Bible 983090983091
983089 Markrsquos Jesus 983090983093
983090 Matthewrsquos Jesus 983092983089
983091 Lukersquos Jesus 983093983094
983092 Johnrsquos Jesus 983095983092
983093 Paulrsquos Jesus 852024852025
983094 he Priestly Jesus 983089983088852024
983095 he Jesus o Exiles 983089983090983091
852024 he Apocalyptic Jesus 983089983091852025
Part II
Introduction Jesus Outside the Bible 983089983093983095
852025 he Gnostic Jesus 983089983093852025
983089983088 he Muslim Jesus 983089983095983094
983089983089 he Historical Jesus 983089852025983090
983089983090 he Mormon Jesus 983090983089983089
983089983091 he American Jesus 983090983090983090
983089983092 he Cinematic Jesus 983090983092983088Conclusion ldquoOur Jesusrdquo 983090983093983093
Subject and Name Index 983090983094983091
Scripture Index 983090983094852025
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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REDISCOVERING
J E S U SAn Introduction to Biblical Religious
and Cultural Perspectives on Christ
D983137983158983145983140 B C983137983152983141983155 R983151983140983150983141983161 R983141983141983158983141983155
983137983150983140 E R983137983150983140983151983148983152983144 R983145983139983144983137983154983140983155
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 104862598309210486241048624 Downers Grove IL 98309410486249830931048625983093-1048625983092983090983094
ivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy98309010486241048625983093 by David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in the United
States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students For
information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright
1048625983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Used by
permission All rights reserved
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect
the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images Head of Christ by Antonio Allegri Correggio at J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles USA Bridgeman Images
torn paper copy kayiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983097983096983093983094-983093 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Capes David B
Rediscovering Jesus an introduction to biblical religious and cultural perspectives on Christ David B Capes
Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (casebound alk paper)
1048625 Jesus Christ--Person and offices I itle
B9830901048624983091C983091983093 98309010486241048625983093983090983091983090mdashdc983090983091
9830901048624104862598309310486241048625983092983096983096983090
P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093 1048625983092 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 10486251048624 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 1048625
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 9830911048624 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Preface 852025
Abbreviations 983089983091
Introduction ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 983089983093
Part IIntroduction Jesus in the Bible 983090983091
983089 Markrsquos Jesus 983090983093
983090 Matthewrsquos Jesus 983092983089
983091 Lukersquos Jesus 983093983094
983092 Johnrsquos Jesus 983095983092
983093 Paulrsquos Jesus 852024852025
983094 he Priestly Jesus 983089983088852024
983095 he Jesus o Exiles 983089983090983091
852024 he Apocalyptic Jesus 983089983091852025
Part II
Introduction Jesus Outside the Bible 983089983093983095
852025 he Gnostic Jesus 983089983093852025
983089983088 he Muslim Jesus 983089983095983094
983089983089 he Historical Jesus 983089852025983090
983089983090 he Mormon Jesus 983090983089983089
983089983091 he American Jesus 983090983090983090
983089983092 he Cinematic Jesus 983090983092983088Conclusion ldquoOur Jesusrdquo 983090983093983093
Subject and Name Index 983090983094983091
Scripture Index 983090983094852025
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
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1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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REDISCOVERING
J E S U SAn Introduction to Biblical Religious
and Cultural Perspectives on Christ
D983137983158983145983140 B C983137983152983141983155 R983151983140983150983141983161 R983141983141983158983141983155
983137983150983140 E R983137983150983140983151983148983152983144 R983145983139983144983137983154983140983155
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 104862598309210486241048624 Downers Grove IL 98309410486249830931048625983093-1048625983092983090983094
ivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy98309010486241048625983093 by David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in the United
States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students For
information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright
1048625983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Used by
permission All rights reserved
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect
the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images Head of Christ by Antonio Allegri Correggio at J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles USA Bridgeman Images
torn paper copy kayiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983097983096983093983094-983093 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Capes David B
Rediscovering Jesus an introduction to biblical religious and cultural perspectives on Christ David B Capes
Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (casebound alk paper)
1048625 Jesus Christ--Person and offices I itle
B9830901048624983091C983091983093 98309010486241048625983093983090983091983090mdashdc983090983091
9830901048624104862598309310486241048625983092983096983096983090
P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093 1048625983092 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 10486251048624 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 1048625
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 9830911048624 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Preface 852025
Abbreviations 983089983091
Introduction ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 983089983093
Part IIntroduction Jesus in the Bible 983090983091
983089 Markrsquos Jesus 983090983093
983090 Matthewrsquos Jesus 983092983089
983091 Lukersquos Jesus 983093983094
983092 Johnrsquos Jesus 983095983092
983093 Paulrsquos Jesus 852024852025
983094 he Priestly Jesus 983089983088852024
983095 he Jesus o Exiles 983089983090983091
852024 he Apocalyptic Jesus 983089983091852025
Part II
Introduction Jesus Outside the Bible 983089983093983095
852025 he Gnostic Jesus 983089983093852025
983089983088 he Muslim Jesus 983089983095983094
983089983089 he Historical Jesus 983089852025983090
983089983090 he Mormon Jesus 983090983089983089
983089983091 he American Jesus 983090983090983090
983089983092 he Cinematic Jesus 983090983092983088Conclusion ldquoOur Jesusrdquo 983090983093983093
Subject and Name Index 983090983094983091
Scripture Index 983090983094852025
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 104862598309210486241048624 Downers Grove IL 98309410486249830931048625983093-1048625983092983090983094
ivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy98309010486241048625983093 by David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in the United
States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students For
information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright
1048625983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Used by
permission All rights reserved
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect
the privacy of individuals
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Images Head of Christ by Antonio Allegri Correggio at J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles USA Bridgeman Images
torn paper copy kayiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983097983096983093983094-983093 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit greenpressinitiativeorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Capes David B
Rediscovering Jesus an introduction to biblical religious and cultural perspectives on Christ David B Capes
Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 983097983095983096-1048624-9830969830911048624983096-983090983092983095983090-983092 (casebound alk paper)
1048625 Jesus Christ--Person and offices I itle
B9830901048624983091C983091983093 98309010486241048625983093983090983091983090mdashdc983090983091
9830901048624104862598309310486241048625983092983096983096983090
P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093 1048625983092 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 10486251048624 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 1048625
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 9830911048624 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 9830901048624 1048625983097 1048625983096 1048625983095 1048625983094 1048625983093
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Preface 852025
Abbreviations 983089983091
Introduction ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 983089983093
Part IIntroduction Jesus in the Bible 983090983091
983089 Markrsquos Jesus 983090983093
983090 Matthewrsquos Jesus 983092983089
983091 Lukersquos Jesus 983093983094
983092 Johnrsquos Jesus 983095983092
983093 Paulrsquos Jesus 852024852025
983094 he Priestly Jesus 983089983088852024
983095 he Jesus o Exiles 983089983090983091
852024 he Apocalyptic Jesus 983089983091852025
Part II
Introduction Jesus Outside the Bible 983089983093983095
852025 he Gnostic Jesus 983089983093852025
983089983088 he Muslim Jesus 983089983095983094
983089983089 he Historical Jesus 983089852025983090
983089983090 he Mormon Jesus 983090983089983089
983089983091 he American Jesus 983090983090983090
983089983092 he Cinematic Jesus 983090983092983088Conclusion ldquoOur Jesusrdquo 983090983093983093
Subject and Name Index 983090983094983091
Scripture Index 983090983094852025
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
Preface 852025
Abbreviations 983089983091
Introduction ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 983089983093
Part IIntroduction Jesus in the Bible 983090983091
983089 Markrsquos Jesus 983090983093
983090 Matthewrsquos Jesus 983092983089
983091 Lukersquos Jesus 983093983094
983092 Johnrsquos Jesus 983095983092
983093 Paulrsquos Jesus 852024852025
983094 he Priestly Jesus 983089983088852024
983095 he Jesus o Exiles 983089983090983091
852024 he Apocalyptic Jesus 983089983091852025
Part II
Introduction Jesus Outside the Bible 983089983093983095
852025 he Gnostic Jesus 983089983093852025
983089983088 he Muslim Jesus 983089983095983094
983089983089 he Historical Jesus 983089852025983090
983089983090 he Mormon Jesus 983090983089983089
983089983091 he American Jesus 983090983090983090
983089983092 he Cinematic Jesus 983090983092983088Conclusion ldquoOur Jesusrdquo 983090983093983093
Subject and Name Index 983090983094983091
Scripture Index 983090983094852025
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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Introduction
ldquoM983161 J983141983155983157983155rdquo
Iwas sitting in the seminary caeteria enjoying a cup o coffee and re-
minding mysel that Jesus wouldnrsquot mind i I skipped chapel that day
Afer all didnrsquot Jesus himsel withdraw rom the crowds or a little ldquodown
timerdquo I was sitting there with some ellow seminary students A colleague
was waxing eloquently about Jesus turning the water into wine joking that
i Jesus had been a Baptist he would have turned the wine back into water
One o my tablemates wasnrsquot enjoying the joke as much judging rom his
stern look o disapproval He reminded us that Jesus was a teetotaler When
someone else pointed out that Jesus drank wine he inormed us that the
wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic Tis caught my attention and I
asked him where Jesus would get such wine He announced with righteous
indignation ldquoI donrsquot know but my Jesus would not drink alcoholic winerdquo
Te discussion was over but I was lef wondering i my Jesus was the same
one as his
We recognize that not everyone in the world sees Jesus the same way as
we do but in our heart o hearts each o us believes that ldquomy Jesusrdquo is closest
to the real Jesus Others also have the real Jesus if they have a Jesus that
doesnrsquot differ significantly rom minemdashthat is only minor differences which
really means as long as the differences involve issues that donrsquot overly
concern me Although I will concede that at other times and in other places
people have misinterpreted Jesus I am airly confident that I have Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 731
1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 731
1048625852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
somewhat ldquorightrdquo Jesus tells the story o a slave owner who commands his
slave to serve him even when the slave is weary (Lk 104862510486311048631-1048625852016) I have baggage
rom my American history that makes me uncomortable with Jesus talkingabout real slaves Surely Jesus is reerring to some sort o spiritual slavery I
posit At the very least I want my translation to change the word rom ldquoslaverdquo
to ldquoservantrdquo Or perhaps this is some minor illustration that Jesus was
making and I am best served by skipping over that story I eel certain that
it would misrepresent Jesus or us to highlight that parable Although Luke
included the story we would not list it as one o our top ten avorite parables
We are all aware that others reinterpret Jesus reading Jesus through theirown cultural and religious lenses olerance is highly regarded in our society
I donrsquot like the story where Jesus equates a woman with a dog (Mt 1048625104862910486261048625-1048626983096)
My Jesus wouldnrsquot offend anyonemdashunless it was a bad person My Jesus
didnrsquot really mean it when he said ldquoWoe to you who are rich or you have
received your consolationrdquo (Lk 85202210486261048628) Even though I live comortably my
Jesus was talking about someone ar richer than me and I reason someone
who probably got rich by oppressing honest olks However deep downinside I believe that I donrsquot have an interpreted Jesus I am simply ldquoreadingrdquo
the Bible or taking the Bible ldquoliterallyrdquo I have the ldquoreal Jesusrdquo
Not only do I have a misinterpreted or reinterpreted Jesus but also my
Jesus is commonly a composite Jesusmdasha Jesus we canrsquot find in any one o the
Gospels He ministers in a composite world that I have created by joining
together the stories and characters that I think belong together For example
my Jesus the real Jesus cared about the rich young ruler but actually no
Gospel identifies the man that way He is rich in Mark 1048625852016 a rich young man
in Matthew 1048625983097 and a rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 Only by combining all the stories
do we conclude that he is a rich young ruler Likewise ofen we think that
Mary the sister o Lazarus was a sinul woman We conclude this only by
combining stories across Gospels In Luke 1048631 we are told that a sinul woman
anointed Jesus In John 10486251048625ndash10486251048626 we read that Mary anointed Jesus so we con-
clude that Mary was a sinul woman (rescued by Jesus) We may be slan-
dering Maryrsquos character So my Jesus ofen is the product o combined
stories In Christmas plays the shepherds and the magi visit the newborn
Jesus in the manger on the same night Tese composite accounts require us
to gloss over differences in order to combine the stories According to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 831
ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 931
1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 10486251048631
Matthew the magi actually visit the toddler Jesus who was living in a house
Te rich ruler in Luke 1048625983096 insists that he had been keeping all the command-
ments ever since he was young When we create a composite Jesus we risklosing Lukersquos Jesus or Matthewrsquos Jesus leaving us a Jesus o the lowest
common denominator or worse a Jesus made up o the parts I like
My Jesus is ofen a smorgasbord Jesus a Jesus who doesnrsquot look like the
one in the Bible Just like a buffet in the caeteria where I go through the
line and pick out what I want I read through the Gospels pulling out the
stories I like I see Brussels sprouts I know that theyrsquore good or me but I
donrsquot like them so I skip past them So likewise this smorgasbord Jesusdoesnrsquot hurl epithets at women or make demands o slaves In the caeteria
buffet I like dessert I likewise want a sweet agreeable Jesus one who likes
what I like and hates what I hate Everyone agrees that child trafficking is
bad so letrsquos talk about a Jesus who loves children But Irsquom uncomortable
with a Jesus who might disapprove o my purchase o the latest hi-tech
gadget when there are millions o children who donrsquot have enough to eat so
I avoid sayings o Jesus that might suggest that Frankly my Jesus isnrsquot overlyconcerned with the things Irsquom not overly concerned about
But we can see that it canrsquot be all about me Te British rock band De-
peche Mode sang about ldquomy personal Jesusrdquo Yet I know it cannot just be
about my personal experience with the risen Christ So how do we redis-
cover the real Jesus We suggest first allowing each picture o Jesus to speak
or itsel As evangelicals we believe that it was the inspiration o the Spirit
that led to producing our portraits o Jesus rather than a single composite
one Although each o our Gospels probably arose in its own community
why didnrsquot early Christians bring the our stories into one at least when they
were gathering writings into a collection An early church ather atian (ca
983137983140 10486251048626852016ndash1048625983096852016) thought it would be better just to have one Gospel so he wove
our our together Te result is his book the Diatessaron (meaning ldquothrough
ourrdquo) Collecting all the unique stories and blending the shared stories
creates what is called a ldquoharmony o the Gospelsrdquo Early Christians rejected
atianrsquos well-intended effortsmdashalthough in practice we still combine stories
Having different images o Jesus is somehow better So we are going to look
at the New estament Jesus rom a number o angles Clearly we privilege
the our canonical Gospels but the New estament has other pictures o
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 931
1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 1631
1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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1048625983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Jesus as well Beyond the New estament individuals and groups through
the ages have also interpreted Jesus As much as we would like to think
otherwise we have been influenced by how Jesus has been viewed beore usWe also no longer have the luxury o pretending that white Western males
are the only ones whose opinions matter Could Arican and Asian voices
help us to see Jesus better Tose outside our aith also have interpretations
o Jesus righteous angel rightly guided prophet enlightened sage darling
o heaven When Jesus asked his ollowers ldquoWho do people say that I amrdquo
he wasnrsquot just curious about what his ollowers believed he wanted to know
what the crowds were saying In effect he set up a question that can be andmust be asked by all peoples down through the ages
As each chapter in this book explores a different view o Jesus we will ask
first ldquoWhat does this picture o Jesus look likerdquo For example in chapter
three we pose the question ldquoWho does Luke say that I amrdquo narrowing the
ocus o Jesusrsquo amous question In other words we are going to look at each
story individually what Mark Strauss calls reading ldquoverticallyrdquo rom top to
bottommdashwithout looking ldquohorizontallyrdquo to other Gospelsmdashto discover themeaning o Jesus in each Gospel on its own terms rom beginning to end
Strauss contends that since each Gospel has a story to tell (and since the
Holy Spirit chose to inspire our and not just one) ldquowe should respect the
integrity o each storyrdquo983089 Looking at Markrsquos Jesus allows us to see the picture
that Mark wanted us to see rom how he introduces Jesus to the rise o ol-
lowers and opponents and the seemingly inevitable conflict to Godrsquos grand
resolution
Te second section o each chapter looks at how a particular portrayal o
Jesus differs rom other images or even rom the composite image that we
have o Jesus So we will ask or example ldquoHow is Lukersquos Jesus differentrdquo
Luke paints a different image than John does Tat statement might make
some uncomortable but even a casual reader can see that it is immediately
true We need to see the distinctives o each picture o Jesus Te dangers o
atianrsquos approach o reading harmonistically are that we blend stories and
we lose uniqueness both o which distort the message For example most
o us are amiliar with the ldquoSeven Sayings o Jesus on the Crossrdquo Yet there
1Mark L Strauss Four Portraits One Jesus An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids
Zondervan 983090983088983088983095) p 983091983090
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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ldquoMy Jesusrdquo 1048625983097
are seven only i one collects the sayings rom the our Gospels1048626 When we
add all o them together however we miss the emphasis o each writer
Markrsquos Jesus utters only one line rom the cross ldquoMy God my God whyhave you orsaken merdquo (Mk 1048625104862910486271048628) In Mark the crucifixion is an ominous
and dark moment But Lukersquos Jesus speaks to the crowds around him o-
ering warnings as he carries his cross ldquoDo not weep or me but weep or
yourselves and or your childrenrdquo (Lk 104862610486271048626983096) and to one person he offers
orgiveness and encouragement rom the cross ldquooday you will be with me
in Paradiserdquo (Lk 1048626104862710486281048627) From the cross Johnrsquos Jesus makes sure that his
mother will be taken care o and then he announces ldquoIt is finishedrdquo (Jn10486259830971048627852016)1048627 When we harmonize Lukersquos Jesus who is talking to the crowds with
Johnrsquos Jesus who is talking to his amily we miss Markrsquos picture o despairing
isolation It is important to look at each picture o Jesus separately first How
will this help us rediscover Jesus Well Lukersquos readers or example may
have had only Lukersquos Gospel Tey elt that it was enough Churches arose
Christians grew in aith ollowing Lukersquos Jesus When we blend our pictures
o Jesus too quickly we can lose the distinctives o each Worse we cancreate a Jesus o the lowest common denominator or a Jesus overshadowed
by the picture that we most preer
Te third section o each chapter asks Who would we say that Jesus is i
this were the only picture o Jesus that we had I we had only Markrsquos Jesus
what would Christmas and Easter look like (i we celebrated them at all)
What would our preaching sound like Well i we ollowed Markrsquos Jesus we
would preach ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo and not Johnrsquos message ldquoBe-
lieve in Jesus and yoursquoll have eternal lierdquo Or i we only had Lukersquos Jesus what
would our churches be doing Lukersquos Jesus cares or the marginalized Or
consider Matthewrsquos Jesus who tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are
the ones who practice and teach the commandments (Mt 10486291048625983097) And what
about Paul For Paul the main thing is that Christ died or our sins and rose
on the third day (1048625 Cor 104862510486291048627-1048628) Churches that emphasize Paulrsquos Jesus will
know exactly why Jesus died but will tend to compress the story o Jesus to
2In fact the saying ldquoFather forgive them for they do not know what they are doingrdquo (Lk 983090983091983091983092)
doesnrsquot appear in the oldest manuscripts leading many scholars to conclude that it was added
by scribes to create ldquoseven sayingsrdquo3For this insightful point we are indebted to Strauss Four Portraits pp 983091983091-983091983092
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his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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1048626852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
his death burial and resurrection And what about the Revelation o John
Te apocalyptic Jesus is hardly the gentle savior meek and mild whom we
read about in Luke Consequently this third section o each chapter helpsus to clariy what that particular image o Jesus says to us Looking directly
at the question ldquoWhat i this were our only Jesusrdquo will help us see first what
this picture o Jesus is emphasizing Maybe we need Markrsquos Jesus to remind
us that Jesus was bringing in the kingdom before the cross Or when we
preer Paulrsquos Jesus to the neglect o Jamesrsquo Jesus we orget that aith without
works is dead It matters what we do When did you last hear a sermon that
demanded ldquoCleanse your hands you sinners and puriy your heartsrdquo (Jas1048628983096) While we love abiding in Johnrsquos Jesus Peterrsquos Jesus reminds us to ldquomake
every effort to support your aith with goodness and goodness with
knowledgerdquo (1048626 Pet 10486251048629)
Tis is what we need to do take in the entire New estament and let each
biblical writer teach us about Jesus Rather than rely upon our avorite parts
our preerred picture o Jesus we need to rediscover the ldquowholerdquo Jesusmdash
every portrait every picture every single verse By looking at many differentimages o Jesus even the ones outside the Bible we might be in a better
position to rediscover Jesus beyond our preerences challenging our preju-
dices and enhancing our aith Jesus asked his first disciples what others
thought o him Ten he asked the question that matters just as much or
even more ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Some might think
that these are two separate questions and that you can answer the first and
ignore the second or you can answer the second as i you are unaffected by
the first We think that Jesus asked one question two ways Indeed you canrsquot
answer one without the other or it seems that everyone has an opinion
about Jesus and no one can figure him out alone In act we believe that this
twoold question still deserves a good answer because Jesusrsquo question still
stands today Itrsquos a question asked o every person We hope that this book
will help you find the answer
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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PART I
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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Introduction
J983141983155983157983155 983145983150 983156983144983141 B983145983138983148983141
Iattended the uneral o Daniel a fine Christian gentleman whom I didnrsquot
know all that well Te church was packed It was a testament to a long
lie well lived Clearly Daniel was much loved and admired Several people
stood up to share their memories o how Daniel had touched them Some
stories were humorous some quite serious Some were told by close riends
others by business associates One person knew Daniel only as a young man
another only when Daniel was old In the reception time aferwards I heard
other stories Sometimes I heard the same event told by different people with
different perspectives Each story helped flesh out the man Even though
each person spoke truthully every speaker helped me to see more Te
more stories I heard the better I understood Daniel It didnrsquot lead me to
believe that there were many Daniels but rather I began to see a more
complex Daniel with rich overtones
Likewise our Gospels lead us to see not our Jesuses but rather a uller
portrait o the one Jesus One personrsquos perspective doesnrsquot tell the whole
story Each New estament image o Jesus enriches our understanding o
him Yet we tend to gravitate toward the pictures that we like the best or are
the most amiliar Tus we in the modern West tend to spend our time with
the Jesus o Paul and John In act when I was in seminary a very popular
course was titled ldquoTe Teology o Paul and Johnrdquo Afer all wasnrsquot that all
we really needed When we say it so bluntly we know immediately that it
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486261048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
isnrsquot true We know that we need the entire New estament yet we ofen
pull our image o Jesus rom only select parts In part one we will look at
biblical portraits o JesusHowever we look not only at the common pictures o Jesus rom the
Gospels but also at the Jesus we find in Paulrsquos letters Hebrews 1048625 Peter and
Revelation For example we will ask the Jesus question ldquoWho does James
say that I amrdquo Afer looking at what James says we will ask another im-
portant question ldquoHow is Jamesrsquos Jesus differentrdquo It is ofen in looking at
what James says (and doesnrsquot say) that we find the uniqueness o Jamesrsquos
picture Finally wersquoll ask ldquoWhat i Jamesrsquos Jesus were our only Jesusrdquo Howwould our evangelism or worship be different How would we even speak
o evangelism i we donrsquot have Romans to pull verses rom Instead o just
assuming that we would have a truncated gospel we will seek what treasures
we can find in this other perspective o Jesus What would our churches do
i all we had were Jamesrsquos Jesus Instead o just thinking about what we
wouldnrsquot have such as not knowing about the parable o the good Samaritan
we should think about what we would be doing For James it matters thatour deeds match our words For James the gospel o Jesus is about taking
care o widows and orphans it is about giving ood and clothing to those
who need them and not merely spouting words o encouragement
aking in the ull picture o the biblical Jesus will mean having ears to
hear every story both the amiliar and obscure and having eyes to appre-
ciate every perspective rom the first book to the last Afer all since we
believe that the entire New estament was inspired by God we want to know
everything it says about the one we claim to ollow
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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852017
M983137983154983147rsquo983155 J983141983155983157983155
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to witness firsthand some
important event in history In the early days o television Walter
Cronkite hosted an educational series titled You Are Tere Te program
took us ldquoback in timerdquo and reenacted key events in American and world
history Afer a brie setup by Cronkite rom his studios in New York theannouncer says ldquoTe date is October 10486251048628 104862598309710486251048626 and the place is Milwaukee
Wisconsin and You Are Tere or the attempted assassination o eddy
Rooseveltrdquo983089 Te scene immediately shifs to the past News reporters in
modern dress cover the events o the day and interview the people in-
volved just as they do modern events Te hal-hour show concludes with
Cronkite in New York with these words ldquoWhat sort o day was it A day
like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times
And you were thererdquo
CBS News understood the power o drawing the audience in by por-
traying past actions in a vivid up-to-the-minute way Tey wanted us to
sense that we are there at the moment when these extraordinary events are
taking place Mark used a similar technique in his Gospel writing the story
as i ldquoyou were thererdquo his Greek text switches rom past to present tense at
key moments o a story to highlight the critical action (eg Mk 104862810486271048629-10486281048625)
with the effect o bringing Jesusrsquo time into our own Mark used several tech-
niques to bring his audience ace-to-ace with Jesus
1Episode 1048625983088 first broadcast on June 983090 1048625983097983093983095
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 1631
1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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1048626852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
W983144983151 D983151983141983155 M983137983154983147 S983137983161 T983144983137983156 I A983149983103
And who is this Jesus He is the Messiah (Christ) and Son o Godmdashthat
is Godrsquos end-time agent whose task is to liberate the world rom eviloppression sin sickness and death he world that Jesus enters is hostile
and contrary to the human race he Messiah appears in order to claim
all that God has made on behal o heaven In Markrsquos account Jesus
moves quickly along ldquothe wayrdquo challenging and disrupting demonic
powers disease religious authorities storms and ultimately the power
o Rome itsel
But Jesus does not appear rom nowhere prophets such as Malachi andIsaiah have written o him long ago Tey oresaw his coming and John the
Baptizer arrived right on schedule to prepare his way I John is Godrsquos mes-
senger (Mal 10486271048625) and the voice crying out in the wilderness (Is 10486288520161048627) then
surely Jesus is the ldquoLordrdquo whose paths must be made straight (Mk 10486251048626-1048627) But
the word ldquoLordrdquo here is no polite address to an English country gentleman
or a simple affirmation o a person in authority it is the way Greek-speaking
Jews uttered the unspeakable name o the one true God o Israel Jesus theChrist is no ordinary man or the very name o Godmdasha name protected by
the en Commandmentsmdashbelongs rightly to him As Markrsquos story unolds
it is apparent why this is so
When Jesus heard that a prophet had again appeared in Israel he lef
Nazareth to see or himsel As he entered the Jordan River to be baptized
onlookers would have thought that Jesus was becoming a disciple o John
But it was what Jesus heard and saw next that dramatically changed his lie
He saw a vision the heavens were ripped open and the Spirit descended on
him like a dove Ten he heard a voice rom heaven ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Ps
10486261048631) and ldquowith you I am well pleasedrdquo (Is 104862810486261048625) Whether or not anyone else
saw or heard what was going on in the heavens that day is unclear Mark tells
us only that Jesus saw and heard perhaps Jesusrsquo special sonship was a secret
that needed protecting or a while But it was enough or Jesus to see and
hear it because it was about him and him alone He knew what he must do
next He must leave behind Nazareth and the anonymity o the workshop
or a public lie in Galilee and beyond He must trade a builderrsquos tools or
the skills o a traveling rabbi
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486261048631
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 A983139983156983145983151983150
Te Spirit sendsmdashactually drivesmdashJesus into the wilderness where he battles
with Satan or orty days and is served by angels a hint o things to comeWhen John is arrested (another hint) Jesus returns to Galilee to begin the
next phase o his lie with a proound message ldquoTe time is ulfilled and the
kingdom o God has come near repent and believe in the good newsrdquo (Mk
104862510486251048629) Te essential message o Jesus had to do with the kingdom o God I
we ail to understand that then we will ail to understand Markrsquos Jesus Jesus
did not come so that people might go to heaven when they die As important
WHATrsquoS MORE
What Is a Gospel
Scholars do not often agree on much but the majority of scholars
today agree on this the New Testament Gospels belong to a genre of
literature known as ldquobiographiesrdquo (bioi ) In the middle of the twen-
tieth century many scholars challenged this notion arguing that the
Gospels were totally unique compositions But more recently schol-
ars such as Richard Burridge and David Aune have made compelling
cases that ancient biographies provide clear evidence that the Gos-
pels ought to be read as a biography of a recent person They point to
analogies in Plutarchrsquos Lives Tacitusrsquos Annals and Suetoniusrsquos Livesof the Caesars
Modern biographies are different from ancient ones We prefer
dates and events in sequential order Ancient biographies often
are arranged in thematic or topical order rather than chronological
Moreover they generally are not concerned with describing physi-
cal traits instead the true greatness of people is measured in what
they did and what they said and especially in how they died In addi-
tion ancient writers felt free to paraphrase (and usually abbreviate)
a personrsquos speeches as long as they stayed true to the essence ofwhat was said Finally ancient biographies functioned in a variety
of ways they were entertaining of course but writers often chose
their subjects because their lives provided inspiring examples wor-
thy of imitation We see many of these same dynamics at work in the
New Testament Gospels
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1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 1831
1048626983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
as that may be that is not the center o his message Te crux o it is that Godrsquos
reign on this world is about to begin so get ready It is not too ar-etched to
understand everything that Markrsquos Jesus does and says has to do with thekingdom So understanding what the kingdom o God means or Jesus and
his first hearers is crucial Simply put the kingdom o God is the time and
place in history when Godrsquos will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Tere is ambiguity in Jesusrsquo statements about the kingdom beginning
with his initial proclamation ldquoTe kingdom o God is nearrdquo What does
Jesus mean Is the kingdom already here (present) or has it not yet arrived
(uture) For Mark the ocus appears to be the uture but the uture hasalready begun in the present Te ambiguous nature o the kingdomrsquos
present-uture or ldquoalready but not yetrdquo aspect gains clarity in reerence to
Jesus For Mark it is impossible to talk about the kingdom apart rom Jesus
Where the king is there is the kingdom
Te claim that Godrsquos reign is about to begin on earth does not sit well with
the powers that be Satan and dark orces line up against Jesus Powerul
peoplemdashsome religious some not so muchmdashband together against Jesus inorder to silence him In Markrsquos Gospel Jesus is a deeply polarizing figure He
is either loved or hated He is either a devil who deserves to be destroyed or
Godrsquos Messiah the Son o God who has come to serve and give his lie ldquoa
ransom or manyrdquo (Mk 104862585201610486281048629) Mark does not leave room or an ambiguous
response to Jesus He never meant to
Signs and wonders Markrsquos portrait o Jesus emphasizes miracles in the
cities and villages o the Galilee As he travels Jesus encounters people in
great need some are demonized sick hungry and dying Tey come alone
and others with large masses because they wish what we all wish to be
whole and well
Yet there is some ambiguity regarding the relationship o aith to Jesusrsquo
miracles Where aith exists Jesus is portrayed as able to do mighty deeds
unhindered Te leper who approaches Jesus confident that the Nazarene
can make him well is soon healed and sent to procure the priestrsquos confir-
mation (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) When Jesus encounters the disabled man carried by
our riends he sees the aith o his riends and heals him (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) Jesus
also heals the woman with a bleeding disorder and sends her home with this
encouragement ldquoYour aith has made you wellrdquo (Mk 104862910486271048628) He says the same
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048626983097
thing to the ormerly blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mk 104862585201610486291048626) Un-
belie however seems to have impeded Jesusrsquo healing ministry at home in
Nazareth Although he did perorm a handul o healings ldquohe could do nodeed o power thererdquo (Mk 8520221048629) due apparently to unbelie Tis may explain
passages such as Mark 104862510486271048626-10486271048628 where the locals in Galilee brought to Jesus
ldquoallrdquo who were sick and oppressed and Jesus healed ldquomanyrdquo On the other
hand aith must have been ull in Gennesaret the day Jesus embarked there
or all who touched the ringe o his garments were healed (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022)
For Mark the miracles that Jesus perorms are not just individual acts o
benevolence good deeds done to deserving persons Rather properly un-
derstood the miracles are maniestations o the reign o God in the world
Tey demonstrate the priorities o the kingdom and what kind o world
WHATrsquoS MORE
Four Types of Miracles
Jesus performs four kinds of miracles Each demonstrates some-
thing of his authority
1 Exorcisms Jesus has authority over evil
bull the man in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 121-28)
bull the man from Gerasa (Mk 51-20)
bull the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 914-29)
2 Healings Jesus has authority over disease
bull the leper (Mk 135-39)
bull the paralytic (Mk 21-12)
bull the blind man in Bethsaida (Mk 822-26)
3 Nature miracles Jesus has authority over nature itselfbull he stills a storm (Mk 435-41)
bull he walks on water (Mk 645-52)
bull he feeds a crowd of five thousand (Mk 630-44)
4 Resuscitations Jesus has authority over death
bull Jairusrsquos daughter (Mk 521-43)
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there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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1048627852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
there will be when the world to come eclipses the present evil age Evil will
no longer oppress Disease will no longer ravage Nature will no longer be
contrary Death will no longer claim Te reign o God looks much differentrom this age and the miracles pull back the veil to reveal the world as God
had always intended it
Parables Although Jesus is ofen addressed as ldquoeacherrdquo in Markrsquos
Gospel (eg Mk 10486281048627983096 104862585201610486251048631 1048625104862610486251048628 104862510486271048625) we encounter only a little o his
ormal teaching Seldom in Mark does Jesus sit down or stand beore a
crowd to teach When he does (Mk 104862510486261048625-1048626983096) wersquore not told what he says or
the point o the story lies beyond the lesson o the day For Mark Jesusteaches by example evident in his daily interactions with the sick sinners
nature opponents and disciples When he does sit beore the crowds he
speaks in parables designed to conceal as much as they reveal (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
For insiders the parables reveal the true nature o the kingdom o God or
those outside the parables merely conceal it
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 983145983150 C983151983150983142983148983145983139983156
When Jesus perorms miracles he stirs things up Demons recognize him
Crowds grow Questions are asked ldquoWhat is this A new teachingmdashwith
authorityrdquo (Mk 104862510486261048631) People are amazed at his authority But Jesusrsquo kingdom
message and actions also stir up his opponents Mark wants his readers to
see how quickly Jesusrsquo message rubbed the sel-appointed guardians o
culture the wrong way So he lays out or his audience a series o contro-
versies that swirled around Jesus Jesus meets each challenge with a clari-
ying wordmdasha pronouncementmdashabout his mission and ministry How he
answers these charges reveal the heart o the Markan Jesus
Blasphemy Opponents charge Jesus with blasphemy or claiming to
orgive the sins o the paralyzed man (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048626) No one can orgive sins
except God alone they grumble Jesus answers by appealing to his avorite
sel-designation Te ldquoSon o Manrdquo has not usurped Godrsquos right indeed he
exercises properly heavenrsquos authority to orgive sins on earth He punctuates
the pronouncement by healing the man and sending him home
Friend of sinners Opponents charge Jesus with beriending notorious
sinners Jesus responds with a pronouncement ldquoTose who are well have
no need o a physician but those who are sick I have come to call not the
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048625
righteous but sinnersrdquo (Mk 104862610486251048631) Jesus seems more comortable in the
company o sinners than o those who think that they are righteous
Violating the traditions of the elders Opponents charge Jesus with notollowing the traditions handed down rom the elders (Mk 10486261048625983096 10486311048629) Jesus
responds not by declaring an end to all tradition but by appealing to the
moment Now is not the time to ast now is the time to east because the
bridegroom (Jesus himsel) is present When the bridegroom is taken
awaymdasha cryptic reerence to Jesusrsquo arrest and executionmdashit will be time to
ast With parables about mending garments and making wine Jesus hints
that the newness o the kingdom requires new traditions to contain itBreaking Sabbath law Jesusrsquo opponents watched him careully scruti-
nized his every move and were quick to accuse him o breaking Godrsquos law
regarding the Sabbath So Jesus appealed to Scripture and compassion I
someone is in need o ood or healing or some other good thing on the
Sabbath it is lawul to provide them He pronounces ldquoTe sabbath was
made or humankind and not humankind or the sabbath so the Son o
Man is lord even o the sabbathrdquo (Mk 104862610486261048631-1048626983096)In league with the devil Opponents claim that Jesus casts out demons
because he is in league with the devil Ironically they never challenge his
ability to perorm these exorcisms they claim that Jesus received his
power rom the devil (Beelzebul) himsel Jesus responds with a bit o
common sense How can Satan cast out Satan A house divided cannot
stand But it is the parable that Jesus tells next that sheds the greatest light
on how he understood his role ldquoBut no one can enter a strong manrsquos house
and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man then
indeed the house can be plunderedrdquo (Mk 104862710486261048631) What are we to make o
such a cryptic lesson Who is the strong man Who is the robber who
dares to break in tie up the strong man and plunder his world Te world
that Markrsquos Jesus enters has been co-opted by Satan dark orces and rulers
Satan is ldquothe god o this worldrdquo working contrary to the will o heaven So
Satan is the strong man he acts like he owns the house and all its goodies
Tat makes Jesus the robber For Mark it was the miracles o Jesus par-
ticularly his exorcisms that constituted Jesusrsquo sustained attack on the do-
minion o darkness Trough his miracles Jesus corrected the horrible
results o the evil onersquos pretentious reign Te Masterrsquos miracles were
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
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1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2231
10486271048626 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
binding the devil restricting him to the point that Jesus could take back
the house that rightly belonged to God So Markrsquos Jesus is an apocalyptic
Jesus As the Son o Man he has come rom above bearing the name o theone true God directed and empowered by the Spirit to take on Satan and
the world that he rules
T983144983141 M983141983155983155983145983137983144 R983141983146983141983139983156983141983140
As Jesusrsquo baptism is a major point in his lie the episode in Caesarea Philippi
WHATrsquoS MORE
Jesus at War Although Mark portrays Jesus at war often Christians avoid this im-
age Notice in the famous hymn by Folliott S Pierpoint (1835ndash1917) how
the world is all rosy and undefiled and all in the universe are friends
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us liesLord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale and tree and flower
sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
brother sister parent child
friends on earth and friends above
Pleasures pure and undefiled
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our grateful hymn of praise
Markrsquos Jesus seems less likely to sing about love beauty and
flowers Hersquos at war
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2331
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2431
10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2531
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048627
is the watershed moment in Markrsquos story Te readers o the Gospel have
known rom the beginning that Jesus is the Messiah the Son o God (Mk
10486251048625) Likewise demons and dark orces have recognized Jesus as the HolyOne o God and recoiled in terror in his presence (Mk 104862510486261048628 10486271048628) Te religious
leaders who opposed him understood the threat that he posed to their com-
ortable existence Now finally the disciples have the opportunity to stake
their claim Peter speaking or the rest says what they all have come to
believe ldquoYou are the Messiahrdquo (Mk 9830961048626983097) Immediately Jesus warns them not
to speak o this to anyone else
More than any other Gospel Mark underscores the need to keep Jesusrsquotrue identity a secret at least at first We see this at work in several ways Jesus
appears to have been the only one to see the vision and hear the voice o the
Father at his baptism ldquoYou are my Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486251048625) Demons recognize him
and are told to be silent (Mk 104862510486261048628-10486261048629 104862710486251048625-10486251048626) Tose made well by Jesusrsquo mir-
acles are instructed to keep the good news to themselves (Mk 104862510486281048628 104862910486281048627 10486311048627852022)
Now he warns his disciples to tell no one what they have come to believe
about him Much has been made o what is now called the ldquomessianic secretrdquoin Markrsquos Gospel Some consider it Markrsquos clever cover-up or the act that
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah Others regard it as Jesus taking care
not to allow hostile orces to compromise his mission and bring it to a pre-
mature end What seems clear is that Jesus wanted to define his messianic
destiny or himsel as the Suffering Servant (see Is 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626) Regardless o
Markrsquos purpose or this ldquosecretrdquo afer Caesarea Philippi the secret is out
Peterrsquos insightul conession that Jesus is the Messiah is lef hanging in the
air nearly orgotten by the sting o Jesusrsquo rebuke As soon as Peter conesses
the disciplesrsquo belie Jesus predicts that the Son o Man must suffer be re-
jected by their leaders be crucified and then be raised on the third day But
ldquothe Rockrdquo (the meaning o Peterrsquos nickname) will have none o it so Peter
rebukes Jesus in private o Jesus Peterrsquos rebuke sounds like the voice o
Satan tempting him to avoid the suffering to come So Jesus returns the
rebuke or the rest o the disciples to hear ldquoGet behind me Satan For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human thingsrdquo (Mk 98309610486271048627)
As their reactions will show in the short time remaining none o the dis-
ciples have a clue that ldquothe wayrdquo destined or Jesus will be a way o suffering
So we see that the disciples in Mark play an ambiguous role Although
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2431
10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2531
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2431
10486271048628 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
they can display great aith and insight they ofen ail to understand what
Jesus is trying to tell them especially when it comes to his suffering Tey
act out o pride and sel-interest Tey lack aith Tey seem ignorant o thebasics o discipleship Other New estament Gospels sometimes portray the
disciples in a somewhat negative light but Mark takes it to a whole new level
He has no interest in rehabilitating the disciplesrsquo image Judas one o the
welve betrays him Peter one o the inner circle denies him When Jesus
is arrested the disciples scatter and abandon him At what may well be the
end o Markrsquos story the women who find the tomb empty run away in terror
For Mark the disciples are not worthy o imitation but Jesus is He is theideal disciple His aithulness to God stands in contrast to the aithlessness
o the disciples He alone is worthy to be ollowed and imitated or he un-
derstood that the path to glory must not bypass suffering
Te purpose o that suffering is described in Mark 104862585201610486281048629 ldquoFor the Son o
Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his lie a ransom or
manyrdquo Tis pronouncement echoes the Servant Songs o Isaiah particu-
larly Isaiah 1048629104862610486251048627ndash1048629104862710486251048626 In these poetic lines the Servant o Yahweh (theLord) is rejected by the people yet suffers or their sins It is the will o God
to crush him and make his lie an atoning sacrifice this is why the Servant
pours out his lie and bears the sins o ldquomanyrdquo In these words Markrsquos Jesus
WHATrsquoS MORE
Reading Stories Together
Mark intends many of his stories to be read together each lend-
ing meaning to the other Some episodes are tied by shared words
Jairusrsquos daughter is twelve years old the woman with a bleeding dis-
order had suffered it for twelve years Jairus falls at Jesusrsquo feet as
does the healed woman Both women are termed ldquodaughterrdquo Other
stories in Mark are tied by their position to each other In Mark the
story of the cursing of the fig tree is split in half with the clearing of
the temple in between Mark intends us to use the fig tree to inter-pret the temple incident Jesus didnrsquot hate trees Rather like the fig
tree the temple was full of life but bearing no fruit So Jesus curses
the fig tree and condemns the activit ies in the temple
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2531
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2531
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048629
finds the meaning and ocus o his lie suffering and rejection are ldquothe wayrdquo
set aside or him
Tis is not to say that Mark ails to provide positive examples o aith andaithulness other than Jesus He does He finds them in the leper who con-
fidently asks Jesus to make him well (Mk 10486251048628852016-10486281048629) Mark finds them in the
riends o a disabled man who peel back the roo o a house in Capernaum
to gain access to Jesus (Mk 10486261048625-10486251048625) Mark utilizes a literary technique known
as ldquoramingrdquo to weave together the healing o Jairusrsquos daughter and o a
woman suffering rom a bleeding disorder In both cases Mark discovers
great aith (Mk 104862910486261048625-10486281048627)Jesus finds extraordinary aith not among the religious leaders but rather
among the sick o Gennesaret (Mk 85202210486291048627-1048629852022) in the Syrophoenician woman
(Mk 104863110486261048627-1048627852016) in blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10486258520161048628852022-10486291048626) and in the widow who
gave two small coins (Mk 1048625104862610486281048625-10486281048628) Perhaps the greatest irony however lies
in the conession voiced by the Roman centurion in charge o Jesusrsquo cruci-
fixion When Jesus drew his final breath the officer said ldquoruly this man
was Godrsquos Sonrdquo (Mk 104862510486291048627983097) Te conession made by this Roman soldiermatches the testimony o God the Father as it echoed rom heaven at Jesusrsquo
baptism and transfiguration it accords completely with what the disciples
had come to believemdashon one o their better daysmdashabout who Jesus is
Indeed the aithul are like the seed growing secretly (Mk 10486281048626852022-1048626983097) the poor
the blind the lame and the sick are the ertile soil where the gospel is taking
root and will one day fill the garden (Mk 10486281048625-1048626852016)
H983151983159 I983155 T983144983145983155 J983141983155983157983155 D983145983142983142983141983154983141983150983156983103
Markrsquos Jesus arrives on the scene as an adult We know little about him other
than he was the son o Mary a descendant o King David and a carpenter
rom Nazareth in Galilee (eg Mk 8520221048625-852022) No account o his birth or
childhood fills out the portrait or helps to explain what he is about to do
Jesus it seems is just a man who arrives at the Jordan curious that a desert
prophet is announcing God is up to something new
In Markrsquos account Jesus is not a warm uzzy ellow he is a man driven
by the Spirit He moves quickly rom place to place pressed into conflict
with spiritual and political powers Here is a Jesus who acts more and teaches
less or when he does teach no one seems to get it Here is a son and brother
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2631
1048627852022 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
whose amily is concerned or his saety and sanity (Mk 10486271048625983097b-10486261048625) Afer
Johnrsquos arrest and death it is up to him and him alone to make straight the
way As the Messiah and Son o God his every word and action is calculatedto put the present-uture kingdom on ull display Mark describes how Jesus
becomes angry at those who place religious correctness above people Markrsquos
Jesus extends mercy and shows compassion to the sick and lost (eg Mk
10486271048625-852022) He is a model o righteous indignation
On the eve o his death this Jesus experiences deep distress and anxiety
(Mk 1048625104862810486271048627-10486271048628) Even though Jesus predicted this day he recoils rom the
prospect and prays ldquoAbba Father remove this cup rom merdquo (Mk 104862510486281048627852022)Nevertheless the day comes and Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross For
reasons not altogether clear Mark details the hours o Jesusrsquo suffering at
983097852016852016 am they hung him on the cross at 10486251048626852016852016 noon darkness covered the
land at 1048627852016852016 pm Jesus cried out the words o Psalm 10486261048626 and then breathed
one last time
On the Sunday ollowing Jesusrsquo execution something amazing happened
Te rock-hewn tomb where they laid the body o Jesus is ound emptyInside a young man dressed in white proclaims to the women ldquoHe has
risenrdquo He tells them the risen
one is heading or Galilee
and they will see him there
But unlike the other Gospels
Mark relates no account o
Jesus himsel appearing to
his ollowers It endsmdashrather
oddly according to somemdash
with those same women
running rom the tomb
gripped with ear and
amazement
Markrsquos account o Jesus
ends as it begins in dramatic
ashion In this ast-moving
hard-hitting Gospel Mark
wants his readers to see the
SO WHAT
Should Christians Fear Death
We often hear people say that Chris-
tians facing death should ldquohave more
faithrdquo Popular Greek philosophers in
Jesusrsquo day welcomed death as a friend
that freed the soul from the prison of
the body Christian faith teaches that
death is the last enemy of God (1 Cor
1526) We should admit that death is
real Even Jesus prayed that God wouldremove the cup of suffering from him
A desire to avoid suffering and death
does not signify a lack of faith
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2731
Markrsquos Jesus 10486271048631
lie o Jesus rom his baptism to his resurrection as the beginning o the good
news Tis strategy invites his audience to see their lives as the next in-
stallment o the good news For Mark God was on the move in remarkableways through Jesus ways only the prophets could have imagined and God
was still on the move when the churches gathered to read Markrsquos Gospel
W983144983137983156 I983142 T983144983145983155 W983141983154983141 O983157983154 O983150983148983161 J983141983155983157983155983103
Itrsquos difficult to say what is different about Markrsquos Jesus since 983097852016 percent o
his Gospel appears in Matthew and Luke So letrsquos conduct a thought ex-
periment I we were to pretend that Markrsquos Jesus were the only Jesus whatwould we believe about him What would the church look like today
With no account o the virgin birth no shepherds in the field keeping
watch over flocks and no
magi ollowing the star we
would likely not celebrate
Christmas at all Likewise
with only an empty tomband no resurrection appear-
ances we would have much
less to talk about at Easter
Given Markrsquos emphasis
upon Jesus as a healer and ex-
orcist our gatherings would
eature ewer sermons andmore exorcisms When we
did sermonize on Jesusrsquo
teachings we would have
little to say about orgiveness
nothing to say about turning
the other cheek and no one
would have ever heard o theldquogolden rulerdquo (Do to others
what you would have others
do to you)
SO WHAT
WWJDWhat Would Jesus Do
This is the kind of question that Markrsquos
Jesus encourages rather than ldquoWhat
does Jesus teachrdquo In fact you cannot
ask ldquoWhat would Jesus dordquo until you
know ldquoWhat did Jesus dordquo That is
why reading the Gospels is so crucial
to our faith Our churches wouldnrsquot beabout coming sitting and listening to
a sermon theyrsquod be about confronting
the moral decay in our neighborhoods
Markrsquos Jesus wouldnrsquot convene a
prayer meeting to discuss the prob-
lems of the inner city hersquod be walking
the streets and confronting the dark-
ness with light Does such talk make
modern religious leaders squirm andworry how the local authorities will
react What would Markrsquos Jesus do
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2831
1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
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1048627983096 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
Like Jesus we would have more interest in the kingdom o God than in
going to heaven afer we die We would view our mission in more aggressive
terms than most modern Christians find comortable We would accom-modate less and conront more We would see ourselves locked in conflict with
evil oppression death and disease We may build hospitals in his name but
we would name them ldquoVictory Carerdquo rather than ldquoGood Samaritan Hospitalrdquo
Since Mark never uses the
word ldquochurchrdquo our gatherings
may go by a different name
With Jesusrsquo rebuke o Peterstill ringing in their ears and
Peterrsquos denials o Jesus unad-
dressed it is not likely anyone
would have thought Peter a
good candidate to succeed
Jesus Apostolic succession in
general probably would beconsidered a bad idea given
how badly Jesusrsquo ollowers be-
haved Tomas however
would never have been
branded ldquodoubting Tomasrdquo
Without the Sermon on
the Mount (Mt 1048629ndash1048631) encour-
aging us to be peacemakers
Christians might be turning
over more tables We wouldnrsquot
shrink rom conflict or our
Master never did In act he
seemed to relish taking the
battle to Godrsquos enemies With
so little instruction on prayer
in Mark there would be nothing distinctive about Christian prayer and
perhaps little interest in it Without the mandate to make disciples o the
nations and baptize others (Mt 10486269830961048625852022-1048626852016) it is not clear whether Christ ol-
SO WHAT
Turning Over Tables
Angry Christians often appeal to Je-
susrsquo behavior in the temple citing his
ldquorighteous indignationrdquo Indignation is
actually pretty easy itrsquos the righteous
part thatrsquos the challenge How often
is our anger really righteous One in-
stance from Jesusrsquo ministry shouldnrsquotjustify weekly outbursts from us
Jesus clearly was a polarizing
figure and found himself in conflict
with others Christians may also find
themselves in conflict with those
around them But we need to assess
whether the conflict arises because
we are standing up for what is right or
because we are being vindictive judg-mental or condemning Rather than
defend ourselves perhaps we should
recognize there will always be con-
flict for those who follow Jesus but
there are no heavenly (or earthly for
that matter) rewards for being a jerk
There is a difference
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 2931
Markrsquos Jesus 1048627983097
lowers would have ounded universities and seminaries or engaged in
modern missions baptism itsel may be something that Jesus did but not
that we doI Markrsquos Jesus were our only Jesus the Dutch master Rembrandt never
would have created the amous painting Te Return of the Prodigal Son now
hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Russia Nor would
Italian Renaissance artists have captured the story o the annunciation and
birth o Jesus so memorably on canvas and wood
Mark provides us with a memorable portrait o Jesus At one point early
in Christian history there were communities located in the Mediterraneanbasin that had only one Gospel the Gospel o Mark Tey read it and recited
it when they gathered or worship Tey copied it and shared it with others
Tis Gospel shaped their lives and gave them all they knew about Jesus
R983141983137983140 M983151983154983141 A983138983151983157983156 I983156
Burridge Richard What Are the Gospels A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biog-
raphy 1048626nd ed Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486268520168520161048628
Henderson Suzanne Watts ldquoMark Gospel according tordquo In Te Oxford Encyclo-
pedia of the Books of the Bible edited by Michael Coogan pp 10486281048626-1048629852022 Oxord
Oxord University Press 104862685201610486251048625
Lane William L Te Gospel According to Mark New International Commentary on
the New estament Grand Rapids Eerdmans 104862598309710486311048628
Martin Ralph P Mark Evangelist and Teologian Grand Rapids Zondervan 104862598309710486311048627
Perrin Nicholas ldquoMark Gospel ordquo In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels edited by
Joel B Green Jeannine K Brown and Nicholas Perrin pp 104862910486291048627-852022852022 1048626nd edDowners Grove IL IVP Academic 104862685201610486251048627
D983145983155983139983157983155983155983145983151983150 Q983157983141983155983156983145983151983150983155
1 What do the titles ldquoLordrdquo and ldquoSon o Godrdquo mean or Mark How do
these titles relate to the Old estament
2 Te central message o Jesus has to do with the kingdom o God What
did Jesusrsquo disciples take away rom that message How do his miraclesfit the message
3 Why is Markrsquos presentation o the disciples primarily negative
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3031
1048628852016 R983141983140983145983155983139983151983158983141983154983145983150983143 J983141983155983157983155
4 For Mark what does it mean to ldquoollow Jesusrdquo
5 I Mark were the only Gospel we had what would we know about Jesus
What would we not know What difference would it make
6 What does Mark add to our understanding o Jesus
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131
8202019 Rediscovering Jesus By David B Capes Rodney Reeves and E Randolph Richards - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrediscovering-jesus-by-david-b-capes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards 3131