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Gerald's Reflection: Gospel of Mark

 

	Gerald Curren Synoptic Gospels & Acts Fr. Soto March 14, 2008 Summary of the Gospel of Mark (NJBC #41) We are not sure of the name of the author who wrote the Gospel of Mark, especially since there is no mention of the author’s name in the text. Mark is known to be a companion of St. Paul and we see another reference in 1 Pet 5:13 that Mark is St. Peter’s co-worker. He is referred to as “Mark, my son” in this verse. Papias of Hierapolis is quoted in Eusebius, HE 3.39.15 who lived in the early 2nd century, is the first person to state that the author of this Gospel to be Mark. Mark is known as the “interpreter of Peter” and because of this direct relationship with Peter, this book is thought to have been authored before 70 A.D. Yet another indication that this Gospel preceded 70 A.D. is that there is no mention of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. This role as Peter’s interpreter leads one to believe that this could be the “Gospel of Peter.” Conventional wisdom and a basic principle of interpretation suggest that Peter was not the only source of Mark. Peter is mentioned throughout the Gospel, but this is not enough to validate this assumption. When we look at the literary structure and content of the Mark’s Gospel, we see both a geographical and theological arrangement. In the first half of the Gospel, we see the actions of Jesus in Galilee and beyond. In the second half, we see the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and all that happens in Jerusalem. The theological structure highlights the authority (exousia) of Jesus. This authority is revealed in his work and in his speech and it is rejected by his own disciples. The flow of the structure continues with Jesus giving a warning of what it means to reject his authority. Jesus is then put to death by those who reject his authority. Mark is credited with being the first to use this type of structure latter known as “gospel” or “good news.” This new literary genre was also adopted by the other Gospel authors to share this “good news” of God’s work in Christ. Yet another point of interest is that Mark took the stories of Christ and weaved them together in a logical manner connecting them with parenthetical comments that offered a great segue to the next story. The purpose Mark had for writing his Gospel included an effort to empower the members of his community to face persecution and to fight their own temptations. His emphasis was to bridge the events of Jesus’ life, especially his passion, death, and resurrection, with their belief of salvation and above all, to deepen their faith. Some thought Mark’s Gospel was a preservation of Peter’s eyewitness account as well as the account of others. Some thought it served to counter incorrect Christology and other heresies, while others thought it was specifically for Christian liturgies such as baptism and Easter. At the time of Jesus’ life, Jews looked at the kingdom of God as the “definitive display of God’s lordship at the end of history.” Mark followed the theology of Jesus which points to the kingdom of God. Jesus used parables to teach people about the coming of the kingdom of God and deepen people’s faith. He wanted them to be ready for it. The healings performed by Jesus foreshadow God’s kingdom. In this way, the kingdom of God has begun and is also anticipated. Mark makes it clear that anyone who wants to acquire eternal life in the kingdom of God need only to look at the life of Jesus. It is one thing to include a cluster of healing stories, but Mark also included the teachings of Jesus that accompanied these miracles. He set up the Gospel so that the passion and resurrection serve as the climax of the story of Jesus. This is the directing principle. Mark used a variety of Christological titles to reference the Lord in his writing. One thing that is noticeable about his Gospel is that Jesus did not refer to himself as the Messiah. He did acknowledge this title once in Mk 8:29-30, but even in this instance, Jesus warned them to not tell anyone. Mark showed how Jesus commanded people to not speak of the miracles that he performed or of his identity. This is known as “the messianic secret.” Only in the death and resurrection of Christ, does Marks presentation give significance to this “secret.” Mark also draws parallels between the members of his community and the earliest disciples. He wants his community to deepen their faith and realize their response to Jesus. To share Jesus’ mission and to “be with” Jesus is the Marcan ideal of discipleship. He points out how the disciples had such a hard time with this ideal. The disciples did not understand Jesus and even denied him thrice. The beginning of the Gospel highlights how the disciples should be imitated, but the second half highlights how they should not be imitated. This shift places the emphasis on the idea that it is only Jesus who should be imitated.