The main question of the Gospel
according to Mark is: “Who do you say that Jesus Christ is”? That
there was a flesh-and-blood man named Jesus of Nazareth who once
walked upon the face of the earth cannot be denied. The gospel
writers were careful historians. Many early Christian writers wrote
about him. Also several early secular writers spoke of Jesus as a
historical figure: Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Josephus, and Lucian
of Samosata–all first or second century authors–mentioned Jesus
in their writings.
Mark is concerned with this question.
He told us right at the beginning who Jesus is. The opening words
are, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Only a few sentences later Mark told us about the heavenly Father
confirming who Jesus was at his baptism. As Jesus emerged from the
water the heavens were torn open, the Spirit of God descended upon
Jesus like a dove, and a voice resounded that said, “You are my
beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (1:17). There is no room
for equivocation: Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
As you read through the Gospel you see
that so few understood who he is. Hardly anyone understood that he is
the Son of God. There were a few who did understand: notably the
demons and the centurion presiding over Jesus' crucifixion. Consider
the irony!
His family did not understand.
They thought he was crazy. In 3:21 we read about a large crowd
gathering around Jesus seeking healing from him. When his family
heard about this they went to seize him saying, “He is out of his
mind.”
The people of his hometown did
not understand. In 6:1ff we read about Jesus coming to Nazareth and
teaching in the synagogue. The people had heard about the mighty
deeds he had done in other places. They wondered where he had
acquired his wisdom and power. After all, he was just the carpenter's
son, and they knew his mother, brothers and sisters, and they took
offence at him.
The Judean leaders did not
understand who he was; in fact, they called him a blasphemer. They
understood the claim that Jesus was making about himself, that he was
the Son of God. At the trial the high priest put the question before
Jesus: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” (14:61).
Jesus answered, “I am” (v. 62), at which the high priest accused
Jesus of blasphemy and the Sanhedrin said that he deserved to die.
The disciples did not
understand who he was. When Jesus calmed the storm they were filled
with great fear and asked each other, “Who then is this, that even
the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41).
At one point the disciple Peter had a
flash of insight and confessed Jesus to be the Christ. Jesus had
asked his disciples who the people were saying that he was. They told
him people were saying that he was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or
one of the prophets. Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say
that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” This is the
question of the Gospel according to Mark. Note that Mark asked it
near the centre of his gospel. It is a climax of a sort. Note also
that when Jesus, upon Peter's confession, began to tell them what it
meant that he was the Christ, viz.,
suffering, death, and resurrection, Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him. Peter's flash of insight was flash-in-the-pan!
Finally,
yet about the disciples not understanding who Jesus was, no matter
which ending of the four possible endings of Mark one accepts as
authentic (see notes in a good study Bible or commentary), the
disciples do not understand. Even after hearing about the
resurrection they were afraid and Jesus upbraided them for their
unbelief.
Some
other people had flashes of insight into who Jesus is: The rich young
man called him “Good Teacher” and Jesus replied by asking the
young man why he had called him good considering that only God is
good (10:17ff).
Blind
Bartimaeus had a flash of insight. When he was told that Jesus of
Nazareth was passing by he called out to “Jesus, Son of David.”
He knew that Jesus of Nazareth was the messianic King.
“Legion”
had such a flash. After Jesus had cast out of the man the legion of
demons, Jesus told him to go and tell his family and friends how much
the Lord had done for
him; however, he began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus
had done for him (5:19-20). Note also that the society of the
Decapolis was a mixture of Hellenistic and Semitic cultures.
So we
see that, besides a few flashes of insight, no people understood that
Jesus was the Son of God. Besides Peter, the people who had the
“flashes” were mostly social and/or racial outsiders.
Ironically,
the demons did
understand exactly who Jesus is. When Jesus confronted demons at the
outset of his earthly ministry a demon cried out, “I know who you
are—the Holy One of God.” Mark added in v. 34 that the demons
knew Jesus. Yet other demons repeatedly fell down before him in
defeat and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” Legion (the man
filled with thousands of demons) shouted at “Jesus, Son of the Most
High God” (5:7).
There
was one human being who understood who Jesus was: the Roman centurion
who presided over Jesus' execution. In 15:39 Mark told us that when
the centurion saw how Jesus had died he said, “Truly this man was
the Son of God.”
The
unspoken question of the Gospel according to Mark is, “Who do you
say that Jesus is?” Do you confess him to be the Messianic King,
the Christ, the Son of the Most High God? When you read the opening
words of the Gospel, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,” do you say, “Yes and Amen!”?
That
is who Jesus is. May all who read the Gospel according to Mark
confess Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, the only Saviour.
