Category Archives: mark
Team 6, Question 2
Throughout Jewish, non-Jewish, and religiously mixed territories Jesus performed a variety of miracles in a variety of settings. These miracles included multiple healings of both Jewish and non-jewish people, as well as miraculous acts such as the exponential multiplication of bread and fish in the feeding of the thousands of followers, and calming the seas. While some of these miracles took place in predominately Jewish areas, most of these took place in areas lacking followers of Jesus. Obviously, Jesus was not limiting himself to the amount of miracles he could perform, but it does seem that most of these took place in non-jewish areas for one reason or another. I feel that this may have been able to prove his power and sway followers in areas outside of Jewish areas that may have respected him to begin with. By performing such miracles in front of skeptical populations, the popularity or “legend” of the new King of the Jews could now be confirmed throughout a widespread area. In addition to these non local populations, even Jesus’ own disciples were portrayed as doubters who questioned his supernatural abilities, as well as his motives for enacting them. The supernatural elements of Jesus also paralleled those of Moses, and the comparison to Moses made it easier for Jewish believers to put their faith in the new messiah
ROJ 5/10 Team 4, Question 2
Throughout Jesus’ travels between Jewish, non-Jewish, and mixed territory we see a variety of miracles. Along with that, we see differing reactions to Jesus’ acts and we get some allusions to current events of the time this gospel was written. Mark’s gospel is not the most impacting or narrative, but he did a good job interconnecting current events, Jewish figures, and the idea of this new kingdom of God.
Jesus’ miracles often were repeated where the second repetition “intensifies some aspect of the first, usually dealing with the theme of misunderstanding” (White 268). The miracles we see twice are sea miracles, exorcisms, healings, and feeding of many. Also, most of the miracles were done in either Jewish or mixed territory, or en route between the three. Another thing I noticed is that most miracles were done in non-Jewish or mixed territory, while questioning and disbelief came in Jesus’ hometown and around there. The reason for this, I believe, was to signify the spreading of the new kingdom that would be open and available to everyone, not just Israelites. Both healing miracles signify Jesus extending help to those around Israel just like the food miracles do as well. Before these events, however, the first exorcism of the demon “Legion” is a strong indicator of Jesus’ new ideals on rule. Here, he exorcises a demon name “Legion” (symbolic of Roman legion or division of Roman military that had conquered and still occupied the country) and put the demon into a herd of pigs which Jews were not allowed to eat. The pigs then were cast into the sea and thus destroyed. The footnotes in the bible state that this miracle is in reference to the “destruction of Pharaoh’s army in Israel’s Exodus deliverance” (1801).
Then with the feeding of first five thousand then four thousand, we see Jesus once again offering his aid and wisdom to the peoples around Israel. In his hometown, he was questioned because they could not believe like those who had never known Him before He was called into service as a prophet. Jesus’ response to this was to commission the twelve disciples to “build the renewal movement” (1802). Others we see questioning him are his disciples themselves (which Mark did on purpose) and we always saw that disbelief on sea. It seems Mark made them question him on purpose to let the reader or audience see what they could not, thus building a stronger sense of belief in Jesus.
Overall, I would say the reason for these ten miracles in the Markan gospel was to build a faith in a people that were dealing with destruction of both their home and faith itself. Mark worked to show the readers or audience that with Jesus, a new kingdom came and it would be open and available to any who simply believed. Mark’s similarities between Jesus and Moses were also purposeful and changed in order to fit his narrative, but the core of the stories that resembled Moses were there nonetheless.
Team 5, Question 2 – Miracle Chain in Mark
In Mark chapters 4 through 8, Jesus travels with his disciples to both Jewish and non-Jewish regions around the Sea of Galilee. While the miracles probably came from earlier written or oral sources, they did not include the elaborate context that Mark’s narrative gives. One of Mark’s main goals in his story-telling was to convey to his audience that God’s kingdom was quite unlike the types of kingdoms or empires they were used to, and not at all what they would expect. Jesus’ miracle ministry unfolds by demonstrating that faith in God could come from non-Jews as well as Jews, and that faith was essential to the advancement of this heavenly kingdom. Most of the miracles in Mark come in doubles (two sea miracles, two healings, two food miracles, two exorcisms). It is interesting that the bulk of these miracles happen in either non-Jewish or mixed territories. It seems that Mark may be making a statement on empty religion that brings about the wrong kind of kingdom (for example, he cannot do many miracles when a region lacks faith, and he refuses when religious leaders demand miracles). Many of the miracles involve a physical touch of Jesus, and all of them are misunderstood by the disciples.
Mark’s elaborations on the miracle stories offer the reader (or listener) a context for the greater meaning of Jesus’ mission. Jesus’ first words in Mark are “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near…” (Mk 1:15). The miracle stories each carry undertones of what that kingdom is to look like – quite different than the Roman kingdom, in that the power structure would be inverted, the marginalized would become central, and the hypocrisy of the religious elite would be proven empty compared to those with humble faith. Mark used language familiar to his contemporaries regarding this new kingdom, which was to be an “alternative to the empire of Rome.” (Wainwright, Basileia Movement). Keeping in mind the context of when Mark’s gospel was written, I expect this imagery and mission of Jesus would have been incredibly powerful to his audience. For example, the Jews were facing war, the storming of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple at the hands of the Roman legion, so I imagine audiences would have had a strong reaction to the story of Jesus casting out the demon “Legion” from the possessed and violent man in Gerasenes. Like the man could not be restrained by the community while the demon Legion had invaded his body, so Mark’s audience may have felt powerless against the Roman legion invading Jerusalem. But in the context of this miracle story, Jesus’ ministry has expanded as he now come to cast out the Roman empire and set up God’s empire.
Further, the miracles themselves and the ones who experience the miracles paint a picture of something very different that the religious leaders were expecting (which would fit in with Mark’s prevalent theme of misunderstanding). Jesus chastises the Pharisees who criticize him for dining with tax collectors and sinners, healing on the sabbath, feeding his hungry disciples. Many like the Pharisees may have thought law-keeping would be key in God’s kingdom, and purity and religious status to be its characteristics. But Jesus, by visiting and healing non-Jews as well as Jews, by expressing compassion in his ministry over rules and regulations, and by having miracle success as a result of people’s faith (rather than their “rightness”) shows that the kingdom to come would be ruled in a very different way. The disciples consistent lack of understanding drive the point home even more to Mark’s audience – almost like letting them in on a secret that the characters in the story can’t seem to grasp. Jesus’ traveling miracle narrative is like the literal “way” that John the Baptist prophesied about in Mark 1:2-3, setting in motion the beginning of a new rule that according to Mark’s gospel, Jesus believed was at hand.
Team 1, Question 1
This part of Mark is portraying Jesus as having a connection with God. In Mark 1:22 it says “They were astounded at his teachings for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes did”. Right after that in Mark it briefly describes Jesus casting out an unclean spirit. But even the unclean spirit is given a chance to connect Jesus with God; in verse 24 the unclean spirit says “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” When Jesus forgives the sins of the Paralytic, the people question to themselves how this person had authority to forgive sins, because only God could forgive sins. Giving another connection to the divine being, and Jesus responds to their questioning in their hearts by performing the more difficult task of telling the man to get up and walk.
Jesus often didn’t conform to the traditional customs of the land, like feasting when John the Baptist and his disciples as well as the Pharisees were fasting, he also ate with people who were sinners, and he and his disciples broke the Sabbath day by eating forbidden grain and healing people. For not feasting Jesus responded to the people by saying “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?… .” In this statement Jesus is referring to himself as the bridegroom, which probably did not make sense to a lot of people who heard him say it. But later in Mark Jesus says that his parables were intended so that the outsiders would not understand what he was saying. In response to eating with the sinners Jesus says “I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners.” A pretty logical response that if you want more people to be righteous you should go to the ones who aren’t. And in response to breaking the Sabbath he says in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” And in response to healing on the Sabbath he says “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” and then it says they were silent, meaning that essentially Jesus won that argument.
The parable of the sower tells of someone sowing seeds, and his seeds fall on different places determining which seeds will sprout, and grow and produce lots of grain, the ones that fall on good soil, grow and produce 30, 60 or even 100 fold. And then Jesus finishes the parable by saying in Mark 4:9 “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” Then Jesus goes on to say in Mark 4:21-23 Jesus follows up the parable of the sower with an analogy of a lamp saying “I s a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lamp stand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” The symbolism of the light, is a connection to Jesus as the light of the world. And this analogy is saying that if you know the word then you need to go sow it somewhere instead of hiding it, but a lot of people who hear it are not going to get well rooted in it. The comparison of the mustard seed to the kingdom of heaven means that from something small the kingdom of heaven will grow into the greatest kingdom. Similar to how the seeds which fell on the good soil end up producing up to a hundredfold.
RoJ: 5/10 Question 1 by Group 3
In Mk 1:21 – 3:6 Mark portrays Jesus as someone who has authority but “not as the scribes”, someone who commands unclean spirits and they obey him, some who heals the sick, paralytic, and leper, someone who has authority to forgive people of their sins, and as someone in command of the Sabbath. Mark even paints him calling people who are hated members of the community like Levi the tax collector. Also Mark connects Jesus to King David when he tells the story of Jesus telling the Pharisees that King David fed his people similar to what he’s doing now. The crowds seem to be fascinated by Jesus and his healings and follow him around wherever as suggested by “people came to him from every quarter” (Mk 1:45). His early disciples just blindly followed him with not much thought when Jesus said “follow me” and Levi “got up and followed him” so simply. And lastly the leaders like the scribes and Pharisees didn’t seem excited about Jesus and his ministry. They would question his decision to eat with the tax collectors, his fasting and Sabbath practices. They questioned his authority to forgive, calling it a “blasphemy”. And ultimately they had hardness of heart and “conspired with Herodians . . . to destroy him” The words and deeds of Jesus are consistent aretological devices that argue for his divinity. And the Good News or Gospel, of the Kingdom of God that Mark presents doesn’t seem to be in line with the Jewish leaders at the time. The kingdom of God and the good news is for the sick, sinful, hated, and is something that requires “new wine skin” so that you may acquire it and the Jewish leaders weren’t happy about this.
The motif of secrecy and Jesus as source of misunderstanding is evident in the passage found in Mark 4:1-34. The soils of the parable even highlight the secrecy of his ministry and the reason why people will “look but not perceive and . . . listen but not understand” his parables. The path, rocky ground, thorns and the good soil represent the different types of people who will hear this words or see his teachings and not understand or perceive it. The parable highlights that only the good soil will bear fruit and increase the yield, and I liken the good soil as those who do understand. The mission is to proclaim the good news at any cost. Those who don’t take hold are simply people who heard the call but didn’t bear fruit for various reasons. Those that hear the word and proclaim the good news despite the cost, which in John the Baptist’s case is arrest” are those who landed on good soil and bore 30, 60, and even 100 fold. This message was crucial for the context in which Mark was writing too. After the fall of the temple and the rise of the early Christian persecution many were falling away because of fear i.e. thorny/rocky soil. Mark is charging the early Christians to take root and be good soil and to multiply. The mission is to proclaim the Good News despite the turmoil they face. The following seed parable even highlights this, the obedience of a single person aka mustard seed, will grow to be the branches on which birds nest on. The image of a promise of harvest was hope for the early Christians at the time.