There are subtle differences between Mark 3 and Matthew 12. Given that there was a fine line between a black magician and an actual prophet in antiquity, the authors were likely aware of this and amended the gospel in light of such a convention. The Pharisees have much more emphasis in Matthew; they accuse Jesus much more frequently of being Beezlebub. Matthew quotes in 12:15-21 a fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 12.19He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets; 12.20he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory;12.21and in his name will the Gentiles hope.” In Mark he is portrayed much more as a miracle worker speaking to large crowds while in Matthew he is subject to ever growing scrutiny from the elders of the Jewish community. Matthew quotes the Old Testament a significant number of times compared to Mark. There is perhaps more emphasis on speaking to the Jewish community in Matthew. In Mark 3, Christ Jesus questions whether the law can be disobeyed if curing on the Sabbath would save someone’s life. Mark emphasizes his popularity as a prophet much more, for there is a greater acceptance among the public that he is indeed the Messiah.

In Matthew 14, the apostle Peter was called “You of little faith”, which implies that even though a miracle is occurring right in front of his eyes he still is not inclined to believe it is actually the Son of Man walking towards him and that their boat will not sink. Jesus reaches out to grab Peter and implores him to believe and have faith while in Mark there is no mention of this incident. In Mark it is mentioned that the wind calmed down and they continued on their way. Matthew’s depiction of the apostles is much more skeptical than in Mark. Again, this is addressing a very Jewish audience that is already questioning the veracity of Christ. “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him saying “Truly, you are the Son of God”.Cotter opines at length the miracle stories attributed to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus, while not only being a miracle worker, is also very human in his approach to magic. Instead of casting incantations in private, he heals people in public by touch. Touching people directly in public to heal opposed the social conventions of antiquity, for he not only touched the impoverished and people with leprosy (which easily was the most socially deplorable illness), he also touched women. This inspired a great love for Christ Jesus among the public, for he did not ascertain that his healing was limited to a specific demographic of people. Continue reading →