The story of Jesus is similar in many ways to ancient stories of virtuous men and biographies of the divine, however, the story of Jesus contains important distinctions from all other recordings. Although virtuous men were viewed as having a connection to divinity, shown through actions and words, the humility of Jesus amongst other now admired traits, set him apart from the rest. This confused both followers then, and readers now. Jesus was a messiah unlike others who came before him claiming to be divine. As told in the book of Mark, Jesus’ desire for his miracles to be kept secret, and humility regarding his gifts and deeds set him apart from other divine people of the time.

These chapters would not have met ancient readers’ expectations for this reason. The telling of the story of Jesus in the Gospel of mark is confusing and unlike other stories told before. The theological message of the Markean gospel is not one meant to glorify the works of Jesus, as one might expect, but rather puts emphasis on what followers of Jesus can do with the story. Protestant beliefs likely stemmed from this, due to the books’ focus on an individual relationship with god, as opposed to a reflection of Jesus as a being to be worshiped.

For comparative purposes one might look to how those in ancient times saw Caesar. Caesar was believed to be a divine man with many similarities to Jesus in practice, however the differences lie in the perception of the two. Caesar was powerful, feared, and worshiped, and it is clear that Mark made an effort to rid the perception of Jesus of these harsh, ruler-esq qualities.

Looking back at the two-source hypothesis, it is clear that efforts were made in Matthew, Luke, and John to convey Jesus in a way that was familiar to the people of the time. Confusion caused by the gospel of Mark is best addressed in chapter 4 v. 1-13 which reads “And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?”” This passage is significant because it addresses the confusing aspects of Jesus’s life. Confusing in its sense of unfamiliarity to the people hearing of and experiencing his works, and attitude about those works.

There is no doubt the life of Jesus, and his claiming to be the messiah entailed many unfamiliar qualities, later simplified in Matthew, Luke, and John. However, a person of faith might argue that this complicating nature was and is essential to his message. This message being that faith itself in the messiah would not be possible if it were not for the humility and secrecy of the works of Jesus.