A 40-DAY JOURNEY WITH THE KING: Lenten reflections from Mark’s Gospel (20)
Who is Jesus? So far in Mark’s narrative (chapters 1—8),
only 3 “characters” know that Jesus is the Son of God – the narrator
(i.e., Mark: 1.1), the voice from heaven (1.11) and the demons
(1.24, 34; 3.11; 5.6-7). These
characters are aware that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God, the
king of Israel.
As for the rest of the cast of Mark’s drama,
they all have their own ideas about Jesus’ identity. As far as the crowds are concerned,
Jesus is one who can meet their immediate needs for healing, teaching and food
(1.32-34, 45; 2.1-2, 13; 3.7-10, 20; 4.1; 5.21; 6.30-31, 53-56; 8.1).
Individuals in need of healing seek
Jesus out because they have heard of his powers to heal, or because they have
witnessed healings/exorcisms (1.40-45; 2.1-12; 5.22-43; 7.24-37; 8.22-26).
The scribes and the Pharisees are
convinced that Jesus is a blaspheming, demon-possessed heretic, and are
determined to find a way to destroy him, even if that means getting into bed
with Herod’s entourage (2.5-7, 16-17, 23-24; 3.1-6, 22; 7.1-5).
Jesus’ own family and the inhabitants
of his home town of Nazareth have a very ambiguous relationship to him. Of course, they “know” Jesus – and it is
precisely this familiarity that breeds their contempt of Jesus and their
condescending attitude towards him (3.20-21, 31-35; 6.1-6).
As Jesus’ reputation spreads (1.28, 45;
3.7-8; 5.27; 6.14, 54), a consensus of public opinion forms as to who he
is – he is either John the Baptist resurrected, or perhaps Elijah (who was
expected to herald the coming of the Messiah: cf. 9.9-13) or maybe a prophet
like the prophets of old (6.14-15).
So much for Jesus’ opponents, the crowds
and those individuals among the multitudes whose healing stories Mark has
shared with us as well as the predominant rumours that were circulating about
Jesus. What about those who are closest
to Jesus, who are spending the most time with him, who have a front row seat to
his deeds of power? What about the
disciples – who do they think Jesus is?
One might think that Jesus’ identity might have been obvious to them –
after all, Jesus is not only sharing his daily life with the Twelve, he is also
taking the time to explain his public teaching in greater detail to them in
private (cf. 4.10-12, 33-34; 7.17). However,
it is precisely the disciples who repeatedly betray a lack of understanding,
and this, even when they are privileged to witness acts of power that Jesus
performs out of sight of the crowds (cf. 4.35-41; 6.45-52; 8.14-21). Indeed, their hearts are “hardened” (6.52;
8.17-18; cf. 3.5), just like that of the people of God, which had so often
proved to be “like a stone” throughout its history (cf. 2 Chr. 36.13; Ez.
11.19; 36.26). Despite the numerous
“signs” (cf. 8.11-13) that demonstrate Jesus’ identity, the disciples remain
deaf, blind and obtuse regarding the One who called them to follow him (cf. 8.14-21). And yet, they follow Jesus. This is their redeeming quality – despite
their infuriating lack of understanding, they continue to plod along after the
Master.
We have now reached the critical moment –
the hinge on which the Gospel of Mark turns.
Jesus is about to put the apostles on the spot – he wants to know what
they think about him. More than that,
they need to know who he is. They
cannot accomplish the greater mission that Jesus intends to entrust to them if
they remain unconvinced or confused as to who the One they are following is. As Jesus travels with the disciples to the
villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asks them, “Who do people say that I am?” The standard answer comes back: “John the
Baptist, or Elijah or one of the prophets” (8.27-28; cf. 6.14-15). Then Jesus brings everything to a head: “But
who do you say that I am?” Peter
answers, “You are the Messiah” (8.29).
For the first time in Mark’s narrative, a non-demon-possessed person has
articulated who Jesus is – he is the One who has been anointed as the king of
Israel, the Son of God, the Messiah. Faced
with what is, by now, a veritable mountain of evidence, Peter has understood
that this man is indeed the long-awaited king.
True to form, Jesus orders his disciples not to share this information
with anyone (8.30; cf. 1.34, 43-44; 3.11-12; 5.43; 7.36; 8.26). Here, at the mid-way point of the narrative,
someone has acknowledged who Jesus truly is.
The disciples might have thought that it would be smooth sailing from
here on out – after all, they are the followers of the king of Israel, the one
who will deliver them from their enemies and establish the kingdom of Yahweh,
the reign of God that would subdue all earthly kingdoms (cf. Ps. 2, Dn.
2). However, the plot is about to take a
completely unexpected turn…
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