According to Mark
Messianic Secret

 A term coined by German scholar William Wrede in
1901
 It refers to Jesus’ reluctance to have news of his
miracles spread
 Scholars believe that for Mark, people could not
know Jesus’ identity until after he had completed his
mission
The Messiah?

 In Mark, no one every hints that Jesus is the Messiah
until Chapter 8
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28
And they told him,“John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others,
one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I
am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly
charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus self-knowledge?

 What do you think Jesus knew about his own role?
Christology

 The study of the Christ
 The theological discipline that deals with the divine
and human nature of Jesus
 The role of Jesus Christ in redemption
Mark’s Christology

 The core of Mark’s Christology is the conviction that
Jesus must suffer an unjust death—an atonement
offering for others—to complete his messiahship.
 And next, true disciples must suffer as he did
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
Jerusalem Ministry in
Mark

 A crowd of supporters welcomes Jesus to Jerusalem
at the gate of the city as the restorer of “the coming
kingdom of our father David.” 11:9-10
 He alienates authorities over the next few days:
 Overturning the money changers tables 11:15-19 (an
attack on the Sadducees)
 Pharisees attempt to trap him about paying taxes
 Saduccees try to trap him about belief in the
resurrection 12:18-25
Prophecy of the
Temple’s Fall

 A long speech by Jesus in Chapter 13 predicts the
Temple’s doom
 Mark used a variety of sources, including Jewish
apocalyptic material
 It has not been determined if Jesus ever made such a
speech
Mark’s two views on the
Eschaton

 View 1: disasters will signal that the end is near
 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there
will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth
pains. Mark 13:8
 View 2: keep constant watch because the End will
come without warning
 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the
time will come. Mark 13:32-33
When Mark wrote

 Daily battles and insurrections
 Intense persecution of Palestinian Jews and Roman
Christians
 Great earthquakes eastern Mediterranean, Pompeii,
Herculaneum, and Naples
 Mark had great anxiety about false messiahs
 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead
many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do
not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.
Mark 13:6-7
Urgency about the End

 Neither Matthew nor Luke share Mark’s sense of
urgency
Last Supper

 Jesus presides over a celebration of Passover
 Passover commemorates the Israelites’ last night in
Egypt where the Angel of Death passed over the
homes of the Israelites to slay the firstborn of the
Egyptians
 Jesus give the Passover new significance by
identifying that the bread is ‘his body’ and the wine
‘his blood of the new covenant’
Mark’s version
resembles Paul’s

 Paul earlier writing also describes the ritual or
ceremony
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often
as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor 11:25
The Passion

 The Passion = Jesus final suffering and death
 Mark show the excruciating painful death, yet
emphasizes the spiritual triumph
 The authorities believe they are ridding Judea of a
dangerous radical
 In reality, they have implemented his saving death
Two elements in
contrast

 Mark puts two elements in juxaposition
 1. Jesus as fulfillment of Hebrew Scripture
 2. Jesus suffering personal anguish
 Jesus’ part in the drama of salvation requires heroic
effort
 Mark reports that even as Jesus is severely tested, he
uses the familiar “Abba” to address God
Messianic Identity

 Mark is the only Gospel that shows Jesus explicitly
accepting the role of Messiah at his trial
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further
witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy
Mark 14:61-64
Synoptic Problem

 The ways that the three synoptic Gospels are related
 Most scholars believe that Matthew and Luke are
expanded versions of Mark
 Matthew and Luke also used another source: Q
 Matthew and Luke also used material unique to their
respective Gospels
Q

 A hypothetical collection of Jesus’s sayings (in other
words, we do not know for certain that it existed)
 Q comes from Quelle, the German word for source
 Dates for Q are presumed to be from 50-70 CE
Source Criticism

 The analysis of a document to discover and identify
its written sources