We’re spending the next several months at Renew exploring Jesus as he is depicted in the book of Mark. Two things that taken me back about the stories in Mark’s gospel.
[1] The only people who fully understand Jesus’ true identity in the book of Mark is not the disciples or the religious elite – or even those far from God – but the demons. Notice it. It’ll amaze you. What does that tell us?
[2] In the beginning of Mark’s book (where one of the major themes is discipleship), he builds an upward trajectory in a theology of life in the first eight chapters. Right in the middle of the book he places Peter’s famous confession of Christ as a hinge by the which the whole door swings. Then, the rest of the book he develops a downward trajectory that is a theology of death to the cross in the last eight chapters. Life, life, life, life – confession of Christ – death, death, death.
Anybody else startled by these two themes or am I the only one?
Jeff said...
1I believe the original ending of Mark had an Epic Fail Disciple’s Conference in Galilee.
Our church is reading through this Gospel for Lent. I’m reading Larry Hurtado’s commentary. He says “It is very significant that Jesus is called Son of God only by God (1:11; 9:7), by demons(3:11;5:7) and by one man, the centurion at the cross (15:39), illustrating Mark’s emphasis upon the blindness of people to Jesus.”
02/25/12 7:17 AM | Comment Link
Meghan said...
2Several times you write something that closely parallels what our pastor has written or preached on around the same time. This post, particularly your point #2 is what Cliff preached on last Sunday. If you have a bit of time, you should listen to it! http://www.christchurch-austin.org/ Called “The Transfiguration”. Revelatory and powerful.
02/25/12 7:00 PM | Comment Link