Session 2: Mark’s Understanding of Jesus
We talked about the central question in the Gospel Mark.
Who is Jesus?
And we talked about Jesus’ popularity, the divine power, and the charismatic authority. People were attracted to Jesus, not to a person but to the power Jesus displayed.
Mark said who Jesus was right from the beginning. Mark said Jesus was the Son of God and he said it right from the beginning of his gospel.
It is when Jesus was baptized.
And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:11)
When they read this right in the beginning, what would the reader expect? The powerful story of this Son of God who defeats the evil power of this world. That’s what they would think. That’s what they expected to hear.
In the first 8 chapters, he described that. He gave exactly what the readers expected. The Supernatural power. The divine power. Miracles, healings, exorcisms, and calming the storms.
That was what people would have expected from the Son of God. Roman emperors – called themselves the son of God. And people worshipped the Roman emperors. Emperor worship – prevalent.
Is Jesus more powerful than the Roman emperor? Mark’s answer is emphatic YES.
People wanted to have the Messiah who had the power to throw down the Roman power and deliver them from the misery. Jesus seemed to have the power.
But as they read it, Mark’s story turned into a strange direction. He throws a curve ball.
Mark wanted to say something different. The fact that Jesus was a powerful man was not the message.
Every time he did miracles, he said this.
See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. (Mark 1:44)
Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known. (Mark 3:11, 12)
After healing the daughter of Jairus,
He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:43)
Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. (Mark 7:36)
What was he doing? He downplayed Jesus’ power.
Our question is why? Why did Jesus downplay his divine power? There is a profound message of Jesus and Mark discovered that.
The Son of God was not just a powerful man to Mark. To Mark, Jesus was not a superman, an Iron man, a powerful figure. He was not Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos who have all the money in the world.
With his healing power and authoritative teaching, he could easily be a celebrity. His YouTube channel could be sensational.
But that was not what he wanted. That was what the world wanted. That was what the disciples wanted. But that was not what Jesus wanted.
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?”, I said Peter answered correctly.
Let’s read Mark 8:27-31.
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?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:27-31)
After that, Peter reacted to what Jesus said.
He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ (Mark 8:32-33)
As soon as Peter identified that he was the Messiah, Peter reacted to what Jesus said about suffering, and rejection, and death. He didn’t like to hear what Jesus said. That should not happen to the powerful Son of God. What Jesus said didn’t sit well with his image of the Son of God.
What do you think Mark is trying to say? He said two things.
Because he was the Son of God, he was able to heal sick people, drive out the evil force from the victims of demonic power, and taught the truth of God with the authority. And yet this Son of God was rejected and killed.
That is the kind of the world we live in. Even the Son of God could not survive. How could he save this kind of world? By showing his power?
Mark’s answer was No.
The disciples did not understand what Jesus wanted to do.
Three times Jesus said it and three times, they were doing something so different from what was going on in Jesus.
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus made three predictions. All about his suffering and death.
1st: (Jesus’ Prediction)
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31)
1st:
He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:32)
2nd:
for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ (Mark 9:31)
2nd: (Disciples’ Argument)
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33, 34)
3rd:
He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’ (Mark 10:32-34)
3rd:
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ …When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. (Mark 10:35-37, 41)
The disciples could not be with Jesus. They didn’t understand him. They didn’t want the message Jesus wanted to get across.
They rather pursued the power. Life of service was not what they wanted. They didn’t pursue the ultimate happiness. They wanted immediate happiness.
Three messages Jesus gave.
1st:
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. (Mark 8:34-35)
2nd:
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. (Mark 9:35-37)
3rd:
You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45)
After the third prediction, Jesus spoke to them the key passage.
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
Real Discipleship. Jesus showed that. For our sake, he sacrificed himself. That is the Son of God. This Son of God not only displayed his power but showed his compassion through his suffering.
Instead of subduing the power of this world with his power, he took the way of suffering, the way of the cross, the way of being a servant.
It’s like Ethan Hunt sacrificing his life to save the world. That paradigm.
What did that do? That released the power of God. That is the power of the resurrection. He would be rejected and killed. And what? And he will rise again.
Jesus was making disciples who would not be sold into the power of this world.
The real goal of life is not to achieve the greatest power in this world. The real goal of life is to serve others with love. Ultimately they will have the power of God and that is the power of resurrection.
How wrong the church has been. Colonialist attitude. Conquering mentality. Left so much pain and suffering. Eg) Indigenous people.
In Mark, the salvation is:
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. (Mark 8:35)
Salvation is possible when we truly let go of our power and our own needs and serve others and empower others.
This is a very countercultural message. It is not something you can learn from the world. Because the world does not know this truth.
It is the secret Jesus revealed to those who have ears to hear. Messianic Secret.
Think about your friends. If everyone wants to be better than others, what would the friendship be?
10 disciples: angry at Andrew and John for asking to sit at Jesus’ right hand and left. They wanted to instead. Think about your family. Everyone is selfish and does not serve others. Think about your church. Everyone wants to get whatever they want and not serve.
This world will be full of conflicts and fights. No peace. It’s like hell.
But when everyone has a servant attitude, the world will be different. Our family will be different. Our church will be different.
Through his sacrifice, we will know that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Mark concludes his book with the confession of a centurion.
Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’ (Mark 15:39)
Luke’s confession was different.
When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ (Luke 23:47)
We will study Luke and Matthew’s understanding.
Discussion Questions:
- Share your understanding of Mark’s belief about Jesus.
- What is the significance of Jesus’ choice of the way of the servanthood and the way of suffering?
- In what way are the servanthood and suffering important aspect of your life?
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