Jesus in Mark 1:1-20. Publishers, 1991), 33. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988), 99.

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1 1 Jesus in Mark 1:1-20 Mark s portrait of Jesus is a groundbreaking one, the first known narrative of Jesus life. 1 In the opening verses of this gospel (1:1-20) he introduces a Jesus who is unique and unprecedented, grounded in history and revelation, invested with honor, and confronting the claims of potential rivals. Jesus then demonstrates his authority in the way he calls his disciples. Paul, writing before Mark, provided little detail about Jesus life. Early written sources appear to have been collections of sayings attributed to Jesus (Q and the Thomas tradition). 2 In creating a narrative framework Mark is placing Jesus in a concrete historical and geographical setting, meeting a need which was not critical to earlier writers for whom the oral traditions were sufficient. His success is evident in the way his structure will be adopted by both Matthew and Luke. Details of Jesus life before his baptism are, however, few. 1:9 simply states that he came from Nazareth. Mark s interest is not in objective biography, but in demonstrating the significance of Jesus who is, for him, a figure anchored in the ongoing stream of revelation. Mark introduces his story (1:1) by giving the reader a privileged look ahead, revealing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The characters within the narrative will have to wait some time before they understand this. 3 While the term Christ/Messiah is used here, it becomes apparent later (8:29) that the term must be understood in a new way. 4 The grounding of Jesus in history begins with the story of his encounter with John the Baptist (1:4-11) whose ministry is separately attested by Josephus. At the same time Mark places John (and therefore Jesus) in continuity with 1 Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark (Peabody, MS: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991), Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark s Story of Jesus (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988), Myers, Binding the Strong Man, Ibid., 123.

2 2 Israel s past by recalling (1:2-3) words which are attributed to Isaiah, but draw on three distinct sources (Ex. 23:30; Mal. 3:1; Is. 40:3.) Seeing the introductory events in his story foretold in this way reinforces Mark s presentation of Jesus as one who stands in continuity with what has gone before, a figure anticipated, fulfilling earlier expectations. 1:7 prepares the reader/hearer to grapple with the disclosure, hidden from Jesus contemporaries, that he is also an unprecedented figure, qualitatively different from John and all earlier prophets, and who rendered passé all older ways of being Jewish and thinking about Israel. 5 Mark s use of the Septuagint (LXX) translation of the tetragrammaton, LORD (1:3), applies to Jesus what originally applied to YHVH, a further indication of Jesus exalted status. 6 Jesus unique claims allow for neither rivals nor equals, whether within the varieties of Judaism (John the Baptist, Temple authorities) or beyond. With 1:1 Mark s pugilistic choice of terms ( good news ) invites a comparison to the rhetoric of the Roman emperor cult. 7 It meant news of military victory, and was used in Imperial propaganda. 8 Craig Evans calls Mark s usage a direct challenge. 9 Ched Myers states that Mark is taking dead aim at Caesar and his legitimating myths. 10 With 1:1 a conflict is introduced, woven throughout the Gospel, of the clash between Jesus and authorities both secular and religious. 11 Is this good news to be understood as the message Jesus preached, or a message about Jesus the unique messenger? Morna Hooker states that 5 Burton L. Mack, Who Wrote the New Testament: The Making of the Christian Myth (San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1995), Hooker, The Gospel According to St Mark, C. Myers, M. Dennis, J. Nangle, C. Moe-Lobeda, C. and S. Taylor. Say to This Mountain. Cited in BIBS/X 121: Coursebook (readings), Dunedin, University of Otago, 2006, Myers, Binding the Strong Man, Craig A. Evans, Mark. Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed. James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003), Myers, Binding the Strong Man, Richard A. Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark s Gospel (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), vii.

3 3 both constructions are possible. 12 Whatever the precise content, it is summed up in the expression kingdom of God. Mark was unwilling for John the Baptist to be understood as a colleague of Jesus (cf. Jn. 3:22-24). This was a possibility as Mark makes parallels and connections between what happens with John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples. 13 Both Jesus and John are seen as standing in the tradition of Elijah, both follow his prophetic script. 14 John s clothing and diet reveal this identity, 15 while Jesus call to his first disciples, discussed below, and his desert sojourn also recall Elijah s ministry. [T]he rejection and death of JB prefigures the rejection and death of Jesus. 16 Yet John s significance, for Mark, lies solely in his relationship with Jesus. 17 John confesses to being unworthy to untie even the sandals of the mightier one to come (1:7), the most menial of tasks performed by a slave. 18 Paula Fredriksen notes that the statements in 1:7-8 flatly fail a claim to authenticity based on the criterion of dissimilarity. 19 Mark is clear that the public ministries of John and Jesus do not overlap in time or place (1:14). 20 Even so, Matthew and Luke will further distance themselves from the embarrassment of having Jesus accept John s baptism. 21 If Mark s claims for Jesus were to be credible to his first century audience, he had to establish both the legitimacy of Jesus role, and his right to play it. Jesus unremarkable Galilean background was unconvincing for Mark s 12 Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark, Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story, Myers, Binding the Strong Man, John R. Donahue, Mark. HarperCollins Bible Commentary, ed. James L. Mays (San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1988, 2000), W. Barnes Tatum, John the Baptist and Jesus: A report of the Jesus Seminar (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1994), Ibid. 18 Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark, Paula Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews (New York, Vintage Books, 1999), Tatum, John the Baptist & Jesus, Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, 185.

4 4 purposes. Unlike later Gospel writers he can cite no stories of miraculous origins or impressive genealogies. 22 In a society based on honor, only those born in an honorable family are eligible to become public figures. If an individual born in a lowly family claims this kind of leadership, his authority and his actions are easily ascribed to an evil spirit, unless an extraordinary event empowers him to do so. 23 Santiago Guijarro argues that honour was a core value in Mediterranean culture which could either be ascribed (received) or earned. 24 Mark needed to establish the source of Jesus honour, for without this kind of validation a person of humble origins would not be taken seriously. The authorising event is Jesus baptism where the heavenly voice establishes these credentials, and Mark once again shares information with his audience/readers that is not yet apparent to Jesus contemporaries (the voice addresses Jesus rather than the crowd, 25 and there is no explicit recognition of Jesus by John as the mightier one. ) The baptism (1:9-11), testing (1:12-13) and beginning of public ministry (1:14-15) together constitute, Guijarro maintains, a status transformation ritual. 26 Not all titles ascribed to Jesus bear the same weight in Mark s gospel, particularly when they occur in the mouths of those characters with a limited understanding. Here, however, as in 1:1, there is no doubt that Mark intends them to be accurate. 27 The words spoken by the heavenly voice at Jesus baptism resonate with scriptural allusions (Ps. 2:7; Isa. 42:1) although they are unlikely to be a citation. Mark gives virtually no indication that he is using written texts... Even in cases that are presented explicitly as citations, clearly the words come from memory Myers, Binding the Strong Man, Santiago Guijarro, Why does the Gospel of Mark begin as it does? Biblical Theology Bulletin, Spring Ibid. 25 Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament. Vol. 2, History and Literature of Early Christianity. 2 nd ed. (New York, Walter de Gruyter, 2000), Guijarro, Why does the Gospel of Mark begin as it does? 27 Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark, Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story,

5 5 The imprecise nature of Mark s references to Hebrew scripture, already seen in 1:2-3, may then indicate that he did not have a copy of the scriptures (LXX) available, indicating the oral derivation of the text and the likelihood that it was originally performed. This is indicated by Mark s spare style, constant use of repetition, 29 and the way he joins up his text with the word kai (and); 30 each, while giving a poor reading, is appropriate to and characteristic of effective oral narration. The words of heavenly authentication refer to Jesus as my beloved son. In the LXX Isaac is repeatedly described by this word. 31 Hooker sees the significance of this as indicating an only child, reinforcing the stress on Jesus uniqueness. 32 J. L. Houlden suggests that the allusion to Isaac at Jesus baptism may prefigure his fate. 33 For Mark, Jesus is the Christ (1:1). Yet the Jesus he portrays steps beyond the diverse expectations that most of his contemporaries associated with such a figure. His is no hero with martial qualities. He emerges from the margins, a Galilean from an obscure village. Whatever prior expectations existed have been transformed. He is also son of Man, a term that was perhaps deliberately ambiguous, referring to either his common humanity or the apocalyptic figure in Daniel. Jesus emerges from and then is drawn to locations distant from Jerusalem and its Temple, first at his baptism (1:4), and then to a more isolated location for the forty-day wilderness testing. David Rhoads notes: In Mark, setting is almost never irrelevant. 34 The wilderness image is rich in allusions to prophetic figures such as Moses and Elijah, 35 and the theme of renewal. This 29 Rhoads, Reading Mark, Engaging the Gospel, Ibid., J. L. Houlden, Jesus: A Question of Identity (London, Continuum, 2006), Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark, Houlden, Jesus, David Rhoads, Reading Mark, Engaging the Gospel (Minneapolis, Augsburg Fortress, 2004), Hooker, The Gospel According to St Mark,

6 6 first confrontation with Satan is a dramatic prelude to the many exorcisms and healings throughout the first half of Mark. 36 Mark is interested in demonstrating the nature of Jesus authority. The call to discipleship reflects this concern. In contrast to the expected process by which a prospective disciple takes the initiative in approaching the teacher, it is Jesus who issues a preemptory call. There is no opportunity for reflection or deliberation on their part; 37 an immediate response is called for. Jesus public proclamation in 1:15 had been to repent and believe the gospel, yet here the specific call is to follow me. Can this be what Mark believes repentance and belief look like in practice? 38 There is no requirement for intellectual assent, no time for introspection, or a carefully weighing of options and consequences, but a need for urgent and unconditional response. The parallel with Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-9) again resurfaces. Elisha, wished to take care of a family obligation before following Elijah. Instead he was instructed to burn his plough, sacrifice his oxen and begin immediately. 39 Following this pattern the two sets of brothers follow at once (1: 18, 20). This is an exceptional example. The people Jesus teaches and heals are not usually recruited, but are integrated back into their communities of origin It is unlikely that Mark s original audience understood these discipleship stories in the same way modern Western people do living in a culture that exalts individual choice and agency. If Mark s story was performed before a community... then it seems unlikely that it was read as a story about individual discipleship. The understanding of Mark s Gospel as concerned primarily with discipleship, with the twelve disciples as the models, is the product of later Christian piety and theology Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story, Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Mark (Atlanta, John Knox Press, 1970), J. Painter, Mark s Gospel: Worlds in Conflict. Cited in BIBS/X 121: Coursebook (readings), Dunedin, University of Otago, 2006, Michael Goulder, St. Paul versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story, Ibid., xiii.

7 7 Rhoads suggests that the call to discipleship is the first step in establishing a Jesus Network. Jesus himself stands at the centre of the network, while the disciples represent a second order zone of interaction. 42 Those who then respond from beyond this core group constitute a third zone, supporters rather than disciples. This, Rhoads maintains, is typical of peasant relationships in collectivist cultures binding people together in reciprocal transactions. When Jesus, later in Mark, assures the disciples that they will be reimbursed a hundredfold for lost property and relationships (10:29-30) he is speaking of the support and hospitality the network (zone 3) will offer the disciples on their journey. 43 This is a different dynamic from either a settled community or a regulated sect. 44 As the narrative proceeds, the significance of the disciples call is informed by the less than flattering portrait Mark offers. These same men who respond to the call with alacrity, if uncertain motivation, are revealed to be lacking in insight (7:18a), altruism (10:37) and commitment (14:37a). One popular attempt to explain this uncharacteristic response suggests that both pairs of brothers had known Jesus and his family for many years; 45 however there is no indication of this in Mark. The impression given is that this is their first meeting. 46 Mark s gospel provides the earliest detailed framework for Jesus ministry, although it is not a biography in the modern sense. Jesus is shown to be a person unlike any other, having no earthly peers, yet anchored in the traditions of Israel, credentialed by God. He selects his disciples, who respond unconditionally, as the first step in creating a network to spread the message of the reign of God. 42 Rhoads, Reading Mark, Engaging the Gospel, Ibid., Ibid., Garner Ted Armstrong, The Real Jesus (Kansas City, Sheed Andrews & McMeel, 1977), Hooker, The Gospel According to St Mark, 59.

8 8 Bibliography Armstrong, Garner Ted. The Real Jesus. Kansas City, Sheed Andrews and McMeel, Donahue, John R. Mark. HarperCollins Bible Commentary, ed. James L. Mays. San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1988, Evans, Craig A. Mark. Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed. James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Fredriksen, Paula. Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews. New York, Vintage Books, Guijarro, Santiago. Why does the Gospel of Mark begin as it does? Biblical Theology Bulletin, Spring < 801/print >(13 August 2006) Goulder, Michael. St. Paul versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, Hooker, Morna. The Gospel According to Saint Mark, Black s NT Commentaries. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Horsley, Richard A. Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark's Gospel. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, Houlden, J. L. Jesus: A Question of Identity. London, Continuum, Koester, Helmut. Introduction to the New Testament. Vol. 2, History and Literature of Early Christianity. 2 nd ed. New York, Walter de Gruyter, Mack, Burton L. Who Wrote the New Testament? The Making of the Christian Myth. San Francisco, HarperCollins, Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark s Story of Jesus. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, Myers, C., Dennis, M., Nangle, J., Moe-Lobeda, C. and Taylor, S. Say to This Mountain. Cited in BIBS/X 121: Coursebook (readings), Dunedin, University of Otago, Painter, J. Mark s Gospel: Worlds in Conflict. Cited in BIBS/X 121: Coursebook (readings), Dunedin, University of Otago, Rhoads, David M. Reading Mark, Engaging the Gospel. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004 Schweizer, Eduard. Translated by Donald H. Madvig. The Good News According to Mark. Atlanta, John Knox Press, Tatum, W. Barnes. John the Baptist and Jesus: A report of the Jesus Seminar. Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1994.