Questions posted in the Discussion Boards for CST100 in Blackboard for:

UNIT 5 - JESUS AND THE GOSPEL OF MARK

  • Non-Christian sources for the life of Jesus. Does it surprise you that there are very few references to Jesus in early non-Christian writings? Why or why not?
  • Gospels as "portraits" of Jesus. In the on-line notes you read about how the Gospel writers were selective in what they record about the life of Jesus. They weren't trying to tell everything that Jesus had said and done (see John 20:30-31; 21:25). Instead, each Gospel writer paints a portrait that emphasizes certain aspects about Jesus that would have been especially important to the original "target" audience. How does this help explain some of the differences between the Gospels? How does this help explain why the Gospels never mention some aspects of Jesus' life about which people today might wonder?
  • Apocryphal Gospels. Often the apocryphal gospels attempted to answer questions about Jesus that were never addressed in the four canonical Gospels. For example, the infancy Gospel of Thomas (not to be confused with the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) tells some bizarre stories about Jesus as a child. The four canonical Gospels never describe Jesus' childhood other than the episode in the Temple when he was twelve (see Luke 2:41-52). Instead, the Gospels seem to indicate that Jesus grew and developed like most ordinary Jewish boys of his time (see Luke 2:40, 51-52) until his baptism at about age thirty (Luke 3:23). People often wondered what the Son of God would have been like as a child. The infancy Gospel of Thomas describes Jesus as a little brat who showed little self-control over his miraculous powers. If you want to read an English translation of the infancy Gospel of Thomas, go to:
    http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/noncanon/gospels/inftoma.htm
    The infancy Gospel of Thomas tells us virtually nothing about the historical Jesus. Instead, it tells us more about the mindset of its author (probably in the late second century). Do you think people today still try to read things into the life of Jesus that are never mentioned in the four Gospels? Why or why not?
  • Mark: The Beginning. Mark never mentions anything about Jesus' miraculous birth in Bethlehem as described in Matthew and Luke. Why do you think Mark doesn't mention the birth of Jesus? Even though Mark does not describe Jesus as the virgin-born Son of God (as Matthew and Luke do), how does Mark still assert that Jesus is the Son of God?
  • Mark: Opposition to Jesus. As you read in the on-line notes, Mark introduces readers to the opponents of Jesus with a series of five controversy stories that take place in Galilee (2:1-3:6). Later, in Jerusalem, Jesus antagonizes the Jewish leaders with his actions in the Temple (11:15-19). Also in Jerusalem, a series of debates highlights the opposition to Jesus (11:27-12:37). Mark repeatedly describes the Pharisees and scribes provoking Jesus (8:11; 10:2; 11:27-28; 12:13) and plotting against him (3:6; 11:18; 12:12; 14:1, 10-11). When Pilate offers the freedom of either Barabbas or Jesus to the crowds in Jerusalem, Mark implicates the chief priests for Jesus' death while exonerating Pilate (see 15:10-11, 15). What do you think Mark might be trying to explain or indicate by mentioning such details? Does the opposition to Jesus seem to be more political in nature or religious? Why might this be important since Jesus died by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans as "King of the Jews"? (Hint: see Tacitus Annals 15.44; also consider what happened in Judea in the late 60s about the time the Gospel of Mark was written)
  • Mark: The Messianic Secret. In the on-line notes, you read about how Jesus repeatedly seeks privacy and demands secrecy and silence regarding his activities in the Gospel of Mark. Since this seems to be opposite to the nature of Christian proclamation of the Gospel, modern readers often have difficulty understanding why Mark emphasizes Jesus' secrecy. Mark attributes much of this secrecy as an effort to prevent problems caused by large crowds. There is one occasion in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus instructs someone to go and tell what had happened to him (5:1-21, especially vv. 19-20). What do you think might be different about this episode that allows this individual to go and tell when Jesus demanded virtually everyone else to be quiet about his activities? (Hint: notice the setting and the presence of the pigs.)
  • Mark: How Jesus was misunderstood. As you read in the on-line notes, repeatedly throughout the Gospel of Mark, everyone (except the Roman centurion at the cross) misunderstands Jesus' identity and mission. Does it surprise you that so many people misunderstood Jesus according to Mark? Why or why not?
  • Mark: Peter. As you read in the on-line notes, the Jewish expectation of a messiah would have been for a political conqueror, not for a spiritual Savior to die for the sins of the world. How does this help explain Peter's statements at Caesarea Philippi (8:27-33) and the night of Jesus' arrest (14:26-31, 54, 66-72)?
  • Mark: Dramatic Acts. As you read in the on-line notes, Jesus' actions against the fig tree (11:12-14, 20-24) should probably be interpreted as a dramatic act against the Temple establishment (11:11, 15-19) similar to the way that Hebrew prophets such as Hosea (1:1-3:5), Isaiah (20:1-6), Jeremiah (27:1-28:17), and Ezekiel (4:1-5:17) made a point by doing outrageous things.

    Some New Testament interpreters think that another example of a dramatic act in the Gospel of Mark is the episode of Jesus' healing the blind man in Bethsaida (8:22-26). In the episode, Jesus first touches the man's eyes and he partially regains his eyesight (8:23-24). Then, Jesus touches the man's eyes again and the man regains his eyesight completely (8:25). This is an odd episode to say the least. Interestingly, this is one of the few episodes that Matthew and Luke omit from the Gospel of Mark -- probably since it raised too many difficult questions (such as, "Why didn't Jesus heal the man's eyesight completely the first time?"). Most likely, the episode is a dramatic act to make a point. Immediately, after this episode with the blind man is the episode of Jesus and the disciples at Caesarea Philippi (8:27-38). Who do you think the blind man might represent in the episode at Caesarea Philippi? What do you think might be the point of the dramatic act? (Hint: reread the notes on Caesarea Philippi)
  • Mark: The Death of Jesus. Only twice does the Gospel of Mark interpret the significance of Jesus' death explicitly. In Mark 10:45, Jesus says, "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." During the Last Supper, Jesus reinterprets the symbolic meaning of the Passover cup of wine to be in light of his impending death when he states, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many" (Mk. 14:24). What do you think these verses indicate about the significance of Jesus' death according to Mark?
  • New Insight: What was the most interesting new insight that you gained from the notes this week? How did it help your understanding of the Bible?

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