Study Guide:  Markan Themes

And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people."  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  (1:17-18)

They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are, the Holy One of God."  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.  They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this?  A new teachingówith authority!  He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."  At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee." (1:22-28)
 
 

In the Gospel of Mark, the figures of the authoritative teacher, the Son of God, the messiah, and the Son of Man are united into one person, Jesus.  Thus, the messiah is simultaneously the authoritative teacher who has come from God (a recognizable figure to Jews in the first century) AND a cosmic figure who foresees his own suffering and death (something unrecognizable as a "messiah" for Jews in the first century).

Again he entered the synagogue....He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.  The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.  (3:1-6)

Then he went home; and the crowd came together agian, so that they could not even eat.  When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." (3:19-20)

When they saw him walking out on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and crired out; for they all saw him and were terrified.  But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."  Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.  And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (6:49-52)

"Do you still not perceive or understand?  Are your hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes, and fail to see?  Do you have ears, and fail to hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?"  They said to him, "Twelve."  "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full fo broken pieces did you collect?"  And they said to him, "Seven."  Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (8:19-21)

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the cief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  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."  (8:31-33)

"Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you."  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  (16:8)

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."  Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose.  Be made clean!"  Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, "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."  But he went out and began to proclaim it freely.... (1:40-45)

And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'" (4:11-12)

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. (8:29-30)

He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.  (1:13)

"Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." (9:1)

The entire Chapter 13 is an example of apocalyptic writing.  Here are a few examples:
"Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."  When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?"  Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray.  Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray.  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines...." (13:1-8)

"But in those days, after the suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory.  Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven."  (13:24-27)

"Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place."  (13:30)

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Bibliography
Ehrman, Bart D.  The New Testament:  A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 2d ed.  New York:  Oxford University Press, 2000.
Malina, Bruce J.  The New Testament World:  Insights from Cultural Anthropology.  Rev. ed.  Louisville, Ky:  Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.
Meeks, Wayne A., ed.  The HarperCollins Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version.  New York:  HarperCollins, 1993.

Copyright 2001 by Caroline T. Schroeder