A Challenge to Discipleship
by Morna Hooker

Who was the author we know as ‘St Mark’ and what led him to write the first ‘Gospel’?  Was he the ‘Mark’ mentioned in Acts?  Tradition – how reliable we do not know – says that he was the ‘interpreter’ of St Peter. What we do know is that he was a first-century Christian who fervently desired to share his faith with others.

He introduces his book as ‘the good news of Jesus Christ’, and his concern is not to provide a biography of Jesus, but to persuade us to follow Jesus as disciples – and to remind us what discipleship means.

Mark’s Gospel was written to be read aloud. Making copies of a book by hand was a laborious task, and a Christian congregation would have possessed only one. Even if copies had been made, many in the congregation would have been illiterate, so unable to check what they heard; they would have been accustomed to listen, as we today are not. Moreover, listening to the Gospel would have been a completely different experience from ours today, for although our lectionary this year concentrates on Mark, it is not read through consistently – we begin and end with passages from Mark 13, and large sections of the Gospel are omitted altogether!  Rarely is the story followed for more than a few weeks at a time, and of course it is read in short snippets. When the Gospel was first read, however, it was almost certainly read in its entirety. Imagine the impact it would have made!  The members of the congregation would surely have been sitting on the edge of their seats, eager to hear what happened next.

Because Mark intends his Gospel to be heard, he writes in ways that will assist his audience. He groups his stories together, to help us realize their significance: he begins with stories that demonstrate the enormous authority of Jesus (1:16–3:6); then he gives us a group of parables (4:1-33), and this is followed by several miracle stories (4:35–5:43; 6:30–8:26). He intersperses his stories with summary sections which remind us of ‘the story so far’ and indicate that there were in fact many other similar events (1:32-4; 3:7-12). He also uses repetition, so emphasizing the impact of what is happening. Jesus’ prediction of his death and resurrection, for example, is made three times, each time in greater detail, leaving us in no doubt of their inevitability (9:31; 9:31; 10:33-4). Mark’s almost breathless style – short phrases linked together by the words ‘and immediately’ – heightens the tension.

‘The beginning of the good news,’ Mark tells us, is found in words written by Isaiah, but what he quotes comes only partly from the book of Isaiah. He appeals to Isaiah because it is in that book, above all others, that we find God’s promises of salvation for his people. The messenger sent to prepare the way of the Lord is clearly John the Baptist, whose clothing and food identify him as a prophet: John’s only message concerns the one who follows him, who is so much greater than he. When Jesus arrives on the scene in 1:9, there can be no doubt that he is the Lord whose coming is expected by both Isaiah and the Baptist, and this identification is confirmed when the Holy Spirit descends from heaven, and a voice addresses him as ‘My Son, in whom I am well-pleased’.

‘And immediately’ – to use Mark’s favourite phrase – the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness, to be tested by Satan, as Israel had been, centuries before. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark tells us nothing about the way in which Satan tested Jesus – only that wild beasts were present and that angels served him. His words suggest that by resisting temptation, Jesus regains what Adam lost – dominion over creation (cf. Hebs. 2:5-9, 14-18) – and that as Son he is greater than the angels (Hebs. 1:4-14).

The first 13 verses of Mark’s Gospel are remarkable: they are packed full of theological information. From these 13 verses, we know that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, whose coming was promised in scripture; John has witnessed to his strength, his worth, and his mission, which is to baptize with the Holy Spirit. We know that Jesus has been acknowledged by God himself, that the Holy Spirit is at work in him, that he has been tested by Satan and that he is a ‘Second Adam’. All this we know – but no-one else (apart from Jesus himself) knows it!  Even John the Baptist, who announces his coming, does not see the Holy Spirit descend or hear the voice from heaven.

If we are truly to understand the rest of Mark’s story, we need to remember these things, for it is only because Jesus is who he is that the story unfolds as it does. Jesus calls fishermen to abandon their nets and follow him; they will share his mission, and call men and women into God’s Kingdom (1:16-20). Why?  Because he is God’s chosen one. He heals the sick and drives out evil spirits (1:23–2:12; 3:1-12). How? Because the Holy Spirit is at work in all he does (3:22-30). He forgives sins (2:1-12), stills storms (4:35-41), raises the dead (5:35-41), provides food in the wilderness (6:32-44; 8:1-9), and walks on water (6:45-52). Only God is able to do such things. ‘Who then is this?’ ask the disciples (4:41), and cannot yet find an answer to their question.

We, however, have read Mark’s introduction, and so we understand the force of these stories: Mark has, as it were, provided us with the key to interpret them. Imagine, however, that you are hearing the Gospel for the first time, and that you haven’t read those introductory verses. Imagine that you are one of the characters in the story: you have no idea who Jesus is, but he arrives in your village, teaches in the synagogue, and acts with extraordinary authority. How will you respond?  Will you, like the religious leaders, regard him as a charlatan, and attribute his powers to Satan?  Will you, like the crowds, listen to his teaching, marvel at his power to heal, and then go home and forget all about him?  Or will you, like the disciples, be prepared to leave your old life behind and follow him?  Even they cannot yet comprehend, however.
cont…
‘They did not understand ... their hearts were hardened’, comments Mark (6:52). Like everyone else, they have eyes and ears which fail to see and hear the true significance of what is taking place (8:14-21). It is only after the resurrection that they will really understand.

Half-way through Mark’s story a significant change takes place. So far, the only answer to the disciples’ question ‘Who is this?’ has been supplied by ‘unclean spirits’ who recognize him and address him as ‘Son of God’ (3:11; cf. 5:7). Now Jesus asks his disciples ‘Who am I?’  Others believe him to be a prophet – Elijah, perhaps, who was expected to return before the Lord himself – but Peter has finally seen the truth, or part of it. ‘You are the Messiah,’ he declares. Peter’s ideas of what it means to be Messiah are all wrong, however, and when Jesus goes on to talk about the Son of man having to suffer and die, he is appalled. But Jesus is insistent: there can be no vindication for the Son of man without suffering.

Throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus occupies centre stage. Only once does he withdraw – in 6:14-29 – and even then, the dramatic account of the beheading of  Jesus’ forerunner John is a reminder of what is to happen to Jesus himself. Although what Mark is writing is the good news about Jesus, however, it is at the same time a call to discipleship. Jesus’ first action in 1:16-20 was to call four fishermen to follow him.

Since then, he has called others (2:13-14), and appointed twelve to share his ministry (3:13-19; 6:7-14). But what does it mean to be Jesus’ disciple?  In 8:34-8 we discover!  Those who want to follow Jesus must expect to follow the same path of self-denial and suffering. The message is repeated after the later passion predictions, but the reaction of the Twelve shows how hard it is for them to accept his teaching.

Mark’s portrait of the disciples is hardly flattering. They  continually misunderstand Jesus, and are accused of being hard-hearted, deaf, and blind. When we come to the end of the story, we find Peter, James and John falling asleep in the Garden, Judas betraying Jesus, Peter denying him, and all the disciples taking to their heels and fleeing. At the same time, however, Mark’s portrait is encouraging, since at the very end of the story, the disciples – even Peter, who has denied that he is a disciple! – are sent a message by the Risen Jesus summoning them to follow him to Galilee. If denial and flight can be forgiven, then there is hope for all who endeavour to follow Jesus as Lord.

Mark’s Gospel has been described as a ‘passion story with a long introduction’, and it is true that Jesus’ death and resurrection dominate the story. From a very early stage, the religious authorities oppose Jesus, and there are constant reminders of what is coming (2:6-7; 3:6; 3:22-30; 6:17-29; 7:1-8; 8:11-13). Following Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah, three of the disciples see Jesus transfigured, and glimpse who he truly is – God’s Son (9:2-8). For the first time, they understand part of what we, listening to Mark’s Gospel, learned in its opening words!  Yet they are ordered to tell no-one what they have seen until Jesus has been raised from the dead. It is only through his death and resurrection that they will fully understand who he is.

This idea is stressed in the way that Mark tells the passion story. Jesus enters Jerusalem, where he is to die, as king (11:1-11). He is anointed on the head, as the kings of Israel were – by a woman!  Her intention was, of course, very different, but her action is said to point to Jesus’ burial, and it is through death that he will become king. At his trial he is condemned to death for claiming to be the Messiah and Son of God (14:61-4). Pilate refers to him repeatedly as ‘the king of the Jews’ (15:1-15), and it is as ‘the king of the Jews’ that he is mocked and crucified (15:16-32). For Mark, the cross has become a throne. Yet he, more clearly than the other evangelists, stresses the cost (14:32-41; 15:34).

Even the realization that Jesus is Israel’s king is not the last word, however. When he dies, his executioner declares that he was ‘Son of God’ (15: 39). Previously, this title has been used only by the heavenly voice (1:11; 9:7) and by unclean spirits (3:11; cf. 5:7). This is the first time that Mark has portrayed a human being as having grasped the truth – and though a Gentile centurion would hardly have meant by these words what Christians meant, Mark nevertheless uses them to express a profound truth: Jesus is revealed as Son of God through his obedience and self-sacrifice (cf. Phil. 2:6-11).

Mark’s ending is abrupt – so abrupt that well-meaning scribes attempted to ‘round off’ the story with accounts of appearances of the Risen Lord (the ‘shorter’ and ‘longer’ endings, 16:9-20). Why does he end in this way?  His last words are not words of triumph, as we expect, but of human failure, as the women – hitherto models of discipleship, in contrast to the twelve! – flee from the tomb, and say nothing. As hearers of the Gospel, we long for more – for stories that will reassure us that Jesus is indeed alive. It is characteristic of Mark, however, that he does not offer us any: rather, he presents us with the evidence, and leaves us to decide for ourselves. Jesus’ final message to his disciples in 16:7 is that they are to follow him to Galilee. It is once again a call to discipleship – a summons to set out in his footsteps. They are not offered ‘proof’ that Jesus is alive, but told to believe and obey; if they do that, then they will see him.

The message is not meant for them alone, however, but for those of us who have never seen Jesus in the flesh, and are listening to the Gospel. We need not rely on accounts of how others have seen the Risen Lord. Rather, we are invited to set out in faith, as disciples of the one who, through suffering and death, has been vindicated and proclaimed as Messiah and  Son of God. If we are prepared to follow in his footsteps, we shall encounter him for ourselves.

Dr Morna Hooker is Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity, Emerita, at Cambridge, and a world-renowned New Testament scholar. Her commentary on Mark’s Gospel (published by Blacks in their New Testament Commentary series) is ‘By far the best commentary for general purpose’, according to Cyril Rodd in his Epworth Commentary on Mark.

She is a life-long Methodist, a Local Preacher, and a regular contributor to Epworth Review. We are delighted to have this contribution from her for Ichthus.