Who Do You Say That I Am?
Understanding the Gospel of Mark through the Confession of Peter
The Gospel of Mark
The gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four canonical gospels. Bible scholars describe the gospel of Mark like a long passion narrative. Compared to the other gospels, the presentation of the ministry of Jesus in Mark is brief and concise; the rest of the gospel flows directly to His passion, death and resurrection.
There are many ways of understanding the gospel of Mark. One way to understand is to know its key passage - the confession of Peter at Mark 8:27-30. This passage describes how Peter confessed Jesus as, "... the Christ". If the reader were to see this passage as a turning point and central axis of the gospel, then it will be easier to understand the passages before and after this turning point.
Dividing the gospel of Mark
- theme of passages before Mark 8:27-30: Who Am I?
- central point: You Are The Christ (Mark 8:27-30)
- theme of passages after Mark 8:27-30: What Does This Imply?
This construction of the gospel of Mark leads its readers to see that before Peter's confession all that Jesus did was a general thematic trend-question of who and what the identity of the Jesus is. One of the signs Jesus performed was the multiplication of the bread and many healing miracles. These signs make the people aware of the person of Jesus; the signs and miracles invites them to reflect and question: who is this? As the gospel stories then lead to the turning point, the confession of Peter, Peter gives the right answer under the inspiration of the Spirit. From this central point in Peter's confession, the readers are then led to the general thematic trend that being the Christ, the Messiah, means suffering and death. Being the Christ implies the Cross.
The main thematic passages of the Gospel of Mark
Below is the structure of the gospel of Mark according to the themes before the turning point, and the themes after the turning point.I. Who Am I?
- Mark 1:1 - "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God" - Mark 6:30-34 - First multiplication of the loaves
- Mark 7:31-37 - Healing of deaf-mute
- Mark 8:1-10 - Second multiplication of loaves
- Mark 8:22-26 - Healing of blind man of Bethsaida
II. You Are The Christ? - Mark 8:27-30
III. What Does This Imply?
- Mark 8:31 - First prediction of the passion
- Mark 9:31 - Second prediction of the passion
- Mark 10:32-34 - Third prediction of the passion
- Mark 10:35-45 - The Sons of Zebedee
- Mark 10:46-52 - Healing of blind Bartimaeus
- Mark 15:39 - Confession of the centurion: "Truly this
man was the Son of God."
The main message of the Gospel of Mark
From this presentation, the gospel of Mark wants to present to the readers that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. The first part of the gospel speaks on the signs performed by Jesus during His public ministry. Many people wondered who this Jesus was because of the great signs He was performing. It then came to that point when the apostolic group gathered at Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus turned to His apostles and questioned them, "Who do people say that I Am?". The first answers were answers in line with what prophets do, and so some say that Jesus was Elijah, or John the Baptist who came back from the dead, or just one of the prophets. When Jesus turned to His own apostles and asked them, "Who do you say that I Am?", it was Peter who gave the inspired answer. This confession of Peter was echoed and reaffirmed by the confession of the centurion towards the end of the gospel when the centurion confessed, "Truly this man was the Son of God".
The main message of the gospel of Mark is that Jesus is the Christ who is to suffer, die and be resurrected again. The gospel of Mark makes readers aware that the Christ is not a Messiah in the manner by which the Jewish world understands what a Messiah is - a political leader to free them from foreign oppression (a glorified king like David). Rather, Jesus is the Christ, whose Kingdom is one where His disciples preach His gospel of repentance from sins, save the world from a direction of destruction and self-destruction, and live according to the peace Jesus exemplified by His life and mission.
