Understanding Mark 8:31-10:34

A Key to Mark's gospel

A key to Mark's gospel is the confession of Peter in Mark 8:27-31. Before this turning point, the question of who Jesus is in the minds of those who read the gospel of Mark is: "Who is this?" Now that this question is answered by Peter's confession, Mark develops the second part of his gospel to answer the question: "What does this imply?"

Structure of the second part of the gospel

In the second part of Mark's gospel, Bible scholars produced an outline that structures the second part as three predictions of the Passion (Mk 8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34), accompanied by instructions on discipleship integrated within them (Mk 8:34-38; 9:33ff; 10:35-44). Reading now the last instruction on discipleship, there are two actual "cases" of discipleship: the two sons of Zebedee (Mk 10:35-45) and blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52).

Implications of being "the Christ" made clearer

In the three predictions of the passion, Jesus makes clear to His disciples what is involved in His being the Christ: that He must suffer and be killed. Of the three predictions, the third one (Mk 10:32-34) is most detailed. However, it is to be noted that none of the three prophecies explicitly state Jesus speaking about His crucifixion.

Instructions on discipleship

Since Jesus had a following, He made it clear what following Him meant for those who became His apostles and disciples. As far as His followers are concerned, "they are to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus" (Mk 8:34). Scholars of the bible say that the term "cross" may not be original, since Jesus did not state explicitly anything about crucifixion. The original term, according to them, may be close to the word, "burden". Maybe Jesus said, "let him deny himself, take up his burden, and follow me". Whatever was the original term and meaning used by Jesus, Catholic history still attests to the truth that Peter and the others close to Jesus were also crucified!

Meaning of true discipleship

After the instructions on discipleship, the gospel of Mark gives two actual "cases" of discipleship: the sons of Zebedee and blind Bartimaeus. First, the two sons of Zebedee misunderstood what discipleship really meant. They thought of "sitting at the left and right hand" of Jesus in glory (Mk 10:37), and forgot that discipleship can also mean suffering and dying like Jesus. This is in contrast to the understanding of the second case: blind Bartimaeus. After being cured by Jesus, and called by Jesus to follow Him, Bartimaeus actually, and indeed "followed Jesus on the way" (Mk 10:52), which was the way to Jerusalem, and therefore to the cross. This contrast presented by Mark, shows how Bartimaeus, an "outsider" of the inner circle of Jesus, surpasses the sons of Zebedee, who were really "professional followers", in understanding what true discipleship really meant. From this exposition on the meaning of true discipleship, it can lead us to reflect on the two ways of following Jesus: (1) that of following Jesus and sacrificing life like the apostles and disciples who became martyrs (the inner circle of Christ); (2)or, it can be like the healed Bartimaeus, who follows Jesus on His way to the Cross (an outsider to the inner circle).