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Portrayal of Jesus in the book of Mark
Christians view on suffering
Portrayal of Jesus in the book of Mark
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The Gospel According to St. Mark serves to tell a narrative about Jesus’ life and the many interactions he has with both his followers and opposition. Through the various encounters involving Jesus and his disciples, the reader is presented a portrait of both based on their developing relationship. Given the characterizations included to depict Jesus and his disciples, they serve to suggest a strained, yet curable relationship between God and humanity, as God can only have so much pity on humanity before having to set forth proper judgement. Throughout the narrative, Mark makes every effort to portray Jesus as the “one more powerful” who is possessed by the spirit of God. There are various stories told within the text that suggest how “powerful” …show more content…
In this example, the obliviousness and ignorance of the disciples is portrayed based on their interaction with Jesus, as well as the glaring disconnect between the two. Mark’s portraits of both Jesus and his disciples culminate to provide the contemporary reader a sense of clarity in regard to the question of God and the meaning of being human. Given the growing disconnect that occurs between Jesus and his disciples as the narrative develops, it suggests the misunderstanding and fearfulness behind the relationship between humans and God in contemporary life today. This is exemplified when Jesus foretells his death and resurrection to the disciples a second time. Mark reveals the disciples’ disconnect from Jesus by claiming, “But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” (9.30). In particular, the relationship between Jesus and his disciples can be interpreted as the relationship between humans and God in contemporary life today. Nonetheless, there is also a sense of compassion and concern for the well-being of humanity that is portrayed through the actions of Jesus out of his own pity. One example of this is when he walks on the water in order to save the disciples from the harsh winds, while they are
The Gospel of John, the last of the four gospels in the Bible, is a radical departure from the simple style of the synoptic gospels. It is the only one that does not use parables as a way of showing how Jesus taught, and is the only account of several events, including the raising of Lazarus and Jesus turning water into wine. While essentially the gospel is written anonymously, many scholars believe that it was written by the apostle John sometime between the years 85 and 95 CE in Ephesus. The basic story is that of a testimonial of one of the Apostles and his version of Jesus' ministry. It begins by telling of the divine origins of the birth of Jesus, then goes on to prove that He is the Son of God because of the miracles he performs and finally describes Jesus' death and resurrection.
The Gospel of Thomas is considered to be a non-canonical collection of sayings of Jesus that reportedly have been dictated to the apostle Thomas. Some of the statements within the Gnostic Scriptures are extremely bizarre and could not have possibly been said by Jesus of Nazareth. In contrast, some of the statements parallel with parables or statements that are present in the New Testament of the bible. While not all are included, some statements that readers can conclude came from the Jesus of Nazareth are described and their parallel to the New Testament is explored.
Brown, David, D, D. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. John. Crosswalk Inc. 1996.Byzantine Greek Translation of the Book of John.Harris, Hall. Commentary on the Gospel of John. Biblical Studies Press. 1996. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry Complete Commentary. www.biblestudytools.net1996.Johnson, Barton W. People's New Testament Commentary. Crosswalk Inc. 1999. www.biblestudytools.net.1999.Bryant, Beauford. Krause, Mark. The College Press NIV Commentary John. College Press. 1998.
"We cannot indeed overestimate the importance of the fact that Jesus' redeeming influence on the world-all that has induced men to call Him Lord and Savior-owes to His humanity at once its individual and its social power, and is complete with the com...
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
One of the main characteristics of the gospel of Mark is it’s length. Mark is much shorter than Matthew and Luke, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The author of Mark does not slow down the gospel story and makes sure that only important and relevant details are included. When Mark is compared with Matthew and Luke, it becomes obvious to see what Mark has eliminated. The author’s omission of Jesus’ birth, lineage, resurrection, and ascension denote careful planning and purpose in the gospel of Mark.
... main discourses of Jesus. Upon reading the Gospel of Matthew, readers are able to identify Jesus as the crucified Messiah and exalted Lord of the church. As the first book of a two-work narrative, Luke focuses on displaying Jesus as the universal Savior of the world, and readers are encouraged to spread the message of redemption to people of all nations. As the universally-known action story, the Gospels incorporate the drama, suffering, and hope associated with the life of Jesus, the ultimate hero. Whether people read this story through the lens of the intended audience or simply to gain understanding and knowledge about Jesus’ journey on earth, the purpose of the Gospels is clear. Despite differing elements of the Gospels, their intention to spread the wondrous story of Jesus and the coming of His kingdom throughout the world will forever remain constant.
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
God’s written law is something that is and should be continuously turned, to not only when Christians find themselves in need, but also throughout in one’s daily life. The four gospels tell to story of Jesus’ life and his teachings he gave while on the earth making it possible for there to be a true example of Christ-like faith. The proposition that there are differences in the story of Jesus and in his teachings seems to question the basis upon which the Christian faith is found upon. Rather than proclaiming the gospels as falsehoods because on the differences they possess, by analyzing the differences in the context of the particular gospel it can be understood that the differences are not made by mistake, rather as a literary device. While
The gospels explain Jesus’ life and death including His identity but also his activities, works, leadership and his suffering. Jesus is seen as a manifestation of God’s relationship with humans. An important fact about Jesus is the humility and modesty associated with his birth, upbringing and death. The fact that such a person ...
Mark’s portrait of Jesus as a servant originates from the middle of the first century, Mark wrote his gospel during this time of persecution because the people being oppressed lacked faith that God would provide for them. Mark gives them the model of Jesus as a man submissive to the Lord so that they can receive salvation if they remain faithful to the servant of God. Mark stresses that Jesus is a suffering Messiah with the passage concerning Jesus praying to God that “Abba(Father), all things are po...
The Gospel of Luke centralizes the components of Jesus’ divinity, humanity, and ministry which contribute to the perception of Jesus portrayed by the narrator of Luke. Jesus’ divinity is demonstrated through his healings and miracles throughout the Gospel. His humanity is represented through the infancy narrative and also at the beginning of his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, Jesus’ public ministry serves as the most effective and important element of his life because of the essential teachings that he speaks of that give inside evidence to the formation of the modern day church.
His book presents three main perspectives on Christology (biblical, historical, and contemporary). He attempts to combine classical views and contextual views of Christology.
When Jesus called His disciples, His invitation was simple. He invited them to follow Him. The same is true today. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His last charge to His disciples, and the charge was simple. He called his followers to go and make disciples. Much effort has been placed by Christians to fulfill this charge, commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus chose to fulfill the implementation of the New Covenant through 12 men who He called, appointed, and commissioned, and he only had a few short years to prepare them for the task (Willson, 1990). His methods were unconventional and were revolutionary for that time. His disciples were to be trained extensively by Jesus, living with Him for three years prior to His ascension. He taught about servant leadership and its meaning for both the leader and follower Matt. 20:25-28). From the beginning, Jesus put in place a careful plan, and an examination of His actions in the Gospels showed that Jesus left behind the pattern to be replicated. His methods, which included the incorporation of three different levels of discipleship, included His interaction with Peter, His closest three (Peter, James, and John), and finally the group of 12. This paper identified and analyzed the three levels of discipleship Jesus modeled, these discipleship methods were then measured against modern leadership theories, and Jesus’s level of involvement and interaction with his disciples were critiqued in light of these modern theories in an effort to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
Many important themes arose while I was reading the Gospel of Mark. In my week 2 group discussion posts, the themes I listed were faith, power of prayer, forgiveness, repentance, optimism, gratitude and mercy. However there are more that I found in the chapter and I read through it again such as the healing power of God and standing for righteousness.