Mark 14:61–62 (ESV)
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Some commentators say that the Gospel of Mark keeps the divine identity of Jesus as a “secret” (that’s their word) until Jesus answers Pilate’s direct question at his fake trial. They claim that in this earliest gospel, the theology of Jesus’ divinity had not yet been worked out… That it took Christians several decades after this to really develop this idea. (In other words, modern commentators are undermining this foundational theology by calling it into question.)
I don’t get it.
After studying Mark’s gospel for several years now, I honestly can’t understand how the commentators can make this “secret identity” claim. SO, I thought it would be good to do a short survey of Jesus’ identity in this gospel and see what we come up with. Are you ready? Well, why don’t we start at the very beginning…
Mark 1:1 (ESV)
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
WHAT? Literally in the very first sentence of Mark’s gospel you find Jesus identified as the Son of God. Why do you think Mark would start his gospel this way?
How should this very first statement shape the way we should read the rest of the book?
Okay.. Maybe he makes that statement, then you have to dig through the rest of the book all the way through to chapter 14 (out of 16 chapters) before the “secret” is fully revealed… Right?
Mark 1:2–3 (ESV)
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’ ”
Okay, wait. so literally Mark’s SECOND SENTENCE is a connection to Old Testament prophet Malachi… And what does this connection reveal to us about the identity of Jesus? (are you picking up on my sarcasm here?)
The Greek word for “Lord” in Mark 1 is kyrios, meaning owner, master, sovereign. It is a title of reverence and respect. What should this convey about how Mark (who is quoting John the Baptist here) sees Jesus?
Just a few verses later, we get to that famous scene where John baptizes Jesus…
Mark 1:10–11 (ESV)
And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Hm.. I am starting to wonder how those early Christians ever figured out Jesus’ divine identity.. Aren’t you? So, the list of those identifying Jesus as the Son of God is growing.
This isn’t just a nice statement from God the Father.. This is clearly a reference to “The Lord’s Chosen Servant, from Isaiah 42…
Isaiah 42:1 (NLT)
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.”
How does Jesus bring justice to the nations?
Could he do that as a human?
But wait. There’s more.
Mark 1:23–24 (ESV)
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “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.”
So now, it isn’t just Mark, John the Baptist, and God the Father, but the demons identify him as well.
Why do you think spiritual beings immediately recognize Jesus’ true identity while humans struggle to see it?
Mark 2:5–12 (ESV)
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
How does this moment show us that Jesus is so much more than just a teacher?
Mark 4:35–41 (NLT)
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
This should be a HUGE clue, shouldn’t it? The Old Testament shows that only God rules over creation. (Psalm 107:28-29, Job 38:8-11)
Mark 9:2–7 (NLT)
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
5 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.
7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”
This is amazing, because Moses and Elijah stand with Jesus… This is literally Mark showing us that the LAW (Moses) and the PROPHETS (Elijah) stand to identify Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.
It seems Mark is really terrible at keeping his “secret.”
There are clearly lots of other places in Mark where Jesus’ true identity is implied. We’ll skip over where Mark’s secret is supposedly revealed at his trial before Caiaphas. BUT there is still ONE MORE direct connection Mark has to show us. Right after Jesus “breathed his last,” the following happens:
Mark 15:39 (ESV)
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
This isn’t quite the end of Mark’s gospel, but doesn’t it seem that these climactic words echo from Mark 1:1?
Okay.. Obviously it is hard to believe that commentators would assert that the theology of Jesus’ divine identity was not developed yet when Mark was written. Mark clearly points to it so repeatedly. It is almost like these commentators are fake witnesses that can’t get their story straight, just like at Jesus’ fake trial. What should this tell us about paying attention to the details of current narratives about Jesus?