Explain the portrait of Jesus in the gospel of your choice in the light of the corresponding chapter in “How to Read the New Testament” by E. Charpentier.
Answer:
The gospel according to Mark has the symbol of Lion and was written for a community made of former gentiles. According to the above mentioned book, this gospel seeks to show that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, especially through his actions and above all his miracles.
Mark’s is the first of the written gospels though it is placed second of the four gospels in the New Testament. It’s really the one that establishes the life of Jesus as a story – the story of Jesus’ activity. Until then Jesus had been the one who proclaimed the good news; in Mark he became the one to be proclaimed – he himself is the good news. The Jesus whom Mark portraits in his text is always present in his community; in particular, he is alive in the Eucharist.
As Mark is not writing to the Jews or to those who are familiar with the Old Testament, he presents his writing as a story book stressing on the good news about Jesus. He begins his gospel with Jesus’ baptism. Mark does not claim to represent events as they actually happened. He offers a certain view of the ministry of Jesus as seen by him and the community whose spokesman he was.
Mark has given a very simple framework to the life of Jesus. It is an account of various parables constructed to convey the spirit of Jesus’ ministry. Mark portraits Jesus in action and his actions are not static but passionately burning action. Jesus in Mark is portrayed by his actions as secretive. One of the ways Jesus remains mysteriously present in history is in preaching. Jesus is slightly skeptical in announcing himself as the messiah. He’s more interested in his identity as Christ and Son of God.
According to Mark, the arrival of the kingdom of God is embodied in the person of Jesus. Since it is addressed to non-believers or those whose faith is weak, he wants to lead them to join the gentile at the foot of the cross in proclaiming that Jesus is truly the Son of God. That’s why the most frequent title Jesus uses in Mark is Son of Man (fourteen times).
The gospel of Mark is a fast-paced gospel that portraits Jesus as the powerful, suffering servant of God. Mark, the shortest of all the gospels, shows that Jesus taught with authority and always full of action. In Mark's gospel is the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning Christ as the Messiah. There is no infancy narrative in Mark, so we hear nothing about Jesus’ birth or early life.
In Mark, Jesus is portrayed as immensely popular with the people in Galilee during his ministry (Mk 2:2; 3:7; 4:1). He appoints twelve disciples to help preach.
The gospel of Mark reveals Jesus the Servant. The dramatic and action-filled account was written by John Mark to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
The gospel of Mark is remarkably different from the other gospels and there are several characteristics that make the gospel of Mark unique. The gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four gospels and has its own unique lessons to teach us about Jesus, why He is important, to leave out nothing of what he had heard and to make no false statements in them. Joseph, husband of Mary, is never named in Mark's gospel at all. This gospel is unique because it emphasizes Jesus’ actions more than anything. Although Jesus made considerable use of parables in his teaching, Mark does not relate very many of them.
But what I don’t like about Mark's gospel is that it is sparse and brief compared to the others. It has no genealogy and it seems Jesus does not know everything (13:32), and his power is limited (6:5). Still I like this gospel because it is an easy-to-understand account of the teachings of Jesus proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Lastly, I like this gospel’s portrayal of Jesus because it is original – New Testament scholars believe that Mark's gospel was used as a source by both Matthew and Luke. So I like its originality.
From a historical point of view, Mark, being the oldest of the gospels, is the most reliable. Jesus’ miracles, parables, death, burial, and resurrection are revealed in the gospel by Mark. It is believed that the gospel of Mark largely consists of the preaching of Peter arranged and shaped by Mark. It emphasizes Jesus saying, “Those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
Mark paints a portrait of Jesus that is vivid, dynamic and focused on His miracles and His divine Sonship. Since it has 16 short chapters, the briefest of all the gospels, it is easy to read in one sitting. This must be the reason the gospel according to Mark commands a great deal of scholarly and popular attention till date. A vast majority of biblical scholars consider it to be the earliest extant narrative life of Jesus and many readers are captivated by its fast-paced literary style and use of dramatic expressions.
Conclusion:
The shortest and the most action-packed gospel of Mark also portraits Jesus as the obedient son of God – Jesus is portrayed as fully God and fully man. Like us, he eats and sleeps and talks and prays. He’s someone who got angry and at the same time was full of pity. He’s a wandering preacher who at times did not get a chance to eat. Miracles occupy a major part of Mark’s gospel – Jesus is shown as stronger than evil.
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