Blog 2 Miranda Hernandez

The gospel of Mark portrays a more humanistic Christ. Rather than the books of Luke or Matthew, Jesus is depicted as a man who has difficulty grasping that he is the Messiah, rather than a self-enlightened prophet. I found his struggle with his responsibility and identity to be the most interesting part of the gospel, particularly in the story of the blind man in 8:22-33.

In Mark 8:22-33, Jesus repairs a blind man’s sight. The first part of the story that struck me was 8:23. After Jesus repairs the man’s sight, he leads him away from the crowd and implores to him, “Do you see anything?”¹ This is a peculiar question for the Son of God to ask.  I found it remarkable that Jesus himself is full of a sheepish doubt whether his own miracle worked. ² He also avoids the crowd, as a precaution had the attempted miracle gone awry. Not only does Jesus grapple with his insecurities in this reading, he also struggles with his identity. He addresses his disciples in 8:27 and asks “Who do the people say I am?”¹ He receives mixed responses, but Peter is the only one who accurately states, “You are the Christ.” ¹ Jesus then retorts sternly for his disciples not to spread the word. ³ This is a point of Jesus’s self realization and caution. He seems frightened to be referred to as a Messiah or Christ, as that brings terrible responsibility as Peter later points out in 8:32. In verses 29-33, it is almost as if the disciples, Peter included, are trying to sum up what kind of Messiah Jesus is.^{2 3} As if the veil was lifted from their own eyes, they are seeing a Christ that is not the all powerful divinity or the mysterious deity but rather a realistic prophet with doubts and insecurities. They now see what kind of Messiah they are dealing with, the Messiah according to Mark.

1 NRSV Mark 8:22-33

2 J.J. Smith, " Seeing Jesus clearly: a sermon from Mark 8:22-33," Southwestern Journal of Theology, 53, no. 2 (2011): p 188-186.

3 B.D. Ehrman, The New Testament, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 83.

Bibliography

New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 

Smith, J.J. " Seeing Jesus clearly: a sermon from Mark 8:22-33." Southwestern Journal of Theology. 53. no. 2 (2011): p 188-186.