who do you say i am (english)

8/6/2019 Who Do You Say i Am (English)

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WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?JESUS IDENTITY AND MESSIANIC SECRET

INTRODUCTION

Who is Jesus for me, today? This is the question we all should askourselves before we begin our lesson. Our answers, for sure, will not besame (reflect for 5 minutes). I hope at the end of our class we have abetter image of Jesus in our minds and hearts.

Now, we are going to find out the true identity of Jesus for Mark and forthe Christian community of Rome. Mark himself, at the beginning ofthe gospel, tells us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (1:1).However, we will not know the true meaning of that expression untilthe end of the gospel. Therefore, if we want to discover who Jesus

really is, we must begin a journey with him, follow him step by step,and at the end of this journey we will have the proper answer.

1. WHAT IS NEW ABOUT JESUS ACTIVITY?

There is no doubt that Jesus public activity attracted the attention ofall the sectors of Israels society. But, what was new or original aboutit?

a. Jesus performs miracles: Mark included 17 miracles in hisgospel: 12 miracles happened in Jewish territory (11 in Galilee

and 1 in Judah) and 5 in gentile territory.- Healings: 1:29-31; 1:40-45; 2:1-12; 3:1-6; 5:25-34; 7:31-

37; 8:22-26; 10:46-52.- Exorcisms: 1:21-28; Mk 5:1-20; 7:24-30; 9:14-29.- Resurrections: 5:21-43.- Nature: 4:35-41; 6:30-44; 6:45-52; 8:1-9.

b. Jesus teaches something new with authority (1:27):

He teaches something they have never heard before;something that he could not learn on books, but revealed byGod to him: The mystery of the Kingdom of God (Mk 4).

c. Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them (2:15-17):these people were considered impure or unclean because oftheir bad life style and therefore excluded from their society.No second chance for them. Jesus mixes with them, listens tothem, and offers them another chance to transform their lifestyle.

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d. Jesus forgives sins (2:1-12): Jesus brings Gods forgivenessto people in need. The religious authorities believed insteadthat only God could forgive sins, consequently Jesus isblaspheming for putting himself at the same level of God.

e. Jesus chose 12 apostles among his many disciples: InIsrael normally the disciples chose their teachers, but in thecase of Jesus, he is the one electing his closest companionsand collaborators in his mission. They will not study the Law(Torah) and their traditions, but they will learn from theteachings of Jesus and put them into practice in their dailylives.

f. Jesus and his disciples do not fast (2:18-22): All therespected groups (Essenes, Pharisees) and individual holy

men (John the Baptist) used to fast often and live an asceticlife in order to show everyone that they were closelyconnected to God. Instead, Jesus and his disciples eat, drink,and enjoy a nice and comfortable life he does not fit theprofile of a holy man or messenger from God.

g. Jesus and his disciples do not keep holy the Sabbathday: He does many activities that are forbidden by the law onthat day: healing the sick and plucking grain. Jesus redefinesthe meaning of the Sabbath day: The Sabbath was made forman, not man for the Sabbath. The Son of Man is even lord of

the Sabbath (2:27-28).

h. Jesus cleanses the Temple of merchants, sellers, andmoney changers, and says, My house should be called ahouse of prayer for all peoples, but you have made it abandits den (11:15-19). Jesus does not like mixing businesswith true religion.

2. WHAT QUESTIONS DID JESUS ACTIVITY PROVOKEAMONG THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL?

a. What is this? Here is a teaching that is new, and with authoritybehind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and theyobey him (1:27): Reaction of the crowds after seeing theexorcism of man in the synagogue.

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b. How can this man talk like that? He is being blasphemous.Who but God can forgive sins? (2:7): Reaction of the scribesafter Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven.

c. Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him (4:41):

Reaction of the disciples after Jesus calmed the storm at theSea of Galilee.

d. Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that hasbeen granted him, and these miracles that are workedthrough him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary,the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? Hissisters, too, are they not here with us? And they would notaccept him (6:2-3): Reaction of the people from Nazareth afterlistening to Jesus teachings in the synagogue andremembering all the miracles he had done elsewhere.

In the second part of the gospel we find other questions about Jesusidentity and these are the most important ones:

a. Jesus asks his disciples a question: Who do people say I am?After showing Jesus peoples opinion about his identity, heasked them another question: Who do you say I am? Peter, asthe spokesman of the disciples, gave Jesus a straight answer(see 8:27-30).

b. During Jesus trial, the High Priest (chief of the Sanhedrin)

asked Jesus about his identity as a perfect proof to condemnand put him to death: Are you the Christ, the Son of theBlessed One? Jesus said, I am (14:61-62). It is only in thispassage where Jesus recognizes to be the Messiah (Christ), theSon of God. And this is why he was crucified.

In order to understand the identity of Jesus, Mark places a number ofquestions that require some answers from the characters of thegospel. The purpose of these questions is to show how amazing Jesuswords and actions are and, at the same time, provoke a quick answerregarding his identity. Lets see what the characters of the gospel have

to say about Jesus identity.

3. WHAT DO THE MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE GOSPELSAY ABOUT JESUS IDENTITY?

The gospel of Mark is filled with answers about Jesus identity. Some ofthe answers are explicit (like Peters); some others are only seen

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through the attitude of some characters towards Jesus (like thePharisees trying to kill him). Among the answers, some are true, someare false, and some are ambiguous or partially correct. With thisstrategy, Mark teaches his readers the importance of reflecting aboutall the answers given and to choose the correct one. Lets check what

the characters of the gospel have to say:

a. MARK, THE EVANGELIST: He offers an answer at thebeginning of the gospel: The beginning of the gospel about

Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). This is the true identityof Jesus. The reader knows it from the beginning and it guideshim to understand the rest of the gospel. However, the readermust follow the same steps of Jesus during his journey if hewants to recognize him as Son of God at the feet of the cross.

b. GOD (voice from heaven/voice from the clouds): God answers

in the story of the baptism of Jesus (1:9-11) and histransfiguration (9:2-13). In both cases, there are only a fewwitnesses: John the Baptist during the baptism and threedisciples (Peter, James, and John) during the transfiguration.Gods answer reveals the true identity of Jesus: You are myBeloved Son (1:11; 9:7).

c. THE UNCLEAN SPIRITS OR DEMONS: The demons alsoknow the true identity of Jesus: 1) The Holy One of God(1:24); 2) The Son of God (3:11); 3) Son of the Most HighGod (5:7). However, Jesus orders them to keep quiet and not

to reveal his identity. Why? Because they are not reliablewitnesses (they lie and deceive everyone) and they wantJesus to show himself as the powerful Son of God.

d. THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES OF ISRAEL (PHARISEES,SCRIBES): Beelzebul is in Jesus and it is through theprince of devils that he drives devils out (3:22). Jesus ispossessed by the devil and all his miracles come from thedevils power. Why? Basically because he does not keep thelaw and does not follow the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, these religious and political groups join forces

together and plot to kill Jesus (3:6). As the gospel moves on,they do not change their mind (12:12); on the contrary, theywill succeed in making Jesus suffer and die on the cross (Mk14-15).

e. PETER (SPOKESMAN OF THE DISCIPLES): You are theChrist (8:29). Peter expresses what the disciples think about Jesus identity. At first sight, the answer seems valid or

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correct, but if we keep reading we realized that Peter does notunderstand Jesus identity completely (8:32-33). There is akey element he is missing or unwilling to accept: Jesus is theChrist who must suffer, die, and rise after three days (8:31).

f. THE CROWDS: The people in general have also their ownopinion about Jesus identity (see 6:14-15; 8:28): 1) the risenJohn the Baptist; 2) A prophet like those of the Old Testament(Elijah). In the second part of the gospel, the people call himson of David (10:46-52; 11:10), but Jesus rejects thisanswer (12:35-37).

g. JESUS: During his trial, Jesus answered a question of the HighPriest regarding his identity:Are you the Christ, the Son of theBlessed One? Jesus said, I am (14:61-62). The first publicand opened confession of his true identity gives light to the

process that will conclude with his death on the cross. Otherconfessions of his true identity are closely connected with hisdestiny of suffering and death: the Father at thetransfiguration and the Roman Centurion at the feet of thecross.

h. THE ROMAN CENTURION: His testimony at the moment of Jesus death should be the final statement or expression offaith of all the disciples of Jesus who read the gospel: In truththis man was Son of God (15:39).

In conclusion, we can say that not all the answers are correct; someare wrong, false or ambiguous, and Jesus rejects them. Out of seven,only the answers of God, Jesus, Mark, and the Roman centurion arecorrect. According to these answers, there is no doubt that Jesusidentity is closely related to his death.

4. WHAT IS THE MESSIANIC SECRET?

In Mark, there is a curious and surprising fact that strikes our attention:as we know already, the purpose of the gospel is to reveal the trueidentity of Jesus, Messiah and Son of God; however, Jesus orders those

who call him Messiah or Son of God to keep quiet and be silent. Thereare several examples of this:

a. Unclean spirits/demons:- The cure of a demoniac (1:25): Jesus said, Be quiet!

Come out of him!- Summary of healings (1:34): he (Jesus) would not allow

them to speak, because they know who he was.

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- The mercy of Jesus (3:12): He (Jesus) warned themstrongly not to make him known.

b. Healed people:- To the leper (1:44): Mind you tell no one anything.

- To Jairus family (5:43): He (Jesus) gave then strictorders not to let anyone know about it (theresurrection of the daughter).

- To the deaf-mute (7:36): Jesus ordered them to tell noone about it (after the healing).

c. The disciples:- After Peters confession (8:30): He (Jesus) gave them

strict orders not to tell anyone about him.- After the transfiguration (9:9): He (Jesus) warned them

to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of

man had risen from the dead.

What is the meaning of this contradiction? Why does Jesus insist intelling these people to keep silent and not to reveal his true identity?This is a topic that has attracted the attention of many readers andexperts have tried to explain this phenomenon, called the messianicsecret, in many different ways.

I believe that the best explanation is this: it is a literary strategy usedby Mark to reveal gradually the true identity of Jesus. Mark wants toavoid misunderstandings. The motif of the messianic secret appears

mostly in the first part of the gospel (6 times) and at the beginning ofthe second part (2 times). In the first part, Mark focuses on revealingthat Jesus is the expected Messiah announced by the prophets; in thesecond, he reveals that this Messiah has to suffer and die on the crossin order to fulfill his mission. Mark reveals Jesus identity stage bystage; it is a long process that takes time and effort.

In the first part of the gospel, Jesus orders to keep silent for threereasons:

a. In the healings: because they are just partial manifestations of

the Kingdom of God;b. To the unclean spirits: because they have no place in the

Kingdom. They are the adversaries of God (lie and deceive);they are not reliable witnesses.

c. Generally speaking: because all the ideas that people mayhave about Jesus identity are ambiguous or incorrect until hehimself reveals his destiny as Messiah. However, despite thismotif of the messianic secret, there is also a clear revelation

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of Jesus identity in Mark 1:1 and 1:11 (the baptism). Jesuspublic activity in Galilee (teachings and miracles) is also a hintto understand, at least partially, his identity.

Peters confession of the identity of Jesus as the Christ is the climax

of the first part of the gospel and clears the way for the second part. Atthis point, Peter rejects the idea of a suffering Messiah who also dieson the cross. That is why Jesus will concentrate his energy on thedisciples to make sure that they get his identity right. He is on his wayto Jerusalem not to be crown king, but to die for all the people: his wayis the way of service, fraternity, commitment, and sacrifice. Jesus is nota triumphant Messiah, but a suffering one. That is why the words of theRoman centurion at the feet of the cross must be the words of all thetrue disciples of Jesus: Jesus is Messiah on the cross.

We discover gradually the true identity of Jesus in the gospel: 1)

Hidden revelation (1:1-8:26); 2) Open revelation (8:27-10:52); 3)Manifestation (11:1-16:8). All this process will lead us to accept acertain type of Messiah and to reject another type. Some the titles of Jesus in the gospel will gain weight and others will disappear as thestory progresses. Lets see the most important titles of Jesus in Marksgospel.

5. WHAT ARE THE MAIN TITLES OF JESUS IN MARK?

There are two titles used by Mark to describe the true identity of Jesus:

Christ and Son of God (1:1). They will appear in two strategic places ofthe gospel as well: Peters confession (Christ; 8:29) and the Romancenturions confession at the feet of the cross (Son of God; 15:39).

5.1. JESUS, THE CHRIST (THE MESSIAH)

The word Christ comes from the Hebrew term massiah whichmeans the anointed one. Mark translates it with the Greek wordchristos. In the Old Testament, priests, prophets, and kings wereanointed. Therefore, the future Messiah, that God promised to send tolead and guide his people, should belong to one of those groups.

At Jesus time, most of the people believed the Messiah would be apowerful king capable of defeating the Roman army and establishing akingdom of peace, justice, and prosperity.

The people of Israel, after seeing Jesus activity (miracles andteachings), thought that he could be the Messiah/king they werewaiting for (that is why they called him Son of David (10:47-48; 11:9-

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10; 12:35) or King of the Jews (15:2.9.12.18.26)). This is the kind ofMessiah Peter and the disciples have in mind when Jesus asked themthe question who do you say I am? and Peter answered, You are theChrist (8:29). We know this because Peter refuses to accept the ideaof the Messiah that Jesus is proposing them: a Messiah that suffers,

dies on the cross, and rises on the third day (8:31-33). Jesus wants tokeep his true identity secret until the right time comes in order toavoid misunderstandings: He will not be a powerful king, but asuffering Messiah. This is the true identity of Jesus and can only befully understood at the feet of the cross, at the moment of his death,like the Roman centurion did: in truth this man was Son of God(15:39).

5.2. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD

In the Old Testament, the title Son of God is applied to Israel as

Gods people (Hosea 11:1), the King at his coronation (Psalm 2:7), theangels (Job 38:7), and the suffering of the righteous person (Wisdom2:18).

In Marks Gospel, Son of God is a very prominent title for Jesus. Markuses it to clarify the ideas about the Messiah. It appears in some ofthe most important moments of Jesus life: 1) at baptism (1:11); 2) theunclean spirits reveal his identity (1:24; 3:11; 5:7); 3) at thetransfiguration (9:7); 4) during Jesus trial (14:61-62); 5) The Romancenturions confession (15:39). From this perspective, we can onlyrecognize Jesus as the Son of God at the moment of his death on the

cross and after the resurrection. All the events in Jesus life lead to thisfinal moment: we must see Jesus as the Son of God on the cross.

What does the expression Jesus is the Son of God mean? Jesus is notjust a messenger from God or a prophet; he is Gods beloved Son. Goddid not send a messenger to the world to proclaim a message ofsalvation, but he sent his only son to spread the good news of hiskingdom and teach us the way back to heaven. God and Jesus, likefather and son, enjoy a deep and special relationship (divine filiation).He says and does the same things that God says and does. As a goodson, Jesus not only preaches, calls disciples, and heals sick people, but

he also obeys and fulfills Gods plan by going to Jerusalem, suffering,and dying for the sins of people. However, there is a happy ending forthe story: God will raise him from the dead and the disciples will seehim in Galilee (16:7).

EXCURSUS: JESUS, THE SON OF MAN

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In Marks gospel, Jesus often calls himself the Son of man (Mk2:10.28; 8:31.38; 9:9.12.31; 10:33.45; 13:26; 14:21.41.62). Only Jesususes this expression; the characters of the gospel never call him bythis title and it does not reveal anything about Jesus identity.

What is the purpose of this expression in Marks gospel? For Mark,Jesus is the man who possesses the Holy Spirit and acts with Godsauthority; he will be rejected by Israel and the gentiles, but God willsave him through the resurrection.

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who do you say i am (english)

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