Mark's Messianic Secret

Mark identifies Jesus as the suffering servant who leads his followers to God. Jesus accomplishes this important mission on the cross. By participating vicariously in Jesus’ suffering, the divine/human relationship is healed. For the first time, humans are able to relate directly to God on their own. Special mediators and/or institutions are no longer necessary.

Mark makes the case for this Jesus in a very creative way. In this gospel, Jesus reveals his glory by performing many wondrous deeds. He teaches about the coming kingdom in parables, he addresses crowds. The problem is that no one grasps the meaning of his message—not his disciples, his family, the Jewish leaders, or the crowds. They all expect a Messiah who will usher in a new kingdom.

Because of this deeply held belief in a coming Messiah, the Jews of Palestine are unable to understand the central meaning of Jesus’ life which is to bring people back to God. The only person to get it is the Roman centurion (Mark 15: 39), a Gentile and one of the people crucifying him. In this dramatic fashion, Mark delivers his message and signals that the future of the Church has moved from Palestine to the Hellenistic world.

Here’s the evidence. The disciples don’t get it in three boat scenes (4:40-41, 6:50-52, 8:14-21). They further miss the point in three passion scenes (8:32-33, 9:32, 10:32-41). His family does not understand him (3:21-35), nor do the crowds (4:10-12), or the people in his hometown (6:1-6).

In contrast, demons understand his identity (1:25, 1:34, 3:12), but Jesus silences them. He tells the people he heals (1:44, 5:43,7:36) to tell no one.

Interestingly, this is all part of God’s plan. When Jesus teaches in parables (4:12), the listeners do not understand because their hearts are hardened. The same circumstances prevent the disciples from understanding the real meaning of Jesus’ feeding the 5,000 and his walking on water (6:52). Their minds are closed.

In a fascinating combination of stories, Peter comes close to understanding. When Jesus asks the disciples about his identity (8:27-30), Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus responds by demanding that the disciples not reveal this secret. Sadly, when Jesus explains that he must suffer grievously (8:31-33), Peter protests. He ultimately doesn’t get it, and Jesus rebukes him with the words, “Get Behind Me Satan.”

Peter is like the blind man that Jesus heals in stages (8:22-26), a story found only in Mark. Peter sees Jesus as the Messiah, but his vision is blurred. Peter is like the blind man at the initial stage of his healing when he can only see trees.

This idea of Jesus’ secret identity which is hidden from the Jews is unique to Mark. In Matthew, when Jesus walks on water (Matthew 14: 13-34), the disciples worship him, and proclaim him to be the Son of God. Again in Matthew, when Jesus teaches the disciples in parables (13:11), he does so in order to reveal the secrets of heaven. When you read about the miracles in Luke, no attempt is made to hide Jesus’ identity. In John (see chapter 9), Jesus cures the blind man so that the works of God may be on display for all to see.

The gospel of Mark reaches a climax on the cross. There, as he watches and experiences the suffering of Jesus (Mark 15: 37-39), the Roman centurion gets it. “In truth this man was a Son of God.” The centurion is the first person in the gospel to recognize the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ life. The contrast with Matthew on this point is interesting (see Matthew 27:54). The centurion makes the same statement about recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, but for different reasons. The miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ death rather than his suffering on the cross are what lead the centurion to become a believer in Matthew.

As Jesus dies in Mark’s account, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. This symbolic act is extremely important. The God of the Jews was believed to reside in a small room in the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The High Priest of the Temple entered this room, symbolically for all Jews, once a year during the Passover celebration. The veil of the Temple kept the Ark hidden, and thus protected the hiddenness and mystery of God.

Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross tears open that room. God is revealed for all to see. The High Priest is no longer needed. Worshippers can now relate directly to God without mediation by a priest or the controlling power of an institution. Jesus heals the divine/human relationship. This is the central meaning of his life. The fact that the only one to get it is a Gentile signals, as I said above, that the future of the church is in the Gentile world. Mark reinforces this point with the parable of the wicked husbandmen (12:1-12).

There is a long tradition in Jewish thought that suffering unites God and humans (see Isaiah 52:13-53:12). The suffering servant in Isaiah (Chapters 40-55) dies not as a sacrifice for sin but to open people’s eyes to God. That is Mark’s point. There is not even a hint in this gospel that the meaning of Jesus’ life and death can be understood as an atoning sacrifice for human sin. The idea of Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for human sin comes from Paul and the early Church, not Mark. Participating in the suffering of another takes our focus away from self, and creates a space for God to enter.

When you look back at this gospel, this is strange stuff. The disciples are sent out to preach the good news and to cast out devils. They are given the power to heal, they witness miracles, they help feed the 5,000, they are with Jesus when he walks on water, and not one of them gets it. Jesus has a reputation for being a great teacher, he teaches with authority (1:22), and yet the crowds don’t understand his mission. The great teacher is unable to enlighten the Jewish people as to who he is. In setting after setting, Jesus deliberately chooses to keep his identity a secret.

The author of Mark is not interested in history. God does not harden hearts or close people’s minds. Although there may be nuggets of historical truth in these stories, the author carefully selects them from among many possible stories about Jesus and shapes them to make his point. This gospel is about creative writing that reveals the identity of Jesus and the meaning of his life. That’s how ancient biographies work. In my next blog, I hope to make clear just how revolutionary these conclusions of Mark are.