Reading Notes: Mark 1-8 (Reading A)

Seedsower and The Seeds. Wiki Commons 

There is a LOT playing into this first half of the Book of Mark. It is one of the Gospels, and as such gives the reader an introduction to Jesus Christ. More than that, however, is the intention behind the text. The book of Mark is one that is written in a way that aims to satisfy the desires of pious Jews that believed Jesus to be the prophecized Messiah. The best way to hone down a thesis of the Book of Mark can be concentrated into a two-part exclamation: First, that Jesus is the Messiah, and two, that he is not
the one that is expected. That is, he is not going to rule the Jews as was previously
hoped/expected, but suffer under the weight of duty. All of this made widely evident in these first 8 chapters. I was very stoked to pour over this first half with a refreshed mind, so that I could pay closer attention to the textual evidence and how the writing can express such complex notions. Right off the bat, when the Spirit descends down it is described as falling like a dove. It goes on to address Jesus directly in an equally calm tone, claiming that "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." This sets up the significant shift we see when Jesus ascends the mountain at the end of part A and is again addressed by the Spirit. This time, the Spirit "overshadowed them," and with a frightening direct address declared that "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!" The author's use of this last line is critical as well. Throughout the first half of Mark, Jesus is almost secretive about his identity as the Messiah and encourages those who witness or recognize him to "tell no one." This change at the end of Part A, appropriately titled "The Transfiguration," marks a shift in this.
The texts ability to get this message across simply through word choice is a pretty firm nod to the wonders and possibilities of language. From this I want to take away that
-Try and get messages/intended results across without explicitly including it in the text
-Language can be the medium itself in getting meaning across
-For example, it just goes to show that how a character delivers a line of dialogue is almost as important/effective, if not moreso, than the dialogue's content itself. 
-This will be harder to incorporate into origin stories, but the literacy-based material here will be useful in any kind of storytelling.


Bibliography:
The Gospel of Mark. Link.