Jesus I finished up the Book of Mark this evening and continued my enjoyment of such a masterfully written text. Jesus' transformation is highlighted in the second half after the (appropriately named)
Transfiguration. The miracles become a little bolder, along with the encouragement of the receivers to spread the word. Not only does the dialogue become more externally driven, but the message is clear that "this is not the Messiah you were expecting." This further clarification is hinted at the retelling of the miracle of Bethsheda. There, it takes Jesus two attempts to restore sight to a blind man. His eyesight is completely fixed the second time and his vision goes from blurry to crystal clear. This pretty incredibly foreshadows the clarified picture of Jesus that is about to take place in the text. Jesus' messege becomes a little more drastic, now telling people to toss aside their worldly possessions and follow him. When they had previously been encouraged to "tell noone," now these spectacles and the impacts following became more apparent to the community. In the first half of Mark, Peter (Simon) identifies Jesus as the Messiah. This led to Jesus scorning him and casting him off "as the devil." But in the second half the reader is shown the first human to "accurately" describe and identify. Ironically, this individual is a Roman centurion. As he looks upon Jesus suffering on the cross he says "Surely, this is te Son of God."
Again I am shone with this exploration the intense power of both dialogue and its delivery. There is so much to be learned from Mark, and what seems like the
most important lessons are learned in the written into the environment surrounding dialogue.
Bibliography:
Book of Mark 9-16 (
Harper Collins Study Bible)
Link to the King James Translation
online
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