Kata Markon

["Sid Martin" <smartin AT webzone.net>]

"Some people divide Mark into two halves.  The first half of Mark deals =
with 'who Jesus is' while the second half deals with 'what Jesus was =
going to do'."  Larry & Sharon Hooge

In my view, the Gospel of Mark tells the story of the Rise and Fall of Jesus
Christ.  In the first half of the story ("The Rise"), Jesus rises from
obscurity as one of the multitude baptized by John until the high point of
his career when himself ministers to multitudes.   His identity is finally
revealed -- he is the Christ.  Jesus immediately warns that the Son of Man
must suffer, and it is all downhill from there.  The story culminates in the
extremely dreary death scene.  Granted, there is the upturn at the end when
Jesus rises from the dead, but the resurrection is remarkably little
developed in Mark, and the last eight verses are little more than an
epilogue to the story of the rise and fall while at the same time serving as
a prologue to the untold story of  the risen Christ.

While I don't see a "crescendo" of miracles as such, there is a definite
progression in the development of Jesus' Rise.  The first half may be
divided into an ascending sequence of three major portions which represent
the natural stages of organizing a movement -- first recruiting, then
training, and finally consolidating gains.  In the first series -- the Call
to Service -- Jesus calls his disciples, first the four, then Levi, and
finally the Twelve.  This series ends at the close of Chapter 3.  Jesus then
begins to instruct his followers in the mysteries of the Kingdom in the
second phase -- Spreading the Word -- which ends with Jesus sending out the
Twelve.  Finally, in the concluding series -- the Gathering in Galilee --
the thousands who now follow Jesus assemble not once but twice. This is the
culmination of his ministry.

Peter's confession begins the second part, the descending sequence or
"Fall", starting with the Journey to Jerusalem, during the course of which,
the fate of Jesus is revealed.  Jesus then enters the city where he
confronts the Establishment.  This is commonly called the Ministry in
Jerusalem.  Finally comes the Passion when Jesus succumbs to the opposition.

Note that these six series, besides being divided into two halves, are also
grouped into three distinct periods.  The first, consisting of the Call and
Word series, begin with John baptizing before Jesus comes on the scene and
ends with the story of John's death, when Jesus is again off the stage.
This is the "John period" when Jesus is still in John's shadow.  During the
middle or Independent period, featuring the Gathering and the Journey, the
popularity of Jesus peaks, right at the midpoint, and the decline begins.
Then during the final Jerusalem period, the consequence of this popular
appeal -- execution by a jealous aristocracy -- is the inevitable result.

This is a well-structured short story, in which the high point is reached in
the very middle of the middle, and the contrasting themes of rising
popularity and fall from fame played out on either side.  Mark's purpose
apparently is to depict Jesus as a popular preacher directly inspired by the
Holy Spirit bestowed at his baptism in growing conflict with institutional
religion which depends on established authority administered from the top
down.  The miracle-working which figures prominently in the Rise of Jesus is
intended as a manifestation of his personal spiritual empowerment, which
wanes and finally fails him when, ignominiously executed as a common
criminal, abandoned by his chosen companions, rejected by the fickle crowds,
and abandoned by his God, he expires, only to be vindicated in his claim to
divine favor in the shock, if not surprise, ending.

There is more to the structure of Mark's Gospel, of course, which, among
other things, shows a complex chiastic organization centered on Peter's
confession.  The important thing to me is that this Gospel is the handiwork
of an accomplished story teller and anything other than the hodge-podge of
pericopes it is often made out to be.

Sid Martin