The writer of the Gospel according to Mark states the identity of Jesus in Mk 1:1 when he writes "the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Jesus is identified as the Christ and the Son of God. The rest of the book, however, shows the disciples' lack of comprehension of Jesus' identity. This misunderstanding continues all the way to the cross where the disciples abandon Jesus and they are not even mentioned. Mk 14:50 states, "then everyone deserted him and fled." How is it that the disciples, who spent the most time with Jesus, did not comprehend him more than the Pharisees? What does this expose about my claim of "knowing God"? How well do I know God in light of the disciples' experiences and ideas about God, Jesus, the Messiah, and the kingdom of God?
Mark writes on two levels. On the one hand, the audience knows Jesus' identity from the first verse and then is exposed to a large set of references that prove that Jesus is the Son of God. On the other hand, the disciples go through a set of experiences that are meant to reveal Jesus' identity. The seemingly obvious events and references are not understood by the disciples as the reader would expect or desire. Instead, the disciples continue in their misunderstanding and the reader is left asking "How do they not see that Jesus is the Son of God?".
Jesus provides the disciples with a variety of faith-challenging experiences that take different forms. I propose that the forms are intentional and they are meant to appeal to different senses and potential follow-up reasoning. A quick survey of Mark reveals two categories of experiences with sub-categories within. The initial category includes experiences where the disciples witness events but do not participate. First, the disciples are exposed to Jesus' teaching and this appeals to their sense of hearing. A few examples include Jesus teaching the general people in the synagogue in Mk 1 and his teaching the disciples using a parable and explanation in Mark 4:1-20. Second, Jesus allows the disciples to see an event that points to his identity. For example, the disciples and the crowd witness his healing and forgiving the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12.
The next category includes experiences where the disciples participate. First, Jesus is present with the disciples and the event is against them. For example, Jesus is with the disciples in the midst of the storm in Mk 4:35-41 and he calms the storm. Second, Jesus is present with the disciples and they contribute to the event. A notable example is the feeding of the 5000 in Mk 6:30-44. Finally, a sub-category of the participation category is where Jesus is not present with the disciples and the event is against them. This occurs in Mk 6:45-52 where Jesus sends the disciples ahead in the boat, later comes to them, and the wind is calmed when he gets into the boat. The other events in Mark fit into these categories and all point to Jesus' identity. The disciples, however, are grouped with the Pharisees in Mk 6:52 when Mark states "for they had not understood about the loaves; for their hearts were hardened." Jesus is deeply distressed at the Pharisees' stubborn hearts in Mk 3:5 and he quotes Isaiah in Mk 7:6 stating that their hearts are far from God.
Why did the disciples misunderstand Jesus? They appear to be more on the outside than on the inside. Jesus himself describes those on the outside in Mk 4:11 when he said, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that 'they may be ever seeing but never, perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!" This quote is from Isaiah 6:9-10. Jesus explained everything to the Twelve and he provided experiences, both non-participatory and participatory, but they failed to understand his identity as the Son of God (Mk 1:1). Only Peter states that Jesus is the Christ but Jesus' subsequent predictions and reality of his death do not fit Peter's notion of the Messiah.
What experiences has God given me? What have I heard? What have I seen? Where have I participated in God's working and events?
Do I know Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God? Do I know God?
Or do I still see and hear God as the God I want him to be and I go on without truly knowing? Mk 1:1 has been given to me but where do I need my heart to be softened so that I can a person who sees while perceiving and hearing while understanding so that I might turn and be forgiven?
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