The Gospel According to St. Mark

All along, I have wondered how Jesus would come across straight after hearing about so much of God’s anger and wrath in the Old Testament.

Would Jesus really bear the character of God? Would I conclude that Jesus was only a human being, albeit a gifted one, like Elijah? Would I conclude that there were actually two Gods here – a ‘good God, bad God’ scenario if you will?

First up, Jesus is definitely a human. He is ‘amazed’ (NIV) when so many people in his hometown fail to have enough faith to be healed. Those he does heal, he asks not to tell anyone, which of course they do. He tries to avoid the crowds, but they repeatedly get the better of him and find him.

I had to wonder if the healing thing was not part of his original plan, but faced with so much suffering, he just couldn’t face saying no.

He loses his temper. With a tree. Because he didn’t know that figs were out of season. He’s really angry with himself, but the tree is the one who gets it. Literally. He curses the tree, apparently forgetting that his word is God.

Now, that’s a human thing to do. Anyone who says this is a gospel that pushes his deity is way off.

In fact, he gets angry at least three times in this account. Yet, of course, that anger reminds me of the God of the Old Testament, far more than his kindness does...

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

- Mark 3:4-5(NIV)

It’s all in there. The anger, the healing, the love, the paradox about trying to turn people’s hearts and, most encouragingly, the level-headedness despite everything.

Because while he got angry alot, the God of the Old Testament was also extremely level-headed. You’d have to be, to so seriously discipline people who you love for 4,000 years.

Yet there’s the difference. In the above extract, I’d really expect God/Jesus to blight the doubters, ram them all through with the sword and then do the same to their wives and children down to the fourth generation, to teach everyone they’re wrong. (it's an old testament thing) But Jesus doesn’t. Despite his displeasure, he does something wonderful, and proves them wrong in a completely positive way.

And he has so much to say in this gospel about the importance of doing what is right, over just mindlessly obeying.

He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

- Mark 2:25-27 (NIV)

Hear-hear. This is the sort of common sense that I want to hear from God. It’s there in the Old Testament too, (Jesus even quotes it) but swamped by so much good/bad polarisation.

And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[Some manuscripts set up] your own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

- Mark 7:9-13 (NIV)

Obviously I would hope to conclude that God and Jesus are the same guy. The difference in temperament though, is staggering.

I have to wonder if the most likely explanation is actually contained in the excerpt I just quoted – “And you do many things like that.” Would that include the simplified way in which man had been portraying God in his earlier writings?

Man, at that time, not understanding right and wrong so well...