Alex Hwang

10/19/15

Question: In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is secretive about his identity, there is some confusion
about who he is, and the disciples only slowly come to understand. As author, what techniques
does Mark use to tell the story that way? And why would he do so? What is the advantage for
Mark? Who does he want his readers to think Jesus is and is not?

Answer + reasons: Mark clearly emphasizes Jesus’ desire to keep his identity secret to the
public. Mark also extensively details how the disciples’ fail to understand Jesus’ identity,
creating situational irony that highlights the idea of failure/sin found universally in everybody.
Mark also uses dramatic irony (the reader knows, fairly unambiguously from the outset, who
Jesus is), to emphasize the severity of the gospel’s characters’ lack of understanding of Jesus’
identity.

Even after Jesus’ identity is revealed to all, this irony continues — both the people and disciples
still misunderstand him and fail to see understand his role as a martyr-messiah. Mark does this to
contradict Jewish hierarchical structures: the Jesus Mark intends to portray is egalitarian —
regardless of status or superficial title, everybody has the capacity for ignorance and sin. Mark
wants to show that humans shouldn’t worry about status but only about understanding Jesus.
 Outline

Note: I hate my outline. I was a little overwhelmed this weekend with tests and work, so I feel
frustrated with the work I’ve put into this paper so far. After my test tomorrow, I hope to produce
something much better.

Thesis: Mark clearly emphasizes Jesus’ desire to keep his identity secret to the public. Mark also
extensively details how the disciples’ fail to understand Jesus’ identity, creating situational irony
that highlights the idea of failure/sin found universally in everybody. Mark also uses dramatic
irony (the reader knows, fairly unambiguously from the outset, who Jesus is), to emphasize the
severity of the gospel’s characters’ lack of understanding of Jesus’ identity.

Even after Jesus’ identity is revealed to all, this irony continues — both the people and disciples
still misunderstand him and fail to see understand his role as a martyr-messiah. Mark does this to
contradict Jewish hierarchical structures: the Jesus Mark intends to portray is egalitarian —
regardless of status or superficial title, everybody has the capacity for ignorance and sin. Mark
wants to show that humans shouldn’t worry about status but only about understanding Jesus.

Body Paragraph 1: Mark uses several literary devices to emphasize Jesus’ intention to keep his
identity secret.
● Multitude of Jesus’ explicit demands for secrecy
● Motif of isolation used throughout the gospel, emphasizing this idea of mystery and
secrecy

Body Paragraph 2: In addition, Mark details how Jesus’ disciples grossly fail to understand his
identity, even through Jesus’ best efforts to teach them.
● Several Markan sandwiches serve to illustrate the disciples’ blindness
● Ironically, Jesus tells the disciples that they will learn his secrets while the public
receives parables, yet his words are still, in effect, parables to them
● Juxtaposition of Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the messiah with another
misunderstanding of Jesus’ role as a martyr-messiah.

Body Paragraph 3: Even after Jesus’ identity is revealed for all at his trial, universal
misunderstanding of his identity persists, resulting in his death.

● Public calls for his crucifixion

● Peter denies that he knows Jesus.

Body Paragraph 4: Mark creates this sense of universal misunderstanding to portray that
regardless of superficial status or title, everybody has the capacity for ignorance and sin. This
falls in line with other attitudes of the gospel, where Mark denounces wealth and the Jewish
elite/scribes. Mark wants to show that humans shouldn’t worry about status but only about
understanding Jesus.