2.5 Special theme in Mark – The Messiah and the Messianic Secret (Mark 1:1)
2.6 Jewish expectations about the Messiah – God’s end-time redeemer
2.6.1 A figure like Elijah (from Ecclesiasticus)
2.6.2 The Eschatological Prophet – One like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18)
2.6.3 God’s Servant (Isaiah 42:1-7)
2.6.4 Melchizedek (Qumran community)
2.6.5 A Messiah like David (Isaiah 9:2-7) – the most popular expectation
2.7 Does Mark present a “Messianic Secret”? (W Wrede 1901)
2.7.1 Jesus commands silence after healings (e.g. Mark 5:43, 7:36) and from demons (on Mark 1:25 and 34 but not on other occasions), and from disciples (e.g. Mark 9:9)
2.7.2 Jesus taught in parables to conceal truth (Mark 4:11)
2.7.3 BUT most of Jesus’s ministry was very public e.g. feeding 5000. Mark 9:41 is explicit.
2.8 What kind of Messiah was Jesus?
2.8.1 Messiah would be misunderstood as a political title so Jesus needed to educate his disciples away from mistaken views to understand what kind of Messiah he was, particularly the necessity of his suffering and death (Mark 8:31, 9:30-32, 10:33-34)
2.8.2 Despite his declaration of faith, Peter clearly still misunderstood (Mark 8:31-33)
2.8.3 Towards the end Jesus made clear that he was indeed the Messiah. SEE UNIT 15.
2.8.4 Jesus would be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53. SEE UNIT 16
2.8.5 Jesus was convicted and crucified for being a “messianic pretender”. Mark 14:57-64