The Gospel of Mark was written in a particularly difficult time in history. It was written after the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The Romans were reacting to several insurrections led by Jewish militant leaders. The Romans effort to establish order was driven by the fear of total chaos and they weren't too concerned whether a person was a Jew or a Christian at that point in time. They considered Christianity to be a sect of Judaism and treated the Christians with equal impunity.
The writer of Mark put together the first narrative on the life of Jesus. It was a brilliant piece of writing when you consider there was nothing before it. The presentation of Jesus was clear and attempted to present Jesus as someone who was not engaged in any kind of military struggle. The Jesus of Mark was one who went to his death not entirely sure what his mission on earth was about but thinking about the resurrection as the outcome of the crucifixion. In other words the writer had to answer two questions:
1. Was Jesus and were the followers of Jesus in any way compliant in the uprisings that were happening in the Jewish world against the power of Rome. The answer was clearly, "no".
2. If Jesus was the Messiah how do you explain the fact that he was treated as a common criminal and put to death on a cross? The answer, again, is clear. Jesus had to die. It was part of the plan that led to the resurrection. The events were scripted and were carried out as they should have been.
Do you think Jesus' death was necessary or tragic? Do you think it had to be that way or was a terrible mistake made by people who really, "didn't know what they were doing?"
Do you have thoughts on this subject? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the 'comments' box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
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