End of Mark

Mark was shorter and to the point than the rest of the other gospels. The reason this reading was easier and a bit easier to understand was because it was written in a way that it doesn’t dwell in the small details but goes directly to the point.

Pilate, the guy that crucified Jesus, didn’t really seem like he wanted to. In the last moment I believe Jesus shocked him by his responses to whatever they asked him. Still Pilate chose to please the people over saving Jesus. And how did he please the people? By putting Jesus and Barabbas, a murderer, in front of the public so that they chose who they wanted to live. The people themselves were manipulated by the chief priests to choose the murderer over Christ; “For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them”. (15:10:11). Priests are portrayed really negatively through the reading. Every time priests were mentioned it felt like they were describing someone who was corrupt. I think that the fear and angst that Jesus gave the priests was because they weren’t doing a good job being the messengers of God and he saw that. He told the people of the wrong the priests were doing and that posed a threat to them. For them it was all about internal reasons why they wanted Jesus to suffer.

“And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18 and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him”. (15:16:17:18:19:20)

I remember that when the movie the about the Christ came out a few years back, we went to watch it. I remember that my mom had to cover my eyes in some parts that were to violent for me to see, but I remember seeing this scene in the movie. This is completely degrading to any human being and the worst part is Jesus is ok with it. The only reason he is ok with all of this is because he knew that the day would come when all this would happen and he also knew that this was his purpose to come into the world. If bullying didn’t exist back then, this was the day it was created. “They clothed him with purple” is a pretty funny line. What is so wrong about purple? Was it the unholy color of the time; the neon green to stand out in a crowd?

In book 16 it is the first time Mary Magdalene is mentioned. They don’t really go into depth with her; they just say Jesus “had cast seven devils”. (9:16) and he had appeared to her on the first day of the week. I thought she was mentioned more but apparently she just wasn’t that important; sad. I also thought it was sad that his own disciples kind of didn’t really pay attention to his different forms. Then when he actually appears to all of them at the same time, they do believe he came back. His disciples don’t really trust each other if they don’t believe that some of them saw him and the others did not.

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was raised. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into the entire world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”(16:14-20)

That must be annoying. To resurrect and the first thing you have to do is reprimand your disciples “their unbelief and hardness of heart”. Poor guy never cached a break between teaching, being crucified, and his followers. I liked how in the end he sends his disciples to spread his knowledge around the world. In a way this part is insulting to other religions because he says they are cast out devils. We got over that pretty quickly; I have friends that are neither baptized or part of any of the branches of Christianity.

Now that all the mysteries of the life of the son of God are a bit clearer, I can actually understand certain things about Jesus I never really could. I always just thought of him as the son of God that was born to Mary and if that hadn’t had happened Christmas wouldn’t exist. And that in itself is a tragedy. But he was born and he wasn’t just a bigger being, he was a teacher. He just wanted to teach people a good path to follow in life like Confucius or Krishna. Beneath all his holiness, he was just a man trying to make paths clear to the world.