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The Gospels of Mark and John

 

            The word "gospel" comes from an Old English word that meant "good tale" or "good news" ("What"). Today the word "gospel" is used to describe the four New Testament books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that present the life of Christ. Overall, the gospels are used to describe the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. However the four gospels seem to contradict each other quite a bit. This can be seen in the biblical literature in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. The main arguments and disagreements lie in the themes, the Passion narrative, and for who, the Gospel was probably written.
             The main three themes in the Gospel Mark are very simple. They include misunderstanding, authority, and silence. The first theme is misunderstanding. Mark is arguing that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and introduced a new idea that the Messiah must suffer. In Mark he tells us Jesus prays to God that it is not his will but that Jesus gives himself to God in order to do his will (Mk 14:36). According to Mark when Jesus was with the high priests he was asked if he was the Son of God, "And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mk 14:62). He also shows how no one understands Jesus or who he is. This is evident in the fact that the high priests want him crucified. Mark states that Pilate knew Jesus had only been arrested and brought to trial because the high priests were envious of Jesus (Mk 15:10-1). Pilate knew Jesus had done nothing wrong, but yet everyone else was confused about who Jesus was and that he wasn't really going to destroy the temple. A final example of misunderstanding in the Gospel of Mark is when Jesus heals a blind man and asks him if he can see. The blind replies, "I can see people, but they look like trees" (MK 8:23-26). This is a metaphor for how people see Jesus. They try to understand him but the picture is not clear yet.


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