Markan Gospel

The formation and development of Wrede’s “Messianic Secret” has been a central facet of Markan studies for over a century. Building on and revising this principle, I propose first, that the Messianic Secret in Jesus’ ministry was to serve as an intentional, gradual, and calculated unfolding of His identity in a progressive manner which thus would act as a corrective for the disciples’ Messianic expectations. Second, I propose that this progressive Christology centers on a motif of the relationship between Jesus’ Identity and Authority. Through the employment of teaching, miracles, and displays of divine prerogatives and power, Jesus’ authority is used to draw the disciples to a better understanding and acceptance of his true identity. That is, they move from an initial understanding of Jesus as a simple Rabbi to one having authority over demons, sickness, sin and forgiveness, tradition, the law and Sabbath, and even over the elements of nature. This is at the same time juxtaposed against those who know Jesus’ identity and over whom Jesus has full authority (demons) and against those who are mistaken in their supposition of his identity and over whom Jesus has no authority (e.g. Jewish leaders, those of his hometown, Herod). This displays the relationship of Identity and Authority in Mark, namely that authority only comes with proper understanding of identity. Third and finally, this presentation will briefly examine one major ramification of this proposal, namely the resituation of the turning point of Mark from Peter’s confession of faith (Mark 8:29) to the Mount of Transfiguration (9:2-8) as the Mount of Transfiguration pericope serves as the pinnacle of the revelation of Jesus’ Identity and Authority.