Question

Explain how the parables in the Gospel of Mark support Jesus’ identity as Messiah? (200 words)

Answer 1

The Parables of Jesus can be found in all the gospels, except for John, and in some of the non-canonical gospels, but are located mainly within the three Synoptic Gospels. They represent a main part of the teachings of Jesus, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings.

The Gospel of Luke contains both the largest total number of parables (24) and eighteen unique parables; the Gospel of Matthew contains 23 parables of which eleven are unique; and the Gospel of Mark contains eight parables of which two are unique.

The Gospel According to Mark has no story of Jesus's birth. Instead, Mark's story begins by describing Jesus's adult life, introducing it with the words, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). Mark tells of John the Baptist, who predicts the coming of a man more powerful than himself.

The turning point of the gospel of Mark is Peter’s confession about Jesus being the Messiah (8:29), because up until this point, Mark has given his reader some clues and hints that Jesus is a man mighty in word and deed, but the fullness of the mystery of who Jesus really is has not been revealed yet. Right after Peter’s confession, Jesus warns his disciples not to tell anyone about whom he really is, which is what scholars call the “Messianic Secret” found repeatedly in Mark’s account and outlined above as the third prominent theme in his gospel.