The Gospels Of Mark Essay Examples

The Gospels of Mark and John are argued to have two different interpretations of the motivations and aims of Jesus Christ, and offer unique takes on his message. Both gospels take on the Gospel narrative in quite different ways, leading to distinct disparities in message that are not entirely compatible (i.e. do not function consistently next to each other). While the Gospel of Mark talks about what Jesus did as a person, leaving the reader to ponder the nature of Jesus himself, the Gospel of John states outright his preexistence and spiritual significance. This allows the two gospels to take dissimilar approaches to achieve the same result: proving that Jesus is Lord, and that His teachings bring peace and harmony.
The prologues of both gospels indicate the general direction of where both tales are going. In the Gospel of Mark, the text begins immediately with the appearance of John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism and his subsequent temptation in the desert – meanwhile, The Gospel of John starts out by elaborating on the nature of the preexistence of Christ, and his status as the Word of God, making the subtext text (as it were) within the Gospel. While Mark’s work lets you discover these things through events, John states it outright.
Much of the content of the Gospel of John has to do with Jesus’ relationship to the Holy Spirit. The overall context of the Gospel of John is Jesus stating His intent to His disciples to leave this world and return to His Father in Heaven. However, He gives them instructions on what to do, and reassures them that the Holy Spirit will arrive after He is gone to continue His work. This other helper or comforter would provide the same type of assistance that He did, and that they would be in good hands. His description of the Spirit’s duties goes a long way toward proving the idea that John believed Jesus and the Spirit to be of the same level of power and comfortability; they are both Paracletes, helpful presences to the Christian.
In John 3.5-8, John makes mention of Jesus’ declaration of what constitutes the differences between those who are men and those who are spirit:
“Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. / That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. / Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. / The wind bloweth where it listeth, and those hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8).
This passage more than anything cements John’s (and Jesus’) view of the Holy Spirit, that of a wind that can breathe life into those who will accept it as the holy gift it is. It is also as mysterious as the wind, where one cannot predict where it comes from or where it goes. The same can be said of the Holy Spirit; all that is required is faith that it exists, and that where it blows will be the best thing for you.
While the Gospel of John focuses on the notion that people were already aware that Jesus was the Messiah, and God made flesh, Mark claims that the Messianic nature of Jesus is kept a secret for the majority of the gospel. Mark’s notion of the “Messianic Secret” comes from Jesus allegedly telling Mark not to tell people of the miracles that Jesus has performed: “And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him” (Mark 8:29-30). In fact, Jesus’ true nature is only revealed at the end of the gospel of Mark.
In John 7:39, the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus is made clear: the Holy Spirit simply cannot arrive until Jesus is glorified – “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). The element of faith is evident in 16:12, when Jesus states that “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). Jesus has further truth to impart to them, but he realizes that the disciples cannot understand it at the present time. Therefore, he abruptly assigns that duty to the Holy Spirit, to dispense to the followers at a future time. The Paraclete is not meant to replace Jesus in his teaching, but merely to branch off from him and expand the existing teachings, deepening their understanding of what He provided for them. One of his primary roles is to prevent Jesus’ words from being forgotten, and verify that He still has influence in the church after His farewell.
Despite these differences, there are a few similarities in the Gospel of Mark and John in basic message. One common concern is the attempt to reconcile the divinity of Christ walking three feet from the ground, declaring his divinity in the Gospel of John, while Mark claims this nature was kept secret for the most part. However, in John 14, Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12). Compare this with Mark 16, in which he says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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” (Mark 16:17-18). These are the greater works that Jesus claims will be done by his disciples who believe his name in John’s gospel.
In conclusion, the gospels of Mark and John have different ideas regarding Jesus’ messianic nature and how he reveals it to his people. John believes that Jesus came right out and declared his status as the Messiah, and elaborated on his relationship with the Holy Spirit to prove it. However, Mark believes that Jesus kept his messianic nature a secret, telling Mark not to reveal his secret (which is not shown to the people until the end of the gospel). These differences reveal different preferences in each disciple – John wanted to declare to people the Word of God, while Mark wished to give people the chance to find it for themselves through Jesus’ deeds and good works.