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Who is This!? And Where Did He Get His Authority? - Part 1 of 2 (Mark 4:35-6:6)

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41 (NIV)

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Mark 6:2-3 (NIV)

Context:

The readings for Days 7 and 8 may be viewed as two parts of one section.

Mark begins (Mark 4:35-41) and ends (Mark 6:1-6) the unit with similar stories, which act like a literary “frame” of several stories in-between. The stories inside the “frame” are all about Jesus’s encounters with people who were ceremonially unclean according to Mosaic Law.

Today, we will observe and interpret the “frames” of this section, at its beginning and end.

Observation:

Notice the similarities between the stories that “frame” this section of text. See chart below.

Interpretation:

The stories of uncleanness in this section are framed by two similar (and yet different) responses to the ministry of Jesus:

• How would you characterize the response of the disciples to Jesus’s authority over the wind and waves? Why are they terrified? (Mark 4:35-41)
• How would you characterize the response of the people from Jesus’s hometown? What attitudes do you think lie behind their questions?
• Why might Mark begin and end this section (which focuses on Jesus’s authority over the unclean) with stories of people questioning his identity and lacking faith?

Application:

Like the original audience in today’s reading, we must choose how we will respond to Jesus when we encounter his words. Will we obey him, like the wind and waves? Will we fearfully cower before him, like the disciples? Or will we choose to discredit him, like those from his hometown? Which of these categories best fits your current response to Jesus’s words as a whole?