Optional: St Mark's Gospel Flashcards
To help learn the content from St Mark's Gospels for the optional modules.
What does Messiah mean?
‘Anointed one’
What did the Jews think the Messiah would be?
The Messiah would be a religious leader sent from God who would free the Jewish people.
What did Jesus mean by Messiah?
A humble leader sent from God
What does Jesus as Messiah show us about Jesus?
Jesus knew that the Jews had been waiting a long time for the Messiah and that it would be difficult for them to accept that He had arrived.
What is the Son of Man?
The title connected with the Messiah used in Daniel in the Old Testament
Who is the Son of Man?
- A title that Jesus used.
- It suggests the humanity of Jesus
- Also suggests the cosmic divinity of Jesus
- The Son of Man is used in Mark’s gospel - Jesus is being revealed as someone who is human but is also divine.
What is the significance of the Messiah and the Son of Man for Christians today?
- The title the Son of Man shows Christians today that Jesus is a mighty ruler sent from God
- It shows them that Jesus was a divine leader sent with the mission of salvation.
Who was John the Baptist?
- Jesus’ cousin
- A preacher who began preaching before Jesus did
- He called people to repent and offered baptism as a way to forgive their sins.
How did John the Baptist live?
- He lived a simple life
- He wore clothes made of camels hair
- He ate wild honey and locusts.
What happened at Jesus’ baptism in Mark?
- Jesus was baptised by John in the River Jordan
- The spirit descended on Jesus like a dove - this is a sign of the Holy Spirit
- A voice from heaven says ‘you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased’
- The voice is God the Father.
- It is a rare time when the Trinity are present together.
- His baptism is like a coronation of Jesus as Messiah.
Why is Jesus’ baptism important for Christians today?
- It shows Jesus’ divine origin and his divine command
- It is one of only a few passages where there is reference to the presence of all parts of the Trinity
- It is an indication of Jesus’ willingness to take on the sins of all humanity as he is sinless and so would not have needed a baptism
- It gives an example for Christians to follow - they should also be baptised.
What is a nature miracle?
A miracle where the usual order of life is changed by the activity of God.
Can you give some examples of nature miracles from Mark’s gospel?
- Jesus calms the storm
- The feeding of the 5000
- Jesus walks on water
What happen during Jesus calming the storm?
- Jesus and the disciples were travelling across the lake of Galilee one night.
- Jesus was asleep as the storm raged
- Jesus was awakened by the disciples
- Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea ‘be still’
- The storm calmed.
What can we learn from Jesus calming the storm?
- Jesus is God - he was able to control the storm, bring peace to chaos
- Symbolic of creation when God had power over all
- Early Christians could take strength from this miracle. Jesus was caring.
What happened during the feeding of the 5000?
- Jesus and his disciples fed 5000 people
- They only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish
- There were still basketfuls left when they were done
- There were 12 baskets
What can we learn from Jesus feeding the 5000?
- The 12 baskets represent the number of the tribes of Israel
- Jesus breaks and blesses the bread during this miracle, this is repeated at the Last Supper.
- The fact that there were basketfuls left over suggests we can rely on God when we are in need
- The basketfuls of food can also be a metaphor for the word of God - even when shared among Jesus followers there is still plenty left for others.
What happens when Jesus walks on the water?
- Jesus walks across the Sea of Galilee to his disciples who are caught in a storm unable to row to shore
- Jesus walks across the Sea as if he were walking on a path, he does not sink
What can we learn from Jesus walking on the water?
- It shows the divine nature of Jesus
- Jesus shows he has command of nature
- The disciples despite witnessing events still struggle to understand what they are witnessing in Jesus
Why are nature miracles important for Christians today?
- They show how Jesus is both human and divine
- They encourage Christians to keep faith in difficult times and to trust God
- They show that the Kingdom of God is among them through Jesus
- They are a sign of the Kingdom to come
What would non-religious people say about the nature miracles?
- They could be scientifically explained
- It could be a coincidence
- Just because the answer is not always clear does not mean that we automatically assume that Jesus is divine
What are healing miracles?
Acts of God which return people to full physical, mental or spiritual health.
Can you give some examples of healing miracles in marks gospel?
- The healing of legion (The healing of a possessed man)
- The raising of Jairus’ daughter
What happens during The healing of legion (The healing of a posesssed man)?
- Jesus encounters a man violently possessed by the demons of Legion
- The man was always crying out and hurting himself
- Jesus approached him and ordered Legion out
- The demon recognises Jesus for who he is ‘what have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’
- Jesus drove out the demons into a herd of pigs, they drown themselves in the sea.
What can we learn from The healing of legion (The healing of a posesssed man)?
- It is significant that the demon recognises Jesus when the disciples still do not understand
- The event took place in a non-Jewish area, despite the probability that the man was not a Jew - Jesus helped anyway.
- Jesus has the power to remove evil
- It brings people out from the darkness and into the light of faith
What happens in the raising of Jairus’ daughter?
- A leader of the synagogue asks Jesus to cure his ill daughter
- On the way Jesus encounters a woman who has bled for 12 years (woman with a haemorrhage) - it is likely that this was disordered menstrual bleeding
- As Jesus continues to the little girl, Jairus’ daughter passes away
- Jesus says to Jairus ‘Do not fear, only believe’
- Jairus’ daughter rises from death.
What can we learn from the raising of Jairus’ daugher?
- A menstruating woman was seen as unclean - Jesus was not angry with her for touching his cloak - Jesus overturns the purity laws and helps those with faith
- Jesus’ divine power - the woman only touched his cloak and was cured
- Jesus has power over death
- It prepares us for the resurrection of Jesus - Jesus’ ultimate example
Why are healing miracles important for people today?
- Jesus has the power to defeat evil and death
- Jesus’ power is bound to the faith of the individual
- The Kingdom of God is present in Jesus
- No matter how difficult things might seem, through faith in Jesus there is the possibility of healing and renewal.
What happened at Caesarea Philippi (Peter’s confession)?
- Jesus took his disciples near to the city of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples who the people following him thought he was.
- Some said John the Baptist, others Elijah or one of the prophets
- He then asked who they thought he was
- Peter said ‘You are the Christ’
What can we learn from Caesarea Philippi (Peter’s confession)?
- It shows the mystery surrounding Jesus.
- It is the first time one of the disciples recognises or uses such a title for Jesus (The Christ)
How does Caesarea Philippi (Peter’s confession) help us realise Jesus’ purpose?
- Peter’s confession prompts Jesus to teach his disciples that the Son of Man had to suffer and die.
- He also told them on the 3rd day after his death he would rise from the dead
- Jesus revealed his true purpose - a sacrifice for the salvation of humanity
What is the Messianic secret?
The idea of keeping Jesus’ identity as the Messiah a secret.
What does St Mark’s gospel tell us about the Messianic secret?
- Wilhelm Wrede thought that St Mark’s gospel contained an explanation for why Jesus was not recognised as the Messiah during his life
- Wrede says that Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah and that the early Christians believed he was BECAUSE he had never claimed to be.
What do most schoalrs think of Wrede’s thoughts on the Messianic secret?
- They reject it
- They recognise the secret as a genuine feature of Mark’s gospel.
- There are many instructions in the gospel when Jesus asks people to keep his status a secret
- After he brings Jairus’ daughter back from the dead he asks her parents not to tell anyone
- After Peter’s confession he asks the disciples to tell no one about him
What happens at the transfiguration?
- Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain where they were alone
- At this point Jesus transfigured before them - his garments became a glistening white
- Moses and Elijah appeared also
- The disciples were afraid
- A cloud appears and says ‘This is my beloved son listen to him’
- Jesus then asks the disciples not to tell anyone what they have seen.
What can we learn from the transfiguration?
- Jesus’ white clothes represent his divine purity
- Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets - They both are there to say that Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s purpose in the Old Testament.
What is the significance of the transfiguration today?
- The voice from heaven shows that Jesus has the authority to speak for God the Father as he is the Son of God
- Jesus is not a break from the Old Testament - he is the fulfilment of it
What might atheists say about the story of the transfiguration and how would Catholics respond?
- It provides no proof that Jesus is the Messiah or divine
- It is wish-fulfilment
- There is no evidence
- Catholics would say the fact that it was witnessed by 3 people increase the likelihood it happened
What happened at the healing of the paralysed man?
- Four men arrive to where Jesus is preaching carrying a paralysed man
- They wanted Jesus to heal him but couldn’t get anywhere near him
- They climbed onto the roof and lowered him in on a stretcher
- Jesus healed the man ‘My son, your sins are forgiven’
- The teachers of the law were angry as only God could forgive sins
- Jesus said that the Son of Man had the authority to forgive sins.
What did Jesus say about observing the Sabbath in Mark?
- The Sabbath is a special holy day that should be given to God.
- Work should not be done on the Sabbath.
- Jesus’ disciples picked grain to eat on the Sabbath- the Pharisees said that they were acting unlawfully.
- Jesus essentially said that he had been there at the creation of the laws with God so he has the ability to forgive sins and rewrite the Sabbath laws
What happened when Jesus went to the temple and was annoyed?
- Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and went to the temple and drove out those who were changing money
- Jesus said that they had turned the ‘house of prayer for all the nations’ into a ‘den of robbers’