The Purpose of John Compared with Mark
Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:34 pm
Mark 16: 6 (RSV):
[6] And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
John 20: 6 - 7 (RSV):
[6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying,
[7] and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
This might be a "Of all the differences between Mark and John, you have to look at this?!??" kind of a Post.
All of the Gospels add, subtract and tell a slightly different version of a Set of Events. John at times doesn't even appear to tell the same story as Mark, with a different Ministry, the funny - as in "strange" - "Day of Preparation" material. "There could not have been 2 Crucifixions" - Or could there have been? The Eucharist is not even apparent in John save for mysterious meanderings in chapter 7. And so on.
All endlessly examined wih the usual suspects on parade. Something, however, piqued my interest recently.
Mark 14: 54 (RSV):
[54] And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire.
John is different:
John 18: 25 (RSV):
[25] Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, "Are not you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
"Sitting, standing...What's the difference"? I take it that here, at least, Mark and John are telling the same Story. Except that, in the Courtyard of the Temple there was a place where you could warm yourself and you could not sit on one side of the fire and a place where you could sit. There was an entrance, a door, to the Holy Place and if you went through it to the "Holy Side", you were prohibited from sitting.
Is John telling "The Rest of the Story?" here?
John 19: 13 (Moffatt):
[13] On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and seated him on the tribunal at a spot called the 'mosaic pavement' - the Hebrew name is Gabbatha
[14] (it was the Day of the Preparation, about noon), "There is your king", he said to the Jews
Yikes! Talk about "Corrections"!
As far as I tell, there was no "Mosaic pavement" in Jerusalem. There is in Caesarea!
John gives us another nugget in the "Gambling over the Garments" section. There are 4 garments one of which is a seamless tunic.
There is a Story that works in the other direction - "The Squall". In John 6, a brief summary of the miracle is given, "...and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." Mark's is MUCH more detailed:
Mark 4: 38 - 39 (RSV):
[38] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"
[39] And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
This is a puzzle. If it is important to "Correct the Record" for Mark, why not here?
One final note:
Mark 1: 7 (RSV):
[7] And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
John has much more:
John 1: 15 (and the verses following...), 27, 29 -37 (RSV):
[15] (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
...
[27] even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."
...
[29] The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[30] This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.'
[31] I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
[32] And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
[33] I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
[34] And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."
[35] The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples;
[36] and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
[37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
John is giving an explanation of the single verse in Mark and what an explanation it is!
John is of Bilgah and Serves at the Temple ahead of Immer. Bilgah has committed an Offense against the Priesthood and is deprecated in the eyes of the Priesthood. Hence, Bilgah is before Immer and yet is not worthy of being ahead of Immer. Verse 33 gives the Roman part of the NT away. Mark and John are therefore aware of the entire Story. John may or may not be "correcting" Mark but something like it occurring.
There is more, of course, but there is a tension between the 2 that doesn't appear to be explainable by the Standard Critiques.
CW
[6] And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
John 20: 6 - 7 (RSV):
[6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying,
[7] and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
This might be a "Of all the differences between Mark and John, you have to look at this?!??" kind of a Post.
All of the Gospels add, subtract and tell a slightly different version of a Set of Events. John at times doesn't even appear to tell the same story as Mark, with a different Ministry, the funny - as in "strange" - "Day of Preparation" material. "There could not have been 2 Crucifixions" - Or could there have been? The Eucharist is not even apparent in John save for mysterious meanderings in chapter 7. And so on.
All endlessly examined wih the usual suspects on parade. Something, however, piqued my interest recently.
Mark 14: 54 (RSV):
[54] And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire.
John is different:
John 18: 25 (RSV):
[25] Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, "Are not you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
"Sitting, standing...What's the difference"? I take it that here, at least, Mark and John are telling the same Story. Except that, in the Courtyard of the Temple there was a place where you could warm yourself and you could not sit on one side of the fire and a place where you could sit. There was an entrance, a door, to the Holy Place and if you went through it to the "Holy Side", you were prohibited from sitting.
Is John telling "The Rest of the Story?" here?
John 19: 13 (Moffatt):
[13] On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and seated him on the tribunal at a spot called the 'mosaic pavement' - the Hebrew name is Gabbatha
[14] (it was the Day of the Preparation, about noon), "There is your king", he said to the Jews
Yikes! Talk about "Corrections"!
As far as I tell, there was no "Mosaic pavement" in Jerusalem. There is in Caesarea!
John gives us another nugget in the "Gambling over the Garments" section. There are 4 garments one of which is a seamless tunic.
There is a Story that works in the other direction - "The Squall". In John 6, a brief summary of the miracle is given, "...and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." Mark's is MUCH more detailed:
Mark 4: 38 - 39 (RSV):
[38] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"
[39] And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
This is a puzzle. If it is important to "Correct the Record" for Mark, why not here?
One final note:
Mark 1: 7 (RSV):
[7] And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
John has much more:
John 1: 15 (and the verses following...), 27, 29 -37 (RSV):
[15] (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
...
[27] even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."
...
[29] The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[30] This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.'
[31] I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
[32] And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
[33] I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
[34] And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."
[35] The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples;
[36] and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
[37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
John is giving an explanation of the single verse in Mark and what an explanation it is!
John is of Bilgah and Serves at the Temple ahead of Immer. Bilgah has committed an Offense against the Priesthood and is deprecated in the eyes of the Priesthood. Hence, Bilgah is before Immer and yet is not worthy of being ahead of Immer. Verse 33 gives the Roman part of the NT away. Mark and John are therefore aware of the entire Story. John may or may not be "correcting" Mark but something like it occurring.
There is more, of course, but there is a tension between the 2 that doesn't appear to be explainable by the Standard Critiques.
CW