Reactions in gMark! What this Galilean prophet did will AMAZE you!!!

[Stefan Kristensen]

Mark 1:22-29:
And they came to Capernaum and as soon as the sabbath came Jesus immediately went into the synagogue and taught, and the people were ASTONISHED at his teaching! You won't believe what happened then! Immediately there came a man with an unclean spirit, and Jesus completely shut the spirit down just like that and drove it out, and the people were AMAZED! And they were saying, 'What is THIS!! A new teaching with authority!! He commands even the unclean spirits and they OBEY him!!' And immediately the report of him went out to everybody throughout the WHOLE region!

Ok, so the Word has hit in full force right smack down in rural Galilee, and EVERYONE is blown away like WHOA!!!

This passage is Mark's introductory presentation to Jesus' ministry, and so we can probably see the two elements Mark finds the most important to show right off the bat:
1. The strong reaction of people to both Jesus' teaching and miracles.
2. The power in his teaching and deeds comes from his special "authority".

The reaction of the people in the story is evidently very important to Mark, because this is an important aspect of the hugely central element of Mark's Jesus story, i.e. the continuing flow of people towards Jesus. There is a great attraction to Jesus, and this is painted vividly by the descriptions of people's emotional responses as they are confronted with his words and deeds.

I thought it could be fruitful to take a closer look at this, or at least interesting, so here's an exhaustive list of all the direct descriptions by Mark of emotional reactions to the amazing things that happen throughout Jesus' ministry. There are 26 occurences in 24 verses of 14 different terms throughout the whole narrative. I've also included the centurion, because I felt that incident belonged, although Mark doesn't describe his emotional response.

1:22 εκπλησσω - synagogue-goers are "astounded" in the face of Jesus' teaching
1:27 θαμβεω - synagague-goers are "amazed" in the face of Jesus' authority in teaching and miracle (exorcism)

2:12 εξιστημι - all those at the house are "out of it" in the face of Jesus' miracle (healing the paralytic)

4:41 φοβεω - the disciples "fear" in the face of Jesus' miracle (stilling the storm)

5:16 φοβεω - the Gentiles of the Gerasenes "fear" in the face of Jesus' miracle (healing exorcism of Legion)
5:20 θαυμαζω - the peoples of the Decapolis are "amazed" in the face of the reports of this miracle

5:42 εξιστημι εκστασει μεγαλη - the resurrected girl's family are "out of it in great astonishment" in the face of Jesus' miracle

6:2 εκπλησσω - the synagogue-goers in Nazareth are "amazed" in the face of Jesus' teachings and the reports of his miracles
6:4 εκσκανδαλιζω - they are "offended" by it, because they connect Jesus to his natural family

6:49-51 ταρασσω, εξιστημι - the disciples are "shaken" and "out of it" in the face of Jesus' miracle (walking on water)

7:37 εκπλησσω υπερπερισσως - some Gentiles in Decapolis are "exeedingly astounded" in the face of Jesus' miracle (healing of a deaf-mute)

9:5-6 εκφοβοι - Peter, John and James are "frightened" in the face of a miracle (Jesus' transfiguration)

10:22 στυγναζω - the rich man is "saddened" in the face of Jesus' teaching (one has to sell one's possessions)
10:24 θαμβεω - the disciples are "amazed" in the face of Jesus' teaching (it is difficult for those with wealth to enter God's kingdom)
10:26 εκπλησσω περισσως - the disciples are again "exeedingly astounded" in the face of Jesus' teaching (easier for a camel)

10:32 θαμβεω, φοβεω - those walking with Jesus as he progresses towards Jerusalem "are amazed" and "fear"

11:18 εκπλησσω - Jesus' opponents fear Jesus, because the crowd is generally "astounded" in the face of his teachings

12:17 εκθαυμαζω - some pharisees are "utterly amazed" in the face of Jesus' teaching (render to caesar)

12:37 ηδεως - a large crowd hears "with pleasure" to Jesus' teachings

15:5 θαυμαζω - Pilate is "amazed" when Jesus doesn't defend himself against the accusation of royal-pretender

15:39 the centurion reacts with his "son of God" exclamation in the face of the manner of Jesus' death
15:44 θαμβεω - Pilate is "astonished" at the report that Jesus has already died

16:5 εκθαμβεω - the women at the tomb are "utterly astonished" at the sight of the angel
16:8 τρομος, εκστασις, φοβεω - the women have "trembling and astonishment" and they "fear"

Generally there are two categories, amazement and fear, but as human emotions go these are of course often intertwined. Further, it is sometimes hard to tell whether the amazement is positive ('whoa, awesome!') or negative ('holy shit!') or simply just plain bewilderment ('how strange!')

These are of course only the places where Mark narrates the emotional responses directly, and the list of responses generally would be much longer. But it's clear even from this that it is of immense concern to Mark to elaborate on the reactions of people as they are confronted with the Word in action, as it were. It also makes for vivid storytelling. And the more Mark spells out the emotional responses the more we get the sense of the power which manifests itself through Jesus' words and deeds. The descriptions themselves of these responses awakens in the readers a natural interest in Jesus and his teachings and deeds. Tell us more about Jesus' amazing feats!


The fact that we humans enjoy the strong reactions of fellow humans has also come to the attention of media and advertizers. I mean, consider click-bait headlines. And there's even the whole genre on youtube of 'reaction-videos' where people earn thousands by simply pointing a camera at their own faces and recording their reactions to various things such as music videos or whatever. It's not the thing itself which attracts all those hundreds of thousands of viewers, it's the other person's reaction to the thing which people come to see. How odd is that.

And if you want a viral video, a good advice is a video which contains the element of people's strong reactions to something, but it needs to be understood as real emotions. Doesn't really matter what it is, as long as there are people who react strongly to it, that's what sells. Case in point, Momondo's masterful DNA commercial. Watch as these people are utterly amazed, astonished and astounded! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaEQEmt5ls
(spoiler: it's produced with actors mixed in with real participants!)

[Paul the Uncertain]

The reaction of the people in the story is evidently very important to Mark,

One might even go so far as to say that the reaction of people in the story IS the story. There are about 100 distinguishable characters in Mark, 60 or so of them have speaking parts. Even those few characters who appear exlusively in the "Death of John" entr'acte are, in their reactions to John, "compared and contrasted" with other characters reacting to Jesus.

All that in under 16,000 words (the well-upholstered KJV; more like 11K in the original).

There is a great attraction to Jesus, ..

... and replusion, and ambivalence, and initial enthusiasm which gives way to mortal opposition. There's a reason why the parable of the sower gets so much prominence.

I've also included the centurion, because I felt that incident belonged, although Mark doesn't describe his emotional response.

Good call. Interesting guy, no? He must have had some hand in the barracks mockery of Jesus, then he gets on with his crappy job (fulfilling, or watching the fulfillment, of Psalm 22), unknowingly becomes the first flesh-and-blood person to agree with that intermittent voice from the sky, and after all that, his boss calls him on the carpet. Not just another day at the office.

The playwright can safely leave it to the performer to supply the emotional response.

It's not the thing itself which attracts all those hundreds of thousands of viewers, it's the other person's reaction to the thing which people come to see. How odd is that.

That's drama in a nutshell. Stage drama, anyway. Mel Gibson would have a field day with Jocasta hanging herself and especially Oedipus blinding himself. Poor Sophocles had to content himself with presenting the emotional aftermath of those events. He made the best of it, though.

Anyway, nicely observed OP.

[Stefan Kristensen]

The reaction of the people in the story is evidently very important to Mark,

One might even go so far as to say that the reaction of people in the story IS the story. There are about 100 distinguishable characters in Mark, 60 or so of them have speaking parts. Even those few characters who appear exlusively in the "Death of John" entr'acte are, in their reactions to John, "compared and contrasted" with other characters reacting to Jesus.

I don't regard gMark as a play, like you do, if I understand you correctly, but it's obvious that Mark had a real talent for storytelling. And I agree, the Death of John also says something about Jesus, but I think it's in Jesus' capacity as the vessel for the Word. People react to the Word, not Jesus as such, as I see it. And in a very real way John was the herald of the Word, even though it came in the form of Jesus, so maybe there's also a parallel in 1:5 where "all of Judea and all of the Jerusalemites went out to him" and were baptized by him. All of them, really? Impressive!

They flock to him like people flock to Jesus, but we don't hear why they are so attracted to John, though. Of course, if Josephus is anything to go by, John was historically a very succesful and highly regarded 'prophet' and teacher and was probably a famous character among the Jews in a way Jesus never was. But Mark doesn't find it necessary to explain in his story exactly why the Judeans flocked to John and his baptism.

But we do hear about Herod's high regard for John, and that's probably an indication to go by for why Mark would say everyone flocked to John and his baptism (did Herod also get baptized by John?!)

for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he listened to him with pleasure.
(6:20)

Here Mark gives precisly the same picture as people's reaction to Jesus, i.e. his teachings (which are the same reactions as to his miracles). I suppose that Mark is also drawing on the general traditional idea of human reaction in the face of the divine, i.e. amazement and fear.

But we also get a reaction to Jesus from Herod, and I also considered if it might rightly belong in the list of reactions above, but I didn't include it, because it's abit unclear what's actually going on. It seems that Herod's reaction to Jesus is his reaction to John, as he identifies Jesus with John. So Herod's reaction to Jesus is his reaction to John. For him, they are the same person.

And king Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” ... Herod said: "John, whom I have beheaded has been raised!"
(6:14)

But it's even more intriguing, because apparantly Herod is not reacting as such to Jesus as being John the Baptist in resurrected shape. Rather he is reacting to John in the shape of Jesus (as he sees it), and Jesus in the shape of the twelve apostles! Herod not only identifies Jesus with the risen John, he also identifies the twelve apostles as nothing but an extension of Jesus. Because the text as it stands seems to indicate that it is the powers of the twelve apostles, whom Jesus has just "given authority", which Herod "heard of" in 6:14. So, the twelve apostles do miracles, and Herod then tries to figure out why these powers are working in Jesus. But that's another subject alltogether.

There is a great attraction to Jesus, ..

... and replusion, and ambivalence, and initial enthusiasm which gives way to mortal opposition. There's a reason why the parable of the sower gets so much prominence.

One way to describe Mark's story is by describing reactions to Jesus, as you say. And so, what does that tell us about his story? What is the story really about, then? To me, it is about the message, the Word. The Word obviously has almost everything to do with Jesus, but it is the story about "the Jesus Christ gospel" (1:1) not the story about "Jesus Christ".

I've also included the centurion, because I felt that incident belonged, although Mark doesn't describe his emotional response.

Good call. Interesting guy, no? He must have had some hand in the barracks mockery of Jesus, then he gets on with his crappy job (fulfilling, or watching the fulfillment, of Psalm 22), unknowingly becomes the first flesh-and-blood person to agree with that intermittent voice from the sky, and after all that, his boss calls him on the carpet. Not just another day at the office.

The playwright can safely leave it to the performer to supply the emotional response.

He is an interesting character indeed. I think that's why a centurion also plays a role in other places in gMatt and Luke-Acts. Here's a person who has sworn allegience to the ruler of the world becoming the willing instrument of his mighty authority, the emperor, and here he is faced with the real ruler of the world. What happens then!

[Paul the Uncertain]

I don't regard gMark as a play, like you do, if I understand you correctly, but it's obvious that Mark had a real talent for storytelling.

I see Mark as intended for oral performance, to be experienced by its audiences as a whole in the order written, perhaps performed by one "reader," perhaps by more than one. IMO, play is a fair English word for any such work. No problem if you prefer to describe Mark differently.

Herod is an interesting character. His smug assurance that he understands the Jesus whom he apparently never met (shades of Paul?) is comical. Intentionally so, I think. He's more than comical, though, since his theory depends on just that key idea which Jesus' disciples won't understand about the Jerusalem mission, rising from the dead.

They are baffled by the concept, Herod has misplaced confidence in his understanding of it. Meh, it'd be a hard problem to get a firm handle on.