Scriptural references used in Mark

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Post Reply
rgprice
Posts: 2109
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2018 11:57 pm

Scriptural references used in Mark

Post by rgprice »

An interesting thing about the scriptural references used in Mark is that they do not have a focus on messianic scriptures, rather they tend to be about identifying the Lord.

For example:

Mark 1:
2 As it is written in the prophets,
'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight"'

Refers to:
1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
Malachi 4:
5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.


Mark 4:
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”


Pslam 107:
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.

30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!


Mark 6:
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.


Isaiah 43:
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
8 Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
9 Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
13 I am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is no one who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon [interpreted as the Romans] and break down all the bars, and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense.
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.
25 I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
26 Accuse me, let us go to trial; set forth your case, so that you may be proved right.
27 Your first ancestor sinned, and your interpreters transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, I delivered Jacob to utter destruction, and Israel to reviling.

I've always loved Isaiah 43, its such a perfect reference that is heavily utilized in the Gospel of Mark.

But while this does identify the Lord as King, he is not a "messiah".

All of these passages identify Jesus literally as "the Lord" - God. These are not references to a "messiah".

So the writer of these parts of Mark (I consider that Mark is not a unity) is not framing Jesus as a messiah figure, he is framing Jesus as the Lord himself. So it is interesting that in the Pauline letters Jesus is referred to as both "Lord" and "Christ".
Post Reply