Does Jesus know that Jesus is the Christ in Mark?

[Giuseppe]

The 'Messianic Secret' describes in Mark the fact that no one knows the true identity of Jesus (that he is the Christ). Only the demons recognize Jesus as the Christ.

Even the centurion was only despising Jesus in Mark 15:39.

I would go as far even further and I ask: it can be shown that not even Jesus knows that he is the Christ?

Now I believe that the answer is yes.

According to prof Giovanni Garbini the linguistic analysis of Psalm 22 reveals that the opening words of Psalm 22 were originally "eli, eli, lamah zabahtani" that is, "My God, my God, why have you sacrificed me?" The protagonist of the Psalm therefore realizes that he is a sacrificial victim and it is with this meaning that the Psalm is quoted and used by Mark and Matthew.
Later, in the "rabbinical" era the text of the Psalm would have been retouched by biblical auditors with the intention of getting rid of the notion of sacrifice (in fact widely used in Christian circles).
The surprising result would be finally the fact that subsequent reviews of the Gospel text would end to adapt to the new revision of the biblical text (Masoretic) going to bring the version of "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

If this is the case, then at least on the cross, Jesus didn't know why he was there. This fact betrayes total ignorance of the his true identity.

Therefore every time that Jesus commands the demons not to say that he is the Christ, then Jesus is actually rejecting his messianic role, he is denying that he is the Christ. Idem when Peter tells him that he is the Christ (Mark 8:29): Jesus'reaction doesn't change: ''not to say that Jesus is the Christ because it is not true''.

But Jesus is really possessed by Christ, even if he doesn't know it.

It's Jesus who is silent before the high priest in Mark 60-61.

While it's the Christ possessing Jesus who claims both his own identity and the exaltation of the man Jesus ('the Son of Man'') at the resurrection:

(Mark 14:60-62)

The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But he was silent and answered nothing.	This is the reaction of the simple ''son of man'' Jesus.
Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?” Then Jesus answered, “I am [the Christ]; and ‘you will see the Son of Man [Jesus] seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”	this is the reaction of the Christ possessing the son of man and proclaiming his future exaltation

The pattern appears again before Pilate:

(Mark 15:2-5)

Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.”	It's the Christ who answers.
Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.	It's Jesus who is silent because he doesn't know the answer.

And finally the impassible Christ abandons the mere son of man Jesus :

(Mark 14:34-36)

And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned/sacrificed me?”	Jesus realizes that a spirit (the spirit of Christ) is abandoning him and therefore is wondering why he is on the cross as a sacrifical victim, since he thinks that he is not the Christ.
Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah.” One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.	this episode about Elijah works as a test to remember the reader that Jesus - without more the spirit of Christ possessing him - is now a simple man, even more so because he cannot save himself.

Therefore Jesus is the mere vessell of the spirit of Christ in Mark.

But the prophecy of Mark 14:62 will be realized:

He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him.

(Mark 16:6)

The angel doesn't say ''you seek the Christ'', because he knows that the women (as all the people) don't recognize Jesus as the Christ but as simple man from Nazaret. The angel is adding the detail (otherwise obvious) ''the crucified'' because it's only Jesus who was crucified, not the Christ who possessed him until a second before his death.

And the simple son of man, 'Jesus', will appear again in Galilee of Gentiles: now the vessell of the Christ will be Paul.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

(Galatians 2:20)



Conclusions:

Can this fact (that Christ is invisible to the eyes of Jesus himself who is possessed by him) prove a marcionite influence?

I think that the answer is yes, because it's preserved the same dualism between Spirit and Body that is tipically marcionite in essentia.

These are my reasons to conclude that Mark is a valentinian Gospel or a proto-valentinian Gospel. In any case, it remains (pace Secret Alias ) in my eyes a proto-catholic reaction against Marcion insofar it is the usual attempt of saving both body and spirit (while in the original Gospel the salvation of the body is not minimally contemplated).

Note that the episodes of Barabbas and Simon of Cyrene, even if they can have other reasons for their presence in Mark, serve the purpose to sow doubt until the end on the true identity of the man on the cross. But the enigma is resolved: only who has faith until the end that the Christ possessed Jesus without being Jesus, only he will be saved.

He who is possessed by Christ, only he will be saved.

As final corollary, the 3 prophecies about the ''son of man'' are made by Christ (he is talking, not the possessed son of man) about the fate that awaits Jesus. Jesus will die and rise, not the impassible Christ.