Assignment Paper

Write a 3 pages paper on is there a messianic secret in mark. This miracle is when Jesus heals the twelve year old girl. Everyone thought that this girl was dead, but she arose for Jesus. This miracle could not have been staged because Jesus did not know the man that beseeched him. Jairus was a ruler of a local synagogue.1 This example and other examples show Jesus’ willingness to help people, but his reluctance to have publicised his actions R. Alan Cole suggests Mark wrote of the miracles to show Jesus’ compassion and his authority, but Mark did not give a clear theological reason like the other gospels.2 These miracles could be proof that Jesus was the Messiah. Mark was not secretive about the miracles, but very forthcoming.

In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus rebukes a demon and silences him. The silencing of the demons shows that there was information that Jesus did not want his followers to know.3 These actions can be attributed to Jesus, if Mark related the story correctly. Jesus did not want whatever the demon had to say spoken. The power over this demon can prove that Jesus was Messiah. It could be said that the demon was going to expose Jesus, so Jesus shut him up. Another possibility is the demon did say something damning, so Mark related fiction. The latter is doubtful, because if Mark wanted to shroud this incident in secrecy he could have omitted the whole passage.

Throughout the gospels, not only Mark, Jesus constantly commands the disciples to remain quiet about his miracles and teachings. Some scholars believe this reason for Jesus’ command to remain silence was because Jesus was the Messiah.4 This theory follows that there was a Messianic Secret, but was it Jesus’ or Mark’s? Why would Jesus not want followers to know he was the Messiah? One preacher explained it this way, by commanding his disciples to stay silent, Jesus was saving the glory and praise for God the Father.