Saturday 23 November 2024
He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” (v. 29)
Background
Verse 29 has been described as the hinge or pivot point in Mark’s Gospel. Several times this week we have noticed how Mark rapidly and urgently moves from one incident to another. It led to a belief that Mark had simply collected and strung together short snippets from the life of Jesus. More recently Mark has been recognised as a genius who carefully constructed his gospel to build an understanding of who Jesus is, bringing us to this key point. It's the point when the light dawns for Peter so, for the first time, he can fully name who Jesus is.
From here, Mark's Gospel changes direction to lead us to Jesus' death on the cross. It changes direction because Mark wants us to notice that once the disciples realise that Jesus is the Messiah they then have to learn what that means for Jesus and how they need to respond.
It’s critical that, immediately after the disciples know who Jesus is, Mark shows us that they have no idea how that is going to work out. Jesus changes tack, now it is about the way of the Messiah, the way of discipleship and they immediately prove how much they have to learn afresh.
The people of Israel wanted freedom from the Romans and longed for a Messiah to come, conquer enemies and rule with power. The longing for an all-powerful Messiah is still evident today and it is just as dangerous. People choose to follow hate, privilege and thirst for power because they have not understood that the way of the Messiah is sacrifice, and service shown in love for neighbours and enemies. The way of the Messiah lifts the weak, sets the oppressed free, and seeks justice for all.
Through the ages, the Church has stumbled after recognising Jesus as the Messiah and failed to journey into the second half of Mark’s Gospel to discover what type of Messiah God has given us. We must look for servant, selfless, compassionate, just, gentle leaders who will give themselves. Too often we stand condemned by the character of the leaders we choose to follow.
To Ponder:
- What are the qualities of a leader that we most seek? How do these fit with this text?
- Once we have recognised that Jesus is the Messiah, have we been able to change direction to know what we should follow? How do we show this?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dave Warnock
Dave is the Methodist minister in Wythenshawe, part of the Bramhall and Wythenshawe Circuit. From September 2025 he will be sailing around the world for five years encouraging connections between sustainability and faith. See Sustainable Sailing.