Misunderstanding Jesus Christ
The essence of Jesus Christ being the Messiah is central to all forms of Christianity. However, in his time on earth, Jesus was profoundly misunderstood, leading to his eventual crucifixion. There are multiple reasons why he was misunderstood, with the Gospel of Mark providing some insight into some of them. This paper will answer the fundamental question of why Jesus was misunderstood in his time by specifically drawing insights and examples from the Gospel of Mark.
Teaching Challenging Norms
One reason he was misunderstood was that his teachings often challenged the prevailing Jewish norms. Specifically, Jesus’s teachings on love, compassion, and forgiveness were different from Jewish traditions and norms. For example, in Mark 2:15-17, Jesus shared a meal with tax collectors and sinners, which provoked criticism from the Pharisees (Hudson, 2021). They could not comprehend his association with those they considered unclean and unworthy, which created a misconception about the true intention of his mission.
Spirituality vs. Materialism Expectations
Secondly, his message on the Kingdom of God, wherein 4:30-32, he described it as a tiny mustard seed that grew into a large tree, also added to the confusion. Many Jews at the time would have expected the kingdom of God to be a political or military entity rather than a spiritual realm. Their failure to understand Jesus’s description led to further confusion.
Authority Disbelief
Thirdly, the Gospel of Mark shows multiple instances where Jesus’ authority is questioned by the religious elite. For example, in Mark 3:22-30, these elites accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan. Thus, part of the confusion on his mission was due to incessant undermining by the religious elite. Finally, the confusion around the true mission of Jesus Christ may have arisen because he spoke in parables. In 4:10-12, he explained that his message was mainly in parables, which revealed the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.
Reference
Hudson, D. M. (2021). The Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice: Selected readings and Workbook (4th ed.). CAST Productions.