Scott Freeman

Christ in Mark

One of my favorite movies as a child was “The Poseidon Adventure.” I watched repeatedly the story of this disparate group of people as they struggle to make their way up and out of a capsized ship.
At a 2 hour running time you were able to get a great handle on the individual characters and how they contributed to the group, each bring specific strengths (and weaknesses). The interplay between Gene Hackman’s man of faith and Ernest Borgnine’s grizzled and cynical cop was the highlight of the character development. Also contributing to the dynamic was a stellar cast featuring such cinematic heavyweights as Red Buttons, Shelly Winters, Roddy McDowall and Jack Albertson.
And that song. There’s got to be a morning after, right?
Earlier this year Hollywood gave us a remake. Poseidon was to be a fresh take on the nautical classic.
Was it? That’s debatable. What was noticeable was that it was about 30 minutes shorter than the original. When you cut a movie like that usually the first thing to go is character development.
So, in the new version what you have is a whole lot of action and a whole lot less about the individual characters. Not necessarily a bad thing but you have to pay a lot closer attention to ascertain who these people truly are. Dialogue takes a back seat to movement.
That’s the feeling I get when I read Mark right after reading Matthew.
The first gospel is chock full of character development. Matthew is showing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. This Promised One holds forth repeatedly in lengthy discourses.
Mark dispenses with all of that stuff. It’s all about the action for him.
Obviously his audience is a lot different than Matthew’s. Mark is writing to Gentiles. Most likely believers in Rome. It was less important to posit Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. It was not essential for the Messianic proof of Matthew to be spelled out in Mark.
Following Matthew and its rich detail can render Mark a little disappointing. It can seem disjointed, brusque and a little bit choppy.
Initially I found myself a little bit irritated that it moved so quickly, devoid of any great discourse or elaboration of its themes. Like Poseidon, I wanted to know more about those relationships and the greater truths that were contained within.
But as I read and re-read I began to fall in love with its subtlety, with its minimalistic brilliance.
For Christ in Mark is more like me than in the other gospels: He’s human.
Here, what we see clearly, is that Jesus, although God was fully man.
He slept, he ate, he walked, talked and laughed.
Jesus is not captured in Mark in grand speeches or controversial encounters. Instead He is captured with a not-so-subtle sigh, a sympathetic glace.
He is rendered as playful with children.
As compassionate to the plights of others.
It is in what is not said in Mark where we truly see Jesus. It’s through reading between the lines, taking into account what He did.
It’s the action that matters–but the actions reveal the character underneath.
Character development is a great thing but what truly counts is what we do, how we live.
How we treat others.
That is what develops our character.
That is what Mark has to teach us.
Jesus exemplified His character through a tender touch, a loving look and a gentle embrace.
He touched.
He loved.
He lived.
You don’t need a lot of words to do that.