Christology and Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark

Description

Exploring the interrelated topics of Christology and discipleship within the apocalyptic context of Mark's Gospel, Henderson focuses on six passages: Mark 1:16-20; 3:13--15; 4:1-34; 6:7-13; 6:32-44; 6:45-52. Together, these passages indicate that the disciples failed to understand not just Jesus' messianic identity per se but the apocalyptic nature of his messiahship, as well as its implications for their own participation in God's coming reign. The implications of this for Mark's gospel as a whole are to situate Mark's Christological claims within the broader context of the apocalyptic 'gospel of God'. This lends coherence to Mark's bifocal interest in miracle and passion. It also illuminates the relationship between Mark's Jesus and his followers as those who carry forward his own mission: to demonstrate the coming kingdom of God, which is fully assured if not yet fully in view.

Suzanne Watts Henderson is Assistant Professor of Religion at Salem College, Winston-Salem.

"Exegetes who can work within a narrative framwork or narrative readers who attend to exegesis are becoming increasingly rare in critical scholarship, and I value Henderson's sensitivities to both. The maturity of her writing makes even the most technical features of the book enjoyable to read." - Daniel M. Gurtner, Bethel Seminary Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society