Comparison of Martin Luther and Jesus - Essay Example

?In the history of Christianity, Jesus Christ and Martin Luther stand as towering reformers of the established political and religious systems of their respective periods. Jesus sought to reform the injustices he saw in the conflicts arising out of clashes between different groups during his time. In Luther’s time, he sought to reform conflicts arising out of different concepts of Christian religious and political concepts, emphasizing the Pope’s role in the construction of Church doctrine. The reformist tendencies of these two figures are apparent in both The Gospel of Mark” and Luther’s “Appeal to the German Nobility,” both of which seek an audience for social restructuring. However, Luther and Jesus differ considerably in the context, goals, and methods of their respective positions, which results in diverse rhetoric between the “Gospel” and the “Appeal.” On the basis of these differences, one may make claims about the roles that the two men play in their respective societies. From the beginning of Luther’s appeal to the German upper-class, one is unavoidably struck by his extreme modesty—a necessary courtesy in his period. Classifying himself as a “poor” and “insignificant” individual, Luther attributes his desire to reform the Church to the will of God and not to his own personal “arrogance” or “perversity.” In spite of this modesty, Luther continues to claim significant weaknesses in the “three walls” of the Romanists, which stand for the three arguments that the Catholic Church presents in favor of their system of maintaining Church doctrine. Knowing that Luther is appealing to Germany’s most powerful people, and that he is being necessarily modest in doing so, it seems apparent that Luther is attempting to reform the religious institution (and its political extensions) from the inside. Undoubtedly, he sees a revolutionary approach to change as both unnecessary and as personally threatening; instead of taking Christianity and religion as such in a new direction, Luther still believes in the tenets of the Christian religion—but so strongly as to demand fundamental changes. The Gospel of Mark reveals no such modesty about Jesus, who knows he is the Son of the Lord. In Mark 8:27-33, Peter receives the revelation that Jesus is truly the Christ. Jesus tests his disciples for their belief in him as the true Christ. And, as the Son of God, Jesus is devoted to achieving fundamental changes to the ways of life of his people, both in a religious and political sense. Jesus proves to people, through his miracles in Mark 7:31-37, 8:1-10, and elsewhere of his ethos for speaking about deeply fundamental religious concepts. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus works on establishing this ethos, or credibility, while Luther seeks in his “Appeal” to both strengthen and undermine his own ethos at the same time: strengthening by admitting his own smallness in comparison to his audience, and undermining by emphasizing this smallness in the first place. Luther does not try to claim any special sort of revelation, such as the revelation that Jesus claims to have with respect to his knowledge of the world. Jesus, in contrast to Luther, is attempting to carve out an entirely new area of human life to preach to and from that to achieve a sinless world. Nevertheless, one should not forget that, like Jesus, Luther is attacking the establishment in a very harsh way. The Pope, Luther claims, is solely allowed the power of interpreting the Scriptures, which is a mistake of the “spiritual estate.” Since all Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, Luther believes, every one of them has the right to interpret Scriptures, and there are no differences among any of them. Accordingly, what Luther lacks in ethos, he makes up for in logical argument that appeals specifically to the educated and free-thinking social elites of his society. It is also noteworthy to see that Luther is appealing to the group of people who are on a more level playing field with the Pope that he himself is. Therefore, part of Luther’s mission is to build allies in a group of people who can serve as influential figures in opening the spiritual estate to the whole Christendom. Jesus attacks the establishment in a much more direct way, appealing not to the upper-class that perpetuates the religious and political institutions that sustain that power, but to the lower-classes of people who are more attracted to his egalitarian spiritual doctrine. Healing a leper in Mark 1:40-45 and a paralytic in Mark 2:1-12 shows that Jesus, and therefore God, reaches everyone, not just a select few. Part of the difference between Jesus and Luther here comes from the context in which they write, and the role that religious institutions play in their respective societies. Within the context of Jesus’ early life, Mark 1:14-20 sets up his story as one of a nascent revolution: after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus begins preaching the reign of God in Galilee. John’s teachings promoted a peaceful, political/spiritual, and nonviolent revolution for which John suffered and eventually died. Jesus deliberately and willfully continued the extremist path of John throughout the Gospel of Mark, which is a revealing rhetorical observation about the Gospel as a whole, and it is something that sets Jesus apart from Martin Luther. Another point of contrast between Jesus and Luther is Luther’s desire of unity, whereas Jesus offers a new teaching. “We are,” Luther writes, “all priests, as I have said, and have all one faith, one Gospel, one Sacrament.” This is a tremendous statement of harmony between the discordant beliefs of those who will eventually Luther in finding true fault with the Romanist conception of the Church and those who will side with the Pope in the attempt to maintain the authority of the central structure. In addition, by claiming that “the only real difference” between “spiritual” and “temporal” persons is “one of office and function, and not of estate,” Luther is challenging the illegitimate use of religious terminology by the Pope and the Romanist following as an instrument to retain divine power. Nevertheless, this does not amount to a full-scale condemnation of their teachings or the fundamentals on which the religious beliefs of Christians are based. Instead of revolution, Luther is calling for reform that begins in the real world. In Mark 1:21-28, the reader begins to see the popularity of Jesus spreading. He enters a synagogue on the Sabbath, and cleans the spirit of an unclean man. The unclean spirit emerged from the man, causing Jesus’ fame and repute to spread throughout Galilee. In response to Jesus’ ability to command even unclean spirits, the members of the synagogue questioned, “What is this? A new teaching!” (1:27). Noting immediately that this is a “new teaching,” these newfound followers catch on to the line of rhetoric working throughout the Gospel of Mark: that Jesus maintains the path set forward by John the Baptist in his nonviolent, revolutionary ways. Thus, in contrast to Luther’s desire for unity in the Church (which is ultimately upset by the schism of Catholics and Protestants), Jesus is calling for a new teaching. Jesus spoke with authority in a truthful manner that Mark and other writers believe had never been seen. Without the need to appeal to authority in justifying his claims, Jesus’ teachings were authoritative in themselves. In that manner, they were wholly new to the people of Galilee. For Luther’s audience, they agree with him on fundamentals, but his attempt to convince them hinges on his ability to effectively critique the Romanists and to propose a solution. Luther is advising the nobility to restrict the political and religious authority of the Pope, and the Romanist way of managing the affairs of the Church. Jesus, on the other hand, is arguing for an entirely new way of thinking, as set forward by God himself. In that manner, their rhetorical strategies and goals differ considerably. While one is calling for unity, the other is calling for revelation. Luther strays from the advice of Jesus, as given in Mark 12:13-17 in which he tells his followers to pay their taxes to Caesar, since the money belongs to him. In contrast, Luther is calling on the nobility to not give credence to the authority vested to the Pope, even though the Pope’s image is synonymous with Christendom. Luther’s inconsistency with Jesus is best considered in the context of the rhetoric that comprises his “Appeal.” Bibliography Luther, Martin. "Appeal to the German Nobility." 1520. "The Gospel of Mark." The Holy Bible. n.d. Read More