Religious Experiences and Text - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION I will be analyzing Mark 10:46-52 of the Gospel of Mark, widely recognised as one of the oldest and presumably most historically accurate book in the Bible. Despite its reputation, the book of Mark represents the introduction of a new type of literature which is quite a departure from other early Christian literature. According to scholars, the book of Mark is anonymous, undated, and has no direct information about the historical, social, or political context in which it was written. Because specific and direct information about where the gospel comes from is absent, scholars have had to act like detectives in order to figure out what, if anything might be said about it with some authority. Everything claimed has been inferred and interpreted by comparing what we know of the early Christian communities generally against the text itself. There are, however, broad lines of agreement on quite a few matters based upon clues found both in the text and in references to this gospel found in other exists. But undoubtedly, Mark is evidently true, being included in the most authoritative fourth-century early manuscripts (Codex Vaticanus) ( The World Book Encyclopedia , 1989). METHOD AND HERMENEUTICS Before I go into the critical analysis of this particular passage, I will be discussing the method employed by this narrative. First, we must keep in mind that any literary analysis requires a concrete understanding of the genre it belongs to. The genre of gospels is one of the most difficult to interpret because almost all text represents both a literal and a spiritual meaning (Telford, W.R. 1995). Some gospels such as this one written by Mark, are intended to be read aloud as in a church sermon, rather than carefully studied in written form like a philosophy text ( Malbon, E. S. ,2002). This makes interpretation difficult because Biblical analyses are usually done by using written texts and typically attempt to identify large patterns of structure. For a text that is meant to be read aloud, however, what matters most are the connections that listeners make from one passage to the next. The material found in the texts of Mark must have been passed down, retold, and rearranged by multiple people, but in the end someone put it into a final written form, something close to what we currently have, which bears the imprint of their own legacy skills. The author of Mark likes to use rhetorical devices, for example, repetition to highlight important ideas and a "sandwiching" technique that interweaves two different stories together in a manner that allows each to interpret and explain the other. This sandwiching technique is also called inclusion. There were two stories of healing the blind in Mark, the other story is in Mk 8:22-27. (Musso, A, Chapter 9, pg 2-3). The Gospel of Mark utilises the narrative style or method, if it will be studied according to the methods of literary critics. The narrative style or text consist of three elements namely, plot, setting, and the characters. These elements formed the basis of the narrative style of writing. In analyzing the passage of Mark 10:46-52, the plot of the story goes around a blind man named Bartimaues whose sight had been restored because of his faith. Characters in the passage includes Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, Jesus Christ who restored his sight, and the crowd present who try to silence Bartimaeus when he shouted for mercy so that Jesus would notice him. The setting of the story was a very public place in outskirt of Jericho, a town close in Jewish territory. (Musso, A, Chapter 8, pg 1, 9). Ultimately, though Mark represents the introduction of a new type of literature because nothing quite like it can be identified before early Christianity (Telford, W.R. 1995). It is very different from the collections of sayings or proverbs that can be found in other early Christian literature. Also, Mark is not meant to be a historical record of past events; instead, it is a series of events - structured in a manner to serve specific biblical goals and ideas. ANALYSIS OF MARK 10:46-52 In this passage, we find the blind beggar Bartimaeus, the son of Thimaeus, on the roadside. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing through Jericho, he calls out for Jesus' mercy. In this scenario, we can deduce that Bartimaeus is very well aware of who Jesus is, though he is blind. He must have heard stories about some of his early works of healing the sick, casting away demons, and performing miracles. He also called him as a son of David, proving that Bartimaeus was aware of the prophecy mentioned in 2 Samuel 19-20 that the messiah would come from the house of David. Therefore, it is apparent that long before this encounter, Bartimaeus had already established his faith in Jesus Christ. This being said, it is a fact that faith cannot be established overnight. It is very difficult for people during the early stages of Christianity to believe or even acknowledge Jesus Christ and his teachings, despite his numerous good works and acts of healing. Even Jesus' own sisters in the flesh did not believe in him - in fact, as written in the book of John, they even wanted Jesus to be killed by persuading him to go to Judea, where inevitable dangers await him. During those times, Jesus is already reviled by the Pharisees and scribes not because he did anything unlawful, but simply because he opposed the teachings of the ruling Pharisees. This is the same reason why the people in Jericho were trying to stop Bartimaeus from seeking help from Jesus. But because of the blind man's perseverance, he was able to get closer and be noticed by his disciples, thus, proving that Bartimaeus had already established faith in Christ. Jesus instructed Bartimaeus to come to him and asked, "What do you want me to do for you" and the blind man replied, "Lord, I want to see again." This purely manifests his faith because he already called Jesus Christ as Lord even though this is the first time that he encountered him. It should also be noted that in this scenario, Jesus Christ needed to ask him what he wants, not because he did not already know what he wants, but to confirm his faith what Jesus can do for him, just like what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit, God asked him where he is. It is evident that God knew where he was but still asked him not because he did not know but to let Adam admit his sin. Another incident where God had to ask a question which He already knew the answer to was when Cain slew his brother Abel. Of course, He knew that Abel was murdered by his brother, but God still deemed it necessary to ask Abel, "Where is your brother" The reason why He still asked is not because he did not know what had just transpired between the two siblings, but because He wanted to put Cain's faith to the test and see if he would confess to his sin. The most compelling reason why the story of the blind man was written is to inform the readers that the story about the blind man is not just a story about the healing powers of Jesus. It is also a story about the power of faith and what it can do to peoples' lives. Bartimaeus' faith is so strong that it allowed him in the presence of Jesus and step outside of social boundaries. In doing so, his faith brings healing that even in blindness his faith allows him to see what Jesus is and the power He brings CONCLUSION This essay critically analyses Mark 10:46-52. First, it gives the readers' a background of the gospel of Mark and its origin according to some biblical scholars. This essay also discussed the narrative context of the biblical method used in presenting the Gospel of Mark as a literature and text compared with other books in the bible. In analyzing the passage of Mark 10:46-52, the essay critically analyzed the actions of the actors in the story. Through observations and inclusion with other writings in the bible, the essay has drawn a conclusion how Bartemaeus had established his faith with Jesus before the particular event had happened. From the series of events, the essay presented the intention of the writer of the passage, why it was written and what was its purpose in mentioning that particular event in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. References: Bible - New Testament. (1989) The World Book Encyclopedia (Volume 2 pg. 28) World Book Inc. Chicago Malbon, E. S. (2002) Hearing Mark: A Listener's Guide. Harrisburg. Trinity Press International. Musso, A. Mark-The Text As Narrative Unity-Plot: Characters, and Settings (Chapter 9, pg 1,9) Musso, A. Mark-The Text As Narrative Unity: Narrative and Rhetorical Devices (Chapter 8, pg 2-3) Telford, W.R. (1995). Mark as literature: The Gospel as a Literary Composition. Mark Sheffield: Sheffield Academinc Press. Read More