Comparison Of Jesus In The Gospels Of Mark And John

Register to read the introduction… A significant aspect of Jesus’ portraits has to do with the titles used to describe him and point to his humanness or divinity. The diction used in Mark is less suggestive of Jesus’ divine nature than in John. The most common title for Jesus in Mark’s gospel is “Teacher” or “Master,” plain human terms that emphasize the idea of serving others. Jesus is portrayed as the servant of God, but he is nonetheless the leader of the people on earth by virtue of his status as a prophet. Jesus being identified as “Teacher” is also important because Mark’s audience, the Gentiles, was relatively new to the faith, and Mark wanted to stress that Jesus was a model for them to serve God before serving themselves during the persecutions. In contrast, John heavily accents his descriptions of Jesus as the true God. John uses the word “That’s me,” the term that state that Jesus is God. “That’s me” literally means “I AM” and it is particularly important because “I AM” is a version of God’s name in the Hebrew bible. John uses this same title during the episode of Jesus’ arrest. When the soldiers entered asking for Jesus, “‘that’s me” says Jesus...But as soon as he said, ‘That’s me,’ they all retreated and fell to the ground” (John 18:5-6). By using that title and also having the men react appropriately to its use, John has effectively demonstrated Jesus’ divinity …show more content…
In Jesus’ first parable, the parable of the sower, he compares some of the Christians being oppressed to seeds that fall on rocky ground: “Yet they do not have their own ‘root’ and so are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the message, such a person becomes easily shaken right away” (Mark 4:17). He encourages them later to hold on to the message that he brings, to resist and serve their fellow men so as to overcome persecution and bring the kingdom to all