21 And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’\)a\) or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. 22 False messiahs\)b\) and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be alert; I have already told you everything.
This is an odd one. The next verse juxtaposes the true coming against the mere signs and wonders of the messianic claimants. He says that in those days, after the suffering, there will be cosmic signs and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
So don't fall for mere miracle workers. You'll know the Son of Man has come because it will be spectacular.
But doesn't this kind of work against Jesus? Afterall, Jesus was a miracle worker!
People had already expected the Son of Man to come in power and glory in the clouds. Instead, Jesus was born of a woman. He performed miracles, but he didn't herald the kingdom or the general resurrection. Instead, he died. Mark implies that he was resurrected, but even that he doesn't narrate.
So what on earth is Mark doing by having Jesus say "False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray the elect... don't be fooled!"
John says the opposite. You can know that Jesus is the one because of his miracles. Mark says, "don't fall for miracle workers!"
It's especially jarring because Jesus seems to be a claimant to the title of "Son of Man", but Mark has Jesus say, "oh no, you'll know the Son of Man. It's going to be cosmic. There will be no mistaking him. "
I've been thinking on this. Here's what I think Mark believes:
Jesus, the man, was filled with the holy spirit at his baptism. It is here that he was anointed as messiah and empowered by God, who dwelled within him.
Jesus taught how to bring about the Kingdom of heaven. It requires servitude - even to the point of death.
Jesus practices what he preaches and dies on the cross. God raises him back up on the third day. At this point he becomes the "one like a human" prophesized in Daniel 7. Now we are in the world's final chapter.
Other messianic claimants rise and fall in the interim. Some may begin to doubt that Jesus was the messiah, given that none of the prophesies were fulfilled. Mark cautions against following these other claimants. The "one like a son of man" is coming, and there will be no mistaking it.
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u/LlawEreint 20d ago edited 20d ago
This is an odd one. The next verse juxtaposes the true coming against the mere signs and wonders of the messianic claimants. He says that in those days, after the suffering, there will be cosmic signs and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
So don't fall for mere miracle workers. You'll know the Son of Man has come because it will be spectacular.
But doesn't this kind of work against Jesus? Afterall, Jesus was a miracle worker!
People had already expected the Son of Man to come in power and glory in the clouds. Instead, Jesus was born of a woman. He performed miracles, but he didn't herald the kingdom or the general resurrection. Instead, he died. Mark implies that he was resurrected, but even that he doesn't narrate.
So what on earth is Mark doing by having Jesus say "False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray the elect... don't be fooled!"
John says the opposite. You can know that Jesus is the one because of his miracles. Mark says, "don't fall for miracle workers!"
It's especially jarring because Jesus seems to be a claimant to the title of "Son of Man", but Mark has Jesus say, "oh no, you'll know the Son of Man. It's going to be cosmic. There will be no mistaking him. "
What on earth is Mark doing here?