Jesus’ Deity in Mark’s Gospel Part 2
Christian and Ahmet discuss how Mark's Gospel presents the diety of Jesus.
Christian: Hi Ahmet, how did you get on reading Mark’s Gospel?
Ahmet: I’ve got about half way through. It’s certainly been interesting reading.
Christian: Anything that has stood out to you, or caught your attention?
Ahmet: Well, the miracles of Jesus are amazing, I know that in the Quran Jesus does miracles. It was amazing to read of him feeding a huge crowd, not once, but twice. Quran 5.112-14 mentions Jesus praying for food from heaven, but I loved the details in Mark.
Christian: What other miracles of Jesus stood out to you?
Ahmet: Well, he seems to have authority over nature, like when he calmed the storm or even walked on the water. That was amazing.
Christian: Yes, Jesus’ miracles are truly amazing. In fact, the disciples were really amazed and wondered who Jesus was. Let me ask you a question, those verses that you mentioned from Quran chapter 5 (Al-Ma’ida), what is the context within the chapter?
Ahmet: Well, from what I remember Al-Ma’ida is all about how Allah wants us to live, especially keeping the food laws in Islam but later in the chapter there are strong warnings to those who disobey. There is quite a bit about Jesus later in the chapter, especially warning Christians not to believe that Jesus is God (see Quran 5.72, Quran 5.75, Quran 5.116). Saying that God has taken a son or has partners is a very big sin in Islam, to which the punishment is ‘the Fire’ as Quran 5.72 puts it.
Christian: Yes, I’m aware of that, that’s why I know that for you to accept that Jesus is God would be a very hard thing. I do want you to see though, that the writers of the Gospel saw Jesus, not as someone who was made into an ‘associate’ of God, but that he has always existed as God. Did the miracles of Jesus in Mark remind you of anything in the Old Testament?
Ahmet: We’ll not really, I’m not really aware of what’s written in that part of the Bible. Is there anything that should come to mind?
Christian: Well, when you know the story of how God rescued his people out of Egypt and took them to a special land, it’s hard not to see the parallels between what God did then, and the miracles of Jesus in Mark, especially when the Olt Testament said there would be a new exodus when the Messiah comes.
Ahmet: Now I come to think about it, there are a number of verses in the Quran that describe God saving them from Egypt. There were the plagues, right? (Quran 7.103-137) Oh, and then God parted the sea for the people, but then drowned all the people of Pharaoh. (Quran 26.10-68, Quran 2.49-50, Quran 10.75-93), and he fed them, didn’t he yes… (Quran 7.160) It’s all coming back to me…
Christian: So, do the miracles of Jesus remind you of anything then?
Ahmet: So you are saying that because Jesus did what God did back then, it shows us he is God?
Christian: Yes, exactly, but the most amazing connection though is that the final plague God was the death of the firstborn son, that’s not in the Quran actually, but God told the people to sacrifice a lamb and paint the blood on the door posts. If they did so, they would be spared judgement. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus compared himself with that lamb, saying that by dying for us, we might be spared judgement if we trust him.
Ahmet: Those are amazing connections, I guess I have some more reading to do…