NAME: MEREH KENNETH JEROME

MATRIC NO.: SSPP/THEO/14/0462

COURSE: LITERATURE AND THEOLOGY OF MARK
LECTURER: REV. FR. DR. FRANCIS ADESINA
TOPIC: JESUS AS SON OF GOD IN MARK 1:1
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INTRODUCTION
The identity of Jesus as the Son of God is, according to biblical findings, the major crux of the
Gospel of Mark1. It stands as the central message for his Gospel and a significant thematic role in
the entire narrative as a whole2. Consequently, the start of his Gospel reads:
the beginning of the Jesus Christ, the Son of God
(Mk. 1:1). This is the foundation and culmination of the whole corpus of the Gospel of Mark. In
its various sections, parts and segments, Mark tries to make us see that Christ indeed is the Son
of God; a feat he tried to expose by presenting Christ as a man of such power as to prove that he
was the Son of God3. Scholars of biblical lining have informed us that there is a seeming
concatenation between Jesus as the Messiah and as the Son of God 4. This Messiahship and
Sonship titles of Christ are made clear through the lens of Marks opening wherein Christ is
presented as the harbinger and bringer of Gods kingdom5. Mark makes this lucid through his
report on the miracles Christ did; casting out demons, healing of the sick, and their culmination
in Christs death on the cross.
Furthermore, the title of Son of God is one of the confessional titles replete in Mark; it tells us of
the identity of Christ in relation to his mission. This title subsists at the beginning of his Gospel,
the middle and at the end of the Markan Gospel text. Jesus as the Son of God is our focus in this
work. A cursory examination of it shall follow and we shall also see how it stands next to the
present situation of Christians in todays society. In this vein, the title of Jesus as the Son of God
did not emerge from the blues rather it was latent in the theologies and expectations of the Jews.
Thus, there is need for a terse exposition of the biblical notations on the subject matter.
BIBLICAL NOTATIONS ON THE SON OF GOD
Before delving into an exposition of the biblical notations on the use of Son of God, we must be
mindful of the monotheistic background from which the Gospel emanated. Evidently, the title of
Son of God as expressed in the Gospels especially Marks is not necessarily a direct affirmation
1 Robert A. Guelich, Word Biblical Commentary; Mark 1-8:26, vol. 34A, (Mexico City: Thomas Nelson, 1989), p.
xli
2 Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, (Bangalore: Theological
Publications, 2009), p. 166.
3 Henshaw, T., New Testament Literature; In the Light of Modern Scholarship, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.,
1963), p. 104.
4 This is because the Gospel stresses the Messiahship of Jesus and gives ample proofs to show that Christ is the Son
of God as evidenced in the many works he did (cf. Text as above, p. 105)
5 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, (Illinois: IVP Academic, 1993), p. 135

of Jesus divinity6. In this light, Son of God as an appellation ascribed to Jesus in Mark hails
from the understanding of it in the Old Testament where it was applied to pious Jews who
separated themselves from Jewish corruption, to qualify Israel as Gods own people or Gods son
(Hos. 11:1; Wis. 18:13; Ex. 4:22; Deut. 14:11); the kings at their coronation were also referred to
as the sons of God; this means in essence that it is a title of adoption for the king 7 (cf. 2 Sam
7:14; Ps. 82: 6; 2: 7). Even the angels are titled sons of God (cf. Job 38:7; 1:6; Gen 6:2; Ps. 29:1;
Dan. 3:25), and the suffering righteous person told of in Wisdom 2:18 8. Further to this, reference
is made to the Book of Daniel 7, and the prophecy of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 which have a link with
the mysterious figure called Servant of Yahweh; this Servant of Yahweh is however a
messianic figure and sufferings of this servant 9. This calls to mind the truth about the
confessional title used by Mark in reference to Jesus and as understood in the New Testament.
Marks depiction of Jesus as the Son of God represents the fulfillment of Isaiahs promised
gospel (Good news) of Gods rule and salvation (Isa. 52:7; cf. 61:1), as one who has come to
announce the advent of the kingdom of God, the sovereign rule of God; this Christ did through
his words and deeds10. With this then, Christ as the Son of God is doubly nuanced. Unlike its
appellation in the Old Testament wherein the title was but a metaphorical notation, Mark uses
this title directly for Jesus himself: the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
(Mk. 1:1). At Jesus baptism (Mk. 1:11) a voice from heaven proclaims: you are my Son, the
Beloved; demons and unclean spirits recognized him as the Son of God, and Son of the Most
High God (Mk.3:11; 5:7); at Peters confession at Caesarea Philippi (Mk. 8:29); at the
Transfiguration (Mk. 9:7). Furthermore, when he was asked at the Sanhedrin trial by the chief
priest whether Jesus is the Son of the Blessed One (Mk. 14:61), Jesus answered in the affirmative
saying: I am (Mk. 14:62), and at the time of his death on the cross the Roman centurion
proclaims: Truly this man was the Son of God (Mk. 15:39). 11 While some scholars follow this,
others who bisect the Gospel of Mark into two main divisions put Peters confession as the
climax of the first half of the Gospel, and the Roman centurions confession at Christs death as
the culmination to the second half of the text. Through the vehicle of these two confessions from
an Israelite and a gentile, Mark bears witness to the faith which undergirds his document, that
Jesus is indeed the Son of God12.
JESUS AS SON OF GOD IN MARK 1:1

6 Pheme Perkins, New Testament Introduction, (Mumbai: St. Paul Press, 2008), p. 137
7 Ibid., p. 137
8 Daniel Harrington (ed.), Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark, (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2002), p. 25.
9 Wilfrid J. Harrinton, Record of Fulfillment: The New Testament, (Chicago: priory Press, 1968), p. 134.
10Robert A. Guelich, Word Biblical Commentary; Mark 1-8:26, op., cit., p. xli
11 Daniel Harrington (ed.), Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark, Op., Cit., p. 25
12 William L. Lane, The International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark, (Cambridge:
William B. Eerdmans Publication Company, 1974), p. 1

Mark began his Gospel text with the statement: The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. According to scholars, Marks state of mind is unclear yet the very words with
which he began, The Beginning denotes an opening of the presentation of Jesus with the aim
of facilitating a deeper level of comprehension and commitment on the person or identity of
Jesus13. This very concept, Beginning, is well known by Mark since its use and expression
dated to the Old Testament times and as such the concept is filled with meanings. 14 The use of
Gospel is not a creation of Mark but was extant even at the time of Marks writing to mean joyful
tidings as used among the Romans, cum the Israelites. Consequently, the idea of Jesus as Son of
God can be traced from the word, Gospel or Evangel which is primal for the Christian
message which has its eschatological and salvific nuances 15. For Mark, the Gospel represents a
historical event which introduces a new situation in the world; the advent of one who is God,
Jesus the Son of God. His good news or gospel centers on Christ; Christ here is used not as
part of his name but in the sense of a titular of the Christian preaching; thus, it means the good
news of Jesus; the good news preached by him and the good news about him as the messiah, the
Christ, the anointed one16.
In using the title: Son of God for Jesus (albeit the uncertainty of its veracity by scholars), Mark
points to a key expression of Jesus identity and this clearly tells why he used it in the opening
section of his narrative. The v.1 stands formal and celebrative; it contains words that anticipate a
narrative about to unfold and thus bespeaks to its readers the significance of what is being
narrated, that the good news to be made known centers on Jesus Christ, the Son of God 17.
However, taking a cue from the Old Testament connotations of Son of God with special
reference to Is 40:3, we come to see clearly the underlying fact and message inherent in the text;
Marks denoting of Jesus as Son of God, albeit the biblical antecedents, does not imply a sum
total of designations but that Jesus stands out as the one and only Son of the Father, whose
relationship furthers the sonship of others whose were but foreshadows of the reality fully
ensconced in Christ; a fact made clear by the opening of the heavens at Jesus baptism which
signifies the shattering of the boundary between God and the world18.
For Mark, despite the truth of Jesus as the Son of God, it does not isolate him from suffering; the
one who experiences God most immediately and profoundly also experiences evil. More so,
Marks gospel represents as a whole an interpretive account of the historical appearance of
Jesus19; this means that the raison dtre for the Markan depiction of Jesus as the Son of God was
to show to his audience, who were undergoing trials for their faith, the humanity and divinity of
13 Virgil Howard & David B. Peabody, Mark in William R. Farmer (ed.), The International Bible Commentary,
(Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 1331
14 Ibid., p. 1336
15 Ibid., p. 1336
16 Ibid., p. 1337
17 Ibid., p. 1335
18 Ibid., p. 1338
19 William L. Lane, The International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark , p. 44

Jesus; that although he was God, worked miracles, preached and did wonderful things, he also
suffered, died but rose again from the dead. Therefore, it was meant to be a hortatory piece. In
sum, Jesus as Son of God, being the central point of Marks Gospel was to draw the attention of
his Christian community to the person of Jesus, that he was a real being and not some mythical
personage; that he is the Son of God, a title which establishes his relationship to the Father, his
divine essence as the Son of the Most High God. Mark did this not only by introducing him as
such but by repeatedly affirming this identity throughout the narrative (Mk. 1:11; 3:11-12; 5:7;
9:7; 14:61-62; 15:39)20.
IN PRAXIS
From the above, it is lucid that the appellation of Son of God to Jesus was meant to drive home
an important fact into the minds of the Christians for whom Mark wrote; to offer them hope
amidst their ordeals. Since it was an historical narrative oriented around a crisis the death of
Jesus the Messiah21, it can also be taken that the Gospel has a practical nexus with people who
are confronted with situations not dissimilar to the one faced by Jesus even in our present day
society. Within our immediate milieu, the current situations with the massacre of Christians in
the North-Eastern part of Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Libya, Sudan, and Egypt bespeak of the
implicit message in Mark concerning Jesus as Son of God. It offers these followers of Christ
hope, assuring them that their sufferings are similar to those of Christ for whom they bear their
sufferings. Furthermore and beyond the confines of these situations, Jesus as Son of God
expresses a great significance for us as Christians today; since Christ is the Son of God, we too
become sons of God when we enter into a faithful communion with him, a communion which
only arises through baptism. This idea was present among the members of the early Church; the
title of Son(s) of God was used to depict their sonship with Jesus in the Father, for through it we
(Christians) are adopted as sons of God22
CONCLUSION
The identity of Jesus as the Son of God stands as one of the major ways of capturing the
significance of who Jesus is as it points the way to the various aspects of Jesus role in the
salvation of humanity23. These ways include the various titles by which Jesus was known such as
Messiah, Son of Man, Son of God, Lord, etc. However, Marks Gospel has been described as a
passion-narrative with an extended introduction24 which centers on the identity of Jesus as the
Son of God. Being so, he tried to prove so within the sixteen chapters of his narrative, that Jesus
is the Son of God, a truth which is revealed more in the suffering, death, and resurrection of
Jesus.
20 Ibid., xlii
21 Ibid., p. 1
22 Pheme Perkins, New Testament Introduction, Op., Cit., p. 132
23 Ibid., p. 132
24 William L. Lane, The International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark, Op., Cit., p. 2

The title of Son of God given to Jesus ab initio the Gospel text was for a hortatory purpose, to
give his audience an opportunity to a cursory gaze into the personality of Christ. He hoped to
remind them of who Jesus was and what he had come to do as well as what he would do 25; in
short, he wrote to address their confusion. He hopes to inform them that Jesus who is the central
point of the Christian message was God as well as human. Consequently, he worked miracles,
preached and brought salvation but the climax of the revelation of his identity is seen in his
sufferings, his passion, death and resurrection. For these were why he came, to win men back to
God not just through glories but by the crucibles of the cross.
In praxis, this holds true for Christians of today facing unbearable hardships for the faith; that
they too like Jesus must pass through the fire of the cross to attain the glories of the crown. In
sum, Jesus as Son of God continues to resound, its implicit message as intended by Mark for his
primary audience criss-crosses into the lives of his implied audience.

25 Robert A. Guelich, Word Biblical Commentary; Mark 1-8:26, Op., Cit., p. xliii

REFERENCES
Guelich, R. A., Word Biblical Commentary; Mark 1-8:26, vol. 34A, Mexico City: Thomas
Nelson, 1989
Luke, T. J., The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, Bangalore: Theological
Publications, 2009.
Henshaw, T., New Testament Literature; In the Light of Modern Scholarship, London: Hodder &
Stoughton Ltd., 1963
Craig, S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Illinois: IVP
Academic, 1993
Perkins, P., New Testament Introduction, Mumbai: St. Paul Press, 2008.
Daniel Harrington (ed.), Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press,
2002
Wilfred J. Harrinton, Record of Fulfillment: The New Testament, Chicago: priory Press, 1968
William L. Lane, The International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark,
Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publication Company, 1974.
William R. Farmer (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical
Press, 1998