Mk.

4:1012

LuisRogel
BIB501EIntroductiontoBiblicalStudy
Fr.BillBurton
StVincentofPaulRegionalSeminary
BoyntonBeach

December,2015

Introduction
This research will be divided in five parts: I. Word Study, II. Sources, III. Literary
Context,IV.FormCriticism,andV.Historicity.
I would like to present my research on this passage which most probably is an insertion
that the evangelist does in between the parable of the sower and its explanation some verses
later. Technically this passage should be studied in its full form (120) including the parable of
the sower and its explanation. However the length of such pericope would be impossible to
present in ten pages. For this reason I will only expose verses 1012, since it seems that the
evangelist Mark, trying to be faithful to the compilation he had received, saw the need to insert
this textfromanoldTraditionregardingthemeaningofJesusparablesandhisteachingministry.
I chose theseversesbecauseIwantedtounderstandandbeingabletoexpresswhytheevangelist
merged his narrationwithapassagethathehimselfseemsunabletomodifyormoveinterrupting
the flow of his writing. These verses are intriguing and controversial. They either demonstrate
themeticulousprocessundertakenbythehagiographerandhisinteresttosafeguardtheTradition
received, or they are simply the result of a clumsy writer who did a lousy job in compiling his
information, using language inappropriately. In order to express these ideas, Iwillpresentsome
information in my word study to express the meaning of the text.Therewillbesomeoverlapof
ideasinthedifferentsections,yetIwilltrytofocusoneachsectionsobjective.
There are different opinions regarding the interpretation of the passage and there are
redactional, literary, historical and theological disputes around these verses. Mk 4: 1012 is

probably one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament since it incorporates also a
citation from the Old Testament which does not correspond neither to the Masoretic nor the
Septuagint. I will develop my researchtogetherwithmypersonalopinionregardingthepassage,
taking into consideration thehistoricalbackgroundsoftheearlyChristiancommunitytowhichit
wasaddressed.
I.WordStudy
There are some relevant expressions in the Markan redaction which are necessary to
understand the true meaning of the passage such as by himself, those around him, mystery
and parable. It would be necessary to explain the meaning of the quotation from Isaiah 6: 10
butitwillbepresentedinsteadinthesourcesandpartlyintheformcriticism.

This is a radical change of scenario. In the last verse Jesus is preaching to a big crowd
beside the lake on a boat. The logical thing wouldhavebeentocontinuewiththeexplanationof
the parable in verse 13 after the parable of the sower (19). However, itseemsthatMarkinserts
an older redaction at this point. Even though Mark likes to remark that the disciples received a
special instruction from Jesus, we know this is not his redaction since the expression by
himself is different from the one Markprefers.Markanredactionuses theadverbialformofthe
expression: ' (Mk 4:35 9: 28) whenspeakingofthedisciplesbeingwithJesus.Besides
the fact that it is obvious that the logic of the narration is distorted. Jesus is by himself with
the twelve and with the disciples. When Luke makesreferenceofJesusbeingbyhimself,He
is oftenprayinglater,hemeetsthedisciples!Theonlyplacewheretheformappears

again in the NT is in Lk 9: 18. This demonstrates that this form must be characteristic of a
Tradition older than the Gospels. There are some disputes regarding the authorship of this
passage as Marks redaction, yet there is no doubt the evangelist saw himself forced to
incorporate this text within his own redaction, making the necessary changes to merge it
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coherentlytoexplicatebetterthescene.

This expression makes an immediate reference to a previous passage which wejustread

in 3: 34 where Jesus is withhisfamilythosewhositaroundhimandthoseoutsidewhoreproach
his behavior.
Those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables.
First of all, with this explication of the text, Markis tryingtoavoidasectarianmisinterpretation
of the passage by adding more people as disciples together with the twelve, making of Jesus
teaching not a private, but apublicteachingopentothosewhofollowhim.Moreover,thesemen
and women around Jesus certainly refers to Jesus family (3:21).Thosewhodo
the will of God are the true family of Jesus (3: 35). This understanding of the Christian
community of Mark gives us a key to see the private teaching of Jesus more like a family
gathering than an esoteric teaching available foronlyfew.Thisfavoritismwillbetheproblem
2

forthenextverses.

There is an interesting play on words in this verse whichatfirstglanceisunperceivable,

but it makes more sense in the original Greek. I would dare to say that if these were the exact
1
2

RobertA.Guelich,
WordBiblicalCommentary
,v.34A,Mark18:26(Zondervan,2015)
203
JohnDonahue,DanielJ.Harrington,
SacraPagina
:TheGospelofMark,(
LiturgicalPress,2002)
139

words of Jesus in Aramaic, itwouldbeevenclearerforthoselistening.Thewordsposedsideby

side which show us the depth of this saying are mystery and parables. In our western
mentality these words could even be synonyms, but they are opposite in this context. [They
actually remind me of the Riddler, arch nemesis of Batman, whose name in Spanish means
Mystery] The word parable which Jesuscouldhaveusedis
whosemeaningisveryample.It
could mean a riddle, a story, a proverb, a parable, a discourse, a saying, any form of speech.
Though for some it might mean a mysterious teaching, it was not so.Infact,theuseofparables
was to make clearer the meaning of difficult concepts. It was a teaching tool, not an enigmatic
resource. However in this context the word should be translated as riddleifwewantto keepthe
sense that neither those outside and to some extent nor the disciples understoodJesusparables.
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Whatitwasmeanttoclarifythemysterywasinfactacauseforconfusion.

On the other hand, in contraposition with thewordparable,theword

mystery
insingular,
(different from the mysteries in Mt and Lk) suggest that is not a kind of knowledge, but the
action of God hidden from men.Theword
MysteryisfoundintheoldtestamentinDan2:1819
() and is part of the apocalyptic language of the Bible. The mentioning here of themysteryof
God revealed to men is a matter of life or death, the fulfillment of the promise made to Israel.
Therefore, the word mystery has been used not as a kind of secret knowledge, but as the
fulfillment of the action of God in the history of salvation, entrusting to men the kingdom of

EzraP.Gould,
TheInternationalBiblicalCommentary
,StMark(Bloomsbury,T&TClark,2000)72

God, his sovereignty onearth.Thisintentionisrevealedbytheverbintheperfectdivine

passive,meaningthatthemysteryisgivenbyGodtothedisciplesasagift,unreachablebymen.
All things come in parablesbythoseoutsidebecausetheyremainoutsidefromthecrowd
that follows Jesus because to those inside, (Jesus true family) the mystery which cannot be
understoodbyanymen,isgiventothosewhoarepleasingtoGod.
The mystery that should remain hidden is revealed and the proverb which should make
things clearer remains hidden. Ibelievethatthisplayonwordshasadeepercatecheticalpurpose
for the Christian community since it shows that God acts in ways superior to men, andanswers
the question that might have been raised by the community regarding the persecution and the
rejectionofChrist.
II.Sources
Jesus use of parables is always torevealthemysteryofthekingdomofGodonearth,the
constant use of these makes clear that he is not trying to hide its meaning from the outsiders as
the literal reading of the text might suggest. It is very difficult to believe that Jesus said these
particular words at least in thecontextofaparablethatisspokenpubliclyandwhosemeaningis
opentoexplanation.
One of the reasons why this passage seems illogical, accordingtoFrankKermodeisthat
we are not taking into consideration that the mystery of Jesus public ministry (the messianic
secret according to Mark) are now the open proclamation of the good news announced by
Marks community, and which are also brought throughout the whole Mediterranean by the

apostles. Indeed, Jesus himself concealed his power from the gentiles. In rare occasion he
performed miracles for them, yet he expressed that he was senttothelostsheep oftheHouseof
Israel.Thetaskofevangelizingwillbecarriedoutbytheapostlesandtheirsuccessors.
It is a text full of references from the Old Testament the mostexplicitistheprophecy of
Isaiah 6: 910Keeplistening,butdonotcomprehendkeeplooking,butdonotperceive.which
conveys the end result of the rejected mission of the prophet. This prophecy is the written
testimony of such rejection of God, anditmakes clearreferenceto theidols:They haveeyesbut
not see ears but not hear. Those who make them are like them so are all who trustin them. (Ps
115) It was written to exhort and encourage the next generations to repent once andforall.The
people did not heed God's voice, but if they were to repent and turn to God, he would forgive
them.
This prophecy is a stronginvitationtoreturntotheGodoftheirfathers,andsothewords
of Jesus are not condemnation, but the revelation of Gods forgiveness. The issue here is
languageusagebutthisformofpropheticlanguageisofcommonSemiticuse.
This text fit perfectly to the Markancommunity,anditmusthaveariseninthecontextof
the Neronian persecution. It gives an answer to the unbelief, the hatred, and the tribulations
Christians were suffering for the growth of the kingdom of God: If thegrainofwheatdoesnot
die does not bear fruit. (Jn12: 24cf.Mt13: 24ss)Itshowsthatthekingdom ofGodgrowsina
secret manner even in front of trials. The steadfastness of the community before a blind and
dumb people is united to the experience of the faith of their fathers, of the remnant of God that

JoelMarcus,"Mark4:1012andMarkanEpistemology."JournalOfBiblicalLiterature,573
7

kept faith and did not fall into idolatry, but trustedinHim(Dt29,3 1 k 191014Ps115Ezk.
12:2Jr5:20)
III.LiteraryContext
This passage which abruptly interrupts the flowofthenarrationoftheparables,certainly
happens after the proclamation of the parables because it shows a private setting with the
disciples. However, the interpretation of the parable seemstobeofpubliccharacter.Itishardto
say if the interpretation (v. 13ss) has been given publicly or privately but this explicationofthe
mystery of the kingdom given only to the disciples and the Isaiah citation hastobeprivate,due
tothecomparisonmadebetweentheoutsidersandJesusfamily.
As we said above, this insertion might not be Marks redaction. These three verses
interrupt the flow of the narration of a single unit of transmission concerning the sower. In the
insertion, we can identify one of Marks link phrases to citeexternalsources:.
This phrase whichoccursofteninotherplaces(2:276:10and7:9)couldbeproofoftraditional
material. Yet the same expression is used in other instances 7: 27 as part of Mark's redactional
skills. Honestly, I believe this must be an insertion otherwise, we would have to affirm the
sloppy job of an evangelist who interrupts the flow of his passage, written not as polished as
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other passages. Besides, we would have to give anexplanationwhyMarkrepeatsJesususeof

Parable in verse 33 which appears to be the conclusion of another of his sources regarding

RobertA.Guelich,
WordBiblicalCommentary
,v.34A,Mark18:26(Zondervan,2015)
200

parables. Could it be that he forgot that he just said the same some verses above? If this is not
thecase,thesetextswerefoundinitiallyrelatedtothoseparticularparables.

IVFormCriticism
Why is this prophecy of Isaiah related to the use of parables in any case? The answer is
that a parable is a rabbinic method of teaching a way to present in a downtoearth way the
revelation of divine mysteries. This gospel in its totality (v. 120) has the same pattern of
rabbinicteaching.Firstanopponent'squestion,next apublicbutopaqueresponse,thenquestions
are asked by the disciples and finally, an explanation is given privately by the rabbi to his
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disciples (students)
. However, Jesus does not seem to deny his teaching to anyone. Yet, we
would agree that Jesus in Mark does not want the fullness of revelation given at once (the
messianic secret) not because he likes thrillers, butbecausethe fullnessofrevelationmaybetoo
harsh for his audience (cf. Jn 41ss). We know from Mark that the mystery was revealed to all
openly in the crucifixion, and even then not everybody believed it (Mk 15: 39). The use of
parables brings to the surface the intentions of the heart ofthelistener.Tothisendtheremaybe
too reactions. Those around Jesus could either affirm
He is totally nuts lets get out of here!
Or
ask
we really didnt get what you wanted to say, could you explain ittous?
Theuseofparables
itselfmakesadistinctionbetweentruedisciplesandoutsiders/expectators.

AdelaYarbroCollins,
Hermeneia:aCriticalandHistoricalCommentaryontheBible,
Mark:A
Commentary(
FortressPress,2007)
256.
7
RobertA.Guelich,
WordBiblicalCommentary
,v.34A,Mark18:26(Zondervan,2015)202
6

Having said this, now we understand the meaning of the prophecy Christ quotes from
Isaiah. See and not perceive, Hear and not understand, unless they truly see and truly hearand
turn tomeandIwouldhealthem.Thisprophecyisnotacurse,butadescriptionoftheoutcome
of the events. The prophet was chosen by God sent to speak to a people unable to hear and see
yet he does so, and because of the dullness of their hearttheydidnotconvert.Butiftheywould
listenandconvert(theverbexpressescontinuity)Godwouldforgivethem.
By comparing the parables and the prophecy, certainly hearing is an important element.
There are those who hear the word and receive it and those who dont. Jesususesthisprophecy
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as the perfect fulfillment of the parable since not even the disciples understood the parable.
However,sincetheyhearditandreceivedit,themysterywasgiventothem.
VHistoricity
ThereareatleastonesourceolderthanMarkinv.10123334.ThefactthatMarkworks
to transmit them faithfully confirms its authenticity and authority. Additionally, another
important element to demonstrate the historicity of this text especially as a logion is the
quotation from Isaiah. This passage appears as well in Luke and Matthew. Even John has the
Isaiah passage in reference to Jesus. Though not in Jesus words, it shows us the importance of
this Tradition. We know from other passages that there was a scroll of the prophet Isaiah in
Nazareth (Lk 4: 1721) if Jesus grew up there it means that we must have been familiar with
Isaiah. In different occasion he quoted Isaiah: at the temple (Is 56:7) against the Pharisees (Is
29:13)andanallusionintheparableofthevineyard(Is5:17).

EzraP.Gould,
TheInternationalBiblicalCommentary
,StMark(Bloomsbury,
T&TClark,2000)
73
10

The way Isaiah is quoted here does not agree the Septuagint neither the Masoretic text.
The use of the verbs in third person rather than in second as the original according to scholars
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shows the use of a Targum. However, thought the text of this Targum is later than the NT
[which Jesus could not have quoted] it may be based on Aramaic usage current at the time of
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Jesus.
The rewording of scripture passages was uncommon at the time of Jesusandeventoday
insomebranchesofJudaism.Rewordingoftextisnotsinin ourmodernmentality,yetitwasnot
so back then. The issue of discordance with the text shows in my opinion the authority of the
Rabbi [namely Jesus] who quoted, reworded, and translated the text from Isaiah in a period
before Targum appearance, with the purpose of teaching the disciples. No one else could have
takenthelibertyandauthoritytodoso.
Conclusion
,
The study of thepericope shows that verse10isarewritingofanoldersourcewhichwas
adjusted to show the relationship and the scope of those aroundJesus:Biggerthanthetwelveto
reject sectarianism and also in reference to Marks community. Verse 11 uses an introductory
clause showing the insertion of the Logion by Mark which could not be reworded as the
preceding verse. The saying presents aplayonwordsbetweenthewordmysteryandparable,
meaning: That which was supposed to be concealed (mystery) has been revealed to youalone,
whereas that which was supposedtorevealthingspublicly(parable),hasnotbeenunderstoodby
anyone. An interpretation of this verse can be drawn from the circumstances of Marks
9

EzraP.Gould,
TheInternationalBiblicalCommentary
,StMark(Bloomsbury,
T&TClark,2000)
73
JohnDonahue,DanielJ.Harrington,
SacraPagina
:TheGospelofMark,(
LiturgicalPress,2002)
141

10

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community in comparison with the parable of the sower. It is clear that the Christians have
something that pagans do not have when dealing with the issues of life, suffering, and death a
persecuted community, yet steadfast in their faith. Christians have the meaning of the events of
life revealed to them and the world does not disturb them where for the nonChristians things
andeventscomewithoutanswers,inriddles.

Finally, verse 12 is the most difficult of all to translate since it translates a Hebrew
passage with a Semitic meaning into a Greek mindset. The conjunction can indicateacause
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or a result depending if it is koine or classical (so that, because of that). Inthiscasewould

express the purpose of the riddles, [and to someextentitsresult]andthe purposeof the
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blindnessanddeafness
.Mostlikely,the redactorusedthiswordduetoitsflexibility,inorderto
indicate the gravity of not hearing, and also to show that the outcome of the parables is the
fulfillmentofthisprophecy.
As we said above, the relevance of this saying in Marks community is that the
concealment for those outside was acceptable before Christs full revelation in his death and
resurrection. However, the unbelief Marks community experiences after the announcement of
the good news of Christ risen (in a hostile world that denies their claim and even persecutes
them) calls for the redaction of a text with such harshness, that later on Matthew and Luke will
rephraseitbychangingtheclausefor.

11
12

JohnDonahue,DanielJ.Harrington,
SacraPagina
:TheGospelofMark,(
LiturgicalPress,2002)
140
RobertA.Guelich,
WordBiblicalCommentary
,v.34A,Mark18:26(Zondervan,2015)
210211

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Collins, Adela Yarbro.
Hermeneia: aCriticalandHistoricalCommentary on theBible.Mark:a
commentary.
FortressPress,2007.
Donahue, John. and Daniel J. Harrington.
Sacra Pagina
: The Gospel ofMark.
LiturgicalPress,
2002.
Gould, Ezra P.
The International Biblical Commentary
. St Mark. Bloomsbury, T&T Clark,
2000.
Guelich,RobertA.WordBiblicalCommentary,v.34A.Mark18:26.Zondervan,2015.
Marcus,Joel."Mark4:1012andMarkanepistemology."
JournalOfBiblicalLiterature103,no.
4 (December 1984): 557.
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host (accessed December5,
2015).

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