Mark Jennings, «The Fourth Gospel’s Reversal of Mark in John 13,31‒14,3», Vol. 94 (2013) 210-236
I argue that the author/s of the Fourth Gospel knew Mark, based on the reversal of certain Markan themes found in John. No attempt is made here to suggest the kind of literary dependence which is the basis of the Synoptic problem. Rather, my thesis is that the author/s of John may have used Mark from memory, writing deliberately to reverse the apocalyptic tendencies found in the Second Gospel. Isolated incidents of this possible reversal demonstrate little, but this paper proposes that the cumulative force of many such reversals supports the thesis of John's possible knowledge of Mark.
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THE FOURTH GOSPEL’S REVERSAL OF MARK IN JOHN 13,31‒14,3
b) Hope and Suffering
This fundamental difference in eschatology relates to application.
As both narratives move toward the passion of Jesus, the problem of
suffering in the Christian community is a key concern. Mark’s answer
to the problem of suffering is the Parousia. The message is straight-
forward — although you may suffer now, just as Christ suffered, you
can look forward to a time of glory and vindication, when there will
be no more suffering. The vindication of the suffering faithful will
affirm the power and justice of God in the eschaton 23.
The message to Mark’s readers is that suffering is not God’s final
word; there will ultimately be a reversal of the crucifixion 24. Those
who endure the tribulation are the elect, who will be gathered to the
Son of Man at the end of time. Immediately prior to the passion of
the Messiah, the Olivet Discourse points forward, past the suffering
of Jesus in his death to the eschatological glory of the Parousia.
John’s message is more difficult to understand, as the problem of
suffering cannot be neatly dealt with by stating that the coming glory
of Christ will end suffering. John states that in the midst of suffering
Jesus abides with his followers. Jesus represents the hope of the faith-
ful community, who patiently endures suffering understanding that
they are following Jesus along the path to glory. Thus, both Mark
and John contain calls to endure in obedience, but for subtly different
reasons. For Mark, those who endure to the end will be saved at the
Parousia. For John, those who obey “follow†Jesus through suffering
and death to glory. In Johannine thinking, in the midst of obedience
those who follow experience the presence of Jesus among them, me-
diated by their love for each other and for God.
3. Assessment and implications
Having examined the elements of common thought and tradi-
tion, as well as the different expressions of these by the two evan-
gelists, we turn now to the question: can these similarities be
explained by John’s use of Mark? If so, what would the differences
indicate about Johannine emphases?
J.R. DONAHUE – D.J. HARRINGTON, The Gospel of Mark (Collegeville,
23
MN 2002) 380.
GUNDRY, Mark, 745; W.L. LANE, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids,
24
MI 1974) 447.
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