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.
221
THE FOURTH GOSPEL’S REVERSAL OF MARK IN JOHN 13,31‒14,3
3. Similarities and Differences
We now turn to consider the elements of common thought and
tradition in the three pericopes, while noting the different expres-
sions in each. The common elements across the three pericopes can
be summarised as follows:
– Both John 13,34-35 and Mark 12,28-34 contain instruction from
Jesus upon the theme of “commandmentâ€. The central focus of the
teaching is love. In both, there is the impression that Jesus’ teaching
surpasses the old order and points to the new order of the Kingdom
of God.
– The journey motif in John 13,33-38 and Mark 14,28 (In Mark Jesus
goes before his disciples; in John they are to “follow†him).
– The prediction of Peter’s denial (John 13,36-38 and Mark 14,29-31).
We will now evaluate these similarities in turn.
a) Commandment
The motif of “commandment†is certainly present in both John
13,34-35 and Mark 12,28-34. However, there are several differ-
ences between the two pericopes. Firstly, the setting is very differ-
ent in both accounts. For John, this pericope is placed in the Final
Discourse, where Jesus is passing on instructions to his disciples
prior to his imminent departure. Mark, on the other hand, places
this pericope earlier. Jesus has been disputing in the temple courts
with the scribes and Pharisees, and gives this teaching in response
to a question from a sympathetic scribe.
The content of Jesus’ teaching also contains significant differences
when the accounts are compared. John’s “I have loved you†moves
in the opposite direction of Mark’s “Love the Lord your God†49. The
foundation of the command to love others is also different: in Mark
the measure of love for a neighbour is the extent to which an individ-
ual loves him or herself, whereas in John the measure of the love a
disciple must show for another is Jesus’ own love for his disciples 50.
The new commandment in John is given concrete expression by Jesus’
washing the feet of his followers, and thereafter by his passion.
Beutler suggests that the Johannine formulation may represent an earlier
49
stage of a common Jesus tradition (BEUTLER, Synoptic Jesus, 168).
KEENER, John, 924.
50
© Gregorian Biblical Press 2013 - Tutti i diritti riservati