The Son of Man in Mark's Gospel

Exploring its Possible Connections with the Book of Ezekiel

David Forrest Mitchell

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781725256590
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Studi biblici

Many scholars disagree about what was meant by Jesus's intriguing self-designation ? ???? ??? ???????? (the Son of Man). This book attempts to find some clarity by working through every example of the phrase in the Gospel of Mark to determine how the phrase functions and what it means in that narrative. While every use of the phrase is self-referential and describes Jesus and his ministry, the analysis yields three main distinctions in use of the phrase as well as three significant unifying features. The book then moves to explore whether, despite of the skepticism of some scholars, there is some background for the phrase in the book of Ezekiel's use of ?????????? (son of man) in relation to basic form and function and to thematic import.

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The Son of Man in Mark

Mark 2:1–12

The Scene (2:1–12)

Mark’s narrative returns to Capernaum in 2:1 with Jesus in a house, most likely Peter’s (cf. 1:29).56 The problem of Jesus’s popularity (1:45) becomes apparent in 2:1–2 where the house is so full of people that they spill out of the door. As in 1:32–33, Jesus is sought for miraculous healing, but this time only one person is mentioned, a paralyzed man brought by four others (2:3). Unable to reach Jesus due to the crowd they take the drastic, though reasonably straightforward, action of digging through what was most likely a thatch and clay roof.57 Jesus clearly approves of such deep desire to reach him, yet rather than fulfill their expectation of healing, he says to the paralytic, Τέκνον, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι.

Surprising as this may have been for the five companions, the narrative’s concern lies with the shock of the scribes who were present. δέ and imperfect tense forms are used to mark this narrative development and move offline to the main narrative, their introduction and concern regarding Jesus’s absolution (2:6–7).58 To this point in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus was contrasted with the scribes in regard to authority by the crowd (1:27), but in the episode preceding this one, Jesus adheres to Mosaic traditions (1:44).59 Here Jesus’s contrast with scribes is both direct and, given the scribes’ expertise in Torah requirements for forgiveness and absolution, sharp.60 Since Jesus infringes on an exclusively “divine prerogative” he is considered blasphemous.61

Jesus, aware of their offence at his declaration, uses this first Son of Man saying to counter their understanding of how forgiveness is declared. Jesus proves his authority to forgive through performing another impossible task, namely, also making the paralytic physically well.62 Verse 12 shows the outcome—the paralytic walks, everyone is shocked (ἐξίστασθαι), and they glorify God. Since the action changes location to Lake Galilee in verse 13, verse 12 is the end of this first of five units set in Capernaum (the others being 2:13–17; 18–22; 23–28; 3:1–6).63

The Saying (2:8b–11)

The saying itself is disjointed since Jesus begins speaking to the scribes in verse 8 and then switches to the paralytic in verse 11, but the thought is singular: Jesus has authority both to forgive and to heal. It begins as Jesus counters the internal questions of the scribes with a spoken challenge and rather difficult question of his own. Τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, Ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, Ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει; France suggests that the correct “answer to Jesus’ rhetorical question must therefore be that it is εὐκοπώτερον to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ since that is the point to be proved (v. 10).”64 As Edwards points out, “From a human perspective it is safe to pronounce the forgiveness of sins, since that statement cann...