“ This is my own dear Son—listen to him.”
(Mark Chapter 9 Verse 7)
When Jesus was given the title Son of God it indicated that he was here to do God’s duty and had a special mission to carry out (God’s representative). However I feel that Mark emphasises that the special relationship is so much more than that. He feels that Jesus was one with God.
Perhaps the most important use of the title, in my opinion is when the Roman Centurion uses it after he witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus. He says:
“Truly this man was a son of God”
(Mark Chapter 15 Verse 39)
I feel that this is the most important confession as it shows that at least someone acknowledged Jesus for what he truly was and that his death was not in vain.
For Christians today to understand the meaning of this title they should understand that Jesus did have a special connection with God. It may not have been the relationship between that of a father and son, but it has enough significance to believe and appreciate it. This special connection should make Christians follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
Son of Man
This is one of the main titles in the Gospel and Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man in many occasions in the bible. This title is in many ways is very ambiguous. You have to refer to the Old and New Testaments in order to work out its real meaning.
In the Old Testament the title was used to mean two things:
1. The phrase was used to describe any member of the human race. This is especially the case in Ezekiel when the humanness of this title is emphasised.
2. We can also see a very different side to this phrase when we look at Daniel. Here we see the Son of Man, as being very superhuman and very divine and this Son of Man will descend from heaven to rule on earth.
However in the New Testament (Mark) there was a new importance to this title:
1. The Son of Man had the power on earth to forgive sins.
Jesus had the power to forgive sins on earth. He tells the Paralytic Man that his “sins are forgiven.” When people accuse him of blasphemy he says:
“Is it easier to say to this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk?” I will prove to you then that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
(Mark Chapter 2 Verses 9-10)
2. The Son of Man must suffer, die and rise again from the dead.
Jesus knew that he would have to suffer in order to redeem the world’s sins, and that he must die for the people on earth. This is shown when he talks to his disciples in Mark Chapter 8, and Peter disagrees with this but Jesus rebukes him and says:
“Get away from me, Satan, Your thoughts don’t come from God but from human nature!”
3. The Son of Man will appear at the end of time “seated on the right of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven.
Christians see Jesus as the Son of Man, and still believe that Jesus will eventually return to earth.
When the early Christians saw Jesus as the Son of Man they would have had some trouble in working who exactly he claimed to be. Was he a mere man? Or was he a supernatural being? I feel that Christians today would not really refer to Jesus as the Son of Man because this is an intensely complicated title to understand. Christians today would be able to relate to his human side and would have aspired to be more like him.
Messiah / Christ /Anointed One
This title means anointed one in Hebrew and in Greek. “Messiah” was the name given by the Jews to the person who was sent by God to bring peace and establish God’s rule and the Messiah would be a descendant of David. However by the time of Jesus the idea of a Messiah was more like a war hero. At Caesarea Philippi Peter declares his faith in Jesus:
““Who do you say I am?” asked Jesus.
Peter answered, “ You are the Messiah.” Then Jesus orders the disciples not to tell anyone.”
(Mark Chapter 8 Verse 29-30)
One reason for when Jesus orders his disciples not to tell anyone of this could be that he did not want to be known as the military leader who would vanquish the Romans and free Israel. Another reason could be that, he could have known that the Romans or the Sanhedrin might have killed him before he could accomplish his mission. The only time when Jesus admits to being the Messiah is at the trial before the Sanhedrin when the High Priest asks is he is “the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One” and Jesus said “I am”. Jesus may have felt that it was pointless to keep it a secret any longer since he new he was nearing the end of his life.
The title today could show that Jesus was in effect a messenger who was sent on a special mission because if not for him Christianity would not exist and we would be void of one of the largest and fastest spreading religions in the world. This title would just add to Jesus’ character and would enable us to understand him so much better.
Jesus as Saviour
Jesus was known as Saviour because he literally saved people from their sins. He gave people the knowledge that if a person has faith they can overcome anything, even control something so unpredictable such as the weather ( in Mark Chapter 4 Verse 40 he says to his disciples “Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?”.) Jesus has authority to drive out evil spirits and forgive sins so he is in effect saving the person from himself or herself. He is giving that person a second chance, a chance to continue living life and being good. When Jesus feeds the five thousand people he saves the people by showing pity and feeding them. Jesus also saved people from spiritual and physical blindness. I think that the link between the two was that physical blindness may not always be curable but spiritual blindness can be cured. The person believing and having faith in God can only cure it himself or herself.
I feel the title of Saviour is one that Christians today can empathise with. I feel that Christianity or rather a person’s faith has given them the courage and strength to face life. They, to a certain extent, rely on their beliefs to help them through say an illness or any form of hardship. So in effect Jesus was a Saviour for saving people from themselves.
Son of David
This title gives Jesus Jewish authority in the sense that the Jews expected their Messiah to be a descendent of David, Israel’s second king. He accomplished a lot during his reign and therefore is greatly respected by the Jews.
In Mark Jesus is called Son of David by a blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark Chapter 10 Verses 46-52). He shows faith by persistently calling out to Jesus to acknowledge him. When he is able to see again, I feel that Bartimaeus overcomes his physical blindness but he already overcame his spiritual blindness by having faith in Jesus.
Other Titles Used in Mark’s Gospel
Jesus
Jesus means “God is salvation” and it was a fairly common Jewish name. Mark uses it regularly and it emphasises the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is shown as a man who carries out his life according to God’s will and this would encourage other Christians to follow in his example.
Lord
The Greek word for Lord is “kyrious” which can mean “sir” or “master”, and is used very frequently in Mark’s Gospel. Although this title is given to Jesus after the resurrection it indicates that Jesus had godly authority over all things.
King of the Jews
This title is only used during the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate and at the Crucifixion. This title was used by the Jews to tease Jesus. When Jesus is about to be crucified the soldiers jeer at him:
“”Long live the King of the Jews!””
(Mark Chapter 15 Verse 18)
In conclusion: all the titles that Mark uses contribute to us being able to understand the character of Jesus and his mission on earth. I feel that the most effective title that is used to describe Jesus is “Son of God”, because this emphasises the most on the special connection between God and Jesus and this acts as a powerful tool to help Christians to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and see him as an example of goodness.
