The Suffering Son of God

In this sixth semester of our “Portraits of Christ” series, Fr. Vincent will continue to unpack the structure, theology, and literary ‘brush strokes’ of Mark’s gospel which presents Christ as the “Suffering Messiah” of Isaiah 53. Our last semester concluded with the curing of Bartimaeus, the blind man of Jericho, as Jesus and his followers stand poised to enter the Holy City where he will meet his fate by crucifixion (Mk. 10:52). We are told that as a result, Bartimaeus begins to follow Jesus along the way, joining the ranks of his followers. 

As we have seen, the physical geography of the gospel mirrors the spiritual journey that Jesus takes in the course of his two years of public ministry. In the first half of the gospel (Mark 1-8) Jesus crosses back and forth between Jewish and Gentile territory ministering to the towns of Galilee and on both the eastern and western shores of the Sea of Tiberius. In the second half of the gospel his route begins a nearly unwavering journey directly from the Mount of the Transfiguration in the north, heading southward to Jerusalem. 

Our semester opens with Mark 11, where we will read of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem – a momentous occasion the church still celebrates on Palm Sunday. But after what seems to be a choreographed act of prophetic defiance in the Temple, the elation and jubilation of his welcomed arrival will quickly turn hostile. In light of this, we will need to discern the meaning of his enigmatic parable of the Fig Tree (Mk. 11:12-25). Confronted ever more vehemently by his opponents, Jesus’ parables take on an increasingly eschatological tone, even as he cuts to the chase, revealing the unvarnished heart of the Gospel he proclaims: Love.

In Chapter 12, Jesus will offer a series of difficult, controversial, but also transformational teachings that will foment a growing and intensifying animosity between Jesus and the local scribes. Finally, we will close with Mark 13, which introduces what is often called his “Little Apocalypse;” a series of teachings that are as ominous as they are cosmic in orientation. Here we see on full display Mark’s understanding of the cosmic battle between good and evil unfolding in Jesus’ public ministry, in which he warns of the great cosmic tribulations and social upheaval that is to take place before the “Parousia” (Second Coming). In order to better appreciate the theological implications of Chapter 13, we will explore ‘apocalyptic’ as a literary genre and how it is therefore best interpreted in light of Mark’s overall portrait of Christ.

Mark’s gospel is as rich as it is compelling, full of hidden mysteries, messianic secrets, and wisdom teachings that reveal far more theological depth than its apparent simplicity would suggest. In this ongoing exploration of Mark's gospel, we will continue to explore not only the text in fine detail, but the interpretive tools that assist us in revealing his ancient message to the modern Church. Especially designed for contemplatives, this sixth in our series of classes will continue our rich, meditative, and stimulating exploration of the Mark's gospel in ways that ground the life and practice of contemplative Christians today.

To interpret the gospel of Mark through modern tools of interpretation in view of the ancient context in which it was written

To uncover the literary ‘brush strokes’ throughout Mark’s gospel that reveal his portrait of Christ as the “Suffering Son of God”

To understand the literary genre of Mark not merely as objective history, but as history told through the lens of theology

To foster for contemplatives the capacity for a more prayerful rumination and "Lectio Divina" on Mark’s gospel

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• Media-rich "Captivate Lectures" that also can be watched repeatedly at your own pace.

• Two-hour classes weekly: For presentations and Q&A

• One-hour of office hours weekly: to explore theological, contemplative, and spiritual implications of the lectures.​​

• Full access to relevant educational tools, including: charts, graphs, maps, timelines, summaries, published articles, videos, presenter notes, personal journals, prompts for Lectio Divina, and worksheets all designed to engage participants in learning how to interpret the gospels with critical minds and pray them with contemplative hearts​