“You heard his blasphemy? What is your verdict?” They all condemned him, declaring that he deserved death.
to be tied to power
is to rise by action
confirming its right
and fall inactive
in its absencesuch mutual propping up
takes so much energy
there is no noticing
ground has sagged
away from under uswith a bothered head
asking how this happened
we hurriedly fill the hole
with the nearest body
not our ownour life is well-worth
the death of one or many
the worth of our life
is deserving of their’s
thus resolving all questions
The question, “What do you think?” is still a good one for a Reader to attend to.
You’ve heard a question about being the Messiah (the Anointed) and the Son of the Blessed One (G*D). You’ve also heard a response about a Human One.
We are back to a question of identity. Who do I say I am? Who do you say I am?
These titles seem to mean different things to Caiaphas and to Jesus. A critical difference is one of power.
Before going further, the imagery of being a Child of G*D has a long and valued heritage in the Hebrew story. It is not preloaded as a source of blasphemy. It is something everyone can claim. Here, though, it has been turned into a point of division rather than solidarity.
For Caiaphas and the Council, Messiah is a title of victory and, thus, power. This is the same perspective that Peter had when he denied a human-oriented Messiah (adam’s Image) instead of a doctrinaire, G*D-centered “Son of G*D”.
Sabin1145points to Jesus seeing things differently:
The Markan Jesus uses all of these terms in a different way: he is anointed in respect to death; he is God’s son in respect to obedience. He is ordinary ben ’adam who by undergoing death in the manner of God’s “beloved son” is raised up to God’s glory.
Here is a key “He said—He said” conflict. How do you read it?
This is part of the need to continue reading Mark with the understanding that it will be re-written through how we read such details.