The Hebrew Bible identified the Israelites as God’s chosen people.[1] Some texts even went so far as to specifically excluding Gentiles from being God’s people.[2] This dichotomy did not leave room for diversity or multiculturalism. Jesus however, viewed both these things as a necessity within the church. Jesus demonstrated their importance through both his actions and his words.

            In Mark, Jesus’ ministry begins with Jewish people but quickly expanded to include all people. At first, a select few are called to follow (Mark 1:16-20). Jesus then calls one deemed a sinner, the tax collector, Levi (Mark 2:13-14). These disciples are expected to engage in specific behavior patterns, change their way of life, and serve in the ways they are told (Mark 3:13-19). As the book unfolds, the openness of the kin_dom of God to diversity and multiculturalism expands.

            Jesus continues to demonstrate a reversal of standards by breaking of traditions that claimed to preserve God’s law. Beginning with eating and tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15), Jesus does not adhere to the rules of fasting (Mark 2:18), heals on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6), and then expands his healing to include women and children (Mark 5:21-43). With each infraction, Jesus’ following becomes more diverse and inclusive. Jesus tells one man who was healed to not follow him as the disciples were commanded but “Go home to your own people, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and what mercy he has shown you (Mark 5:19).” This act expanded preaching not just to those assigned to prominent positions but to all those in whose lives God’s mercy was shown.

In Mark 6, Jesus’ authority is challenged in his hometown by those he grew up with. This pericope serves to emphasize leaving the culture and life of the past behind and entering into a new broader culture. “When anyone appears not to fit the rules, she or he is illegitimated. If we change rules, however, different people will become illegitimate.”[3] As Jesus changes the rules, multiculturalism becomes more prominent in his ministry.

In Mark 7, the ministry expands, reluctantly, into the land of the Gentiles.[4] Despite Jesus’ attempts to hide, word of the mission has spread and they cannot escape notice. The healing of the Syro-Phoenecian woman’s daughter in Mark 7:24-30 challenges religious segregation. At first, Jesus refuses to heal the woman. Instead, he responds with a metaphor about children and dogs representing the contrast between Jews and Gentiles.[5] The woman answers “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:28 NRSVUE). The strength of her reply signifies that all are worthy. Jesus ultimately responds “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter” (Mark 7:29).

The disciples are resistive to Jesus’ insistence on inclusivity.[6] When an unknown person, who was not following them, was casting out demons, the disciples ordered them to stop (Mark 9:38-40). The disciples’ view of the boundaries of their social and religious circle is narrower than Jesus teaches them God’s kin_dom is.[7] Jesus tells the disciples not to prohibit anyone from doing works in his name. Self-declarations of being devout or even a title given by Jesus as a disciple do not grant a special position or authority in the kin_dom of God.[8] Jesus further stresses that others do not need to follow him as the disciples were called and follow him (Mark 1-3).[9]

Jesus’ journey, as told in Mark, is about the coming and expansion of God’s kin_dom to one that is open to everyone. To be chosen by God was no longer a matter of birthright or following the law but was a matter of faith and action. Mark demonstrates that God’s salvation is both open to everyone but also that it can be rejected by anyone. The future of the church was to be diverse and multicultural. The reversal of standards from the Hebrew Bible motif is present throughout the book demonstrating God’s kin_dom to be inclusive rather than exclusive.[10]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collins, Adela Yarbro.“Mark.” Hermeneia- A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Edited by Harold W. Attridge. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007.

Lee, Sang Mok. “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40: A Study of Diversity and Inclusiveness in Early Christianity.” The Expository Times 128, no. 4 (2017): 157-167. Accessed September24, 2024. doi:10.1177/0014524616649136.

Rhoads, David M. 1995. “Mission in the Gospel of Mark.” Currents in Theology and Mission 22 (5): 340–55. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0000901792&site=ehost-live.

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[1]. Deut 7:6-8; 10:15; 26:18-19

[2]. Ezra 9-10; Neh13

[3].  Sang Mok Lee, “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40: A Study of Diversity and Inclusiveness in Early Christianity,” The Expository Times 128, no. 4 (2017): 158. doi:10.1177/0014524616649136,

[4]. Adela Yarbro Collins,“Mark,” Hermeneia- A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Edited by Harold W. Attridge. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007), 364.

[5]. Collins,“Mark,” 366.

[6].  Collins,“Mark,” 448.

[7]. Lee, “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40,” 158.

[8]. Lee, “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40,” 164.

[9]. Lee, “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40,”

 

[10]. Lee, “The Unknown Exorcist in Mark 9:38–40,” 164.