VIII - The Christian Community

Summary

We are not concerned here to discover the nature of the fellowship of the disciples with Jesus in Galilee, but to determine the kind of community which Mark envisages as arising from the preaching of the Gospel he records.

The place of the apostles in the Gospel might appear somewhat ambiguous: are they to be regarded as typical believers of the new community? As typical of its leaders? Or as the foundation on which the new community is built? Mark uses the word ‘apostle’ of the Twelve only once (vi. 30), though he does use the cognate verb of their activity on two occasions (iii. 14; vi. 7); on each of these two occasions it was the natural word to use. We cannot then say that Mark stresses the position of the Twelve as apostles. In Luke and Matthew they occupy a much more official position. Mark cannot but have known the discussion about the authority of the apostles as evidenced in the Pauline letters, yet he lays no emphasis on that authority. The only reference to their leadership in the Christian community is negative: in x. 42–4 they are instructed in the nature of true rule over others as service. The activities to which the Twelve are called are those of any Christian (iii. 14, 15; vi. 7); the mission charge of vi. 8–11 is in quite general terms and cannot be restricted to the Twelve alone. ix. 38–40 would seem to contradict deliberately any attempt to reserve special functions to them alone; the work of any man who casts out demons in the name of Jesus must be accepted.