John Dominic Crossan: Jesus The Parable of God

Mark's is the first of the written gospels. It's really the one that establishes... the life of Jesus as a story form. It develops a narrative from his early career, through ...the main points of his life and culminat[es] in his death. And, as such, it sets the pattern for all the later gospel traditions. We know that both Matthew and Luke used Mark, as a source in their composition and it's also probable that even John knew something of Mark in tradition. So, Mark is really the one that sets the stage for all the later Christian gospel writings.
For Mark, Jesus is a somewhat enigmatic figure and that's very important to his way of telling the story. Jesus is mysterious. Jesus intentionally keeps people from understanding who he really is, at times. At times, Jesus actually silences the demons who would announce his true identity. When he performs a miracle, he tells people, don't say anything to anyone about what I have done. He even takes the disciples away, off into a corner, and teaches them privately so that others won't hear and understand the message. He seems to be a very secretive kind of figure in Mark's gospel.
Now, why does Mark tell the story this way? It seems to be the case that he uses this motif of secrecy and misunderstanding as a way of reconceptualizing the image of Jesus. There's something about the the previous understandings of Jesus, even within the Christian community, that Mark feels compelled now to correct and to give a new meaning for, and it probably has something to do with the post-war experience. Why had it all happened? What had gone wrong? Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Mark tells the story in such a way to make sense out of that, in the light of the death of Jesus.
And the way Mark tells the tells the story of the death of Jesus... is to see him as a lonely figure who goes to his death abandoned by all of his followers and supporters and even abandoned by his God. Jesus from the cross says ..., "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? The Jesus of Mark's gospel is a lonely figure, at times, waiting for the vindication of God.

[@varatamminga9696]

John Crossan, thank you so much for these very insightful lectures on Christianity. As a professor of literature, sharing multiple perspectives and debate about the meaning of a novel or poem or story is exactly what I try to teach my students. Stories and poems use symbols or metaphorical language so that they enchant us into the experience of a question and problem. As we share our different insights in class or after a play, we learn more and more about ourselves and our culture century after century. We are still in dialogue with Socrates, and Shakespeare, and Jesus, and Buddha, and Keats, and Chopin because they open up the heart, the core of human and Divine experience, or reality. Literary study grew out of Biblical exegesis just as Christian Biblical scholarship grew out of Rabbinical teaching of the Torah and the teachings of Greek and Roman philosophers and literary writers. Thank you for helping us get out of the ruthless arguments about "did this historically happen," or "do you believe the Bible as the literal Word of God" and get back to Jesus' real concern that we struggle with how to make God's love more and more real on earth. I believe that God continues to speak to us not only in prayer and meditation, but also through our great poets, dramatists, composers, and artists as well as in our dreams, through nature, and through history. Our lives are a constant conversation with God, I believe, with a God who has never stopped loving us, pursuing us, and singing to us. Your insights help us hear Him more clearly. Thank you.

[@PWBeans]

Man, do I dig Mr. Crossan. He does more in this talk to convince me of the veracity of Christ's message than almost anything I've heard in a long time. Filled me with joy and hope. If you pay close attention, it really does seem that Jesus was on to something. I love the quote by Bishop Tutu via St. Augustus, "God without you will not, as you without God cannot..." In this context and within this matrix, that suddenly, finally, makes perfect sense to me.

[@BensRightBrain]

Several months ago I became an atheist (in that I no longer believe in a supernatural deity). Listening to this today, I I no longer care about the factuality of the bible, and I feel closer to Jesus than I ever did when I believed in a supernatural god. Thank you for posting this.

[@garretttedeman]

Well-said. ...Many scholars have always noted that there's a lot of value in the biblical texts from a literary perspective. As a total science-based, secular myself, I would also argue that line, and believe (as Crossan notes), that we've lost sight of the true meaning & value of these texts, due to modern conflict, since their true significance is *_parabolic_* , or as metaphor. ...That is, they are supposed to engage the audience and provoke some questions. ...So, maybe we can all become a bit more "scholarly" ourselves by learning to value and treasure the deeper meaning of these that have been passed down. Perhaps that can even be the step towards wisdom.

[@smroog]

Finally, I get the bible and most other religions. Different ways to get one to look inside. THINK !!!!

[@tuxguys]

Crossan may be the greatest apologist for non-literalist Christianity in history.

[@stupidtreehugger]

I think I get it. Thank you very much for sharing. Lovely man, lovely presentation, great sense of humour, great insight, what a blessed planet we are to varying extents privileged to experience.

[@Actuary1776]

If you listen to Ehrman he believes Christ did not historically proclaim the kingdom of god had come, but instead preached it was near. Christ in many ways was an alternative version of John the Baptist, and after his death and no kingdom, early Christians wrote in the “kingdom is here now” angle, I.e. Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher whose revelation never materialized.

[@arcad1an292]

Excellent!!!

[@roterosa1]

Aha! Ha! I really like your comment. Crossan is an illuminating theologian. I too wish there was more public interest in the subject. Steve Cash and his talking cat Sylvester, are a brilliant comedy act. Both are awesome but it is unfair to compare the two, they are like apples and oranges. Bravo to them both!

[@smroog]

Luke 17:20-21

[@MakeChangeNow]

Is this written anywhere ?

[@haroldcrenshaw5630]

Jesus the parable of god. ?huh? Maybe, maybe not. ?what? Jesus is gods way of making us read the fine print, and in a different language.

[@paintur68]

I'm amazed that this.............um............video...has had only slightly more than 3,000 views. It's interesting how people will watch a talking kitten.............I love those videos! Watch Steve Cash............but I digress... this sermon is worth listening too.

[@maxfrank13]

When and where was this this recorded?

[@lordofallnaan5939]

All stories told in the Word of God are true, except the parables told by Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus miracles are true, not one is invented. That's the thing too, we humans are too intelligent to believe a story about the God-Man walking on water, it has to be something else. No! Open up your mind and heart to believe. Didn't our Lord Jesus said, "Anything is possible with God." (Mark 10:27) I believe He meant that. Do Not put Father God in a box people! Love yall and may Father God bless ya'll.

[@amylee9]

Oh, I wish this was true, but it doesn't make sense to me. The Jews were oppressed, disrespected, enslaved and abused by the Romans during Jesus time. They wanted self-determination and freedom. They wanted to follow their commandments to worship no other God. However, the Romans prevented this freedom. Then, here comes Jesus with his parables about doing good. And instead of calling the Romans "brood of vipers" , "children of the devil" and hypocrites, he calls the Jews these things! It doesn't make sense. Why doesn't he equate the Romans with the devil? They were the oppressors. They forced the Jews to carry the soldiers stuff for a mile. Why would Jesus tell the Jews that this is okay and they must also carry it it for two. And told the Jews to turn the other cheek? Why didn't he tell the Romans to stop abusing the Jews and to beat it back to Rome. This doesn't make sense. Please explain this to me...

[@isaiahangelo]

Jesus spoke against oppression of ANY type including the Jews persecution of their Caananite and Samaritan neighbors. Jesus wasn't vilifying the Jewish people. But he was speaking against the Jewish leadership establishment who was bought and paid for BY the Romans and he was telling his countrymen that for them to wish for God to wipe the Romans off the face of the earth would make them into the very conquerors that they now despised. What Jesus in effect taught was, "You can't speak against the Romans persecuting you when you won't even show mercy to the Samaritans that you persecute everyday and then go to the temple and declare that there is one God over all nations who is the embodiment of love and mercy!" Hypocrisy was what destroyed second-temple Judaism

[@a.t.6322]

The message about Jesus is certainly anti-imperialist as is illustrated in the parable about the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5:1-17. As J.D. Crossan points out "The symbolism is..hard to miss or ignore. The demon is both one and many; is named Legion, that fact and sign of Roman power; is consigned to swine, the most impure of Judaisms impure animals; and is cast into the sea, that dream of every Jewish resister...it openly characterizes Roman imperialism as demonic possession."

[@haroldcrenshaw5630]

www.amazon.com/Caesars-Messiah-Conspiracy-Flavian-Signature/dp/1461096405

[@marycollis6900]

Because his message of charity must start at home. If he started in on the Romans, it would have caused an uprising and been hastily squashed by the Romans, and end of story. He warned people NOT to follow the zealots in their unrest against Rome for that reason- that they’d all be killed. He had a longer term plan in view- unlike the earlier Judas Maccabees.

[@haroldcrenshaw5630]

Parables are confusing and have to be explained. Your brain thinks it knows so its a good tool for narcisists to take over religin

[@AronAroniteOnlineTV]

Yes PW- its heady stuff when you share at the level of gods! Its called shared delusion.