Astonish

I feel oblivious to so many things during the school year, especially in my history and religion classes.  For instance, I never really thought about how the scriptures were originally written in other languages, ancient ones at that.  I mean I knew they were but I never thought about what that meant for me as a reader.  Many of the words can’t be directly translated into English.  Because most other languages are so much more complex, especially when expressing emotions, then English, some of the meaning of passages can be lost or end up not having the same impact it was meant to have.  So it’s interesting to look at certain words and see how they have been used and changed in the translations.  So, we’re talking about certain words in the New Testament gospels and one of them is ‘astonished’ or ‘astonishment’ and specifically it’s role in the book of Mark.

One of the roles of the word ‘astonishment’, as well as ‘marvel’ and ‘amazed’ is of course its use to express true astonishment and wonder at the miracles Christ performed.  Crazy thought, I know. 

I also think one of the uses for these words would’ve been to express the fear that all the pharisees and doubters had of Christ.  We sort of discussed this in class today, not in reference to ‘astonish’ but it made sense to me when I was reading through Mark again.  Some of the time when we read the word ‘astonished’ in Mark, fear is also mentioned.  Like in Mark 10:32 where it says, “And Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.”

The most important role of ‘astonished’ to me is the idea that these people just don’t understand what or who Christ is.  That is why it is used over and over to describe people’s reactions to Jesus’ miracles.  Why does Mark repeatedly use this kind of word?  Why after so many wonders were so many people amazed by them?  Why was it so surprising to them that Christ could do those sorts of things.  There are so many references, Mark 1:22, 1:27,2:12, 5:20, 5:42, 6:6, 6:51, 10:24, 10:26, 10:32, 14:33.  It’s also interesting because in 7:36 it says, “And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.”  To me that means they saw his miracles almost as gossip or entertainment to spread around.  I mean, they knew it happened but it was almost like magic to them.  To some it was good and to others it was evil.  Basically, they didn’t understand what Christ’s mission was.  Those who believed he was the Messiah thought he would turn into a great warrior and save them from the Romans and everyone else thought he was either a prophet or a great teacher.  ‘Astonished’ portrays their ignorance to the meaning of the things they witnessed and the most important person in their lives.

Witnesses in the New Testament Gospels

Until Dr. Holzapfel pointed it out, I probably never would have noticed the importance of the role the eyewitnesses take in the four gospels of the New Testament.  For some reason I don’t usually think of scripture stories so technically, as if there was a specific reason for every word, every name.  It makes total sense to do that, but I seem to read the scriptures to often like I would a novel, for the story.  The best part of religion classes is that I’m pushed to read the scriptures more closely, to look for something more.  

Back to witnesses in the New Testament...

I love that we are able assume that the eyewitnesses are the people that are named in the gospels, otherwise why would some people be left anonymous while others are named for no apparent reason?  Even though the gospels were recorded years after Christ’s death, there is no doubt that many of the people who had witnessed or been the recipient of Christ’s blessings were alive to tell of them.

 

In Mark 5 it portrays the story of the woman who was healed when she touched Jesus’ clothes.  In verse 25 she is only described as “a certain woman, which had an issue of blood”, and never given a name.  In chapter 8 Christ heals “a blind man” and in chapter 9 casts out the spirit of a “son, which hath a dumb spirit”.  It really is interesting that all these characters are completely anonymous when in other similar stories people are specifically named.  Like in Mark 5 Jesus raises “Jairus’ daughter from the dead, and in 11 he heals “blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus”. 

Why does Mark give these people a name?  If he didn’t identify these people it would not affect the story in anyway or take away from the spiritual message or miracle the story is trying to get across, so why does Mark take the time to make sure these people are identified?  Because they were witnesses to these events while the anonymous stories were told from someone other than the main characters of the event.  Giving credit to eyewitnesses was important because it gave the works authority, they became fact.  They weren’t just stories passed down orally, which was the most common way of making sure stories and history were passed on, they came straight from the source.

I really do find that amazing.  There are so many misconceptions about the Bible.  We always hear that things have been added or mistranslated, and in some cases that is true, but ultimately, these miracles are real, historical events that actually happened.  We know this because these men cared enough to leave proof by giving the names of the people who were there and saw these things take place.  Knowing that those names are there to remind me of that is so amazing!  The New Testament is true even if it has been tampered with and changed over the years.  The basis of it, Christ, is true.