Thomas R. Hatina, «Who Will See "The Kingdom of God Coming with Power" in Mark 9,1 — Protagonists or Antagonists?», Vol. 86 (2005) 20-34
In conventional readings of Mark 9,1, the meaning of the
"kingdom of God coming with power" determines the identity of the bystanders who
will supposedly experience ("see") it. Since the prediction of the kingdom is
usually regarded as a blessing, it is assumed that the bystanders are
protagonists. In contrast to this conventional approach, the reading proposed in
this essay begins with the group(s) which will experience ("see") "the kingdom
of God coming with power", first in 9,1 and then in 13,26 and 14,62. When prior
attention is given to these groups in the context of the narrative, Jesus’
prediction in Mark 9,1 emerges not as a blessing promised to the protagonists,
but as a threat of judgment aimed at antagonists.
Who Will See “The Kingdom of God Coming with Power†29
a) Mark 13,26: Who are “They�
Who is it, then, that will see “the son of man coming in clouds with
great power and glory†in 13,26? An important clue lies in the
observation that the identity of those who will see this manifestation
of God appears to differ from the identity of those whom Jesus is
addressing. Throughout the discourse Jesus addresses his disciples,
usually by using the second person plural in the imperative mood, such
as blevpete (vv. 5, 9, 23, 33), mh; qroei'sqe (v. 7), mh; promerimna'te (v.
11), proseuvcesqe (v. 18), mh; pisteuvete (v. 21), mavqete (v. 28),
ginwskete (v. 29), ajgrupnei'te (v. 33), and grhgorei'te (vv. 35, 37). In
v
addition to these he uses temporal clauses followed by imperatives:
o{tan de; ajkouvshte polevmou" (v. 7), kai; o{tan a[gwsin uJma'" para-
didonte" (v. 11), â€Otan dev i[dhte to; bdevlugma (v. 14), and kai; tovte ejavn
v
ti" uJmi'n ei[ph/ (v. 21). Yet in v. 26 Jesus temporarily shifts to the third
person plural o[yontai which is unusual to say the least. For a brief
moment in the discourse, Jesus suspends any direct reference to the
disciples around him and directs his attention to another group which
is simply identified as “theyâ€. In v. 28, he resumes his address to the
disciples until the end of the discourse. Who is it, therefore, that sees
the coming of the son of man if it is not the disciples? Several
suggestions have been offered. A large number of scholars have
suggested that Mark has in mind the nebulous “all people†(28). B. van
Iersel has recently argued that Mark is referring to the defeated Greco-
Roman gods who will see in their stead the enthronement of the son of
man (29). Others have suggested the faithful in Mark’s generation who
await the parousia (30). Another option still is that Mark’s use of the
third person impersonal plural conveys a passive sense. This view,
however, ignores the problem of a referent, especially if Mark is
viewed as a performance. None of these suggestions adequately
explains why the direct reference to the disciples is suspended,
(28) See, for example, J. ZMIJEWSKI, Die Eschatologiereden des Lukas-
Evangeliums. Ein traditions- und redaktionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung zu Lk.
21.5-36 und Lk. 17:20-37 (BBB 40; Bonn 1972) 238-240; M.A. TOLBERT, Sowing
the Gospel. Mark’s World in Literary-Historical Perspective (Minneapolis 1989)
267; R.H. GUNDRY, Mark. A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross (Grand
Rapids 1993) 745.
(29) B.M.F. VAN IERSEL, “The Sun, Moon, and Stars of Mark 13,24-25 in
Greco-Roman Readingâ€, Bib 77 (1996) 90.
(30) E.g. MÜLLER, Der Ausdruck ‘Menschensohn’ in den Evangelien, 101-
103; PESCH, Das Markusevangelium, II, 64-65.
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