The “Son of Man” Passages in Mark -- By: Gordon D. Kirchhevel
Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 09:1 (NA 1999)
Article: The “Son of Man” Passages in Mark
Author: Gordon D. Kirchhevel
BBR 9:1 (1999) p. 181
The “Son of Man” Passages in Mark
Chicago, Illinois
The fourteen “Son of Man” passages in Mark fall into three groups. Mark 1-6 portrays Jesus as the authoritative “Son of Man” perceived in Psalm 8. In Mark 8-14 there are nine “Son of Man” passages that portray Jesus as the suffering servant of the Lord perceived in Isa 52:13-53:12, even following the sequence of that passage. The three passages in Mark that predict that the “Son of Man” will come again were inspired by Isa 5:26-30, where Jesus is perceived coming “with a great force” of angels. Isa 5:30 forecasts “clouds,” and so does Mark 13:26; 14:62. The words attributed to John in Mark 1:7 cannot be linked to Daniel 7, because the allusion was to Isa 5:26-30. Mark 12:6 even portrays Jesus as the “beloved” son perceived in Isa 5:1.
Key Words: Son of Man, authority, walking on the sea, suffering servant, rise, ransom, Parousia, beloved son
Why do the “Son of Man” passages in Mark fall into three groups? They fall into three groups because the expression “the Son of Man” was applied to the authoritative “son of man” perceived in Psalm 8 (Mark 2:10, 28) and to the suffering servant of the Lord perceived in Isa 52:13-53:12 (Mark 8:31-14:41) and to the mighty one whose coming was perceived in prophetic Isa 5:26-30 (Mark 8:38; 13:26; 14:62b).
It is well known that Mark 12:35-37 interpreted Ps 110:1 messianically and that Mark 14:62a expected Jesus to fulfill
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