Embracing obscurity: The enigmatic walk of the Son of God in Mark

Abstract

When Greco-Roman deities appeared among human beings in anthropomorphic shapes, their outward form and gait soon revealed their true identity. By contrast, the Markan Jesus has no ‘inescapably divine’ demeanour. His unassuming presence, his hurried walk and his interactions with people of low public standing and honour place a constant question markover his identity. Paradoxically, his purposeful walk in obscurity, which ends on the cross, reveals his true character as the suffering Son of God who ransoms his life for many. The risen Jesus, whose divine nature Mark does not express in terms of a glorified body, continues his enigmatic walk before his disciples en route to Galilee.