MARK’S TEACHING ON FAITH
Mary Ann Beavis
is animportant concept in Mark’s Gospel.
Fbelieve&dquo;
F aith
evangelist the words &dquo;faith&dquo; (pistis) arr1
uses
of
total eleven times
(pisteuein) a (1:15; 2: ~, -~:40;
5:34, 36; 9:23-24, 42; 10:52; 11:22-24; 13:21; 1::>:3.:.,
also 6:6; 9:19). If we agree with most scholars that Mark
is the oldest Gospel, it is interesting to note that neither
Matthew nor Luke adds significantly to the Marcan
material. Matthew has only four uses of faith language
not paralleled in Mark (Matt 8:10, 13; 9:28; 23:23), and
Luke has six, two of which are in the infancy narrative
(Luke 1:20, 45; 8:12-13; 18:8; 22:32, 67). Thus the basis
of the synoptic notion of faith is Mark.
In Mark, much of Jesus’ teaching (indicated by the
words didaskalos, didache, didaskein) is about faith.
This point should be noted in connection with the grow-
ing trend in recent Marcan scholarship to view the
Gospel as a kind of tract on discipleship in which the
readers are expected to identify with the disciples, and
to apply Jesus’ teaching to themselves (Best; Dewey;
Donahue; Malbon; Stock; Tannehill; Wright). Although
the ideas of discipleship and faith are obviously compat-
ible, scholars have had little to say about the meaning
of faith in the Gospel (two brief studies [Martin: 109-111;
Robinson: 121-26] are exceptions), and the role of faith
in discipleship has rarely been discussed (except in the
article by Schweizer). A study of the idea of faith in Mark
should help us both to understand the Gospel better, and
to gain some insights into the role of faith in Christian
life.
_
Faith and Miracles
Most of Mark’s references to faith occur in miracle
stories: the healing of the paralytic (2:5); the stilling of
the storm (4:40); the healing of the hemorrhaging woman
(5:34); the raising of Jairus’s daughter (5:36); the exorcism
of the possessed boy (9:23-24); the healing of blind Bar-
timaeus (10:52). In these passages, individuals are either
rebuked for their lack of faith (the disciples during the
stilling of the storm in 4:40; cf. 9:19), encouraged to
believe in the power of Jesus to perform a miracle (Jairus
in 5:36; the father of the possessed boy in 9:23), or
rewarded for their faith with a successful healing (2:5;
5:34; 9:24-27; 10:52). Of these six references to faith, two
are usually classified by scholars as redactional, that is,
added to older traditions by the evangelist himself (2:5;
10:52) (Pryke: 153, 167).
The The evangelist also emphasized the theme of faith by
I’
. the arrangement of traditional materials, especially
when he placed the story of the hemorrhaging woman
vce in the midst of the account of the raising of Jairus’s
daughter (5:21-24, 35-43). An important issue in both
stories is the faith response of the people requiring a
miracle. The sick woman is commended for her faith:
’Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace,
and be healed of your disease&dquo; (5:34). The ruler of the
synagogue, Jairus, is encouraged by Jesus to have faith
even in the face of his daughter’s death: *Do not fear, only
believe&dquo; (5:36). By interlocking the two stories, the evan-
gelist has underlined the theme common to both stories:
the miraculous efhcacy of faith.
Jesus’ final, and lengthiest teaching on faith is the say-
ing on faith and prayer at the end of the similarly
interlocked episodes of the withering of the fig tree
( 11:12-14, 20-21 ) and the cleansing of the temple ( 11:15-
19). The point of this inclusio (pair of interlocked stories)
is that the &dquo;barren&dquo; temple will be destroyed just like the
fruitless fig tree. The addition of the teaching on faith
and prayer (11:22-24) at this point seems clumsy. Instead
of answering Peter observation that the fig tree has
withered with an explanation of the symbolism of the
barren temple and the withered tree (Telford: 95-107),
Jesus teaches the disciples:
Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to
this mountain, ’Be taken up and cast into the sea,&dquo; and
does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he
says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you
receive it [Greek: have received it], and you will.
This saying is surprisingly triumphant in a Gospel with
such an emphasis on suffering and renunciation (see
8:31; 9:31; 10:28-45; 13:9-13; 14:32-42, 53-65; 15:16-39).
The idea behind this saying may be that the prayers of
the disciples have the power to move the temple mount
(&dquo;this mountain’1, i.e., bring the world to the end proph-
esied by Zechariah (Zech 14:4, 8):
On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives
which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount
of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very
wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw
Ann Beavis, Ph.D. Cand. (Cambridge), President of
Mary
CollegeHouse in Cambridge, is a Canadian living at St.
Edmund’s House, Cambridge CB3 OBN England.
139
140
northward, and the other half southward.... On that day
living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them
to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea;
it shall continue in summer as in winter.
However, this teaching on faith and prayer, which
implies that faith has the power literally to move moun-
tains (Telford: 95-107), is a fitting climax to all of Mark’s
previous teaching on faith. Faith in Mark is never a
nebulous religious attitude to be cultivated by Jesus’
followers, but a mighty force for healing and for the
fulfillment of God’s will.
The audiences of the teachings on faith differ. Usually
Jesus teaches in public, in response to the faith of a
person in need of healing. The paralytic is healed because
of the faith of his friends (2:5); the hemorrhaging woman
and blind Bartimaeus are healed on account of their faith
(5:34; 10:52). The attitude of faith commended and
responded to by Jesus is also implied in other miracle
stories, e.g., the cleansing of the leper (1:40-45); the
exorcism of the Syro-Phoenician’s daughter (7:24-30). In
these stories, it is the common people, even the unclean
(1:40-45; 10:51) and Gentiles (7:24-30), who are rewarded
for their faith.
Unlike these lowly people, the characters whom Mark
portrays as having a special relationship with Jesus are
notable for their lack of faith (apistia). Jesus’ compatriots,
who have known him from his youth (6:2-3), question
his authority to teach, and so Jesus is unable to work
many mighty deeds in his homeland (6:5). Similarly, the
disciples are rebuked for their lack of faith (4:40; 9:19;
see also 6:45-52; 8:14-23), or exhorted to believe (9:22-44).
Ironically, those closest to Jesus, the disciples and his
compatriots (cf. 3:21), are faithless, while the handi-
capped, the possessed, the unclean, Gentiles, are healed
because of their faith. This contrast is most marked in
9:14-29, the story of the possessed boy. The disciples,
unable to heal the child, are rebuked by Jesus: &dquo;0 faithless
[apistos] generation, how long am I to be with you? How
long am I to bear with you?&dquo; (9:19). The boy’s father, in
contrast, is rewarded for his imperfect faith (’1 believe;
help my unbelief!&dquo; [9:24]) with a dramatic exorcism, for
&dquo;all things are possible to the one who believes&dquo; (9:23).
_
Faith, Discipleship, and Prayer
The relation between faith and discipleship is most
explicitly brought out in the story of the possessed boy
(9:14-29) and the teaching on faith and prayer (11:22-24).
In the former, the disciples are accused of faithlessness
because of their failure to heal the boy; in the latter, the
disciples are exhorted to put their faith in God (11:22),
the faith that can move mountains. In both stories, the
power of faith to accomplish the seemingly impossible
is stressed (9:23; 11:23), and both stories recommend
prayer as the proper expression of effectivekfaith (9:28-29;
11:24J. The emphasis on prayer in 9:28-29 is puzzling in
the light of 6:7, 13, which speak of Jesus granting the
disciples authority to cast out demons, and of the many
exorcisms which they performed. In the story of the com-
missioning of the disciples, faith is certainly involved
in that Jesus instructs them not to prepare for their
journey, but to rely on providence (6:8-11). However, in
the account of the ministry of the disciples, and in other
miracle stories, prayer is not mentioned; it is the faith
of the needy in Jesus that is important (see 2:5; 4:40; 5:34,
36; 10:52): &dquo;The inference is that Jesus healed and exor-
cized by his confidence in God’s power working through
him and this required a sympathetic and expectant
atmosphere in which that power could be released&dquo;
(Martin: 109). Where does prayer fit in?
It is perhaps significant that the only contexts in
which faith and prayer are associated are in passages
where Jesus is teaching the disciples. In Mark, Jesus is
often shown teaching the disciples privately, explaining
the meaning of his public words and deeds (e.g., 4:11-12;
7:14-23; 8:14-23J. After the disciples fail to exorcize the
deaf-mute boy, they ask Jesus privately why their
attempts to heal the boy failed; the teaching on faith and
prayer is also delivered to the disciples while they are
alone on the road with Jesus. Prayer is thus represented
as an indispensable part of the ministry of followers of
Jesus, but not of the lives of non-disciples. It should also
be noted that after the failed exorcism the disciples
approach Jesus for an explanation of their impotence.
The idea behind this scene may be that the disciples have
tried to cast out demons under their own power, rather
than relying on God, whom they must approach in
prayer. It is helpful to remember that here the evangelist
is not concerned only to recount the behavior of the
historical disciples, but to address the needs of his own
community, who prayed to and believed in both God and
the exalted Christ. The disciples, both the twelve and
the Marcan community, are also instructed to emulate
Jesus, who retreats to pray between miracles ( 1:35; 6:46).
_
Faith and the Reader
In the miracle stories, it is always the faith of the needy
in God’s power manifested in Jesus that facilitates their
healing (2:5; 4:40; 5:34, 36; 6:6; 10:52). The faith relation-
ships described in the text, and demanded of the disciple/l
reader can be diagrammed as in figure on the following
page. The reader/disciple is called both to emulate the
trust of the common people in Jesus’ power to perform
miracles, and to obey Jesus’ exhortations to the disciples
to faith and prayer. The audience is also exhorted to
depend on God/Jesus to whom &dquo;all things are possible&dquo;
(9:23; 10:27; 11:22, 24).
 141

Faith is not only the proper response of the disciple/
reader to God and the exalted Christ; it is also an
Christian in their
difficult, and sometimes
&dquo;disciples&dquo;
dangerous, (13:9). Faith, along with prayer, can
ministries
accomplish wonders. Early Christian missionaries, like
Jesus and the disciples, exorcized and healed; the mes-
sage of Mark for them is that the source of miraculous
power is their Lord, not themselves. Faith also has a
cognitive aspect; faith is the key to understanding the
turbulent events both of the Gospel and of the lives of
early Christians (ch. 13). In the midst of ’wars and rumors
of wars&dquo; (13:7), Christians are to hold fast to their con-
viction that Jesus is the Christ (13:21-22). The Marcan
church expected the Lord to return very soon (9:1). Mark
teaches them that by holding fast to their belief in the
Christ and his power, they will ensure that the son of
man acknowledges them on the last day (8:38):

important hermeneutical principle (aid to interpreta-
tion). Unbelief can both impede the disciple’s/Christian’s
ability to minister effectively, and it also prevents her
or him from grasping the true meaning of events. Thus
the disciples are warned not to believe in messianic
pretenders and false prophets, and the wonders which
they perform (13:23). It is in the extended block of apoc-
alyptic teaching in ch. 13 that the reader/audience is
explicitly addressed, along with the disciples (&dquo;let the
reader understand&dquo; [13:144]; cf. 13:37: &dquo;And what I say to
you I say to all’1. The ability to read events is crucial in
Mark’s estimation, and leads to several ironies. Jesus
berates the disciples for worrying about bread after the
two miracles of the loaves (8:14-21). Obviously, the
disciples &dquo;do not understand&dquo; (8:21). In a more sinister
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the son of
man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his
Father with the holy angels.
The high priest and false accusers of Jesus who hear Jesus’
confession that he is the Christ (14:61-62) but do not
believe it will meet with similar unrecognition when
they &dquo;see the son of man sitting at the right hand of
power, and coming with the clouds of heaven&dquo; (14:62).
Faith is the difference between seeing Jesus as an exe-
cuted criminal and messianic pretender, and experienc-
ing him as the exalted Christ, an ongoing source of
strength and ultimate vindication.
~

scene, the leaders of the Jews, represented by the chief

priests and the scribes, mock Jesus on the cross: ’Let the Source Material
Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross,
that we may see and believe.&dquo; These religious author- Best, Ernest
ities, who should know the scriptures and be sensitive 1981 Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of
to their fulfillment, show their lack of insight when they Mark. Sheffield: JSOT Press.
fail to believe that the scriptures are being fulfilled by Dewey, J.
1982 ’Point of View and the Disciples in Mark.’ Society
the very events which they are witnessing (cf. 14:49).
of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers. Chico:
Scholars. 97-106.
Faith and Fear Donahue, J. H.
1983 The Theology and Setting of Discipleship in
Mark. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press.
R. P. Martin has pointed out that faith has two oppo- Malbon, E. S.
sites in Mark: &dquo;unbelief&dquo; or &dquo;doubt&dquo; (6:6; 9:19; 11:23) and 1983 ’’Fallible Followers: Women and Men in Mark’s
f ear (4:40; 5:36) (Martin: 111 ). The first readers of Mark, Gospel." Semeia 23: 29-48.
like the disciples, belonged to a generation delivered up Martin, R. P.
to councils, beaten in synagogues, and taken before 1972 Mark: Evangelist and Theologian. Exeter: Pater-
noster.
governors and kings for the sake of Christ (13:9). Faith
in Jesus, who knew fear and sorrow, and who prayed for Pryke, E. J.
1978 Redactional Style in the Marcan Gospel.
deliverance from suffering and death (14:32-39) is the
Cambridge: The University Press.
remedy of fear (4:40; 5:36; cf. 6:51 ). Mark’s reader/audi- Robinson, J. M.
ence is invited not to fear, like the women who fled from The Problem
1982 of History in Mark and Other
the tomb (16:8) (Malbon: 45), but to look to the risen Marcan Studies. Philadelphia: Fortress.
Christ (16:6-7), and believe in his power to save them. Schweizer, E.
In Mark, faith is not an insubstantial spiritual attitude; 1978 "The Portrayal of the Life of Faith in the Gospel
it is reliance on God and the exalted Christ to aid early of Mark." Interpretation 32: 387-99.
142

Stock,A. Telford, R.
1982 Call to Discipleship: A Literary Study of Mark’s 1981 The Barren Temple and the Withered Tree.
Gospel. Wilmington: Michael Glazier. Sheffield: JSOT Press.
Tannehill, R. Wright, J. W.
1977 ’The Disciples in Mark: The Function of a 1985 And Then There Was One: A Search for the True
Narrative Role.’ Journal of Religion 57: 386-405. Disciple in the Gospel of Mark. Kansas City, MO:
Beacon Hill.