An argumentative holy hero promotes the Jesus-cult
Many religions insist that their spiritual truths derive from divine inspiration. Christianity especially. The Bible is revered, indeed worshipped, because of its supposed origin. In many churches, a splendid copy of the Bible is on the altar, to remind the devout that cherishing, venerating it is the right thing to do.
Hence it is difficult for the laity to grasp that, for the gospels especially, none of the words and deeds of Jesus can be verified. The gospel authors didn’t identify their sources, never reveal from whence their supposed information about Jesus came. Since they were written decades after the death of Jesus—Mark being the first, some forty years later—careful, critical readers should be suspicious, indeed skeptical. Whoever reads the gospel of Mark several times can see that the author based the story on theology-inflamed imagination: he was not a historian. The lack of cited sources is a dead giveaway. The author of this gospel was focused on defending and promoting the Jesus-cult.
There are seven episodes in chapter 12—let’s take a look at them.
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants, vv. 1-12
The author of this gospel was addressing the cult that was well aware that its holy hero had died for their sins—killed by Roman authorities—and then resurrected. So this parable tells a similar story: tenants who leased a vineyard refused to pay the owner his share of the profits, beating up and even killing those whom the owner had sent to collect. Finally he sent his “beloved son” to collect. He was killed and thrown out of the vineyard. Then we read this Jesus-script: “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” (v. 9) Do devout folks today grasp that this level of divine anger doesn’t fit well with their belief in a loving god?
Then we find a quote from Psalm 118:10-11: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.”
This seems to be a veiled promise that the Roman authorities will pay for their crime, and the cult members should see it as “amazing.” This is a good example of gospel authors scouring the Old Testament for texts they could argue applied to their own holy hero. But there is no hint whatever in the old psalm that its ancient author had in mind someone named Jesus, who would pop up centuries later.
Paying Taxes Is Okay, vv. 13-17
There has been some speculation that the gospel of Mark was written in Rome, and this text might seem to fit with that idea. The Jesus-script here indicates that he approved of paying taxes to Caesar. When he is shown a coin with Caesar’s image on it, he proclaims, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (v.17). But the author of the gospel was far removed from the realities of life when Jesus preached several decades earlier. Richard Carrier, in his 2024 article, All the Fantastical Things in the Gospel According to Mark, has pointed out the mistake here:
“…Jesus is depicted pithily answering a question about paying the Romans taxes, but the scene depends on those taxes being paid with the Roman denarius (which has the emperor’s visage upon it). In Judea, that was not the case. Taxes there were paid with special faceless coins minted for compliance with the Jewish law against icons.”
No doubt the author wanted to depict the Jesus-cult in a favorable light.
What’s It Like in the Resurrection? vv. 18-27
Religion specializes in guessing about things it knows nothing about, and here Mark wanders into creepy mumbo-jumbo. The Sadducees present to Jesus the case of a man who died childless. The law required the deceased man’s brother should marry his widow, to produce a child. In fact there were seven brothers who died childless—then the woman died. The Sadducees wonder whose wife she will be in the resurrection. The Jesus-script in response is a leap into make-believe: “When people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (v. 25). How would anyone—anyone! —know such things? Hundreds of holy heroes, through hundreds of years of human history, have made extraordinary claims. There is even more confusion here, with this Jesus-script: “He is God not of the dead but of the living…” (v. 27) So when people die, they’re off god’s radar screen? Or was this meant to convey the idea that in the resurrection, the once-dead are living again in god’s presence? But in reality, no religion, no holy hero knows anything about such things. It’s all mumbo-jumbo and make-believe.
The First and Greatest Commandment, vv. 28-34
Here we move into the blunt demands of the cult. Jesus is asked which commandment comes first, to which he responds: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (v. 30)…and by the way, “You should love your neighbor as yourself.” (v. 31).
In other words—taking verse 30 seriously—god must be the whole, primary focus of Jesus-cult members. We have to wonder: How many of the Christian faithful, in our modern world, can measure up to this standard? Even the most devout church members have families, children, careers, hobbies and sports they’re passionate about. They want houses, cars, dazzling modern appliances—and plenty of food on their tables. They cannot possibly claim that they love god at the extreme level that this text demands: all, all, all, all (heart, soul, mind, strength). Please face it: Verse 30 is an example of cult fanaticism.
Can the Messiah Be David’s Son? vv. 35-37
Here we have an excerpt from Psalm 110:1, supposedly a quote from King David: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” (v. 36) According to this Jesus-script, these words were inspired by the Holy Spirit, so the conclusion must be: “David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” (v. 37) At the opening of Mark’s gospel there is no reference to Jesus’ origins or his genealogy. But Matthew and Luke add the virgin birth, and include genealogies tracing Jesus’ ancestors back to King David. Both these later authors made big goofs, however: why provide genealogies (the one in Luke differs from the one in Matthew) if Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ real father? These authors maintain that Mary had become pregnant by the holy spirit. There is far too much confusion here! When authors create stories out of their imaginations, this is hardly a surprise.
Jesus Slams Religious Leaders Who Strut their Stuff, vv. 38-40
This is my favorite Jesus-script in chapter 12: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces…” (v. 38) This brings to mind the famous text in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, 6:25-33, in which—among other things—Jesus urges people not to focus on what to wear. It’s been the practice of many varieties of clergy to adopt elaborate costumes, the
The Widow and Her Two Copper Coins, vv. 41-44
In these final verses of chapter 12, we find Jesus-script about people putting money in the temple treasury. Wealthy folks made big contributions, and a “poor widow” put in two copper coins. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (vv. 43-44)
The widow in extreme poverty is praised for giving up “all she had to live on.” Hence this would seem to be yet another example of cult expectations. That is, the cult demands undivided loyalty of its members, especially when it comes to money. This brings to mind the story of Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5:1-11, the couple who didn’t give all the money to Peter from the sale of property—and dropped dead as a result. It would seem the poor widow at the end of Mark 12 has been considered an example of virtue—but virtue only in the context of an ancient cult that expected a “full measure of devotion.” Today, people in extreme poverty who give way what little money they have to a cult would be scolded, not praised.
David Madison was a pastor in the Methodist Church for nine years, and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston University. He is the author of Ten Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: a Minister-Turned-Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith, now being reissued in several volumes:
· Guessing About God (2023),
· Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn’t Taught: And Other Reasons to Question His Words (2021). The Spanish translation of this book is also available.
· Everything You Need to Know About Prayer But May Not Want to Admit (2025)
His YouTube channel is here. At the invitation of John Loftus, he has written for the Debunking Christianity Blog since 2016.
The Cure-for-Christianity Library©, now with more than 500 titles, is here. A brief video explanation of the Library is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment