David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight. (Mark 12:37)
The large crowd agreed to all the teachings of Jesus. The meaning ‘listened to him with delight’ is to agree with. Not only in this paragraph but also in the previous paragraph (Mark 12:34) ‘no one dared ask him any more questions’. When the crowd heard Jesus’ teaching about Caesar’s tax they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:17)
During the public life of Jesus, the crowds sometimes fervently supported him and sometimes they withdrew support. However, their response to Jesus was generally amicable. Then they turned their back to Jesus in hostility when Jesus was tried. It signifies that there was no constancy in their response.
This is the very nature of the audience, crowd or the public. They sensitively respond to something which will give them some profit. Populism is echoing to such public psychology. I am not saying that the public is always opportunistic and incited but they are quite vulnerable to the enticement of political and religious leaders.
Jesus was far from such populism. It was quite natural. He absolutely depended on the kingdom of God. At this point we, cannot agree with some people’s contention that the public and the kingdom of God are one. Though the kingdom of God can have the similar character of the public liberation, but in reality, public liberation cannot be made equal with the kingdom of God.
Let us come back to the content again. The response of the crowd that the author of the gospel describes is not an objectified one. The crowd was not the representative of the entire Israel or the people of Jerusalem. The concern of the authors was not the crowd but Jesus. The central point of their concern was the teachings of Jesus and the work was to proclaim the gospel to the people.
The large crowd agreed to all the teachings of Jesus. The meaning ‘listened to him with delight’ is to agree with. Not only in this paragraph but also in the previous paragraph (Mark 12:34) ‘no one dared ask him any more questions’. When the crowd heard Jesus’ teaching about Caesar’s tax they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:17)
During the public life of Jesus, the crowds sometimes fervently supported him and sometimes they withdrew support. However, their response to Jesus was generally amicable. Then they turned their back to Jesus in hostility when Jesus was tried. It signifies that there was no constancy in their response.
This is the very nature of the audience, crowd or the public. They sensitively respond to something which will give them some profit. Populism is echoing to such public psychology. I am not saying that the public is always opportunistic and incited but they are quite vulnerable to the enticement of political and religious leaders.
Jesus was far from such populism. It was quite natural. He absolutely depended on the kingdom of God. At this point we, cannot agree with some people’s contention that the public and the kingdom of God are one. Though the kingdom of God can have the similar character of the public liberation, but in reality, public liberation cannot be made equal with the kingdom of God.
Let us come back to the content again. The response of the crowd that the author of the gospel describes is not an objectified one. The crowd was not the representative of the entire Israel or the people of Jerusalem. The concern of the authors was not the crowd but Jesus. The central point of their concern was the teachings of Jesus and the work was to proclaim the gospel to the people.
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