(Bellini's famous painting of the Tranfiguration which portrays the difference between the figures in the middle and the reaction of the disciples).
The Gospel of Mark is known for its strange, mysterious short ending. Chapter 16 ends with “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”
But this is not the only reference to perplexity, awe and fear in Mark’s gospel. Mark coninually portrays Christ as the mystery, the mysterium tremendum et fascinosum.
At the transfiguration, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah,” followed by the remark in Mark 9:6, “He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.” Fear and amazement about the mysterious, awesome events in the life of Christ. And in Mark 6:51, after Jesus wakes up and stills the storm, there is a similar remark, “Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.”
Mark as Gospel consistently portrays Jesus as the Mystery – the One whom his disciples thought they understood, but who in fact failed to fathom Him.
After having been with Jesus for a long time, having learnt to follow and love him, Peter responded so correctly to Jesus’ question: “Your are the Christ” (Mk 8:27). This is a wonderful confession of faith. Nothing wrong with that. Any believer would be right in repeating that today. And Jesus was quite happy with his answer.
Then, just a short while later Jesus, in a mysterious twist, explains to Peter what this means, what it is to be the Christ, the divine Messiah. Peter, angry and upset, refuses to accept this. He knows, he has this firm conviction, the knowledge. He can explain God’s ways.
But, Christ chases him away: “Go away, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
No wonder they feared. Had Peter but then remembered their awe after the stilling of the storm. How he tried to build a hut for what cannot be contained in human dwellings. Had Peter but remembered how his Master lead them on new roads, along new avenues, teaching them new things, reshaping and rejecting the old traditions.
Karl Rahner once said: “I must confess to you in all honesty that for me God is and has always been absolute mystery. I do not understand what God is; no one can. We have intimations, inklings; we make faltering, inadequate attempts to put mystery into words. But there is no word for it, no sentence for it."
When we understand and experience that the divine mystery transcends all our words, our language, we become, in awe and expectation, humble, aware that God is always busy doing new things. When we visit a grave, think that this is the end of the road, God unnerves us, shows us how power breaks evil, overcomes darkness and changes a world on which we have given up. We are ready for miracles. It brings us close to God, aware that our spiritual journey is an adventure, a dangerous adventure, an adventure during which a Spirit is given to us so that we speak tongues we were not aware of and do deeds we only dreamt of.
Who can understand the way of God?
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