Walking Trees? Is this Mark’s Gospel or Tolkien?
At the very heart of Mark’s Gospel both structurally and theologically are two events that take place in 8:22-30. Each one includes the messianic secret theme (for more on the messianic secret read my post here) and together they act as the hinge upon which the entire message of Mark turns. Up to this point in the Gospel, Mark has focused primarily on Yeshua’s interactions with the crowds through a “twofold sequence of feeding miracles, sea crossings, conflicts with the Pharisees, conversations about bread, [and] healings.”[1] Beyond this portion Mark begins to zero in on Yeshua’s interactions with his disciples and his impending sacrifice.[2]