Uncovering the Markan Allegory II

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If we read more into Mark, specifically the beginning of Jesus' ministry, we can see that Mark is still referencing parts of the OT that speak of punishment and destruction.

Mark 1:16-20

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16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you fish for people.' 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

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The only place in the OT where it speaks of people 'fishing' for others is in Jeremiah 16:16 but I'll quote it from just before that so we can get some context:

Jeremiah 16:10-18

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10 "When you tell these people all this and they ask you, 'Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?' 11 then say to them, 'It is because your fathers forsook me,' declares the LORD, 'and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.'

14 "However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when men will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' 15 but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.

16 "But now I will send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18 I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols."

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Clearly this reference makes sense if one has to live through the aftermath of a war, just like the Jews did when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. Note how the character of Jesus is strongly bound through allegory to the tragedies that happened. The start of his 'ministry' parallel what YHWH did to punish the Jews beforehand.

This is actually perfectly in line with our initial understanding of Mark (Uncovering the Markan Allegory) which shows us J.t.B. is analogous to Elijah, which gives us an understanding of the role of Jesus; " I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes." (Malachi 4:5). Terrible the day was indeed, when YHWH destroyed Jerusalem according to Mark.