Title PageThe Basic IssuesMinor Characters in MarkStage One: Minor Characters as SuppliantsStage Two: Minor Characters as Positive ExamplesStage Three: Minor Characters as Negative ExamplesConclusionEndBibliotheca Sacra 153 (July-September, 1996) 332-43. Copyright © 1996 by Dallas Theological Seminary. Cited with permission. DISCIPLESHIP AND MINOR CHARACTERS IN MARK'S GOSPEL Joel F. Williams How should an interpreter approach the study of dis- cipleship in the Gospel of Mark?1 For the most part, recent studies on the topic have focused on Mark's portrayal of the disciples along with Jesus' teaching to His disciples. In discussing past re- search on this subject, Malbon states, "Discipleship—that is, fol- lowing Jesus—has been recognized as a central theme or motif in the Gospel of Mark. Understandably enough, the portrayal of the disciples in Mark has often been the focus of scholarly investiga- tion of the theme of discipleship."2 Malbon points out that past scholarly investigations are inadequate because "what Mark has to say about discipleship is understood in reference not only to the disciples but also to other Markan characters who meet the de- mands of following Jesus."3 In other words the study of disciple- ship in Mark's Gospel is broader than a study of the disciples. In addition to Mark's portrayal of the disciples he included a number of so-called "minor characters" who followed Jesus and lived in accord with His teaching. An examination of these mi- nor characters is important for an understanding of Mark's view of discipleship, that is, his perspective on what is involved in fol- Joel F. Williams is Assistant Professor of Bible, Columbia International Univer- sity, Columbia, South Carolina. 1 This article is a summary of certain theological aspects of the author's disser- tation, which has been published as Other Followers of Jesus: Minor Characters as Major Figures in Mark's Gospel, JSNT Supplement Series 102 (Sheffield: JSOT, 1994). 2 Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, "Fallible Followers: Women and Men in the Gospel of Mark," Semeia 28 (1983): 29. 3 Ibid., 30.Discipleship and Minor Characters in Mark's Gospel 333 lowing Jesus and living up to His demands and ideals.4 The main character groups in Mark's Gospel are the disci- ples, the opponents of Jesus, and the crowd.5 In addition to these groups, a number of individual characters are included in Mark's narrative. Some of them, such as Andrew or Peter, are disciples, while others, such as the high priest or Pilate, oppose Je- sus. Also a number of minor characters function neither as Je- sus' disciples nor as His opponents. Instead, these individuals come from the crowd, in the sense that they belong to the general population, to the group of people outside of Jesus' disciples or op- ponents. They were not specifically called and commissioned to be Jesus' disciples, and they did not align themselves with the re- ligious and political establishments that opposed Jesus and sought to destroy Him. These minor characters from the crowd appear in the narrative when they meet with Jesus, and after their en- counter with Him, they generally disappear from the narrative. Some, such as the leper, come to Jesus for help, while others, such as the poor widow, exemplify the teaching of Jesus. Mark's Gospel includes twenty-two passages that present these minor characters from the crowd and their response to Jesus. What would Mark's view of discipleship look like if his presentation of minor charac- ters were included in a study of this theme? BASIC ISSUES Certain principles help guide this study. The first is that Mark's Gospel is a narrative, that is, a narration of a series of events. The Gospel of Mark is a historical narrative, but it is a narrative nonetheless.6 This observation may seem obvious, but 4 For other studies of the minor characters in Mark see Robert C. Tannehill, "The Gospel of Mark as Narrative Christology," Semeia 16 (1979): 62-68; David Rhoads and Donald Michie, Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982), 129-34; Jack Dean Kingsbury, Conflict in Mark: Jesus, Authorities, Disciples (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989), 24-27; and Eliz- abeth Struthers Malbon, "The Major Importance of the Minor Characters in Mark," in The New Literary Criticism and the New Testament, ed. Edgar V. McKnight and Elizabeth Struthers Malbon (Valley Forge, PA: Trinity, 1994), 58-86. 5 On the validity of referring to people in biblical narratives as characters, see Tremper Longman III, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation, Founda- tions of Contemporary Interpretation 3 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), 88; and R. Alan Culpepper, Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel: A Study in Literary Design, Foun- dations and Facets: New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983), 105-6. 6 For arguments showing that Mark's Gospel presents a coherent narrative, see Norman R. Petersen, Literary Criticism for New Testament Critics, Guides to Bib- lical Scholarship (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978), 49-80; and idem, "`Point of View' in Mark's Narrative," Semeia 12 (1978): 97-121. Hans W. Frei also argues for the need to understand the Gospels as realistic narrative (The Eclipse of Biblical Narra- tive: A Study of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Hermeneutics [New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1974]; The Identity of Jesus Christ: The Hermeneutical334 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / July–September 1996 it has important implications, especially for Gospel research, which has often neglected the story elements of the Gospels. In the past several decades New Testament studies have emphasized the theological message of the Gospel writers and the significance of this message for the Gospel writer's community. In such studies the theological concepts of the Gospel are often extracted from the text with little concern for how these concepts fit with the narrative features of the Gospel and the unfolding plot of the story. However, the Gospels are not theological treatises but narratives, and they are best understood when they are treated as such.7 This is true even in an analysis of the theological theme of discipleship, since Mark uses narrative features such as plot and characterization to display his perspective on following Jesus. This