The issue of Jesus or Issa and his followers is of much importance in both Islam and Christianity. There are however differences which arise in terms of beliefs about the nature and the occurrences of Jesus and his followers in the two faiths. This comes out clearly with a comparison between the Gospel according to Mark and the Qur’an views on Jesus and his followers.
Both the Qur’an and Gospel of Mark agree that Jesus Christ was unique and was born of Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel of Mark Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin through the Holy Spirit. There is also agreement that Jesus performed miracles during his ministry. The Qur’an holds that Jesus performed the miracles on behalf of Allah. Mark describes Jesus’ ministry of teaching, healing and chasing out of demons, but at the same time he faces strong resistance from the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is portrayed by regular achievements and movement from one city to another, giving the idea that he is hurrying about and wishes to accomplish a certain task. He travels and moves time after time from town to town (Ivanovna, para.3). The Qur’an also points out that Issa confronted opposition from the Israelites in the carrying out of his ministry. The coming back of Jesus is also a point of agreement in both books where it is stated that Jesus will come back at some point. Mark hold that Jesus will come back for the final judgment where the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked doomed for eternity. The Qur’an also agrees that Allah will make Jesus descend again.
Differences in the views of the two books are clear on several issues. One of the issues where difference is present is whether Jesus is a son of God. Mark’s Gospel holds that apart from Jesus being a unique prophet, he was the son of God while the Qur’an holds that Issa was a prophet just like the others. Difference also is evident over the issue of trinity and divinity. The Mark Gospel stresses the divinity of Trinity -The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It stresses the place of Jesus in the trinity as the Son of God. The Qur’an believes that Allah has no associates in His Divinity (Islamic information & Products, no. 6). Another difference of opinion is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Mark, Jesus was crucified and resurrected on the third day while the Qur’an states that Issa was neither killed nor crucified. It goes further to state that some of the Israelites rejected Jesus, and plotted to kill him but Allah rescued Jesus and took him to heaven (Islamic information & Products, no.8). The issue of Jesus’ disciples is prominent in the Gospel of Mark while the Qur’an rarely mentions the disciples. Mark narrates how Jesus selected his twelve disciples and the role of the disciples in Jesus ministry while the Qur’an is almost silent on this issue.
From the discussion it is clear that according to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is the main character while in the Qur’an the Allah and Muhammad are the prominent characters with the place of Jesus and his followers being not as outstanding as it is the case with the Gospel of Mark.
Works Cited
Islamic information & Products. “The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison”. (2009). Web.
Katerina Ivanovna. “Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.”(2007). Web.