For convenience I have divided this book into ``episodes'' based
on the section titles in the American Standard Bible. Mark is thus divided
into 73 episodes. For each episode, I count the verses promoting or expressing
Thinker values (truth and justice considered more important than affirmation),
and the verses more closely aligned with Feeler values (affirmation most
important). Most of the text cannot easily be categorized in either way.
I arbitrarily counted all verses with any form of the word ``love'' for
the Feelers, regardless of the intent of the verse. Doing the same with
``true'' adds another 6 to the Thinkers, but I did not count them.
Slightly more than twice as many verses (44) promoted a Thinker value
as (20) promoted a Feeler value. You may disagree with my individual assessments,
but the preponderance is clear.
| Mark | T | F | ||
| 1:1 | Preaching of the Baptist, Baptism of Jesus | 1 | 1 | |
| This is mostly historical narrative, two quotes from the Old Testament prophets to introduce John the Baptist. His message of repentance in 1:4 is not affirming, but the Voice from Heaven in 1:11 clearly is. The rest of the text is hard to categorize as either Thinker or Feeler. | ||||
| 1:12 | Temptation of Jesus, He Preaches in Galilee | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus begins his ministry in 1:15 with the same message of repentance John preached. It's hard to assign Thinker/Feeler values to the Call of the first four disciples. | ||||
| 1:21 | Teaches in Capernaum | 1 | 0 | |
| In 1:25 Jesus is disaffirming to the evil spirit. One might infer an implicit affirmation of the man healed, but it's not in the text. | ||||
| 1:29 | Heals Simon's Wife's Mother | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing in this episode can be considered either affirming or disaffirming. | ||||
| 1:32 | Seeks Retirement | 0 | 0 | |
| Here in 1:35 we see a clear Introvert event, but nothing that could be readily categorized as Thinker or Feeler. In 1:38 Jesus says that preaching to the nearby towns is why he came, but that tells us nothing about whether it is to affirm them or give them uncomfortable truth (or both). | ||||
| 1:40 | Cleanses a Leper | 0 | 0 | |
| This episode expresses both true and affirming sentiments, but gives us no reason to value one over the other. | ||||
| 2:1 | Heals a Paralytic | 0 | 0 | |
| The forgiveness in this episode is both true and affirming, but gives us no reason to value one over the other. | ||||
| 2:13 | Calls Levi | 0 | 0 | |
| Jesus explains his purpose in 2:17 is to call sinners, not righteous, but it is to repentance, not unconditional affirmation. However, this is only implicit from his reference to being their doctor. | ||||
| 2:18 | Of Fasting | 0 | 0 | |
| Jesus affirms his disciples in their lack of fasting, but gives an explanation that makes it equally truthful. | ||||
| 2:23 | ``Lord of the Sabbath'' | 0 | 1 | |
| Jesus clearly affirms his disciples in their failure to observe the Sabbath, but his choice of proof-text effectively admits they are nonetheless in violation of the strict law. Thus Jesus definitely expresses a Feeler value. | ||||
| 3:1 | A Cure on the Sabbath | 0 | 1 | |
| Jesus affirms the man with the shriveled hand and asserts his own sovereignty over the Sabbath, implicitly expressing a Feeler value. The Pharisees were the uncaring Thinkers here. | ||||
| 3:13 | The Twelve Are Chosen | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 3:20 | Calumny of the Scribes Refuted | 1 | 0 | |
| There is no question here, the whole episode, especially 3:29, is completely disaffirming. | ||||
| 3:31 | Spiritual Kinship More Than Natural | 1 | 0 | |
| This episode disaffirms Jesus' own mother and immediate family members in favor of his followers there in the room with him. Truth trumps affirmation. | ||||
| 4:1 | The Sower, The Reason for Parables | 5 | 1 | |
| Explaining the parables, Jesus is rather disaffirming in 4:12,13. Although the disciples were priviledged to know the true explanation, Jesus was not very complimentary in saying so. In the parable itself, three of the four locations where the seed fell lost out on the benefits; only one produced a crop. Tough luck on the other three. | ||||
| 4:21 | Admonition to Hear | 2 | 0 | |
| The two parables here promote open disclosure (truth) and taking away from the losers (disaffirmation). | ||||
| 4:26 | The Secret Growth of the Seed, The Mustard Seed | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing in these two parables clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 4:35 | The Storm | 1 | 0 | |
| Although Jesus deals with the disciples' worries in an implicitly affirming manner, his subsequent commentary in 4:40 is definitely not affirming. | ||||
| 5:1 | The Gerasene Demoniac | 1 | 1 | |
| It is hard to categorize this episode as either affirming or disaffirming. God's mercy in 5:19 could be seen as affirming, but refusing the demoniac's request to come along could be seen as disaffirming. | ||||
| 5:21 | Jairus's Daughter, The Woman with An Issue of Blood | 0 | 0 | |
| It is hard to categorize anything in this extended episode as either affirming or disaffirming. Jesus healed the woman and raised the little girl, but compassion is not itself a Feeler value unless it is elevated in priority over some issue of truth or justice. That is not the case here. | ||||
| 6:1 | Jesus Teaches at Nazareth and Is Rejected | 0 | 0 | |
| The disaffirmation expressed here is by others against Jesus. That doesn't count as teaching applicable to us, except perhaps negatively. | ||||
| 6:7 | The Twelve Sent Forth | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 6:14 | Herod's Concern About Jesus, The Baptist Beheaded | 1 | 0 | |
| John the Baptist, as a prophet commissioned by God, disaffirms Herod with the truth about his immorality. Otherwise this is just historical. | ||||
| 6:30 | The Five Thousand Fed | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 6:45 | Jesus Walks on the Sea | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 7:1 | Ceremonial and Real Defilement | 6 | 0 | |
| Calling the Pharisees hypocrites in 7:6 is clearly disaffirming truth. This goes on for five verses. In 7:18 he even criticized the disciples. Nothing here is affirming. | ||||
| 7:24 | The Syrophoenician Woman | 1 | 0 | |
| The Feeler pastors have a problem explaining this episode, because Jesus is so clearly insulting the woman in 7:27. | ||||
| 7:31 | Cure of a Deaf-mute | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 8:1 | The Four Thousand Fed | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 8:11 | The Demand for a Sign | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus does not affirm the Pharisees in their request. | ||||
| 8:14 | The Leaven of the Pharisees | 1 | 0 | |
| While Jesus' criticism of the disciples' lack of understanding goes on for fives verses, I counted it only as a single disaffirmation. | ||||
| 8:22 | The Blind Man | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 8:27 | Confession of Peter | 3 | 0 | |
| Jesus asks for information -- perhaps even prompting Peter's affirming confession -- but this is not a Feeler/Thinker thing, just statements of fact. However, Jesus' rebuke of Peter in 8:33 is clearly disaffirming. The message of self-denial in 8:34-37, and Jesus' promise to be ``ashamed'' at the Second Coming in 8:38, are no better. | ||||
| 9:1 | The Transfiguration, The True Elijah | 0 | 1 | |
| The Voice from Heaven in 9:7 (like 1:11) is clearly affirming. | ||||
| 9:14 | Cure of the Epileptic Boy | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus criticized their lack of faith in 9:19. The rest merely reports what happened. | ||||
| 9:30 | The Passion Again Foretold, Dispute About Rank | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. Although 9:32 reports the disciples' lack of understanding, this is part of the narrative (part of the disciples' own self-analysis), and not an example of disaffirming criticism. | ||||
| 9:38 | The Unknown Wonder-worker | 4 | 1 | |
| The fellow casting out demons who was not part of Jesus entourage is implicitly affirmed by Jesus; I counted this, although Feeler values are normally expressed only to or in the presence of the object of affirmation. However, the subsequent explanation -- especially 9:42 and the three warnings in 9:43-47 -- is quite gruff. | ||||
| 10:1 | Question About Divorce | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus taught a very hard line about divorce. I suspect it may be even harder in our culture of serial polygamy. | ||||
| 10:13 | Jesus Blesses Little Children | 1 | 1 | |
| Jesus was very affirming of the little children, but not so polite to adults unwilling to become like them. | ||||
| 10:17 | The Peril of Riches | 2 | 3 | |
| Jesus was not very affirming of the rich man who called him ``good Teacher.'' Was this criticism necessary? A modern Feeler would probably say no, in any other context. Yet in 10:21 Jesus loved him -- and then gave him instructions Jesus surely knew he could not follow. When Peter claims to have done what the rich man was unwilling to do, Jesus affirms him in 10:29-30 for his good choice. | ||||
| 10:35 | The Request of the Sons of Zebedee | 2 | 0 | |
| Unlike Herod in 6:22, Jesus is careful not to make any promises before he hears their request. The Feeler response is to grant it, ``anything,'' as Herod promised. Jesus refused in 10:40. Instead he teaches them in 10:45 to serve rather than to seek positions of honor. | ||||
| 10:46 | Blind Bartimaeus Cured | 0 | 1 | |
| It isn't exactly an Thinker/Feeler thing when Jesus grants the request of Bartimaeus in 10:52, but the Feelers need all the help they can get. I counted it. | ||||
| 11:1 | The Triumphal Entry | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. The crowds are affirming Jesus, but not in contrast to truth or justice. | ||||
| 11:12 | The Fig Tree Cursed | 0 | 0 | |
| If the fig tree were a person, we would have to call this disaffirmational -- but it wasn't even the season for figs. I did not count it. | ||||
| 11:15 | The Cleansing of the Temple | 1 | 0 | |
| 11:17 is certainly disaffirming. | ||||
| 11:20 | The Power Of Faith | 0 | 0 | |
| Although the power of prayer Jesus offers the disciples here is awesome, it is contingent on their own faith; Feeler affirmation is unconditional. I therefore chose not to count this incident. | ||||
| 11:27 | The Authority of Jesus Questioned | 0 | 0 | |
| By refusing to answer them, Jesus is disaffirming the chief priests, but it isn't so much a Thinker issue as a clever way to evade their attack. | ||||
| 12:1 | The Parable of the Husbandmen | 1 | 1 | |
| The parable, we are told in 12:12, is certainly disaffirming, but it does mention in 12:6 that the owner loved his son. | ||||
| 12:13 | Captious Questions: Pay Tribute to Caesar? | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values, but Jesus again cleverly evades the Pharisees' attack. | ||||
| 12:18 | Is There a Resurrection? | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus tells the Sadducees in 12:24 that they are just plain wrong. | ||||
| 12:28 | The Greatest Commandment | 0 | 4 | |
| In 12:34 Jesus affirms the wise answer of the lawyer. I also counted each verse of commandment containing the word ``love'' despite that the meaning of ``love'' in this context is probably not a Feeler thing. | ||||
| 12:35 | The Question of Jesus | 0 | 0 | |
| This one is subtly disaffirming, but not enough to count it. | ||||
| 12:38 | The Widow's Mites | 0 | 1 | |
| Technically, Feeler affirmations need to be offered in the presence of the person being affirmed. It's doubtful that the widow could hear Jesus in 12:43, but let's count it anyway. | ||||
| 13:1 | The Destruction Of Jerusalem | 0 | 1 | |
| With such friends, who needs enemies? 13:11 promises the Holy Spirit in times of great trouble and distress. I wouldn't think of the trouble part as affirming, but I counted it anyway. | ||||
| 13:14 | The Messianic Coming | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values, it's just a prediction of future events and a warning against being unprepared. | ||||
| 14:1 | The Precious Ointments | 1 | 2 | |
| Jesus rebukes the complainers in 14:6, then goes on to praise (and affirm) the woman in the same verse and 14:9. | ||||
| 14:10 | The Bargain of Judas | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 14:17 | The Betrayal Predicted | 0 | 0 | |
| Since Jesus is cryptic and does not reveal who is the betrayer, this does not qualify as a Thinker disaffirmation. | ||||
| 14:22 | The Last Supper | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here clearly shows any preference for Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 14:27 | Peter's Denial Foretold | 1 | 1 | |
| Predicting Peter's denial in 14:30 is very disaffirming; Peter's response of fidelity in 14:31 is equally affirming (and untrue). I don't think we should take this as teaching us to do as Peter did, but I counted it anyway. | ||||
| 14:32 | Gethsemane | 1 | 0 | |
| Jesus disaffirms the disciples in 14:37, and again in 14:41 (nothing is reported of what Jesus said the second time, 14:40). I considered only the first rebuke worthy of counting. | ||||
| 14:43 | The Betrayal | 0 | 0 | |
| I did not consider any of the events in this episode particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| 14:53 | The Trial Before the Sanhedrin | 0 | 0 | |
| The Sanhedrin and the guards are disaffirming Jesus, but that doesn't count. | ||||
| 14:66 | Peter's Denial | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. Peter is just trying to save his skin at the expense of truth. | ||||
| 15:1 | Jesus Before Pilate | 0 | 0 | |
| Jesus carefully avoided both confrontation (Thinker) and affirmation (Feeler). | ||||
| 15:6 | Not Jesus, But Barabbas | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here teaches Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 15:16 | The Mockery | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here teaches Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 15:22 | The Crucifixion | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here teaches Thinker or Feeler values. | ||||
| 15:33 | The Death of Jesus | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| 15:42 | The Entombment | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| 16:1 | The Empty Tomb | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| 16:9 | The Risen One Appears to Mary Magdalene, To The Two, To The Eleven | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| 16:19 | Is Received Up Into Heaven | 0 | 0 | |
| Nothing here is particularly relevant to a Thinker/Feeler distinction. | ||||
| Totals | 44 | 20 |
This same analysis in Romans
Discussion in The God of Truth
The God of Truth ToC