MARK'S GOSPEL IN

ONE SESSION

[7 pages when printed]

It is very useful to have an over-all understanding of at least one NT book and Mark’s Gospel is a prime candidate. It is the shortest of the Gospels and is written in a dynamic and vivid style. It also has quite a very helpful structure that assists us in our task of both understanding and remembering what it is about, and how Mark portrays Christ and His mission. 

On the Leadership Training page it is recommended that a leadership (ministry) course for lay people should include one session on Mark’s Gospel. This article could form the basis of that session. Parts of it (eg the introduction) could form a handout for reading prior to the session, together with reading sections of the whole book: other parts could be used as on-the-spot studies. (It is not recommended that the whole of the Book should be read before the study session as this will deny the readers the benefit of understanding the structure and therefore of seeing the emerging point of it.) 

1. Introduction

Mark is almost certainly the John Mark mentioned in Acts 12:12 and 25. The fact that, at least on this occasion in v.12, the house of John Mark’s mother was being used as a meeting place for prayer during Peter’s imprisonment, may have got him involved in the mission of the early Apostles. This is confirmed in v.25 where we are told that Barnabas and Saul took Mark with them. Mark was the cause of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas - see Acts 15:37,39. However, he was with Paul in Rome (Col. 4:10, Philemon 24): he is sent for by Paul in 2 Tim.4:11: and is referred to as ‘my son’ (presumably meaning ‘in the faith’) by Peter in 1 Peter 5:13.

This association with Peter may have led to the usually accepted view that Peter was the source of the information that Mark wrote in his Gospel. Eusebius who was an early church historian quoted the writings of Papias, bishop of Hierapolis c.140 AD, who himself quoted one of his Elders …. 
                    ‘This also the Elder said : Mark who became Peter’s interpreter, wrote accurately, though not in order, all that he remembered of the things said or done by the Lord. For he had neither heard the Lord nor been one of His followers, but afterwards, as I said, he had followed Peter, who used to compose his discourses with a view to the needs (of his hearers), but not as if he were composing a systematic account of the Lord’s sayings. So Mark did nothing blameworthy in thus writing some things just as he remembered them; for he was careful of this one thing, to omit none of the things he had heard and to make no untrue statement therein.’ *

This is a very important piece of evidence and reveals something of Mark’s approach to his account, signifying features we shall see emerge from the text.

Irenaeus, after referring to Mark as having been written ‘when Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the church there’ goes on to say ’ after their departure Mark, Peter’s disciple, has himself delivered to us in writing the substance of Peter’s preaching.’ *

[* Source: The IVF New Bible Dictionary; article on Mark’s Gospel]

2. The Over-all Structure of Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s Gospel ‘pivots’ around chapter 8 and particularly 8:29 (please look this up). This is Peter’s assertion that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah). Up to this point Mark’s intention had been to demonstrate without doubt that Jesus is indeed the Christ. 

(Chapter 8 is very carefully crafted and we shall examine it below.)

Beyond 8:29 Mark concentrates on Jesus’ teaching that He, as the Christ, must suffer - the feature of His Messiahship that, of course, the Jews found most difficult to swallow. The send half of the Gospel also depict the growing opposition to Jesus.

Mark begins in 1:1 with the assertion he then sets out to prove, namely ‘The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ Close to the end of his gospel, in 15:39 he records the words of the Roman centurion overseeing the crucifixion ’Surely this man was the Son of God!’ (the alternative reading ‘a’ Son of God makes no material difference to the point being made).

Some things to watch out for are: 
    (a) Mark’s tendency to recount events in threes. See 2:18ff and 4:35ff
    (b) Saying things three times to emphasise them, see 7:15b,20, 23 - it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.
    (c) Mark often interleaves one story with another eg 5:21-34 the stories of the sick woman and   the dead girl: 11:11-21 the stories of the judgement of the temple and the withering fig tree. These indicate comparisons and cross-interpretations: properly understood one event interprets the other.
    (d) He has themes:
    (1) Why Jesus came: for example 1:38 (to preach), 2:17 (to call sinners), 7:14 (to give understanding), 8:31 /9:31/ 10:33,34 (to suffer and die before rising again), 10:45 (to serve and to ransom).
    (2) Who Jesus is: for example 1:22 (One who speaks with authority), 2:7 (he is God), 4:41 (One with power over nature), 8:29 (the Christ), 15:39 ((Son of God).
    (3) How people responded: for example 1:27 (What is this? a new teaching?), 3:6   (Pharisee’s opposition), 6:52 hardened hearts), 12:12 (wanting to arrest him), 14:50 (everyone deserted him).


    (e) Mark’s use of the Old Testament. 

In his Gospel Mark is constantly asking us to answer the questions Who is Jesus? What has he come to do? and What does it mean to follow him? 

[If this material is used for a session of a training course, the time available must be carefully allocated so as to give adequate time to summarising what people have discovered about the message of each half of the Gospel, and to a full study of chapter 8, in addition to any other aspect you wish to highlight]

[At this point I want to acknowledge the help of a course entitled ‘Read, Mark, Learn’ published by St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, in the City of London. This course examines the Gospel of Mark in a series of group studies and forms the basis of evangelistic courses on Christian basics eg ‘Christianity Explained’ and ‘Christianity Explored’ - the latter developed by All Soul’s Church, Langham Place, London, being the most recent with printed or video talks and discussion books. It is highly recommended.]

Let’s now go into further detail about he messages of the two halves of the Gospel.

3. Mark 1:1 to 8:29 - Teaching that Jesus is the Christ 

The Gospel opens with John the Baptist - in essence the last of the OT prophets - linking back to words in Isaiah - announcing that 1:7 ……. Notice that after v.8, without the disruption of the (uninspired) subtitle and references, Mark moves straight in with ‘At that time Jesus came …’ Of course, this ‘came’ is far more than simply ‘he came onto the scene’. If you like, it is Mark’s summary of the entire birth and growing-up record found in the other Gospels. But more than that, it bears the full meaning of ‘he came from heaven’ - see 1:38b for the same inference.

Jesus’ baptism - an act of identification with the sinners he had come to save - is marked by a very significant statement from God - see v.11. This statement combines two quotations; one from Psalm 2 (a royal psalm) implying that Jesus is King, and Is.42:1 implying Jesus is the ‘servant’.

Mark then gives only two verses to Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, emphasising the struggle but not mentioning his victory. Perhaps Mark feels that his Gospel will more than adequately portray that? For a short exercise in exploring the meaning of Christ’s temptation, in another Gospel account, see Part 1 on The Bible Gym page.

Jesus came proclaiming (v.15) ‘The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.’ Why Jesus precisely speaks of the Kingdom rather than of his coming sacrificial death, which at first seems a bit of a puzzle, is explained by the Bible Overview on the web page of that name. The kingdom is where God reigns: Jesus is going to open the door so that individuals can enter that kingdom through repentance and faith. In saying that it is ‘near’ Jesus is in effect saying ‘now I am here!’

The significance of the next few verses, the calling of the first disciples, is of course that they are going to be the all-important witnesses, Peter being one of them.

From now on Mark’s presentation of the evidence for who Jesus is comes thick and fast. Trace the ways in which Mark establishes his case ….
        1:21         Preaching in Capernaum - his teaching authority
        1:31         Curing Peter’s mother in law - authority over sickness
        1:34, 39   Driving out demons - authority of them
        1:40         Curing the leper, an outcast - authority over separating sickness 
        2:1            Curing the paralytic - authority to forgive sins
        2:13         Calling Levi, an outcast from society - authority to call people to serve him
        2:17         Calling sinners - authority over rebels against God
        2:20         Identified with the bridegroom - OT reference to the Messiah
        2:23         Discourse about the Sabbath - he is Lord of it, ie God
        3:1            Healing on the Sabbath - power and authority, not rule-bound
        3:11         Witness of the demons - ‘You are the Son of God’
        4:35         Calming the storm - authority over nature (so trust him)
        5:1            Healing the demon-possessed man, an outcast - power over evil
        5:25         Healing of sick woman - power over long-term illness
        5:36         Raising of dead girl - source of life
        6:39         Feeding the five thousand - Jesus the creator (so listen to him)
        6:45ff       Jesus walks on water - Jesus the creator again (so trust him)
        7:24ff       Curing a gentile’s daughter - casting out a demon, at a distance 
        8:1            Feeding four thousand - Jesus the creator (what has he come to do?)

[In a training course people could be asked in preparation to identify these actions and decide what they add up to] 

But note that back in 1:38 Jesus insists that it is for the priority of preaching (teaching) that he has come. He is a messenger from God. He is the ‘Word’.

But note also that despite the good he is doing, Jesus is not welcomed by all. - see 2:6,7 (reasonable questioning?); 2:16, 2:24 (more menacing). You might think that all the questioning so far was unremarkable, but see what comes next - 3:6 ‘how they might kill him’! It hasn’t taken long for the opposition to become really nasty. Then 3:22, onto 6:5,6 (no acceptance of him in his own town). The death of John the Baptist, although not directed at Jesus, is a major part of the growing opposition to the Kingdom. In rejecting John and his message, Old Israel has demonstrated its flagrant unbelief: Israel is fatally unrepentant. But there is much more to come after chapter 8.

Of course, amidst all these actions there is considerable teaching: 2:17b ‘I have not come to call the righteous [those who think they are OK] but sinners [those who know they are not OK].’ : 2:27, 3:4, 3:23ff, 3:35, 4:1-34, 4:40, 7:1-23, 8:17-21. [In a training course you might like to ask people to identify and summarise this teaching].

In the first eight chapters there is a theme (some call it a ‘melodic line’) as follows:

1:1                     The good news about Jesus Christ the Son of God
1:14,15             The King comes preaching - repent and believe
1:38                   The priority of the authoritative King is to preach
3:16, 13-19       As Old Israel rejects him, the King begins to call the New Israel
4:20                   The word of the King is powerful
4:35 -5:43         Trust the King in the storm, in the midst of evil, in death
7:1-23          Everyone needs saving from the sin of the heart: religion isn’t the answer
8:29                    Jesus is the Messiah

                                                                                                ('Read, Mark, Learn' leader's notes)


4. Mark Chapter 8 - The Hinge of the Gospel

The real core of this chapter is verses 27-30 with v.29 as the 'heart' of the core. But the surrounding passages throw considerable light on what is going on and extend its import.

The feeding of the 4,000 and Jesus’ exasperated words in v.12 and the following discourse in vs.17-21 form an important backdrop to what is about to happen. The problem with the religion of the Pharisees is that it is dead. Dead in tradition, regulation and ceremony - there is no spiritual life in it. (When there is no life, men will always fall back on ceremony) That is ‘the yeast of the Pharisees’ Jesus tells his disciples in v.15 to watch out for. They do not yet understand who he is and how he has come to break into all this deadness with a new life and a new message (although it is not ‘new’, it is what God has been revealing all along). Before the Exodus the Israelites had to clear their homes of yeast - it therefore represents the state of not being redeemed. Jeremiah accused the Israelites of being blind and deaf (Jer.5:21) - hence the importance of Jesus helping the blind to see (coming in vs.22-26) and the deaf to hear (back in 7:31-35). His second exasperated response in v.21 is really ‘Do you still not understand … who I am - and what I have come to do?’ Note the reference in 6:52 when Mark comments that the disciples were afraid because ‘they had not understood about the loaves’. Interesting isn’t it?

Then Mark tells us a remarkable story about a blind man who is healed in two stages. Now ‘seeing’ and ‘believing’ are vital parallels in the Gospels. To ‘see’ is to understand and believe. So the man ‘understands’ in more that one stage. Even the first stage is exciting - the Greek of v.24 is exciting. So the message of this healing is that understanding doesn’t come all at once. But why does Mark tell us this? - Because in a very short time he is going to show us an illustration of this in Peter’s understanding. Of course, there is also a double encouragement here to all of those seeking the truth about Jesus - their understanding may not come all at once, but it will come! And it is Christ’s work to open our eyes and bring sight! 

In vs.27-30 we have Jesus asking his disciples what conclusion others have come to about him, and then what they themselves believe about him (Are they still blind?). He puts them on the spot. Peter makes his famous confession ‘You are the Christ’. Here is the pivot of the book. If this is indeed who Jesus is then the implications must be enormous. But Jesus tells them not to tell anyone because he knows they still do not fully understand what this will mean.

Since the disciples appear to have reached the first stage of understanding, Jesus now takes them to the next - v.31! But it is too much for them and Peter rebuked him. Their seeing is still only partial. To have his way to the cross challenged like this reminds Jesus vividly of his time in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil to avoid the cross. Hence Jesus’ stern rebuke to Peter. 

This prediction of what is going to happen to him is the first of three that Jesus gives, and there is an unmistakable pattern of what happens after each occasion. That pattern is

        1. Jesus makes his prediction 
        2. The disciples demonstrate that they do not understand the implications
        3. Jesus makes what might be called a ‘kingdom policy statement’.

Let’s examine them:
(1) Chapter 8: 31-38 
In v.31 Jesus makes his prediction; in v.32 Peter, on behalf of the disciples, rebukes him (showing they do not yet understand what the Messiah’s task is); in vs.33-38 Jesus spells out that to follow him means wholehearted commitment and sacrifice. It is all or nothing vs. 36 and 37 and 38! 

Note that the Transfiguration which follows here is a shock to Peter, James and John (9:6). To see Christ in his glory must have been magnificent, but Peter makes the mistake of thinking that it is going to continue like that (v.5). It isn’t, Christ has to suffer, and to emphasis this they descend from the mountain straight into the inglorious condition of a boy with terrible seizures. This is where Jesus belongs.

(2) Chapter 9:31- 35
In v.31 Jesus makes his prediction adding this time that he will be betrayed; in v.32 Mark tells us the disciples did not understand; v.33,34 - the disciples had been ‘arguing’ about who was the greatest - how inappropriate in view of their Master’s coming suffering! ; in v.35 Jesus tells them they’ve got it all wrong - the greatest is the one who is the servant of all. And he draws in a child as a visual aid. It is not a question of greatness but of humble trust - like a child’s.

(3) Chapter 10:33-45
In v.33,34 Jesus makes his prediction for the third time, this time with much more detail - he will be mocked and flogged; then the disciples (James and John) ask to sit next to Jesus in his glory - what glory? What about the suffering v.38? Then in v. 42-45 Jesus spells out again and more vividly that they have misunderstood what he is going to do. Even he, who cast our demons, healed diseases and calmed the storm - even he has not come to be served, but to serve ‘and to give his life a ransom for many’! A key verse for the whole Gospel.

5. Chapters 9 to 16 The Way to the Cross

Then, we discover that after the third prediction, the next event Mark reports is the healing of a blind man, in 10:46! But didn’t this whole section start with the healing of a blind man - in 8:22? So this important teaching is emphasised by events of blindness and seeing. We need to see (understand) what Jesus came to do otherwise we misunderstand the whole gospel. And we are helpless unless Jesus helps us see ( Ask Seek Knock - Matt.7:7,8) The Cross cannot be avoided. Interestingly Jesus asks James and John (in10:36) and the blind beggar the same question  (in 10:51) 'What do you want me to to do for you?' Mark clearly want us to recognise the superiority of the blind man's answer. He wants to see - with its undertones of 'understanding'. James and John didn't ask for understanding.

Chapter 11 marks an important juncture - Jesus enters Jerusalem the HQ of his enemies. His word is authoritative (2-6); He comes as King (8-10) fulfilling Scripture. He acts with great authority in a judgement on the temple by casting out the traders (15-17). The reference to a ‘den of robbers’ (17) comes from Jeremiah where the concern is a worthless religion. The stalls and money lenders were in the Court of the Gentiles. They were effectively shutting the Gentiles out - contrary to God's will expressed in Isaiah. The withered fig-tree speaks of judgement on fruitless Old Israel - all show (leaves) but no fruit.

NOW the opposition really gets under way 11:18. Here the chief priests and the teachers of the law; then in v.27 the elders join them: ‘By what authority?’ they demand. Jesus asks them where John the Baptist got his authority. In 12:13 the Pharisees and Herodians come along seeking to trap him. Then it was the Sadducees in v.18. They are all coming, the opposition is mounting. 

Chapter 12 begins with a parable aimed at Old Israel - v.9 ’What then will the owner of the vine yard do?’. Response? - v.12 ‘they knew he had spoken the parable against them’. Israel was warned long ago v.10, but they still won’t listen.

Chapter 13, the preparation of the disciples for the consequences

of representing him. But the gospel will be preached to all nations (10). The End is not yet. There will be ‘handing over’ (9), ‘flogging’ (9), ‘arrest and trial’ (11) and even death (12) like for Jesus (13). The temple will cease to be (14). But he will come (26,27), his words will never pass away (31). No-one knows when (32,33,35), so watch. 

Chapter 14: man plots a way to kill Jesus (1); a woman prepares Jesus for his burial (3-9); man plots to betray Jesus (10,11); Jesus prepares and explains what the Passover has always been leading to (12-26); Jesus prepares for death (32-42); the hour has come (43-52); all Israel condemns Jesus …….. 

Chapter 15: …. and Jew and Gentile kill him! (Jesus dies as Barabas’s substitute - and ours). The rejected Saviour (Is.53) (16-32). The forsaken Son of God; v.33 - the sign, v.34 - the cry, v.35,36. 
Then v. 37 - the cry, v.38 - the sign, v.39 - the response. Jesus dies, an act, not of taking by the authorities, but of giving by Christ. 

15:40 - 16:8: Truly dead, truly buried, but truly raised! 
‘He is risen! He will go ahead of you.’ They will see him. 


Mark’s Abrupt Ending
The end of Mark is a puzzle. There are two possibilities (a) Mark intended to finish it at 16:8, while the reader is still full of anticipation, or (b) there is an ending, which is either the long one in the NIV or a short one of one verse as in the RSV and NRSV, or one that is lost. What is almost certain is that Mark did not write 9-20 because the style and the content do not support it (Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary). One only has to read straight through from 1 to 20 to detect the change of style at v.9. Also the content does not seem to follow on from the words of the angel in v.7; Galilee is not mentioned and some of the events recounted we know from elsewhere did not take place there. The longer ending smacks of a quick summary of events gleaned from elsewhere and added by a later writer who was embarrassed by the abrupt ending at v.8. On this basis we can use it for information but not for authoritative teaching. 
It is possible Mark did provide a different ending which has been lost; this would only serve to show us that we have living documents. The other Gospels provide ample reports of the resurrection appearances.


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