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Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

Who was Mark?

Section titled “Who was Mark?”
  1. He was a Jewish Christian, who was raised in Jerusalem. Paul refers to Mark as a man “of the circumcision,” i.e., a Jew (Col. 4:10-11).
  2. His mother was Mary, who owned a house in Jerusalem large enough to be a meeting place for the apostolic church. Mary’s family also had a servant girl named Rhoda (Acts 12:12-13). This indicates that Mark came from a wealthy family.
  3. He was the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), a Levite who was originally from Cyprus. Barnabas was probably a Greek-speaking Diaspora Jew. Like Mark’s family, Barnabas was also wealthy (Acts 4:36-37).
  4. Like the apostle Paul, Mark was bilingual. As Peter’s interpreter he would have been fluent in both Aramaic and Greek. Since he was bilingual, Mark would have been comfortable in both Aramaic-speaking and Greek-speaking churches.
  5. “John whose other name was Mark” (Acts 12:12, 25); “John called Mark” (Acts 15:37). He had a Jewish name (Yohanan) and a Roman name (Marcus). It was a common practice for Greek-speaking Jews to have both a Hebrew name and a Greek or Latin name.
  6. Paul and Barnabas took Mark with them on their first missionary journey to be their “assistant” (Acts 13:5). The word translated “assistant” (huperetes) here is often used in the NT in ministry-related contexts. It is used to refer to the apostles and other early Christian leaders who were “servants of the word” (Luke 1:2). It is used to refer to the official who is assigned to read the Scriptures publicly in the synagogue (Luke 4:20). The apostles are also called servants of Christ (Acts 26:16; 1 Cor. 4:1). In all likelihood, then, Mark’s duties as “assistant” were more than making travel and lodging arrangements. He was probably a co-worker who helped Paul and Barnabas in the missionary work itself. This is consistent with the fact that he is later called one of Paul’s “fellow workers” (Col. 4:10-11; Phm. 24) who is “useful” to Paul “for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). As an important spiritual leader and missionary worker in the early church, it should come as no surprise that Mark would go on to author one of the four Gospels.
  7. Unfortunately, Mark left Paul and Barnabas in the middle of their mission and returned home to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). On their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but Paul objected that Mark was not fit to serve in this important capacity since he had deserted them during their first missionary journey. This sharp disagreement caused Paul and Barnabas to go their separate ways (Acts 15:36-41).
  8. Later, however, Paul must have forgiven Mark, for Paul mentions him favorably on three occasions:
    1. Col 4:11 – Paul states that Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus called Justus are “fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.”
    2. 2 Tim 4:11 – Paul asks Timothy to get Mark and bring him to Paul in prison, since “he is very useful to me for ministry.”
    3. Philemon 24 – Paul lists Mark as one of his fellow workers who is helping him while in Roman custody.
  9. Finally, in 1 Peter 5:13 we have a piece of evidence that supports the church tradition that Mark was Peter’s follower. “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.”
    1. Most scholars think “she who is at Babylon” refers to the church at Rome.
    2. Thus Peter is writing from Rome, and Mark is with him there.
    3. This supports the church tradition that Mark was also in Rome with Peter.

Outline of the Gospel of Mark

Section titled “Outline of the Gospel of Mark”
  1. Introduction: “The Beginning of the Gospel” (1:1-15)
    1. Quoting Isaiah and Malachi (1:1--2) - Jesus is the one through whom Isaiah’s promise of the future restoration and salvation will be fulfilled
    2. Key events:
      1. John the Baptizer prepares the way (1:4--8)
      2. Jesus’ baptism with Spirit and heavenly voice (1:9--11).
      3. Jesus in the wilderness, sustained by angels, among wild animals (1:12--13).
      4. Jesus’ proclamation of the good news: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (1:14-15).
  2. Jesus’ Public Ministry (1:16–8:26)
    1. Jesus’ Authority (1:16–3:12) – the new wine of the kingdom
      1. Calling of the first disciples.
      2. Jesus’ Ministry in Capernaum.
      3. Conflicts over Jesus’ authoritative ministry.
    2. Jesus’ Teaching (3:13–6:6) – the mystery of the kingdom
    3. Jesus and Mission (6:7–8:26) – the misunderstanding of the kingdom
      1. Ministry extends beyond Galilee.
      2. Misconceptions by public, Herod, and disciples.
      3. Healing of blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26) illustrates disciples’ partial understanding. This sets stage for focus on disciples in the next major section …
  3. Jesus’ Death (8:27–16:8) – Turning point, Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ”
    1. Jesus’ Teaching on Discipleship (8:27–10:52)
      1. Three passion predictions (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34)
      2. Each followed by disciples’ failure to grasp, then Jesus’ teaching on discipleship (8:32-38; 9:32–10:31; 10:35-45).
      3. Healing of Bartimaeus (10:46-52) contrasts disciples’ blindness with true sight.
    2. Jesus Confronts Jerusalem (11:1–13:37) – Jesus in Temple area
      1. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple.
      2. Teachings in the Temple - increasing conflict with Jewish leadership.
      3. Eschatological discourse (13:1--37).
    3. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection (14:1–16:8) – his Messiah-ship revealed in the cross

Mark’s Geographical Movement

Section titled “Mark’s Geographical Movement”

Dramatic action—“immediately” (over 40x). Mark has composed a swiftly moving story that drives to the cross. This makes theological point that the gospel concerning Jesus the Messiah has the cross as its focal point.

  1. Two-part movement:
    1. Jesus’ Galilean Ministry (north)
    2. Journey to Jerusalem (south)
  2. Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi as the hinge or pivot
    1. Before Caesarea: Jesus publicly proclaims the gospel of the kingdom by word and deed.
    2. After Caesarea: He speaks to the disciples of his mission as the suffering Messiah on the way of the cross, as well as giving critical instruction about discipleship and cross-bearing.
  3. Jerusalem as Narrative Destination
    1. After ministering in the north (Galilee), there is now a deliberate movement south (Jerusalem).
    2. The triumphal entry - the Messiah revealed.
    3. Conflict with Jewish authorities in the temple.
    4. Arrest, trial, crucifixion, resurrection.

In this, Mark establishes the basic narrative template that is generally followed by Matt and Luke.

The so-called “Messianic Secret”

Section titled “The so-called “Messianic Secret””
  1. Jesus silenced those who loudly proclaimed his identity as the Messiah before the time
    1. 1:23-25: “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’”
    2. 3:11-12: “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’ 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.”
    3. 8:29-31: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’ 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
    4. 9:7-9: “And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’ 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
  2. William Wrede’s theory (1901): This was Mark’s attempt to reconcile (a) the fact that the church believed Jesus was the Messiah and (b) the fact that Jesus made no such claim.
  3. The correct interpretation: To have Jesus hailed loudly as Messiah would have been misunderstood in earthly political terms, completely distorting the true nature of his messiahship. “Mark accents Jesus’ death as part of the significance of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah” (Guelich). Jesus is loudly proclaimed to be the King, Messiah, and Son of God only in and through his passion.
    1. 14:61-62: “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ 62 And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
    2. 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26, 32: King of the Jews
    3. 15:39: “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”