INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Who Is Jesus?
The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels.
It is also fast-moving.
Mark does not tell us about the birth of Jesus. There are no shepherds, wise men, or genealogy. He begins with John the Baptist preparing the way and then introduces Jesus as an adult.
His opening sentence tells us exactly what his book is about:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
— Mark 1:1
Mark wants us to meet Jesus.
He shows us what Jesus said, what Jesus did, how people responded, and especially what happened when Jesus went to Jerusalem to die.
Before we begin, however, let's learn a little about the book itself.
WHO WROTE MARK?
The Gospel itself does not name its author.
However, very early Christian writers identified the author as Mark, usually understood to be the John Mark mentioned several times in the New Testament.
John was his Jewish name. Mark was his Roman name.
We first meet him by name in Acts 12.
After the apostle Peter was miraculously released from prison, Peter went to:
“the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark.”
— Acts 12:12
Christians were gathered there praying.
We do not know the name of Mark's father. His mother was Mary, and her home in Jerusalem was apparently large enough to be used as a gathering place for Christians.
Mark was also a relative of Barnabas. Colossians 4:10 identifies him as Barnabas's cousin.
So Mark grew up with close connections to the earliest Christians in Jerusalem.
MARK, PAUL, AND BARNABAS
Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas during their missionary work.
But something went wrong.
Acts 13:13 tells us that Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. We are not told why.
Later Barnabas wanted to take Mark on another journey. Paul did not.
Their disagreement became so strong that Paul and Barnabas separated. Barnabas took Mark with him, while Paul chose Silas.
— Acts 15:36–40
But that was not the end of the story.
Years later Mark was again working with Paul.
Near the end of Paul's life, Paul wrote to Timothy:
“Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.”
— 2 Timothy 4:11
Mark had become a trusted fellow worker.
MARK AND PETER
Mark also had a particularly close relationship with the apostle Peter.
Peter refers to:
“Mark my son.”
— 1 Peter 5:13
Peter was almost certainly speaking of a close spiritual relationship, not saying that Mark was his biological son.
This becomes important when we ask where Mark got his information about Jesus.
Mark was probably too young to have been one of the twelve apostles who traveled with Jesus. But Peter was there.
Peter heard Jesus teach.
Peter saw the miracles.
Peter walked with Jesus through Galilee.
Peter was there when Jesus was arrested.
Peter denied Jesus.
Peter saw the risen Christ.
Very early Christian testimony connects Mark's Gospel with Peter's preaching and memories of Jesus.
Papias, an early second-century Christian writer, reported that Mark served as Peter's interpreter and carefully recorded what Peter taught about Jesus.
We should not picture Peter necessarily dictating the Gospel word-for-word while Mark wrote it down.
Mark is the writer.
But there is good historical reason for taking seriously the early tradition that Peter's eyewitness testimony stands behind much of Mark's account.
WHEN WAS MARK WRITTEN?
We do not know the exact year.
Many scholars place the Gospel in the A.D. 60s, while others date it around A.D. 70 or shortly afterward.
An important historical event occurred in A.D. 70.
The Roman army captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.
Jesus predicts that destruction in Mark 13.
Some scholars therefore date Mark after A.D. 70. Others believe Mark was written earlier and that Mark 13 records Jesus' prediction before the event occurred.
Early Christian tradition also associates Mark closely with Peter, who is traditionally understood to have died during the persecution under the Roman emperor Nero in the A.D. 60s.
We cannot establish the exact year with certainty.
For our study, a date in the A.D. 60s is reasonable, while recognizing that the date continues to be debated.
WHERE WAS MARK WRITTEN?
Early Christian tradition connects Mark's Gospel with Rome.
That would make sense of several things we find in the book.
Mark sometimes explains Jewish customs to his readers.
For example, in Mark 7:3–4 he explains Jewish washing practices. A Jewish audience living in Judea probably would not have needed that explanation.
Mark also translates Aramaic words spoken by Jesus.
For example:
“Talitha cumi” — “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
— Mark 5:41
And:
“Ephphatha” — “Be opened.”
— Mark 7:34
This suggests that at least many of Mark's readers did not speak Aramaic.
Mark also uses some Latin terms.
All of this fits well with the early tradition that Mark wrote for Christians in Rome or the wider Roman world.
WHO WERE MARK'S FIRST READERS?
Mark appears to have written especially for Gentile Christians—people who were not Jews.
That does not mean Jewish Christians would not have read it. It means Mark often writes as though his readers need Jewish words and customs explained.
If Mark was writing in Rome during the A.D. 60s, his readers also knew that following Jesus could be dangerous.
The emperor Nero blamed Christians for the great fire of Rome in A.D. 64, and Christians suffered severe persecution.
That background makes Mark's emphasis on suffering, faithfulness, and following Jesus even when it costs somethingespecially meaningful.
WHAT IS A “GOSPEL”?
Today we usually call Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John the four Gospels.
The word gospel means good news.
These books are not biographies in quite the same way we write biographies today.
Mark tells us very little about Jesus' childhood, appearance, education, or many other details a modern biographer might include.
Mark has a particular purpose.
He is announcing the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
He selects events and teachings that help us understand who Jesus is and what He came to do.
WHY DID MARK WRITE?
Mark tells us in his opening verse:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
— Mark 1:1
That statement gives us the subject of the entire book.
Mark wants his readers to understand who Jesus is.
Throughout the first half of the Gospel, that question keeps appearing.
Jesus forgives sins.
He heals the sick.
He casts out demons.
He calms storms.
He raises the dead.
He feeds thousands.
People repeatedly ask, in one form or another:
Who is this man?
Then we reach the great turning point in Mark 8.
Jesus asks His disciples:
“Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers:
“You are the Christ.”
— Mark 8:29
Peter gets the identity right.
But he does not yet understand what kind of Messiah Jesus is.
THE TURNING POINT OF MARK
Immediately after Peter calls Jesus the Christ, Jesus begins explaining that He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again.
Peter objects.
Jesus rebukes him.
Peter can see, but he does not yet see clearly.
From that point forward, the Gospel increasingly moves toward Jerusalem and the cross.
The question changes.
First:
Who is Jesus?
Then:
What kind of Messiah is He?
And finally:
What does it mean to follow Him?
Jesus says:
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
— Mark 8:34
MARK MOVES QUICKLY
Mark is the shortest Gospel—only 16 chapters.
It also moves rapidly.
One of Mark's favorite words is often translated “immediately.”
One event follows another.
Jesus teaches.
Jesus heals.
Jesus travels.
Opposition grows.
The disciples struggle to understand.
And Jesus continues moving toward Jerusalem.
Mark gives us fewer long teaching sections than Matthew does.
He often lets us learn about Jesus by watching what Jesus does.
WATCH THE DISCIPLES
The disciples are important characters in Mark.
But Mark does not make them look like heroes.
They misunderstand Jesus.
They worry about food after watching Him feed thousands.
They struggle to understand His parables.
They argue about which of them is greatest.
They do not understand why Jesus must die.
They fall asleep when Jesus asks them to watch and pray.
When Jesus is arrested, they flee.
Peter denies Him three times.
Why would Mark tell us all that?
Because knowing that Jesus is the Christ is not the same thing as understanding what it means to follow the Christ.
The disciples had to learn.
So do we.
A SIMPLE OUTLINE OF MARK
We can think of Mark in three large movements:
Mark 1:1–8:26 — Who Is Jesus?
We watch His authority, miracles, teaching, conflicts, and the disciples' struggle to understand Him.
Mark 8:27–10:52 — The Messiah and the Cross
Peter identifies Jesus as the Christ. Jesus begins openly teaching about His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. He also teaches His disciples what following Him really means.
Mark 11:1–16:8 — Jerusalem, the Cross, and the Empty Tomb
Jesus enters Jerusalem. Opposition reaches its climax. He is arrested, crucified, buried—and the tomb is found empty.
AS YOU READ MARK
Don't rush past the questions.
Watch who understands Jesus.
Watch who doesn't.
Notice who recognizes Him first.
Notice how often the disciples misunderstand.
Watch the growing conflict with the religious leaders.
Pay attention whenever Jesus talks about His death.
And notice how much space Mark gives to Jesus' final week.
Mark is leading us somewhere.
He wants us to stand with the disciples and hear Jesus ask:
“Who do you say that I am?”
— Mark 8:29
Mark has given us the evidence.
Now we read the text.
And we answer the question for ourselves.
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.