An Introduction to the Gospel According to Mark
by Phil Martin
GENRE:
“It [Mark] is intended to be neither a formal historical treatise nor a biography of Jesus, but a proclamation.”[i] Gospels are similar to biographies in that they focus on one person as the “hero”. This person in the NT gospels is obviously Jesus. The Gospels are not biographies though. The main difference is that the Gospels are not intended to describe every event in Jesus’ life. They are highly focused and emphasize more on Jesus’ role in the plan of salvation than telling his life story. They show how Jesus is the Messiah, God’s son, who came down from heaven and took on flesh in order to redeem us from sin and death. [ii]
AUTHORSHIP:
“An unbroken tradition affirms that the evangelist was intimately associated with the apostle Peter and that the contents of this Gospel depend significantly upon the message he proclaimed.”[iii] 1st Clements, Papias (as quoted by Eusebius), Justin Martyr, The Anti-Macrcionite Prologue to Mark, and Irenaeus are among the early witnesses to Mark’s authorship of the Gospel. Some specifically make the point that Peter’s preaching was the source of Mark’s material.[iv]
JOHN MARK:
Mark’s mother was a well known believer in Jerusalem in whose house the church met (Acts 12:12), and he was possibly the man referred to in Mark 14:51-52. Mark was a companion and co-worker with Peter (1 Peter 5:13). His uncle, Barnabas, was a close associate and fellow missionary with the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:5, 13). Though Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey, he later came to be a partner that Paul found useful (2 Timothy 4:11).
THEME
“Mark wrote for the Romans, and his theme is Jesus Christ the Servant. If we had to pick a “key verse” in this Gospel, it would be Mark 10:45—“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”[v]
CHARACTERISTICS:
Mark could be thought of as a “Reader’s Digest” Gospel or possibly a source for Matthew and Luke. “Mark has 661 verses; Matthew has 1,068 verses; Luke has 1,149 verses. Of Mark’s 661 verses, Matthew reproduces no fewer than 606 . Of Mark’s 661 verses Luke reproduces 320… So the result is that there are only 24 verses in Mark which do not occur somewhere in Matthew and Luke.” [vi]
Mark is a fast moving account emphasizing what Jesus did more than what He said. The expression “immediately” or “straightway” occurs some forty times. Dr. Constable notes that Mark used a relatively limited vocabulary, sometimes had rough and ungrammatical Greek, addressed his readers directly, recorded many intimate details that only an eyewitness would observe, and stressed the humanity of Christ.[vii]
STRUCTURE
Mark can be divided geographically into four parts: a Galilean ministry (1:14-6:13), the ministry outside Galilee (6:14-8:30), the journey to Jerusalem (8:31-10:52), and the last week in Jerusalem (11:1-16:8). The first two sections climax with Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ (8:29): The second two sections build toward the centurion’s confession that Jesus is the son of God (15:39).
[i] Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Print. (p.1)
by Phil Martin
GENRE:
“It [Mark] is intended to be neither a formal historical treatise nor a biography of Jesus, but a proclamation.”[i] Gospels are similar to biographies in that they focus on one person as the “hero”. This person in the NT gospels is obviously Jesus. The Gospels are not biographies though. The main difference is that the Gospels are not intended to describe every event in Jesus’ life. They are highly focused and emphasize more on Jesus’ role in the plan of salvation than telling his life story. They show how Jesus is the Messiah, God’s son, who came down from heaven and took on flesh in order to redeem us from sin and death. [ii]
AUTHORSHIP:
“An unbroken tradition affirms that the evangelist was intimately associated with the apostle Peter and that the contents of this Gospel depend significantly upon the message he proclaimed.”[iii] 1st Clements, Papias (as quoted by Eusebius), Justin Martyr, The Anti-Macrcionite Prologue to Mark, and Irenaeus are among the early witnesses to Mark’s authorship of the Gospel. Some specifically make the point that Peter’s preaching was the source of Mark’s material.[iv]
JOHN MARK:
Mark’s mother was a well known believer in Jerusalem in whose house the church met (Acts 12:12), and he was possibly the man referred to in Mark 14:51-52. Mark was a companion and co-worker with Peter (1 Peter 5:13). His uncle, Barnabas, was a close associate and fellow missionary with the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:5, 13). Though Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey, he later came to be a partner that Paul found useful (2 Timothy 4:11).
THEME
“Mark wrote for the Romans, and his theme is Jesus Christ the Servant. If we had to pick a “key verse” in this Gospel, it would be Mark 10:45—“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”[v]
CHARACTERISTICS:
Mark could be thought of as a “Reader’s Digest” Gospel or possibly a source for Matthew and Luke. “Mark has 661 verses; Matthew has 1,068 verses; Luke has 1,149 verses. Of Mark’s 661 verses, Matthew reproduces no fewer than 606 . Of Mark’s 661 verses Luke reproduces 320… So the result is that there are only 24 verses in Mark which do not occur somewhere in Matthew and Luke.” [vi]
Mark is a fast moving account emphasizing what Jesus did more than what He said. The expression “immediately” or “straightway” occurs some forty times. Dr. Constable notes that Mark used a relatively limited vocabulary, sometimes had rough and ungrammatical Greek, addressed his readers directly, recorded many intimate details that only an eyewitness would observe, and stressed the humanity of Christ.[vii]
STRUCTURE
Mark can be divided geographically into four parts: a Galilean ministry (1:14-6:13), the ministry outside Galilee (6:14-8:30), the journey to Jerusalem (8:31-10:52), and the last week in Jerusalem (11:1-16:8). The first two sections climax with Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ (8:29): The second two sections build toward the centurion’s confession that Jesus is the son of God (15:39).
[i] Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Print. (p.1)
[ii] Friend, T.J. "Genre: Gospel." How to Study the Bible. 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. .
[iii] Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Print. (p. 7)
[iv] Utley, Bob, “The Gospel According to Peter: Mark and 1 & 2 Peter.” Free Bible Commentary. ©2014 by Bible Lessons International, Marshall, Texas. Web 15 Sept. 2015. < http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL02/VOL02.html>.
[v] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996, (p. 110)
[v] Constable, Thomas “Expository Notes on Mark.” Sonic Light. © 1999-2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. .
[vi] Barclay, William. The Gospel of Mark. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975. Print.
[vii] Constable, Thomas “Expository Notes on Mark.” Sonic Light. © 1999-2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
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