General Information | |
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| Name | As with the other Gospels, the author of the Gospel of Mark is not explicitly stated. However, very early and nearly universal church documents assign Mark as the author. Papias (ca. A.D. 140) claims Mark wrote the Gospel as Peter’s interpreter. Justin Martyr, writing around the same time, agreed. Irenaeus (ca. 180) also said Mark was the author and that it was a compilation of Peter’s sermons. |
| Author And Date | Mark was the author’s Roman name, but he was also known by his Hebrew name, John. He lived in Jerusalem with his mother, Mary, whose home became the headquarters of the first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). Mark went with Barnabas and Paul to Antioch and went on Paul’s first missionary journey around A.D. 46. At Pamphylia, he left Paul unannounced, causing Paul to argue with Barnabas about taking him with them again (Acts 15:36-41). However, by 60-62, Paul’s faith in Mark had been repaired to the point that Paul called him a “fellow worker” (Col 4:10-11; Phlm 24). He also helped Peter (1 Peter 5:13), and came to Rome to help Paul during his imprisonment and final moments (2 Tim 4:11). Although some early church Fathers assigned a date as early as A.D. 40, it is all but impossible that Mark would have written the Gospel before he deserted Paul. Irenaeus dated Mark to after both Peter and Paul’s death, around A.D. 67. However, both Papias and Clement of Alexandria, much earlier than Irenaeus, claimed that Mark wrote down Peter’s sermons while Peter was still alive. Also, if Luke used Mark as a source, as many scholars now believe, Mark must have compiled his account earlier than Luke’s gospel, which was written before Luke wrote Acts, sometime around A.D. 62. For these reasons, the strongest argument is that Mark wrote his Gospel sometime in the mid 50’s. |
| Audience | Clement of Alexandria said that Mark was written for those in Rome. Mark is thought to have been living in Rome at the time of the gospel’s writing. Internal evidence seems to agree with a Roman audience, and also points to a majority Gentile addressees. Mark uniquely uses Latin terms, such as lepta, praetorium, and quadrans. His use of quadrans is especially helpful, since this coinage was not circulated in the eastern part of the Roman empire. Mark also translated Aramaic sayings into Greek, and explains customs unique to Palestine, pointing to a Gentile audience, or at least an audience that was unfamiliar with Judaism in Palestine. |
| Message and Occasion | Many scholars think Mark was written to strengthen Christian communities in the face of persecution, assuming a late date for the writing of Mark. Certainly suffering is one of the themes of Mark. Mark emphasizes not only Jesus’ death, but also His triumph over death and suffering. However, suffering is not the only theme, and may not even be the most important one. Another theme is that of Jesus as servant. This is shown by Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ actions over His words. Another significant idea in Mark is Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law, negating its requirements. Because of the similarity of this theme in Mark with the Epistle to the Romans, combined with the theory that Mark was written in the mid-50’s to Gentiles in Rome, some scholars have posited that Mark was written as a primer in preparation for Paul’s visit to Rome. The church in Rome had most likely been formed by new converts returning from Pentecost in Jerusalem. Thus they were not established by an Apostolic visit, and were probably lacking in information about the faith they had embraced. Some have even suggested Mark may have written his Gospel with the intent of redeeming himself with Paul. We know that by 60-62, when Mark was in Rome, Paul had changed his mind toward Mark. If this were the case, it would explain the similarities between Mark and Romans, despite that Mark got his information from Peter. |
Key Information | |
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| Key Verses | 8:27-31 “And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, 'Whom do men say that I am?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.' And he saith unto them, 'But whom say ye that I am?' And Peter answereth and saith unto him, 'Thou art the Christ.' And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” 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.” |
| Key People | Peter Mark’s Gospel almost perfectly follows the outline of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-39, indicating Mark relied on Peter as his primary source. Peter, and his alternative name, Simon, are named more per capita in Mark than any of the other Gospels, and are often set apart as in 16:7, “the disciples and Peter.” Women Perhaps because he was the son of a widowed mother, Mark’s Gospel places special attention on the role of women. Though his Gospel is condensed, Mark includes almost all of Jesus’ miracles involving women. He also included the poor widow giving all she had and the woman anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume. Women are not always shown in a positive light though. Mark also included the story of Herodias asking for the head of John the Baptist. However, the most prominent event women play a central role in is the crucifixion and resurrection. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome, and “many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem” are present at the crucifixion, looking on from afar. The afore named women are also present after His death, when they bring spices for proper burial and instead find an empty tomb. Then Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene. |
| Key Events | Jesus’ Baptism (1:9-11) The first act of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel is His baptism, rather than His birth, indicating Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ activities. Jesus Feeds the Thousands (8:1-9) In the middle of Mark’s narrative is the event which typifies Mark’s message of Jesus as servant – out of compassion, Jesus miraculously feeds four thousand followers. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection (15:24-16:8) As the ultimate act of servitude, Jesus the servant suffers crucifixion and dies. But He does not stay dead. When the women go to His tomb, they find it empty and are told by an angelic messenger that He is no longer dead, but alive! |
Important Theology in Mark | |
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| Jesus as Servant | Jesus is emphasized in Mark as the King who came to serve, giving His followers an example, and showing the compassion of God. |
| Jesus Suffers | Jesus is shown to be the prophesied “Suffering Servant” in Mark, often warning His disciples that He would “suffer many things,” be rejected and treated with contempt and killed (5:26; 8:31; 9:12). |
| Discipleship | Mark spends a large portion of his narrative detailing Jesus’ instructions and commissioning of the disciples. The central part of Mark (6:7-8:30) centers in part around the disciples’ failure to understand Jesus’ message. |
General Outline | |
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Preparation of the Servant (1:1-13)
The Servant’s Galilean Ministry (1:14-8:30)
The Servant Prepares for the Ultimate Sacrifice (6:1-10:52)
The Servant’s Ministry and Death in Jerusalem (11:1-15:47)
Epilogue: The Servant Suffers No More (16:1-20) |
Used by Permission ©2017 H. Wayne House, Charting the New Testament. All Rights Reserved.