Introduction to Mark

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). Those opening words to Mark’s gospel not only state the purpose behind its composition but may have served as its original title. However, like the other three gospels, the work has been known throughout church history by the name of its author.

Mark appears several times in the book of Acts, where his name is given as “John who was also called Mark” (Acts 12:12, 25; cf. 15:37, 39). He was a cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), and his mother’s home in Jerusalem served as a gathering place for the early church (Acts 12:12). As a presumably young man, John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; 13:5). But he deserted them at Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13). As a result of Mark’s inexcusable failure, Paul refused to take him on a subsequent trip (Acts 15:37–38). The issue sparked a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, causing them to part ways (Acts 15:39). Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus while Paul embarked on a second missionary journey with Silas (Acts 15:39–41).

Though he had betrayed Paul’s trust on the first missionary journey, John Mark later became a valued member of the apostle’s ministry team. In Colossians 4:10–11, Paul instructed his readers to welcome Mark as one of his “fellow workers for the kingdom” who had proven “to be an encouragement” to him during his first Roman imprisonment (cf. Philem. 24). Some years later, near the end of his life, Paul asked Timothy to “pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service” (2 Tim. 4:11).

It is likely that John Mark was restored to ministry usefulness, at least in part, through the mentorship of Peter. As a leader in the Jerusalem church, Peter was familiar with the house of Mark’s mother (Acts 12:12) and may have met Mark through her. The friendship between Peter and Mark was such that the apostle became a spiritual father figure to Mark, referring to him as “my son” (1 Peter 5:13). If anyone understood the process of restoration after failure, it was Peter, who was graciously restored by Christ after denying Him three times (cf. John 18:15–17, 25–27; 21:15–17). Peter’s influence undoubtedly helped Mark overcome the weaknesses and vacillations of his youth so that he could faithfully accomplish what God had called him to do.

AUTHOR

Like the other three, the second gospel does not include the name of its author. However, the universal testimony of the early church confirms it was penned by Mark. The early church father Papias of Hieropolis, writing sometime between A.D. 95–140, explained that Mark’s content was derived from the sermons of Peter, an observation consistent with their close relationship. According to Papias,

The second-century apologist Justin Martyr (c. 100–165) similarly described Mark’s gospel as the “memoirs of Peter” and suggested it was composed by Mark in Italy. Later Christian leaders, like Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement of Alexandria, echoed similar sentiments. The fourth-century church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 263–339) suggested that Mark wrote his gospel at the request of Peter’s hearers:

Whatever the specific catalyst that prompted Mark to write his gospel, the uniform testimony of early tradition affirms that he is its author, likely composing his account while in Rome for the benefit of the believers who were there.

DATE OF WRITING AND INTENDED AUDIENCE

The church fathers disagree on whether Mark wrote his gospel before or after Peter’s martyrdom. (Peter was killed under Nero c. 67–68.) Contemporary evangelical scholarship generally places the date of composition before A.D. 70, since Jesus’ statement in 13:2 strongly suggests that Mark’s gospel was written before the temple was destroyed. Though many modern scholars assert that Mark completed his gospel before Matthew and Luke, enabling them to use his gospel as a source for theirs, that assertion is doubtful. (For more on that point, see the further discussion below.) Thus, the dating of the other gospels is not determinative in establishing the date of Mark. In all likelihood, Mark completed his gospel either while accompanying Peter in Rome (in the late 50s or early 60s) or shortly after the apostle’s death (in the late 60s).

Unlike Matthew’s gospel, which addressed a Jewish audience, or Luke’s gospel, which was composed for a specific individual (Luke 1:3), Mark was written for the Gentile believers of Rome. Mark’s audience was clearly non-Jewish, as evidenced by the fact that he translates Aramaic terms (3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 14:36; 15:22, 34); provides explanations for Jewish customs (7:3–4; 14:12; 15:42); omits certain elements of particular interest to Jewish readers, like Jesus’ genealogical records; includes fewer Old Testament references than the other Synoptic Gospels; and calculates time according to the Roman system (6:48; 13:35). That the gospel was written for believers in Rome, in particular, is supported by the use of Latin expressions in place of their Greek equivalents (5:9; 6:27; 12:15, 42; 15:16, 39), and the mention of Rufus (15:21), the son of Simon of Cyrene and a prominent member of the Roman church (Rom. 16:13). Those details buttress the claims of the early church fathers that Mark’s gospel was written from Rome for the believers there. As a divinely inspired and accurate historical record of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, Mark’s gospel has remained a profound blessing to countless Christians throughout the ages and a powerful witness to the unbelieving world.

PURPOSE AND THEMES

Mark’s purpose for writing is indicated by the opening verse: to articulate “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). That theme reaches its climax halfway through his sixteen-chapter history. In 8:29, Peter responded to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” by triumphantly declaring, “You are the Christ.” That confession marks the doctrinal highpoint of Mark’s gospel. The preceding narrative builds up to it and the subsequent narrative flows from and continues to build on it. The first eight chapters demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ on the basis of His authoritative words and miraculous deeds; the final eight on the basis of His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. But everything centers on the foundational truth that Peter proclaimed: Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

In surveying that truth, Mark presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant (10:45; cf. Isa. 53:10–12). He emphasizes Jesus’ humanity, including His human emotions (1:41; 3:5; 6:34; 8:12; 9:36) and human limitations (4:38; 11:12; 13:32). But he also highlights Jesus’ deity as the Son of God (1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:6; 13:32; 14:61–62; 15:39). Christ’s divine authority is evidenced in His power over demons (1:24–27, 32, 34, 39; 3:11, 15; 5:13, 7:29; 9:25), over disease (1:30–31, 40–42; 2:11; 3:5, 10; 5:29, 41–42; 6:5, 56; 7:32–35; 8:23–25; 10:46–52), over sin (2:10), over the Sabbath (2:28; cf. 7:1–13), and over the forces of nature (4:39; 6:41–43, 49–51; 11:14, 20).

Mark moves quickly through much of Christ’s ministry, using the word “immediately” (or euthus in Greek) more than the other three gospel writers combined. Consequently, he often leaves out the lengthy discourses included in the other gospels and gives only short excerpts. He also omits the account of Jesus’ birth, choosing to begin with the Lord’s baptism and the start of His public ministry.

Like the other gospel writers, Mark clearly has an evangelistic purpose. The purpose statement of John’s gospel applies to Mark’s as well: “These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31; cf. 1 John 5:20). Sinners are commanded to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (1:15), abandoning the follies of hypocritical religion (cf. 2:23–28; 7:1–13; 12:38–40) in order to follow the Lord in heartfelt obedience (cf. 1:17–20; 2:14; 8:34–38; 10:21; 15:41; 16:19–20).

MARKAN PRIORITY AND THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

Because the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) share striking similarities (e.g., Matt. 9:2–8; Mark 2:3–12; Luke 5:18–26), some modern scholars—who reject the truth of divine inspiration and thus have to explain the similarities in the Gospels—insist that they must have borrowed from one another. Proponents of such literary dependence usually argue that Mark wrote his gospel first, and Matthew and Luke subsequently utilized it as a source to compose their accounts. Additionally, they allege that material appearing in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark was derived from a second source called “Q” (which stands for the German word Quelle, meaning “source”).

A number of reasons argue against the notion of Markan priority and the “Two Source” hypothesis (i.e., that Mark and Q were the two sources used by Matthew and Luke). First, the overwhelming testimony of the first eighteen centuries of church history affirms that Matthew wrote his gospel first, not Mark. Second, as an apostolic eyewitness to the events he described, Matthew would have had no reason to depend on a non-eyewitness like Mark. Third, though Luke thoroughly investigated the resources available to him (Luke 1:3), he omitted a lengthy section of material from Mark’s gospel (6:45–8:26), suggesting he was not aware of it when he wrote his account. Fourth, there are significant places where Matthew and Luke agree against Mark. Those occurrences cannot be satisfactorily explained if Matthew and Luke were both depending on Mark in composing their gospels. Fifth, no historical evidence has ever been found to verify the existence of the supposed Q document. Sixth, the similarities between the Synoptic Gospels can be better explained by the fact that they were recounting the same historical events and thus naturally overlapped. (The gospel of John was written later as a supplement to the Synoptic Gospels, and therefore intentionally focused on material not included in them.) Also, the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke orbited in the same circles (among the apostles and early Christians) and undoubtedly had some personal contact with one another (cf. Philem. 24) renders modern theories of literary dependence unnecessary.

When fully considered, the evidence demonstrates that in actuality there is no Synoptic Problem (cf. Eta Linnemann, Is There a Synoptic Problem? [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992] and Robert L. Thomas and F. David Farnell, eds., The Jesus Crisis [Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1998], especially Chaps. 1, 3, 6). Sadly, many contemporary evangelicals have rejected the traditional view in favor of an imaginary Q document and the unbelieving speculations of liberal scholarship. Rather than entertaining the skeptical notions of higher critics, believers are much better served when they acknowledge that the same Holy Spirit inspired Matthew, Mark, and Luke to write their gospels (2 Peter 1:21; cf. John 14:26), so that any similarities between their accounts ought to be attributed to His sovereign guidance rather than modern theories of literary dependence.

OUTLINE

I.   Prologue: In the Wilderness (1:1–13)

A. Christ Is Preceded by a Forerunner (1:1–8)

B. He Is Baptized by John (1:9–11)

C. He Is Tempted by the Devil (1:12–13)

II.  The Beginning of Christ’s Ministry: In Galilee and the Surrounding Areas (1:14–7:23)

A. He Proclaims His Gospel Message (1:14–15)

B. He Calls His First Disciples (1:16–20)

C. He Teaches and Heals in Capernaum (1:21–34)

D. He Extends His Ministry throughout Galilee (1:35–45)

E. He Defends His Ministry from the Religious Leaders (2:1–3:6)

F. He Ministers to the Multitudes (3:7–12)

G. He Appoints the Twelve (3:13–19)

H. He Rebukes the Blasphemy of the Scribes (3:20–30)

I. He Delineates His Spiritual Family (3:31–35)

J. He Begins to Teach in Parables (4:1–34)

1. The Soils (4:1–8)

2. The Reason for Parables (4:9–12)

3. The Parable of the Soils Explained (4:13–20)

4. The Lamp (4:21–25)

5. The Seed and Sleep (4:26–29)

6. The Mustard Seed (4:30–34)

K. He Demonstrates His Divine Power (4:35–5:43)

1. He Calms a Powerful Storm (4:35–41)

2. He Casts Out a Legion of Demons (5:1–20)

3. He Heals an Incurably Sick Woman (5:21–34)

4. He Raises a Dead Girl (5:35–43)

L. He Is Amazed at Nazareth’s Unbelief (6:1–6)

M. He Sends His Disciples throughout Galilee (6:7–13)

N. He Gains a Powerful Enemy in Herod (6:14–29)

O. He Reconvenes with the Disciples (6:30–32)

P. He Feeds Thousands Near Bethsaida (6:33–44)

Q. He Walks on Water (6:45–52)

R. He Heals Many People (6:53–56)

S. He Confronts the Traditions of the Pharisees (7:1–23)

III. The Expansion of Christ’s Ministry: In Various Gentile Regions (7:24–9:50)

A. Tyre and Sidon: He Delivers the Daughter of a Gentile Woman (7:24–30)

B. Decapolis: He Heals a Deaf Man (7:31–37)

C. The Southeastern Shore of Galilee: He Again Feeds Thousands (8:1–9)

D. Dalmanutha: He Confronts the Pharisees’ Unbelief (8:10–12)

E. The Other Side of the Lake: He Reprimands the Disciples (8:13–21)

F. Bethsaida: He Restores Sight to a Blind Man (8:22–26)

G. Caesarea Philippi and Capernaum: He Instructs the Disciples (8:27–9:50)

1. Peter Confesses Jesus to Be the Christ (8:27–30)

2. Jesus Foretells His Suffering and Death (8:31–33)

3. He Articulates the Cost of Discipleship (8:34–38)

4. He Is Gloriously Transfigured (9:1–10)

5. He Answers a Question about Elijah (9:11–13)

6. He Delivers a Demon-Possessed Boy (9:14–29)

7. He Reiterates the Reality of His Coming Death (9:30–32)

8. He Defines Greatness as Servanthood (9:33–37)

9. He Identifies Genuine Spiritual Fruit (9:38–41)

10. He Warns Those Who Would Cause Believers to Stumble (9:42–50)

IV. The Conclusion of Christ’s Ministry: The Road to Jerusalem (10:1–52)

A. He Gives Instruction regarding Divorce (10:1–12)

B. He Blesses the Children (10:13–16)

C. He Challenges a Rich Young Ruler (10:17–27)

D. He Confirms the Promise of Heavenly Reward (10:28–31)

E. He Readies the Disciples for His Suffering and Death (10:32–34)

F. He Calls the Disciples to an Attitude of Selfless Service (10:35–45)

G. He Heals a Blind Man in Jericho (10:46–52)

V. The Consummation of Christ’s Ministry: Jerusalem (11:1–16:20)

A. He Enters the City Triumphantly (11:1–11)

B. He Curses a Fig Tree (11:12–14)

C. He Cleanses the Temple (11:15–19)

D. He Teaches Publicly in the Temple (11:20–12:44)

1. Prelude: The Lesson of the Fig Tree (11:20–26)

2. Regarding His Authority (11:27–33)

3. Regarding His Rejection (12:1–12)

4. Regarding Paying Taxes (12:13–17)

5. Regarding the Resurrection (12:18–27)

6. Regarding the Greatest Commandment (12:28–34)

7. Regarding Christ’s True Sonship (12:35–37)

8. Regarding the Scribes (12:38–40)

9. Regarding a Widow’s Offering (12:41–44)

E. He Teaches about End Times on the Mount of Olives (13:1–37)

F. He Is Anointed, Betrayed, and Arrested (14:1–72)

1. Judas Conspires to Betray Jesus (14:1–2, 10–11)

2. Christ Is Anointed in Bethany (14:3–9)

3. He Eats a Final Meal with the Disciples in Jerusalem (14:12–31)

4. He Prays in Gethsemane (14:32–42)

5. He Is Betrayed in Gethsemane (14:43–52)

6. He Is Placed on Trial at the House of the High Priest (14:53–72)

G. He Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death (15:1–41)

1. He Is Placed on Trial in Pilate’s Praetorium (15:1–15)

2. He Is Taken to Golgotha and Crucified (15:16–41)

H. He Is Buried in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (15:42–47)

I. He Rises from the Dead (16:1–8)

J. Postscript to the Gospel of Mark (16:9–20)