Through the Bible in One Year

Harbour Lake Baptist Church

“Through The Bible In One Year”

Introduction to “The Gospel of Mark”

1. The Gospel of Mark presents Christ as “the” Servant. Chapter by chapter, Mark’s gospel presents the dual focus of Christ’s life: service and sacrifice. He portrays Jesus as a “Servant on the move”, instantly responsive to the will of His Father. By preaching, teaching, and healing, Jesus ministers to the needs of others even to the point of death. Jesus commissions His followers to continue His work in His power – “servants” following in the steps of the perfect Servant.

2.While Matthew was a Jew that was primarily writing to Jews, Mark, known throughout Scripture as John Mark, wrote for the Romans (Gentiles) to help them understand who Jesus Christ was and what He did to prove He was the long awaited Jewish Messiah. John was his “Jewish” name, while Mark was his “Roman” name. He was a companion of Paul on the first missionary journey. Mark was also a learner and close companion of Peter. It is believed that Peter won Mark to the Lord and that Peter’s style and influence is seen throughout this Gospel of Mark.

3. The ancient title for this gospel was Kata Markon, “According to Mark”. The author is best known by his Latin name Marcus, but in Jewish circles he was called by his Hebrew name John. Acts 12:12, 25 and 15:37 refer to him as “John, who was also called Mark.”

4. The Central Message of The Gospel of Mark is:“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

5. The Gospel of Mark is the second of what is called the three “Synoptic” gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), which means that they present a “similar” or “collective” view of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The gospel of John is a gospel presentation of Jesus Christ that is separated both in time and character. The Synoptic gospels present the outer, human and public, aspects of Jesus’ life. The gospel of John reveals the inner, Divine and private, aspects of His life.

6. The Gospel of Mark can be divided into five major sections:

a. The Presentation of the Servant(Chapters1 – 2:12)

b. The Opposition to the Servant(Chapters 2:13 – 8:26)

c. The Instruction by the Servant(Chapters8:27 – 10:52)

d. The Rejection of the Servant(Chapters 11:1 – 15:47)

e. The Resurrection of the Servant(Chapter16)

7. Unlike Matthew, Mark was NOT a disciple of Jesus Christ. According to Acts 12:12, Mark’s mother, Mary, had a large house that was used as a meeting place for believers in Jerusalem. Peter apparently went to this house often because the servant girl recognized his voice at the gate (Acts 12:13-16). Barnabas was Mark’s cousin (Colossians 4:10), but Peter may have been the person who led him to Christ. Peter called him “my son, Mark” in 1Peter 5:13, which is a New Testament way to refer to someone you influenced to become “born again” in Christ. It was this close association with Peter that lent apostolic authority to Mark’s gospel, since Peter was evidently Mark’s primary source of information. It has been suggested that Mark was referring to himself in his account of “a certain young man” in Gethsemane (Mark 14:51-52). Since all the disciples had abandoned Jesus (14:50), this little incident may have been Mark’s firsthand account.

8. Baranabas and Saul took Mark along with them when they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 12:25) and again with they left on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). However, Mark left early and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). When Barnabas wanted to bring Mark on the 2nd missionary journey, Paul’s refusal led to a disagreement. The result was that Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus and Paul took Silas through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:36-41). Nevertheless, Paul later wrote that Mark was with him during his first Roman imprisonment (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24), so there must have been a reconciliation. In fact, at the end of his life, Paul sent for Mark, saying “he is useful to me for service” (2Timothy 4:11).

9. Like all the gospels, Mark is not easy to date. Most conservative scholars believe that The Gospel of Mark was the first gospel written and date this book somewhere between 55 to 63 AD, because Mark makes no mention of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem which took place in 70 AD or the death of Peter (approx. 64 AD).