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The Gospel of Mark

The Four Gospels
The Apostles
The Early Church

John Mark was an occasional associate of Peter and Paul, and the probably author of the second Gospel. Mark's lasting impact on the Christian church comes from his writing rather than his life. He was the first to develop the literary form known as the "gospel" and is rightly regarded as a creative literary artist.

John Mark appears in the New Testament only in association with more prominent personalities and events. His mother, Mary, was an influential woman of Jerusalem who possessed a large house with servants. The early church gathered in this house during Peter's imprisonment under Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:12). Barnabas and Saul (Paul) took John Mark with them when they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch after their famine-relief visit (Acts 12:25). Shortly thereafter, Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey as far as Perga. He served in the capacity of "assistant" (Acts 13:5), which probably involved making arrangements for travel, food, and lodging; he may have done some teaching, too.

At Perga John Mark gave up the journey for an undisclosed reason (Acts 13:13); this departure later caused a rift between Paul and Barnabas when they chose their companions for the second missionary journey (Acts 15:37-41). Paul was unwilling to take Mark again and chose Silas; they returned overland to Asia Minor and Greece. Barnabas persisted in his choice of Mark, who was his cousin (Col. 4:10), and returned with him to his homeland of Cyprus (Acts 15:39; also Acts 4:36).

This break occurred about A.D. 49-50, and John Mark is not heard from again until a decade later. He is first mentioned again, interestingly enough, by Paul - and in favorable terms. Paul asks the Colosssians to receive Mark with a welcome (Col. 4:10), no longer as an assistant but as one of his "fellow laborers" (Philemon 24). And during his imprisonment in Rome, Paul tells Timothy to bring Mark with him to Rome, "For he is useful to me for ministry" (II Tim. 4:11). One final reference to Mark comes also from Peter in Rome; Peter affectionately refers to him as "my son" (I Pet. 5:13). Thus, in the later references to Mark in the New Testament, he appears to be reconciled to Paul and laboring with the two great apostles in Rome.

Information about Mark's later life is dependent on early church tradition. Writing at an early date, Papias (A.D. 60-130), whose report is followed by Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215), tells us that Mark served as Peter's interpreter in Rome and wrote his gospel from Peter's remembrances. Of his physical appearance we are only told, rather oddly, that Mark was "stumpy fingered". Writing at a later date (about A.D. 325), the church historian Eusebius says that Mark was the first evangelist to Egypt, the founder of the churches of Alexandria, and the first bishop of that city. So great were his converts, both in number and sincerity of commitment, says Eusebius, that the great Jewish philosopher, Philo, was amazed. (IBD)

Author: Mark
Date: 65-70 A.D.
Theme: The suffering Son of Man who, in fact, is the Son of GOD
Key Words: Authority, Son of Man, Son of GOD, suffering, faith, discipline, Gospel

Author: Although the Gospel of Mark is anonymous, from very early in the Church's history, the author was thought to be John Mark, a close colaborator of Peter (see I Pet. 5:13) and a companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. The oldest reference about the authorship of Mark comes from Papias, bishop of the church of Hierapolis (around 135-140 A.D.), whose testimony is preserved by Eusebius in the Ecclesiastical History. Papias describes Mark as "Peter's interpreter". In spite of the face that the early Church was very careful to sustain the apostolic authorship of the Gospels, the Church fathers firmly attributed this Gospel to Mark, who wasn't an apostle. This fact is an additional indirect confirmation of the Church's conviction.

Papias also wrote that Mark had not been a follower of Jesus during his ministry on earth, but had later written down Peter's story accurately, if not in the correct order. Eusebius writes that Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome while serving Peter. The Gospel seems to be an eyewitness account which was probably Peter's remembrance (1:29-31). According to the Illustrated Bible Dictionary, "It may be that as a youth Mark was present at the arrest of Jesus and that he has left an 'anonymous signature' in the story of the young man who fled naked (14:51-52)".

Date: The Church fathers affirm that the Gospel of Mark was written after the death of Peter, which occurred during the persecutions unleashed by the emperor Nero, around the year 67 A.D. The Gospel itself, particularly in chapter 13, indicates that it was written before the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. The weight of evidence points to a date between 65 and 70 A.D.

Background: In the year 64 A.D. Nero accused the Christian community of setting fire to the city of Rome, and with this pretext instigated a fierce persecution in which Peter and Paul died. In the midst of a persecuted church, living constantly under the threat of death, Mark wrote his "good news". He clearly wants his readers to draw strength from the life and example of Jesus. That which was true for Jesus should also be so for the apostles and disciples of all times. In the heart of the Gospel is the explicit pronouncement that "it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer much, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and raised again after three days" (8:31). The pronouncement of suffering and death is not only repeated (9:31; 10:32-34), but becomes a standard for the consecrated disciple: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take his cross, and follow me" (8:34). Mark directs his readers to the cross of Christ, where they can discover the meaning and hope of his suffering.

Content: Mark structures his Gospel around the travels of Jesus, which were finalized with his death and subsequent resurrection. After an introduction (1:1-13), Mark narrates the public ministry of Jesus in Galilee (1:14-9:50) and Judea (ch. 10-13),culminating in the Passion and Resurrection (chapters 14-16). The Gospel should be seen as a work divided into two parts, which are joined by Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah (8:27-30) and Jesus' first announcement of his resurrection (8:31).

Mark is the shortest Gospel. It contains no genealogy or relation of the birth or early ministry of Jesus in Judea. It is an active Gospel that changes rapidly from one scene to another. The Gospel of John offers a concise portrait of the LORD, while Matthew and Luke present what can be considered a series of colorful fixed panoramas. Nevertheless, the Gospel of Mark is like a film of Jesus' life. Mark accentuates the narrative character of his Gospel utilizing the Greek word eutheos, frequently translated as, "later". This word is repeated 42 times in the text, more than in the rest of the New Testament. The continual use of the Greek imperfect tense denotes constant action and imprints dynamism to the story.

Mark is also the Gospel of vivid, graphic, sensational phrases, easily employed to allow the reader to envision the described scene. Jesus' manners and gestures receive special attention on Mark's part. There are many Latinisms (characteristics or qualities of Latin in another language) in this Gospel (see 4:21; 6:27; 12:14; 15:39). Its author places little emphasis on the Law and Judaic customs, but when he alludes to them, he always explains them to his readers. This supports the tradition that Mark wrote to a Gentile, Roman audience.

In many ways, Mark emphasizes Jesus' passion, and thus makes it an indicator to measure his ministry and that of his disciples: "Because the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (10:45). Jesus' entire ministry (miracles, association with sinners, selection of disciples, teachings about the kingdom of GOD, etc.) is placed in the context of the Son of GOD's generous love, which was consummated in the cross and resurrection.

Theme: (HBH) Discipleship is the central theme of Mark's Gospel. Of all the Gospels, Mark is at once the most frankly realistic in assessing the difficulties of discipleship and the most hopeful. Discipleship is costly (8:34-37; 12:44; 14:3-5), and persecution comes with the territory (10:30; 13:9-13). Mark was not blind to the disciples' misunderstandings (4:40; 6:52; 8:17,33; 9:6; 10:38) and failures (10:13; 14:37,43,50,71). Nevertheless, he expressed hope that beyond failure, those first disciples - and contemporary disciples - experience forgiveness (16:7) and fulfillment of Jesus' promises to be "fishers of people" (1:17, NRSV) and Spirit-inspired witnesses (13:11; compare 10:39). Mark's hope was grounded in Jesus, who both trusted in GOD's goodness and love for Him (1:11; 9:7; 10:18) and submitted to the necessity of His suffering and death as a prelude to His resurrection.

Literary Form: (HBH) Before Mark the early Christians had passed on the story of Jesus orally as isolated stories, short sayings collections, and some longer narrative, such as the passion. Mark was likely the first Christian to write a "Gospel", not a mere biography but an extended treatment of the significnce of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection for believers. Most scholars believe that Matthew and Luke, writing ten to twenty years later, based their Gospels on Mark's. Indeed Matthew reproduced about 90 percent of Mark. Mark's distinctives include his fast-paced adventure style ("immediately", thirty-five times); his use of blunt language ("the heavens torn apart", 1:10, NRSV; "the Spirit...drove him out into the wilderness", 1:12, NRSV); his appreciation of the humanity of Jesus (1:41; 3:5; 4:38; 6:6; 11:12; 14:33), and his emphasis on the difficulty of discipleship.

Purpose and Theology: (HBH) Though Mark doubtless wrote with the needs of his own church in mind, his Gospel is not an occasional document such as Paul's letters. The concerns Mark addressed were typical of Christians of his generation and are pertinent to ours. Mark wrote to preserve the story of Jesus after the deaths of first-generation Christians such as Peter. Mark, however, was not a mere archivist, for he used the story of Jesus for pastoral purposes.

1. Mark wrote to encourage Christians to persist in faithful discipleship, particularly in the crisis of persecution. Sometimes Mark encouraged perseverance through Jesus' sayings (8:34-38; 13:11). More often he encouraged faithful discipleship through the examples of his characters: Jesus, who by His exorcisms and healings triumphed over evil but who committed Himself to a life of humble service, suffering, and death. John the Baptist, who was Jesus' forerunner in proclamation and death. Those first disciples, who left all to follow Jesus but who often lacked faith and understanding and who failed Jesus through their rebuke, betrayal, denial, and abandonment. The women, who anointed Jesus for His death, who accepted the suffering, dying Christ of the cross and tomb. Bartimaeus, who once was blind but then through the mercy of the Son of David saw and followed Jesus in the way of the cross.
2. Mark encouraged Christians to courageous witness. The call of the first disciples included Jesus' promise to make them "fish for people" (1:17, NRSV; compare 6:6b-13). Mark encouraged witness in the face of Jewish opposition through the thirteen "conflict stories" illustrating Jesus' authority (2:1; 3:6; 3:20-35; 7:1-23; 10:1-12; 11:27-12:37). Mark likewise encouraged witness through the example of his characters: the friends of the paralytic who brought him to Jesus; the former demoniac who proclaimed how much Jesus had done for him; the Syrophoenician women who envisioned a gospel that reached the Gentiles; the people of Bethsaida who brought a blind man to Jesus for healing; those who brought their "little ones" to Jesus; and ultimately Jesus before the Sanhedrin (14:62; see 13:11). The oldest manuscripts of Mark end with the fear and silence of the women in 16:8. This puzzling ending reminds contemporary disciples that the Jesus story is unfinished until we share the message boldly with our generation.
3. Mark encouraged Christians to hope in the promises of Jesus. Mark might be termed "the Gospel of loose ends". Mark often pointed ahead to promises that were only fulfilled outside his story. For example, John promised one who "will baptize with the Holy Spirit" (1:8); Jesus promised that the disciples would "fish for people" (1:17, NRSV), that GOD's "mustard seed" of a kingdom would become "a great shrub" (4:30-32), and that disciples would be given grace to share Jesus' cup of suffering and baptism of death (10:39). Also John promised that the Spirit would enable disciples to withstand persecution and witness boldly (13:9-13) and that Jesus would meet His disciples in Galilee after the resurrection (14:28; 16:7). Mark doubtless knew traditions such as those Luke incorporated in Acts that related the fulfillment of such promises. That Mark left these "loose ends" suggests that for Mark the "Jesus story" is not finished until it is finished through the bold witness and costly discipleship of His followers.

Theological Contribution: (IBD) Mark begins his gospel with the statement, "The beginning of the gospel [good news] of Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD" (1:1); and the last human to speak in the gospel is the centurion who confesses at the cross, "Truly this Man was the Son of GOD!" (15:39). One of Mark's key objectives is to portray Jesus as GOD's Son. At decisive points in his story, he reveals the mystery of Jesus' person. At the baptism (1:11) and transfiguration (9:7) the Father in heaven calls Jesus "My beloved Son", thus indicating that Jesus shares a unique relationship with the Father. Demons recognize Jesus as GOD's Son, too (1:24; 3:11; 5:7), testifying that Jesus is equipped with GOD's authority and power.

Mark, however, is careful to avoid portraying Jesus as an unrealistic superstar whose feet do not touch the ground. The Son of GOD is not immune from the problems of life, but enters fully into them. He must be obedient to the will of the Father, even to death on a cross. Mark portrays Jesus according to the model of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. Thus, Jesus tells a parable, which ultimately reflects His own fate: the only son of the owner of a vineyard suffers rejection and death at the hands of rebellious tenant farmers (12:1-12).

Furthermore, Mark does not emphasize Jesus' deity at the expense of His humanity. Jesus appears sorrowful (14:34), disappointed (8:12), displeased (10:14), angry (11:15-17), amazed (6:6), and fatigues (4:38). In no other gospel is Jesus' humanity presented as strongly as in the Gospel of Mark.

For Mark, faith and discipleship have no meaning apart from following the suffering Son of GOD. Faith is not a magic that works independently of the believer's participation (6:1-6); rather, it draws the believer into intimate union with Jesus as LORD (9:14-29). Jesus' disciples are to be with Him as He is with the father, and they are given the same tasks of proclamation and power over the forces of evil as He had (3:13-15; 6:7).

As the Son of Man serves in self-abasement, so too must His disciples serve (10:42-45). Discipleship with Christ leads to self-denial and suffering. "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (8:34). This, however, is not a matter of a religious desire to suffer; rather, when one loses his life, he finds it in Christ (8:35). Thus, one can only know and confess Jesus as GOD's Son from the vantage pont of the cross (15:39). It is only through the Son of GOD who suffers and dies that we may see into the heart of GOD (symbolized by the tearing of the Temple curtain, thus exposing the Holy of Holies) and enter into fellowship with the Father.

Special Considerations: (IBD) The ending of the Gospel of Mark poses a problem. The two oldest and most important manuscripts of the Greek New Testament (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) end with the words, "For they were afraid" (16:8). Other manuscripts add, in whole or in part, the material making up verses 9-20. This longer ending, however, is unlike Mark 1:1-16:8 in style and content; it contains material presented exactly as it is in Matthew and Luke. It has long been debated whether Mark intended to end his gospel at 16:8, or whether the original ending was lost and a secondary ending (verses 9-20) was later added.

The following observations suggest that Mark originally did not end at 16:8, and that the original ending was either lost (for example, the final section of a scroll or codex misplaced or destroyed) or left unfinished (for example, due to Mark's death).

First, it seems unlikely that, having begun the gospel with a bold introduction (1:10) Mark would end it on a note of fear (16:8). Considering the centrality of Jesus throughout the gospel, one would expect an appearance of the resurrected Christ rather than just an announcement of His resurrection.

Second, Mark's Gospel conforms in broad outline to the preaching pattern of the early church - except for the shorter ending at 16:8. It would seem logical that one who drafted a gospel along the lines of the early Christian preaching would not have omitted a central feature like the resurrection (I Cor. 15:3-26).

Third, the longer, later ending (verses 9-20) testifies that the early tradition was dissatisfied with the shorter ending of Mark.

Finally, why would Matthew and Luke, both of whom normally follow Mark's report (see The Four Gospels), depart from him at the resurrection appearances unless the ending of Mark was somehow defective? These reasons suggest that the shorter ending of Mark (at 16:8) is not the original (or intended) ending - for whatever reason - and that verses 9-20 are later addition supplied to compensate for the omission.

For a different view concerning the ending of Mark, see the letter in the right-hand column of this page.

Another special feature of Mark's Gospel concerns the "messianic secret". Often following a miracle, Jesus commands persons healed, onlookers, disciples, and even demons to silence (1:34; 1:44; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26; 8:30; 9:9). It has long puzzled readers why Jesus, who came into the world to make Himself known, would work at cross-purposes with His mission by trying to remain hidden.

The puzzle can be explained in part by realizing that Jesus' command to silence was intended to protect Himself from false expectations of the Messiah that were current at that time. For most of Jesus' contemporaries, "messiah" brought up pictures of a military hero overthrowing the Roman rule of Palestine. Jesus had no intention to take up the warrior's sword; rather, He took up the servant's towel.

Another reason why Jesus tried to conceal His miraculous power was because He realized that faith could not be forced upon people by a spectacle (Matt. 4:5-7). Not sight but insight into Jesus' life and purpose could evoke true faith.

Finally, Jesus demanded silence because no title or label could convey Him adequately. Saving knowledge of Jesus needed to come through personal experience with Him. Indeed, until Jesus died on the cross He could not rightly be known as GOD incognito who reveals Himself to those who are willing to deny self and follow Him in costly discipleship.

Personal Application: The Gospel of Mark teaches that the life of discipleship means following Jesus on the same path of misunderstandings and rejection that He passed through. In all times, the warnings and promise to Jesus' followers are always, "If someone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Because everyone who wishes to save his life will lose it, and everyone who loses his life for my sake and for the Gospel, will save it" (8:34,35).

Mark emphasizes the need to have faith in the person, message and power of Jesus to help those who are in difficult situations (see 1:15; 2:5; 4:40; 5:34,36; 6:6; 9:19; 11:22-24). Opposition to such faith can be seen in the motives of hardened hearts (see 3:5; 7:14-23; 8:17). The incarnated Christ, whom Mark describes, is able and ready to help those who find themselves in extreme need.

Finally, The Gospel of Mark assures Christian workers of all generations, that the same miracles that approved the apostles' ministries, will continue being characteristic elements of GOD's people under the new covenant.

Christ Revealed: This book isn't a biography, but a concise history of the redemption accomplished by Christ's expiatory work. Mark justifies Jesus' messianic entitlement, emphasizing his authority as Master (1:22) and his authority over Satan and the unclean spirits (1:27; 3:19-30), sin (2:1-12), the Sabbath (2:27,28; 3:1-6), nature (4:35-41; 6:45-52), infirmity (5:21-34), death (5:35-43), legalistic traditions (7:1-13,14-20) and the Temple (11:15-18).

The title that heads Mark's work, "Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of GOD" (1:1), contains his central thesis about Jesus' identity as Son of GOD. The Baptism as well as the Transfiguration testify to his divine condition (1:11; 9:7). On two occasions, evil spirits confess that He is the Son of GOD (3:11; 5:7; see also 1:24,34). The parable of the evil laborers alludes to the divine condition of Jesus as Son (12:6). Finally, the narration of the crucifixion concludes with the centurion's confession, "Truly this man was the Son of GOD" (15:39).

In Mark, the title Jesus most frequently uses to refer to himself, a total of 40 times, is "Son of Man". This expression (see Dan. 7:13), as a designation for the Messiah, wasn't as popular among the Jews as the highly nationalistic "Son of David". Jesus chooses "Son of Man" as much to reveal and reaffirm his messianic condition as to link himself with GOD and man.

Mark, with a view to discipleship, suggests that Jesus' followers should completely know the mystery of his identity. While many misinterpret the person and mission of the LORD, demons confess his divine character of Son. The disciples should see through his mission, take the cross and follow him. The Second Coming of the vindicated Son of Man will finally reveal His glory and power.

The Holy Spirit in Action: Along with the other authors of the Gospels, Mark registers John the Baptist's prophecy that Jesus would baptize "with the Holy Spirit" (1:8). Just as John's disciples were submerged in the waters of the River Jordan, thus the believers will be totally submerged in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism, filling him with power for his Messianic work, in conformity with Isaiah's prophecy (Is. 42:1; 48:16; 61:1,2). The story of Jesus' subsequent ministry gives testimony to the fact that his miracles and teachings were the result of having been anointed with the H.S.

Mark graphically affirms that "the Spirit drove him to the desert" (1:2) to be tempted, suggesting the urgency of encountering Satan and defeating him in his attempts to make Jesus fall, before undertaking the mission to destroy the power of the enemy in others.

The sin against the Holy Spirit is contrasted with all the others (3:28), because those sins and blasphemies can be pardoned. The context defines the significance of this terrifying truth. The scribes blasphemed against the Holy Spirit when they attributed to Satan the effects of the exorcism achieved by Jesus through the Holy Spirit (3:22). Their prejudiced vision made them incapable of distinguishing the truth. Mark's explanation confirms this when he says why Jesus made this severe pronouncement (3:30).

Jesus also refers to the inspiration of the Old Testament by the Holy Spirit (12:36). Of particular importance for the Christians who face the hostility and injustice of the authorities, is the LORD promise that the Spirit will speak through them when they testify of Christ.

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