Mark, The Book of
Summary of the Gospel of Mark
This summary of the
Gospel of Mark provides information about the title, author(s), date of
writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the
chapters of the Gospel of Mark.
Although there is no
direct internal evidence of authorship, it was the unanimous testimony of the
early church that this Gospel was written by John Mark ("John, also called
Mark," Ac 12:12,25; 15:37). The most important evidence comes from
Papias (c. a.d. 140), who quotes an even earlier source as saying: (1) Mark was
a close associate of Peter, from whom he received the tradition of the things
said and done by the Lord; (2) this tradition did not come to Mark as a
finished, sequential account of the life of our Lord, but as the preaching of
Peter -- preaching directed to the needs of the early Christian communities;
(3) Mark accurately preserved this material. The conclusion drawn from this
tradition is that the Gospel of Mark largely consists of the preaching of Peter
arranged and shaped by Mark (see note on Ac 10:37).
It is generally agreed
that the Mark who is associated with Peter in the early non-Biblical tradition
is also the John Mark of the NT. The first mention of him is in connection with
his mother, Mary, who had a house in Jerusalem that served as a meeting place
for believers (Ac 12:12). When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from Jerusalem
after the famine visit, Mark accompanied them (Ac 12:25). Mark next appears as a "helper"
to Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Ac 13:5), but he deserted them at Perga in Pamphylia
(see map, p. 2273) to return to Jerusalem (Ac 13:13). Paul must have been deeply disappointed
with Mark's actions on this occasion, because when Barnabas proposed taking
Mark on the second journey, Paul flatly refused, a refusal that broke up their
working relationship (Ac
15:36-39). Barnabas took Mark,
who was his cousin (Col 4:10), and departed for Cyprus. No further mention
is made of either of them in the book of Acts. Mark reappears in Paul's letter
to the Colossians written from Rome. Paul sends a greeting from Mark and adds:
"You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome
him" (Col 4:10; see Phm 24, written about the same time). At this point Mark
was apparently beginning to win his way back into Paul's confidence. By the end
of Paul's life, Mark had fully regained Paul's favor (see 2Ti 4:11 and note).
Some, who hold that
Matthew and Luke used Mark as a major source, have suggested that Mark may have
been composed in the 50s or early 60s. Others have felt that the content of the
Gospel and statements made about Mark by the early church fathers indicate that
the book was written shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70.
See essay and chart, p. 1943.
According to early
church tradition, Mark was written "in the regions of Italy"
(Anti-Marcionite Prologue) or, more specifically, in Rome (Irenaeus; Clement of
Alexandria). These same authors closely associate Mark's writing of the Gospel
with the apostle Peter. The above evidence is consistent with (1) the
historical probability that Peter was in Rome during the last days of his life
and was martyred there, and (2) the Biblical evidence that Mark also was in
Rome about the same time and was closely associated with Peter (see 2Ti 4:11; 1Pe 5:13, where the word "Babylon" may be a
cryptogram for Rome; see also Introduction to 1 Peter: Place of Writing).
The evidence points to
the church at Rome, or at least to Gentile readers. Mark explains Jewish
customs (7:2-4; 15:42), translates Aramaic words (3:17; 5:41; 7:11,34; 15:22,34) and seems to have a special interest in persecution and
martyrdom (8:34-38; 13:9-13) -- subjects of special concern to Roman
believers (and to Peter as well; cf. 1 Peter). A Roman destination would
explain the almost immediate acceptance of this Gospel and its rapid
dissemination.
Since Mark's Gospel is
traditionally associated with Rome, it may have been occasioned by the
persecutions of the Roman church in the period c. a.d. 64-67. The famous fire
of Rome in 64 -- probably set by Nero himself but blamed on Christians --
resulted in widespread persecution. Even martyrdom was not unknown among Roman
believers. Mark may be writing to prepare his readers for such suffering by
placing before them the life of our Lord. There are many references, both
explicit and veiled, to suffering and discipleship throughout his Gospel
(see 1:12-13; 3:22,30; 8:34-38; 10:30,33-34,45; 13:8-13).
- The cross. Both the human cause (12:12; 14:1-2; 15:10) and the divine necessity (8:31; 9:31;10:33-34) of the cross are emphasized by Mark.
- Discipleship. Special attention should be paid to the passages
on discipleship that arise from Jesus' predictions of his passion (8:34 -- 9:1;
9:35 -- 10:31;
10:42 -- 45).
- The teachings of Jesus. Although Mark records far fewer actual teachings
of Jesus than the other Gospel writers, there is a remarkable emphasis on
Jesus as teacher. The words "teacher," "teach" or
"teaching," and "Rabbi" are applied to Jesus in Mark
39 times.
- The Messianic secret. On several occasions Jesus warns his disciples
or others to keep silent about who he is or what he has done (see 1:34,44 and notes; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:30; 9:9).
- Son of God. Although Mark empasizes the humanity of Jesus
(see 3:5; 6:6,31,34; 7:34; 8:12;10:14; 11:12), he does not neglect his deity (see 1:1,11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:1-11; 13:32; 15:39).
Mark's Gospel is a
simple, succinct, unadorned, yet vivid account of Jesus' ministry, emphasizing
more what Jesus did than what he said. Mark moves quickly from one episode in
Jesus' life and ministry to another, often using the adverb
"immediately" (see note on 1:12). The book as a whole is characterized as
"The beginning of the gospel" (1:1). The life, death and resurrection of Christ
comprise the "beginning," of which the apostolic preaching in Acts is
the continuation.
- Early Galilean Ministry (1:14;3:12)
- Call of the first disciples (1:14-20)
- Miracles in Capernaum (1:21-34)
- Preaching and healing in
Galilee (1:35-45)
- Ministry in Capernaum (2:1-22)
- Sabbath controversy (2:23;3:12)
- Later Galilean Ministry (3:13;6:29)
- Choosing the 12 apostles (3:13-19)
- Teachings in Capernaum (3:20-35)
- Parables of the kingdom (4:1-34)
- Calming the Sea of Galilee (4:35-41)
- Healing a demon-possessed man
(5:1-20)
- More Galilean miracles (5:21-43)
- Unbelief in Jesus' hometown (6:1-6)
- Six apostolic teams preach
and heal in Galilee (6:7-13)
- King Herod's reaction to
Jesus' ministry (6:14-29)
- Jesus' Ministry in Judea and Perea (ch. 10)
VII.
The Resurrection of
Jesus (ch. 16)
Click on this link and someone will read the book of mark to you.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/audio-bible/nlt/mark/
Mark 1
1 This is the Good News about Jesus the
Messiah, the Son of God. It began
2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.
3 He is a voice shouting in the
wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD ’s coming! Clear the road for him!’ ”
4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He
was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that
they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
5 All of Judea, including all the people
of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their
sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel
hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and
wild honey.
7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon
who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down
like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
9 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in
Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.
10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he
saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a
dove.
11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are
my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
12 The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go
into the wilderness,
13 where he was tempted by Satan for forty
days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.
14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus
went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.
15 “The time promised by God has come at
last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and
believe the Good News!”
16 One day as Jesus was walking along the
shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net
into the water, for they fished for a living.
17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow
me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
18 And they left their nets at once and
followed him.
19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw
Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.
20 He called them at once, and they also
followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
21 Jesus and his companions went to the
town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and
began to teach.
22 The people were amazed at his teaching,
for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
23 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was
possessed by an evil spirit began shouting,
24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of
God!”
25 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out
of the man,” he ordered.
26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw
the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.
27 Amazement gripped the audience, and they
began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they
asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!”
28 The news about Jesus spread quickly
throughout the entire region of Galilee.
29 After Jesus left the synagogue with
James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home.
30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in
bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away.
31 So he went to her bedside, took her by
the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a
meal for them.
32 That evening after sunset, many sick and
demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus.
33 The whole town gathered at the door to
watch.
34 So Jesus healed many people who were
sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons
knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus
got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
36 Later Simon and the others went out to
find him.
37 When they found him, they said,
“Everyone is looking for you.”
38 But Jesus replied, “We must go on to
other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”
39 So he traveled throughout the region of
Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
40 A man with leprosy came and knelt in
front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and
make me clean,” he said.
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out
and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
42 Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and
the man was healed.
43 Then Jesus sent him on his way with a
stern warning:
44 “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead,
go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in
the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a
public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
45 But the man went and spread the word,
proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon
surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to
stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.
Mark 2
1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several
days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.
2 Soon the house where he was staying was
so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door.
While he was preaching God’s word to them,
3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed
man on a mat.
4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because
of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they
lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the
paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
6 But some of the teachers of religious
law who were sitting there thought to themselves,
7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy!
Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were
thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man
‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
10 So I will prove to you that the Son of
Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the
paralyzed man and said,
11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go
home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat,
and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised
God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore
again and taught the crowds that were coming to him.
14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of
Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,”
Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.
15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his
disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and
other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’
followers.)
16 But when the teachers of religious law
who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they
asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum? ”
17 When Jesus heard this, he told them,
“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not
those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
18 Once when John’s disciples and the
Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your
disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”
19 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast
while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the
groom is with them.
20 But someday the groom will be taken away
from them, and then they will fast.
21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing
with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth,
leaving an even bigger tear than before.
22 “And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins
would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
23 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking
through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to
eat.
24 But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look,
why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
25 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever
read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
26 He went into the house of God (during
the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred
loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to
his companions.”
27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath
was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements
of the Sabbath.
28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the
Sabbath!”
Mark 3
1 Jesus went into the synagogue again and
noticed a man with a deformed hand.
2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies
watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of
working on the Sabbath.
3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed
hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”
4 Then he turned to his critics and asked,
“Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil?
Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
5 He looked around at them angrily and was
deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your
hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
6 At once the Pharisees went away and met
with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
7 Jesus went out to the lake with his
disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee,
Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the
Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his
miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
9 Jesus instructed his disciples to have a
boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.
10 He had healed many people that day, so
all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.
11 And whenever those possessed by evil
spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in
front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”
12 But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits
not to reveal who he was.
