Jet Tour Through Mark Series

The Gospel According To Mark

1. The Author of the Book - John Mark - He was …

A. … a man with 2 names:

· John (Hebrew) = “Jehovah has been gracious”

· Mark (Roman) = “a large hammer”

B. … a young (20) disciple of Jesus at His death.

C. … probably the young man who followed Jesus when He was arrested (Mark 14:51-52)

D. … 1st mentioned in Acts 12:12.

E. … from a wealthy family.

F. … the nephew (or cousin) of Barnabas (Col 4:10).

G. … a companion of Barnabas & Paul when they returned to Antioch from their Jerusalem visit (Acts 12:25)

H. … a part of Paul’s & Barnabas’ 1st Missionary Journey but left them for some unknown reason (Acts 13:1-13).

I. … invited by Barnabas to go on the 2nd Missionary Journey, but rejected by Paul, causing sharp contention between them (Acts 15:36-39)

J. … later recognized by Paul as a faithful servant and profitable for the ministry (2 Tim 4:11)

K. … Peter’s “son” in the ministry (1 Pet 5:13)

L. … obviously influenced greatly by Peter .

2. The Recipients of the Book

A. Written for the Romans, presenting Christ as the powerful Son of God.

B. Obviously written to people without Jewish background:

· Jewish words & customs are explained (5:41: 7:1-4; 7:34; 14:12; 15:34, 42)

· There is no genealogy in the Book.

· There are few OT references (1:2-3; 15:28)

3. The Date & Place of Writing

A. Date - Written before 70 AD, since the destruction of Jerusalem is spoken of as a yet future event. Probably between 50 - 70 AD.

B. Place - Tradition places the writing in Rome.

4. The Purpose of the Book

A. To emphasize Christ’s actions more so than His speaking.

B. To present Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah (10:45)

5. Keys to the Book

A. Key Words: Immediately = 42 times

B. Key Verse - 10:45

6. Special Features of the Book

A. One of the most unique features of Mark’s Gospel is his omission of some of the most important events in the life of Christ. There is...

· no mention of the virgin birth;

· no mention of the visit of the wise men;

· no mention of the Sermon on the Mount;

· no quotation about Jesus from the Prophets (1:2);

· no mention of Divine Titles;

· no mention of His work being finished;

· no mention of the Kingdom Parables;

B. Six of the 15 times the word Gospel is used in the four Gospels are found in Mark.

C. Twelve of Marks 16 Chapters begin with the word “And”.

D. Mark only records four parables.

7. The Outline of the Book

A. The Service of the Servant (1:1- 10:52)

1. Introduction to the Gospel (1:1-15)

2. Early Galilean Ministry (1:16-3:6)

· Ministry in the towns (1:16-45)

· Conflict with authorities (2:1- 3:6)

3. Later Galilean Ministry (3:7 - 6:13)

· Withdrawal to the Sea (3:7-12)

· Choice of the Twelve (3:13-19)

· Jesus' Family (3:20-35)

· Parables concerning the Kingdom of God (4:1-34)

· Miracles (4:35- 5:43)

· Rejection at Nazareth (6:1-6)

· The Mission of the Twelve (6:7-13)

4. Withdrawal Beyond Galilee (6:14- 8:30)

· Murder of John the Baptist (6:14-29)

· Miracles and messages (6:30- 8:26)

· Recognition of the Messiah (8:27-30)

5. The Journey to Jerusalem (8:31- 10:52)

· The Sufferings of the Messiah (8:31- 9:1)

· The Transfiguration (9:2-29)

· Prophecy of Passion and cost of Discipleship (9:30-50)

· Divorce, Children, and true Discipleship (10:1-45)

· Faith of Blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

B. The Sacrifice of the Servant (11:1- 15:47)

1. Ministry In Jerusalem (11:1- 13:37)

2. The Passion Narrative (14:1- 15:47)

C. The Success of the Servant (16:1-20)

1. The Resurrection of Jesus (16:1-8)

2. The commission of Jesus (16:9-20)