" An Introduction To Mark's Gospel" Series

The testimonies of the Early Church Fathers (A.D. 100-400) affirm that John Mark, first introduced in the book of Acts as a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul and his associate Barnabas, was the author of the Gospel that bears his name. Acts also notes that Mark, young and immature, abruptly left Paul and Barnabas in the middle of their missionary journey and returned to Jerusalem without giving a reason. Sometime later, Barnabas' desire to give Mark another opportunity in accompanying him and Paul on another missionary journey resulted in a fierce argument that split them as a team, each going their separate ways (Acts 12:25,13:13, 15:36-41). In his final days, Paul asked Timothy to bring Mark with him when he arrived in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11). Mark had matured in age and faith, demonstrating his effectiveness, commitment to the Lord Jesus, and his "usefulness for ministry".

Most Bible scholars tend to put the writing of Mark's Gospel somewhere between A.D. 50-60, the time in which Matthew and Luke's accounts were written. This was due to the fact that Paul and Peter's martyrdom had not occurred, and that his account was a primary source for what are referred to as the "Synoptic Gospels", a term used to note similarities found in all three accounts of Jesus' life and ministry. This is a certain proof that what we have in Scripture is a solid and verifiable record (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 2 Peter 1:19-21), along with the living witnesses of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances, the testimony of Paul (Acts 9:1-6) and the conversions of Jesus' half-brothers James and Jude (Matt.13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:3-5; 1 Corinthians 15:7). James was the author of the letter bearing his name and served as the pastor of the church in Jerusalem until his martyrdom around A.D. 62. Jude wrote a short but salient letter to the church concerning false teachers and their heresies.

Mark's Gospel is written as if it were an action story without diversions or subplots. The pace is rapid and to the point. One of the common words Mark uses is "immediately". Matthew and Luke pay attention to details such as the ancestry and birth of Jesus (Matt.1:1-25; Luke 2:1-20, 3:23-38), the ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 3; Luke 3), and the temptations from Satan in the wilderness (Matt.4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), Mark gives little attention to these events (Mark 1:1-13). Why? Think for a moment. When Mark wrote this Gospel, all of the apostles except for James, the brother of John (Acts 12:2), were living and spreading the story of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire. These stories of Jesus included the birth narratives and other works that were preached to the people. Luke, a Greek physician and historian traveled with Paul, hearing the gospel from him and the other apostles, along with the testimonies of those who had been healed by Jesus, delivered from demons, or had heard His teachings. Luke also heard the accounts from Jesus' own family, such as His mother Mary (Luke 1:26-38, 2:19, 34-35). All of this research was used in his own Gospel (Luke 1:1-4).

Mark allowed Matthew and Luke to furnish the details and background as directed by the Holy Spirit. He wrote his Gospel primarily for the Romans, people of action not prone to reading long detailed messages or background material. Mark gets to the point and does not waste words in describing the life and ministry of Jesus. It keeps your interest, as do the other Gospels, and gives the reader a well-constructed synopsis of the purpose of Jesus' ministry, to show that He was here to bring salvation to HIs people and to present and defend His universal call to discipleship. This Gospel gives the briefest account of Jesus' death and resurrection. Scholars have written and taught that the resurrection narrative is so blunt that the actual conclusion may have been lost, thus the necessity on the part of later scribes to add verses 9-20 at the end. It is an interesting concept, and apparently an ending that met with the approval of God, since He forbids that anything is to be added or deleted to what has been presented (Revelation 22:18-19).

It could be that the Gospel originally ended with what would be verse 8, This keeps in line with his method of writing, summarized as "Jesus rose from the dead like He promised and would meet everyone in Galilee later. The End." There is no post-resurrection narrative. To put it in modern terms: "Jesus is the Savior of the World. His words and work proved it. So did His resurrection. What more do you need?" Mark is not a multi-volume omnibus of everything the Lord Jesus did and said (John 21:25). The Sovereign God of All Creation and the Author of our salvation has provided everything we need to not just be informed about the Lord Jesus, but also show that He loves us and does not want anyone to perish in their sins. He alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) provides the free offer of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration (Matthew 11:28-30) to anyone who will come and bow before Him as Lord and God as millions have done throughout history. When we see Him face to face at the promised "Blessed Hope" (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10), we can talk to Him about the other things He did and said, but I would rather just be embraced by Him and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I am sure that the Gospel writers and everyone else in heaven would agree.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

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