Introduction to Mark
The Gospel of Mark is one of four accounts of the Good News about Jesus. Mark was written off a firsthand account the writer received from one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter. It teaches us about King Jesus and His Kingdom. In the first section, we see Him doing ministry and miracles in and around Galilee. In the second section, He’s on His way to Jerusalem and predicting His death and resurrection (see 8:31, 9:31-32, 10:32-34). The final section is His arrival, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem.
- Galilee: Jesus ministers in and around Galilee. So far He’s what people expected of the Christ. He is a good shepherd who is stronger than sin, sickness, and nature.
- On the way to Jerusalem: For the first time in the book, someone confesses Jesus is Christ. After Peter confesses that, Jesus starts moving toward Jerusalem and predicting His death and resurrection.
- Jerusalem: Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, and the intensity mounts. He’s welcomed by shouts of “Hosanna!” then goes to the temple court where people would have expected a king to be coronated. Instead, tension grows between Jesus and the leaders, ending in His crucifixion. Three days later, He rises from the grave as He told His disciples He would!
Literary Genre of Mark
Synoptic Gospel. Synoptic means “similar perspective.” Mark is considered a synoptic Gospel because it’s a similar perspective to Matthew’s and Luke’s.
Date Mark was Written
Likely the late 50s or early 60s AD. Mark was writing his Gospel account while there was great persecution of Christians under the rule of Nero.
Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark
Mark, the disciple of Peter, wrote the Gospel of Mark. He would have been receiving all of his firsthand accounts from Peter, one of Christ’s disciples. Because of this, it’s no surprise that the person mentioned the most, aside from Jesus, is Peter. What is surprising is that Peter is often painted in a bad light! Peter wasn’t afraid to share his failures, and Mark wasn’t afraid to write about them. Out of all the Gospel writers, Mark had the best storytelling abilities. He added details the other Gospels didn’t include. One example of this is the fact that he pointed out that Jesus was resting his head on a pillow as He slept through the big storm. While this doesn’t necessarily have theological implications, it does paint a better picture. Another interesting fact is that he is the same Mark who traveled with Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. We know there was conflict when Mark left because Paul didn’t want Mark to come along on a future journey. Later on, in 2 Timothy 4:11, we see Mark described by Paul as someone “helpful to me in my ministry.” When we look at Mark as a whole, we see someone who is falling short early on but grows in usefulness and importance in ministry.
Mark Audience
Mark was written for an audience of both Jews and Gentiles. He makes allusions to Jewish and Roman backgrounds.
Themes in Mark
- Authority of Jesus
- Kingship of Jesus
- Suffering of Jesus
Key verse of Mark
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”
Mark 8:34
The Purpose of Mark
Mark shows us that because the Messiah suffered, we should expect to suffer too.
Mark Outline
- 1-16 The King’s Authority
- 8:31-16 The King’s Death
- 11-16 The King’s Arrival
Why should you study Mark?
Studying Mark helps us understand King Jesus and His kingdom better. The more familiar we are with Him and His kingdom, the better we’ll understand our role in the kingdom. We’ll also see in this book how the King suffered and how we also should expect to suffer.
Take our free online course on Mark!
Do you want to dig deeper into the Gospel of Mark? We offer a free online course taught by Joel! In this course, you’ll be taken through Mark’s background, as well as all 16 chapters.
Content reworked from Joel’s class on Mark
Edited and formatted by Eliza Noel
