JOURNEYS THROUGH THE BIBLE #4. THE GOSPEL OF MARK

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1 JOURNEYS THROUGH THE BIBLE #4. THE GOSPEL OF MARK 1. Mark is the recrd f Simn Peter s recllectins f Jesus as recrded by Jhn Mark. Jhn Mark is nt ne f the disciples, but is a recurring character in the Bk f Acts (Acts 12:12, 25;15:37, 39) Mark accmpanied Barnabas (his cusin - Clssians 4:10) and Paul n their First Missinary Jurney (Acts 12:25, 13:5-13). Fr sme unknwn reasn, Peter deserted them at Perga and returned t Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). In spite f this, Barnabas wanted t take Mark alng n the Secnd Missinary Jurney, but Paul wuld nt agree. The cntentin between them was s significant that the tw apstles parted ways, and Silas replaced Barnabas as Paul s dressed cmpanin (Acts 15:38-40). Years later, Paul wuld welcme Jhn Mark back int the ministry circle (Clssians 4:10) and listed Jhn Mark as a ministry partner. In Timthy 4:11, Mark was cmmended t Timthy as prfitable fr the ministry. Peter identified Jhn Mark as My Sn (1 Peter 5:13). Cnnectin t Jhn Mark is indicated when Peter was released by the angel frm prisn, he went t the hme f Jhn Mark s mther (Acts 12:12). Of the fur Gspels: Mark is the mst chrnlgically fcused. Mark cntains the mst events. Mark s stry centers in Galilee. Mark cites Capernaum as Jesus headquarters (1:21; 2:1; 9:33), frm which Jesus wuld travel t twns like Bethsaida (8:22), Gennesaret (8:53), Tyre, Sidn (3:8; 7:24), and Caesarea Philippi (8:27). Mark expresses the emtins f Jesus mst frequently (1:41; 3:5; 6:34; 8:12; 9:36), als citing His human limitatins (4:38; 11:12; 13:32). 2. Mark s name is frm a Latin rt, meaning dedicated t the gd Mars r warlike. Jhn Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 1

2 means Gd is gracius. 3. Mark s emphasis is upn the life f Christ, prepared fr an audience in Rme. Accrding t church traditin, it is the accunt f Peter s apstlic preaching abut the life f Jesus. Accrding t the Papias (circa 140AD), the Apstle Jhn cnfirmed Mark s authrship by saying, Mark, having becme the interpreter f Peter, wrte dwn accurately whatever he remembered he (Mark) tk especial care, nt tmtit anything he had heard, and nt t put anything fictitius int the statements. - frm The Expsitin f the Oracles f The Lrd 6. Likewise, Justin Martyr (circa 150AD) spke f the Gspel f Mark as the memirs f Peter and indicated Mark cmpiled the accunt in Italy. Irenaeus called Mark the disciple and interpreter f Peter. Mark s tendency t interpret Aramaic phrases fr his readers indicate the audience was Gentile (3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 10:46; 14:36; 15:22, 34) and is careful t explain Jewish custms (7:3, 4; 14:12; 15:42). Mark als uses Latin-based wrds at times instead f mre cmmn Greek terms (5:9; 6:27; 12:15, 42; 15:16, 39), further strengthening the idea f a Rman audience. He reckns time by the Rman system (6:48; 13:35). This is idea is further strengthened by the missin f Jesus genealgies, which wuld nt have played an imprtant rle in the thinking f Rmans. Finally Simn the Cyrene is identified as the father f Rufus, a prminent member f the cngregatin in Rme (Rmans 16:13). 4. The Date f writing was between 55 and 65AD Papias is mre specific, setting the date in 65AD, shrtly after the deaths f Paul and Peter in Rme. 5. Key Chapters Chapter 1:1-13 discuss the birth f Jesus and His preparatin fr ministry. Chapters 1:14-13:37 fcus n Jesus ministry in and arund Galilee and his final days in Jerusalem. Chapters 14:1-16:20 are the accunt f the death and resurrectin f Jesus. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 2

3 6. Key Verse Mark 10:45 NASB - Fr even the Sn f Man did nt cme t be served, but t serve, and t give His life a ransm fr many. 7. Key Peple Jesus the Messiah - The Messiah (the same term as Christ - the aninted ne). In Mark, Jesus is seen particularly as Gd s Servant; a true man n a missin. The Twelve Disciples (the riginal Apstles) Andrew Nathaniel (als called Barthlmew) James, the Elder James, the Lesser r Yunger Jhn The Belved Judas Iscarit Jude(als called Thaddeus) Matthew (als called Levi) Simn Peter (als called Cephas) Philip Simn the Zealt Thmas (als called Didymus) 8. Key Places Nazareth - the hmetwn f Mary and subsequently f Mary, Jseph, and Jesus. Tday it is primarily a Muslim and Christian cmmunity in Israel and the largest city in the Nrth Regin f Israel. Jerich - a city f Palm trees and the lcatin f at least 22 varius settlements thrughut histry. In this city Jesus healed tw blind beggars, cnverted Zacchaeus the Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 3

4 tax cllectr, and used the area as the setting fr the stry f the Gd Samaritan. Bethany - a village near Jerusalem; the hme f Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. A city f retreat and refuge fr Jesus frm time t time. Munt f Olives - a place f prayer and retreat fr Jesus; scene f a large Jewish cemetery and the site f Jesus Ascensin. It was the lcatin where Jesus wept ver the city f Jerusalem. Glgtha - a hill just utside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. It is als knwn as the place f the skull. Jerusalem - the scene f intense cnfrntatin between Jesus and the civil and religius leaders f Israel. Capernaum - a fishing village n the nrth shre f Galilee; hmetwn t Peter, Andrew, James, and Jhn. A scene f cnsiderable ministry during Jesus life. Galilee - a large lake regin in nrthern Israel; several lcatins were the scene f many miracles and teaching events by Jesus. Judea - a muntainus regin in suthern Israel, knwn tday as the West Bank. 9. Key Themes Jesus is the Sn f Gd - the message f Jesus divinity and missin is clearly presented in Mark. Jesus is the Servant f Gd - Jesus is seen particularly as the suffering, bedient Servant f Jehvah. His delight is t fully perfrm every assignment given t Him by Father Gd. Miracles - cntrasted with Jhn, wh recrds seven specific sign miracles, Mark emphasizes many ther miracles Jesus did that were meant t validate His appearance as the aninted Christ, the Servant f Gd. Evangelism - illustrated in ne chapter with the stries f The Lst Sheep, The Lst Cin, and The Lst Sn - all f Mark s Gspel resnates with the central idea that the Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 4

5 Servant f Gd has cme t seek and save the lst. 10. The Cntents f Mark The Early years f Jhn and Jesus - 1:1-13 Jhn s Message 1:1-8 Jesus Baptism 1:9-11 Jesus Temptatin 1:12, 13 The Early Ministry f Jesus in Galilee and Surrunding Areas - 1:14-7:23 The Kingdm is Annunced - 1:14, 15 Jesus Calls His Disciples - 1:16-20 Jesus Ministry in Capernaum - 1:21-34 Jesus Ministry in Galilee - 1:35-45 Jesus Defends His Ministry - 2:1-3:6 Jesus Ministers t the Multitude - 3:7-12 Jesus Cmmissins The Twelve - 3:13-19 Jesus Rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees - 3:20-30 Jesus Identifies His Spiritual Family - 3:31-35 Jesus Teaches in Parables - 4:1-34 The Swer - 4:1-9 The Reasn fr Parables - 4:10 Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 5

6 The Swer Explained - 4:13-20 The Lamp - 4:21-25 The Seed - 4:26-29 The Mustard Seed - 4:30-34 A Demnstratin f Jesus Pwer - 4:35-41 Calming the Strm - 4:35-41 Casting Out Demns - 5:1-20 Healing the Sick - 5:21-34 Raising the Dead - 5:35-43 Jesus Returns t His Hmetwn - 6:1-6 Jesus Sends Out His Disciples - 6:7-13 Jesus Gains a Pwerful Enemy - 6:14-29 Jesus Debriefs His Disciples - 6:30-32 Jesus Feeds the Five Thusand - 6:33-34 Jesus Walks n the Water - 6:45-52 Jesus Heals Many Sick - 6:53-56 Jesus Answers the Pharisees - 7:1-23 Jesus Ministry in the Gentile Regins - 7:24-9:50 In Tyre and Sidn, Jesus Delivers the Daughter f a Gentile Wman - 7:24-30 In Decaplis, Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute - 7:1-37 Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 6

7 On the Eastern Shre f Galilee, Jesus Feeds Fur Thusand - 8:1-9 In Dalmanutha, Jesus Debates the Pharisees - 8:10-12 On the Other Side f Galilee, Jesus Rebukes the Disciples - 8:13-21 In Bethsaida, Jesus Heals a Blind Man - 8:22-26 In Caesarea-Philippi and Capernaum, Jesus Teaches the Disciples - 8:27-9:50 Peter Cnfesses Jesus as Messiah - 8:27-30 Jesus Predicts His Death - 8:31-33 Jesus Explains the Cst f Discipleship - 8:34-38 Jesus Reveals His Glry - 9:1-10 Jesus Clarifies the Rle f Elijah - 9:11-13 Jesus Casts a Demn Out f A By - 9:14-29 Jesus Repeats His Predictin Abut His Death and Resurrectin - 9:30-32 Jesus Defines Kingdm Greatness - 9:33-37 Jesus Explains the Nature f Spiritual Fruit - 9:38-41 Jesus Warns Against Becming a Stumbling-blck - 9:42-50 The Rad t Jerusalem - 10:1-52 Jesus Teaches n Divrce - 10:1-12 Jesus Blesses the Children - 10:13-16 Jesus Cnfrnts the Rich Yung Ruler - 10:17-27 Jesus Teaches Abut Rewards t be Received by the Disciples - 10:28-31 Jesus Discusses His Death with the Disciples - 10:32-34 Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 7

8 Jesus Encurages His Disciples t Serve with Humility - 10:35-45 Jesus Heals a Blind Man - 10:46-52 His Passin in Jerusalem - 11:1-16:20 The Triumphal Entry - 11:1-11 Symblic Acts f Purificatin - 11:12-26 Cursing the Fig Tree - 11:12-14, Cleansing the Temple - 11:15-19 Jesus Teaches in Public and Private Settings - 11:27-13:37 Publicly in the Temple - 11:27-12:44 Teaching Cncerning His Authrity - 11:27-33 Teaching Cncerning His Rejectin - 12:1-12 Teaching Cncerning Paying Taxes - 12:13-17 Teaching Cncerning The Resurrectin - 12:18-27 Teaching Cncerning The Great Cmmandment - 12:28-34 Teaching Cncerning Jesus Rle as Messiah - 12:35-37 Teaching Cncerning the Scribes - 12:38-40 Teaching Cncerning True Giving - 12:41-44 Privately n Munt Olivet - 13:1-37 The Disciple s Questin Cncerning the End Times - 13:1 The Lrd s Answer - 13:2-37 The Details f Judas Betrayal - 14:1, 2, 10, 11 Jesus Aninting, Last Supper, Betrayal, Arrest, and Trial by the Jews - 14:3-9, The Aninting f Jesus at Bethany - 14:3-9 Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 8

9 The Last Supper in Jerusalem - 14:12-31 Jesus Prayer in Gethsemane - 14:32-34 Judas Betrayal f Jesus in Gethsemane - 14:43-52 The Jewish Trial in the Huse f Caiaphas - 14:53-72 Jesus Rman Trial; Crucifixin Jesus Appears Befre Pilate - 15:1-15 The Crucifixin at Glgtha - 15:16-41 Jesus is Buried in the Tmb f Jseph f Arimathea - 15:42-47 The Resurrectin f Jesus - 16:1-8 Pstscript - 16:9-20 Wrth nting 1. Mark gives great detail cncerning the gegraphical mvement f Jesus. T give the reader a better grasp n the flw f events, a chart f distances between imprtant lcatins is prvided here. Frm Jerusalem t Bethany - 2 miles Bethlehem - 6 miles Emmaus - 7 miles Jerich - 15 miles the Jrdan River - 21 miles Sychar - 31 miles Mediterranean Sea - 40 miles Cana - 69 miles Capernaum was abut 85 miles Caesarea-Philippi was 105 miles Tyre miles Zerephath miles Sidn miles Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 9

10 Frm Capernaum t Bethsaida - 6 miles Cana -16 miles Nain - 22 miles Nazareth - 23 miles Caesarea-Philippi - 27 miles the Mediterranean Sea - 32 miles Tyre - 37 miles Zerephath - 45 miles 2. As we dig deeper int the Gspels, we discver differences in the fur accunts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synptic Gspels, because they see the stry f Christ frm a cmmn perspective (syn - cmmn r with cmmnality and ptic - t see r view). Jhn is a highly thelgical presentatin. He devtes as much as 92% f his gspel t material nt cntained in the Synptics, and deals with less than tw weeks in the ministry f Christ. In spite f these differences, there are abut a dzen events that appear in all fur Gspel accunts: The feeding f the 5,000 The triumphal entry int Jerusalem The identificatin f Judas as the betrayer The predictin f denial by Peter Jesus betrayal and arrest Jesus appearances (2) befre Pilate The walk t Glgtha The first three hurs f the crucifixin Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 10

11 The last three hurs f the crucifixin The fficial certificatin f Jesus death and remval f His bdy int a tmb The tmb is fund t be empty n the mrning f the third day. When reading the Gspel f Mark 1. Remember that this Gspel was written during the Nernian Persecutin. Many believers were martyred, alng with the tw greatest leaders f the Church, Paul and Peter. Mark wrte t remind them t be faithful as they remembered Jesus, the Lrd s wn Suffering Servant. 2. Mark wrte an actin gspel, cnnecting great stries t each ther and using the wrd immediately ver 40 times. Even thugh his style was fast-paced, he takes time t explain detail and meanings. The structure f Mark s stry makes it arguably the mst underrated f the Gspel accunts. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 11