The Gospel of Mark – Introduction
Storytellers. Mark is a storyteller, and the story he is telling is the story of Jesus Christ through the lens of the Apostle Peter’s stories for Roman Christians undergoing persecution under Nero.
And it is a story that is for everyone.
The Gospel of Mark tells the story of some of the most significant and astounding events in Jesus’ ministry.
Mark takes no time recording any lead up to Christ’s birth. There are no genealogies, no shepherds or magi, no childhood stories of conversations with Scribes in the temple, and no account of losing mum and dad.
He introduces his subject – ‘the gospel of Jesus Christ’ – Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” – this first verse is like the title of the book – the good news of Jesus Christ.
Significant word ‘the beginning’ – Genesis 1:1 ‘in the beginning God…’ – so too for Mark, the introduction of Jesus is no less momentous than the creation of the world, for in Jesus a new creation is at hand. Lohmeyer.
That’s what Mark does – he tells about who Jesus Christ is, his teachings, his works, his miracles, his suffering, his death, his resurrection.
And his story is the story of salvation in Jesus. The word ‘gospel’ is literally ‘good news’
Mark is the shortest and most compact of the four Gospels.
it emphasizes Jesus’ actions more than His teaching – 18 miracles but only 4 of his parables and 1 major discourse (Mark 13). Repeatedly Mark talks about Jesus teaching without recording His teaching
Mark quotes relatively infrequently from the OT
He explains Jewish customs unfamiliar to his readers (7:3–4; 12:18; 14:12; 15:42). (uses everyday speech of that time)
He translates Aramaic and Hebrew phrases by their Greek equivalents (3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 10:46; 14:36; 15:22, 34).
The Gospel is dominated by Jesus’ movement toward the Cross and the Resurrection. From Mark 8:31 onward Jesus and His disciples were “on the way” (cf. 9:33; 10:32) from Caesarea Philippi in the north through Galilee to Jerusalem in the south – 36% eight days….