From Introduction:

The Gospel of Mark is considered by scholars to be the earliest of the three Synoptic (“seen-together”) Gospels, and is thus the earliest example of this genre of literature. John A.T. Robinson (Redating the New Testament, Westminster Press, 1976) offers a date as early as AD 45 as the time of its writing. Mark’s version of “the Good News” (message of goodness, ease and well-being) is the least-biographical of this set, and does not offer a birth narrative, as do Matthew and Luke.

John P. Meir (A Marginal Jew, Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol. III, Companions and Competitors, Doubleday, 2001 p 616) observes that for the first time since Israel’s king Solomon (10th century BC), the north part of ancient Israel “had been reintegrated with the rump state in the south (Judea in the wider sense).” He views this as an “almost mythical ‘return to the beginnings’ in Israel’s political and religious life…” He reads Jesus’ choosing of twelve disciples as “one of his symbolic-prophetic acts” which was further demonstrated in His sending-out of these twelve on a mission (chapter 6, below) to the house of Israel (cf Mat. 10:5-6)

The first part of this Gospel records Jesus in Galilee (1:14-5:43), with the next part covering His journeys both within and outside of Galilee (6:1-9:50). The next section follows Jesus on His journey to Jerusalem (10:1-52) followed by His final time in Jerusalem (11:1-13:37) and ending with the crucifixion-resurrection narratives.

The book is not entirely chronological, with some of the incidents and teachings being inserted where the author decided best suited the contexts of his presentation. Our work, here, will simply take the text as we find it, without considering any textual criticism of this Gospel. We will present observations and thoughts as we read through Mark’s presentation, and will consider apparent allusions to OT texts, as well as insights from other NT writers that would have been circulating at the time. We will occasionally use passages from the other Gospels to inform our readers of some things that those other authors recorded that may shed light on Mark’s text. We are not, however, attempting to harmonize the Synoptic tradition, but are rather investigating what he presented, using other texts as tools for interpretation. Here we offer a conclusion by Werner G. Kummel, that “Mark shows in the manner in which he divides the history of Jesus between Galilee and Jerusalem his theological conception of the transition of salvation from the unbelieving Jews to the believing Gentiles, thereby revealing that he address himself to Gentile Christians” (Introduction to the New Testament, Abingdon Press, 1966 p 65). Burton L. Mack has come to the conclusion that Mark’s story is in the form of a Greek biography combined with a pronouncement story, “with the prophet motif as its fundamental point of departure… [and] narrative theme” (Who Wrote the New Testament, The Making of the Christian Myth, HarperSanFrancisco, 1995 pp 152, 159, 161). That said, we would point out that this is ancient Jewish literature, not modern history. Those authors typically saw second layers of meaning in the lives and actions of those about whom they wrote (classic examples are Paul, in Gal. 4:22-31 and in 1 Cor. 10:1-4). We will point out “lived-out parables,” as we observe them in Mark, and offer them for your consideration.

May God's goodness overwhelm you,

Jonathan P. Mitchell

Read sample passages/verses: 

Mark          Acts (Page Under Construction)

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