Jesus moves out in ministry.
Although the Book of Mark appears second among the four Gospels, it is an ideal starting point for getting to know Jesus. Mark portrays Jesus’ life in simple, straightforward, rapidly-paced vignettes. In fact, action is the most obvious feature of the book. Jesus reveals Himself here more by what He does than by what He says. While the Gospels of Matthew and Luke contain many of the scenes reported in this book, Mark reports far fewer of Christ’s spoken teachings. Yet the book gets at the fundamental facts about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark opens with a view of the crowds streaming into the wilderness to be baptized by John the Baptist (Mark 1:4, 5). John predicts the coming of the Messiah (1:6–8). Then Jesus appears, and John baptizes Him (1:9–11). In another wilderness setting, Jesus endures a lonely vigil as Satan tests Him, wild beasts haunt Him, and angels attend Him (1:12, 13). Time passes, and arid wilderness gives way to seaside Galilee, where Jesus launches His ministry with an appeal for repentance (1:14, 15). The book continues with Mark heaping up scenes of Christ on the move, traveling and doing His good work.
The overall message is not hard to find: Jesus is the Son of God (1:1, 11; 9:7; 14:61, 62; 15:39), who came not “to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (10:45). Christ’s sacrificial death is a prominent feature of the book. Nearly 40 percent of its contents describe the last week of Jesus’ life, offering details of His arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.
This Gospel’s vivid style and attention to detail lend a sense of authenticity and immediacy that could come only from an author who was an eyewitness to the events recorded. But Mark himself was probably not a participant in the story. And the book never names its author. However, in about A.D. 125, Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor, stated that Mark created this Gospel by writing down Peter’s recollections of Jesus ’ life. Subsequent tradition agrees with Papias in ascribing the book to Mark.
It is possible, then, that the book contains Peter’s memories of his years of following Jesus as one of the Twelve. As Mark ministered to Christians in Rome, he may have targeted Gentile Christians who knew little about Old Testament Judaism but who needed grounding in the facts about Jesus, perhaps not only in general but as a source of preparation and comfort leading up to their persecution and even martyrdom by Nero, emperor of Rome (A.D. 54–68).
Mark (sometimes referred to as John Mark; see his profile at Acts 15:37) was a native of Jerusalem, and the church often met for prayer at his mother’s house (Acts 12:12). Thanks to his cousin Barnabas (Col. 4:10), he was mentored in the faith (Acts 15:37–39) and became a valued associate of Paul (2 Tim. 4:11) and Peter (1 Pet. 5:13). Mark probably traveled with Peter to Rome, where tradition holds that he composed his Gospel in the early 60s A.D.
Key Events in Mark
• John the Baptist preaches a message of repentance (Mark 1:1–15).
• Jesus calls Simon Peter and other fishermen to follow Him (Mark 1:16–20).
• Jesus tells the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–20).
• Jesus heals a bleeding woman and raises a girl from the dead (Mark 5:21–43).
• Jesus miraculously feeds a crowd of four thousand (Mark 8:1–10).
• Jesus evicts money changers from the temple (Mark 11:15–19).
• Jesus affirms a widow who contributes the little she has to the temple treasury (Mark 12:41–44).
• Peter vows allegiance to Jesus yet denies Him (Mark 14:27–31, 66–72).
• Jesus is condemned to death and crucified (Mark 15:1–26).
• Jesus rises from the dead (Mark 16:1–8).