Author
Although the Gospel itself lacks any direct internal evidence of its author, its ancient titles and early church tradition unanimously ascribe it to John Mark, or more simply “Mark” without an additional identifier (Acts 12:12). The small number of early Christians, few of whom could write (and even fewer of whom had the community standing and wherewithal to produce this kind of work), suggests that a simple “Mark” sufficed since everyone knew who he was. Our fullest evidence comes from Papias (ca. AD 125). He records John the Elder’s claim (ca. AD 90) that Mark was Peter’s younger associate who recorded accurately all of Peter’s various teachings about Jesus and compiled them into a single work.
John Mark in the NT
A bilingual Hellenist—John being his Hebrew name and Mark his Greek one—and relative of the wealthy Cyprian landowner Barnabas (Col 4:10; cf. Acts 4:36), John Mark’s well-to-do family occupied a significant place in early Christian communities, first in Jerusalem and later in Antioch. His mother’s substantial house provided a focal gathering point for believers in Jerusalem and was the first port of call for a recently escaped Peter (Acts 12:12–16), who when writing later from Rome described Mark as “my son” (1 Pet 5:13). Mark joined his cousin Barnabas and Paul in their early travels from Antioch (Acts 12:25; 13:2–3) and, in spite of a falling-out (Acts 13:13; 15:36–39), later worked closely with Paul (Col 4:10; Phlm 24), even being summoned to Paul’s last imprisonment, also in Rome (2 Tim 4:11).
John Mark was therefore well placed to write his Gospel. The great bulk of his oral material would have come through his regular contact with Peter, with perhaps his mother’s female friends providing the information for which they are explicitly named: the events surrounding the empty tomb (15:40—16:8). Equally, some of his insights into Jesus’ significance may well have come from Paul, to whom Jesus later appeared (cf. 1 Cor 15:8).
Date
Dating the Gospels is notoriously difficult. But the above scenario is consistent with the bulk of church tradition, which has Mark writing while Peter is yet living. That dates it perhaps in the late AD 50s or early 60s.
Place of Composition and Destination
Clear evidence is again lacking, but according to the majority of early tradition, Mark was written in Rome (see 1 Pet 5:13, where Mark is with Peter in “Babylon,” usually understood to be Rome). Mark’s immediate audience would then include Rome’s Jewish and Gentile believers. This explains his various Latinisms, Western terms (e.g., 12:42), and his inclusion of translations of Jesus’ Aramaic words (e.g., 3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 14:36; 15:34). However, the interrelatedness of the early Christian communities and the fact that many early Christian leaders often traveled between them strongly suggest Mark also envisaged a wider readership.
Occasion and Purpose
No reason is given either in the Gospel or later sources as to why Mark wrote what he did when he did. The sometimes-cited persecution in Rome under Nero in AD 64–67 seems too late; and in any case other Christians were already suffering long before that time (e.g., Phil 1:29; 1 Thess 2:2, 14). But while persecution might explain Mark’s emphasis on cross-bearing discipleship, there is much more to his Gospel. Large-scale Jewish rejection of the gospel also raised concerns about the gospel’s validity. As Paul does in Rom 9–11, Mark grounds both the gospel and its rejection in Israel’s own Scriptural tradition, showing his story’s continuity with God’s previous promises and Israel’s persistent rebellion. It may simply be, however, given the long-standing Jewish commitment to writing down the acts and words of God, that the overwhelming conviction that God himself was uniquely present in Jesus was sufficient reason to record, after some time of reflection, his words and deeds for their own sake.
Genre
Mark’s Gospel best fits the broadly defined ancient genre of biography. Its twin tasks were to preserve the memory and teaching of the subject and to win followers and defend against detractors. But there the similarities end. Lacking the polished sophistication of elite literature, this work with its lively and down-to-earth style was, like its good news, for everyone. But more significantly, Mark impresses his audience with the overwhelming importance and “otherness” of his story, due entirely to the figure of Jesus: his authority and teaching is unlike anything previously experienced in any human being. By deliberately grounding the good news of Jesus in Israel’s story, Mark provides the lens for understanding both Jesus’ importance and “otherness.” Jesus is, however unexpectedly and mysteriously, the long-awaited presence of Israel’s unique God come to fulfill his ancient promises to save his people and through them his world.
Designed to be heard rather than read, Mark’s gripping immediate style impels his narrative through a range of scenes, often carefully interwoven to enhance their effect. He invites his audience to ponder the significance of these astonishing events by comparing the behaviors of Jesus, his disciples, his opponents, various minor characters, and the crowds—all against the larger backdrop of Israel’s ancient narrative of God’s historical dealings with his people. In this, Mark’s Gospel functions as did Jesus’ parables: revealing the condition of his hearers’ hearts and opening up the secret of God’s kingdom to those who gather around Jesus.
Themes and Theology
1. The mystery of Jesus. Although Jesus is clearly human, nevertheless, as God’s beloved Son (1:11; 9:7), the Son of Man (e.g., 2:10, 28; 14:62), Isaiah’s suffering servant (e.g., 8:31; 10:45), and the Davidic Messiah (e.g., 1:11 [see note]; 10:47), he also clearly exercises God’s unique authority (1:40–41; 2:10; 4:39; 6:48) and compassion (6:34; 8:2). Since in him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col 2:9), doing God’s will now means following and listening to Jesus (Mark 3:34–35; 9:7; 10:21).
2. The character of God. Since Jesus is divine, his actions reveal clearly who God is. In Jesus’ taking on the role of Isaiah’s suffering servant, God’s exercise of his power must now be understood in the light of the cross and Jesus’ death, in weakness and shame, even by his enemies (8:31; 14:16–21, 29–31, 36; cf. 1 Cor 1:18–25).
3. Discipleship. Just as God earlier had called Israel to reflect his character, so too must Jesus’ followers reflect his character, especially in self-denying, cross-bearing discipleship (8:34–38). Holiness is a matter of the heart (7:15–23) and is expressed particularly in love of God—and thus love of Jesus—and in how we treat others (9:35—10:16; cf. 12:30–31). Moreover, Jesus’ followers must be prepared to face the same kind of rejection he experienced.
4. The Messianic secret. Jesus prevents the impure spirits (1:23–25; 3:11–12) and his disciples (8:29–30; 9:9) from revealing his identity until after his resurrection (9:9) because his true nature can be understood only from the foot of the cross (15:39).
5. Opposition and failure to understand. From the outset Jesus encounters resistance from Israel’s leadership (2:1—3:6, 28–29; 11:18) and an increasing lack of understanding in his disciples (4:13, 40–41; 6:52; 8:17–21, 33; 9:32). Both are addressed through Jesus’ parables that speak to the idolatrous blindness and deafness of the human heart that rejects God’s ways for its own (4:11–12). Tragically, having refused John’s call to repentance (11:29–33), Israel’s religious leaders ultimately reject Jesus (14:61–64). As a result, their temple will be destroyed (13:1–2), and the stone they rejected will become the cornerstone of a new temple in which all nations can worship (12:10; see “Temple”).
6. Salvation and Christian identity. The salvation Jesus brings is deeply grounded in Israel’s story and the promises of Israel’s unique God. Although Mark appeals particularly to the events of the exodus and Isaiah’s promised new exodus (see “Exile and Exodus”), material from Malachi, Daniel, Psalms, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and a range of other Scriptural texts also contribute to the structure and content of Mark’s account of Jesus’ message and mission. Christian identity, as Paul also declared (Rom 11:13–36), is about the nations joining God’s new Israel (cf. Gal 6:16), though now reconstituted around Jesus (Gal 3:13–14).
Outline
I. Beginnings: The Good News of God’s Return to His People (1:1–13)
A. John the Baptist Prepares the Way (1:1–8)
1. Jesus Is Isaiah’s Promised Lord (1:1–3)
2. John Is Malachi’s Promised Elijah (1:4–8)
B. The Baptism and Testing of Jesus (1:9–13)
II. The Lord in Strength: Jesus’ Mighty Words and Deeds in Galilee and Beyond (1:14—8:21)
A. Jesus Announces the Good News (1:14–15)
B. Jesus Calls His First Disciples (1:16–20)
C. A New Teaching With Authority (1:21–45)
1. Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit (1:21–28)
2. Jesus Heals Many (1:29–34)
3. Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place (1:35–39)
4. Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy (1:40–45)
D. Emerging Local Opposition: Questions About Jesus’ Authority and Holiness (2:1—3:6)
1. Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man (2:1–12)
2. Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners (2:13–17)
3. Jesus Questioned About Fasting (2:18–22)
4. Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath (2:23–28)
5. Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (3:1–6)
E. Jesus Withdraws to Continue His Mission (3:7–19)
1. Crowds Follow Jesus (3:7–12)
2. Jesus Appoints the Twelve (3:13–19)
F. Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law (3:20–35)
G. Jesus Responds With Parables of Word and Deed (4:1—5:43)
1. Four Parables of Word (4:1–34)
a. The Parable of the Sower (4:1–20)
b. A Lamp on a Stand (4:21–25)
c. The Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26–29)
d. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30–34)
2. Four “Parables” of Deed (4:35—5:43)
a. Jesus Calms the Storm (4:35–41)
b. Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man (5:1–20)
c. Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman (5:21–43)
H. Prophets Without Honor . . . and More Than a Prophet (6:1–56)
1. A Prophet Without Honor (6:1–6a)
2. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve (6:6b–13)
3. John the Baptist Beheaded (6:14–29)
4. More Than a Prophet (6:30–56)
a. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:30–44)
b. Jesus Walks on the Water (6:45–56)
I. True Holiness and the Inclusion of the Nations (7:1—8:21)
1. That Which Defiles (7:1–23)
a. Jesus Rebukes Some Pharisees and Teachers of the Law (7:1–13)
b. It Is Not Food but the Heart That Defiles (7:14–23)
2. Salvation to the Gentiles: Healings and a Feeding (7:24—8:13)
a. Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith (7:24–30)
b. Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man (7:31–37)
c. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand (8:1–13)
3. The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (8:14–21)
a. Jesus Warns His Disciples (8:14–15)
b. The Blindness of the Disciples (8:16–21)
III. The New Exodus Way of the Crucified Lord (8:22—10:52)
A. The Beginning of Sight (8:22–30)
1. Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida (8:22–26)
2. Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah (8:27–30)
B. Following the Crucified Lord (8:31—10:45)
1. Jesus Predicts His Death (8:31–33)
2. The Way of the Cross (8:34—9:1)
3. A New Sinai: God’s Affirmation of Jesus and the Disciples’ Failure (9:2–29)
a. The Transfiguration (9:2–13)
b. Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit (9:14–29)
4. Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time (9:30–37)
5. Jesus’ New Law (9:38—10:31)
a. Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us (9:38–41)
b. Causing to Stumble (9:42–50)
c. Divorce (10:1–12)
d. The Little Children and Jesus (10:13–16)
e. The Rich and the Kingdom of God (10:17–31)
6. The Disciples’ Continued Blindness (10:32–45)
a. Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time (10:32–34)
b. The Request of James and John (10:35–45)
C. Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight (10:46–52)
IV. Jerusalem: A New Temple, a New Covenant, and a New Passover (11:1—15:47)
A. The Lord’s Return to His Temple (11:1—13:37)
1. Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King (11:1–11)
2. The Lord of the Temple Confronts the Temple Authorities (11:12—12:44).
a. Jesus Announces Judgment on the Temple (11:12—12:12)
(1) Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts (11:12–26)
(2) The Authority of Jesus Questioned (11:27–33)
(3) The Parable of the Tenants (12:1–12)
b. The Temple’s Lord Teaches in His House (12:13–44)
(1) Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar (12:13–17)
(2) Marriage at the Resurrection (12:18–27)
(3) The Greatest Commandment (12:28–34)
(4) Whose Son Is the Messiah? (12:35–37)
(5) Warning Against the Teachers of the Law (12:38–40)
(6) The Widow’s Offering (12:41–44).
3. The End of an Era: God’s Judgment on Jerusalem and Its Impure Temple (13:1–37)
a. The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times (13:1–31)
b. The Day and the Hour Unknown (13:32–37)
B. A New Passover and a New Covenant (14:1—15:47)
1. Jesus Anointed at Bethany (14:1–11)
2. A New Covenant and a New Regathering (14:12–31)
a. The Last Supper (14:12–26)
b. Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (14:27–31)
3. The Faithful Messianic Son and His Betrayal (14:32–52)
a. Gethsemane (14:32–42)
b. Jesus Arrested (14:43–52)
4. Jesus on Trial (14:53—15:20)
a. Jesus in the Hands of the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law: God’s Son and Israel’s Lord (14:53–72)
(1) Jesus Before the Sanhedrin (14:53–65)
(2) Peter Disowns Jesus (14:66–72)
b. Jesus in the Hands of Gentiles: God’s Messianic King for the Nations (15:1–20)
(1) Jesus Before Pilate (15:1–15)
(2) The Soldiers Mock Jesus (15:16–20)
5. The New Passover Sacrifice (15:21–47)
a. The Crucifixion of Jesus (15:21–32)
b. The Death of Jesus (15:33–41)
c. The Burial of Jesus (15:42–47)
V. Jesus Has Risen (16:1–8)