Messianic Checkpoint: The Gospel of Mark

Introduction: (Gold for the Gifts of the Magi)

This era covers the Gospel of Mark

The Gospel According to Mark

Author:

• St. Mark was not an Apostle and may not have been an eyewitness to the ministry of Christ, but he was associated closely with St. Peter, whom he may have served as a scribe.

• He accompanied St. Paul on some of his missionary travels, although they parted ways for a time due to some unknown disagreement (cf. Acts 13:5-13; 15:36-41; 2 Tim 4:11).

• He was also a cousin of St. Barnabas, another of St. Paul’s co-workers.

Date:

• Mark makes no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem and, therefore, was likely written before this catastrophe AD 70. 

• The historian Eusebius and some modern scholars suggest that the Gospel may have been written before Matthew, but early Church tradition states that St. Mark wrote his Gospel after AD 60.

Audience:

• Unlike St. Matthew, St. Mark took pains to explain Jewish customs in his narrative and sometimes translated Aramaic words using Latinized terms.

• His Gospel was oriented towards Gentile converts in Rome, who at the time were undergoing increasing persecution for their beliefs.

Main Themes:

• St. Mark’s is the shortest Gospel and was written in a streamlined fashion.

• He relates the life and teachings of Christ as he received them from St. Peter, and his narrative correlates well with those highlighted in the brief discourse of St. Peter to St. Cornelius (cf. Acts 10:34-43).

• The pace is quick; Christ travels briskly from scene to scene, at each stop teaching, healing, expelling demons, and performing miracles right through his Passion.

• Throughout the Gospel there are pointed questions and statements directed at once to the listeners in his story as well as to his own intended audience.

• One of these-Christ’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mk 8:29)-summarizes the overriding theme of the Gospel aptly: THE IDENTITY OF JESUS.

• The narrative is presented in two nearly equal parts, the first culminating in St. Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Son of God (cf. Mk 8:29) and the second with a similar confession by the Roman centurion (cf. Mk 15:39).

• The structure parallels neatly the subsequent apostolic preaching of the Gospel first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.

• This Gospel also has Christ concealing his true identity through much of his ministry, revealing it only gradually.

• Scholars sometimes call this the “messianic secret.”

• Most Jews were expecting a different type of Messiah: a king, a political liberator, or a military hero who would break the oppression of the Romans and reestablish the worldly Kingdom of Israel, not a humble preacher who spoke of love and forgiveness and died a painful and humiliating death.

• So that his redemptive mission would not be cut short by untimely rejection, Christ often charged the Apostles, those he healed, and even the demons he exorcised not to reveal that he is the Son of God.

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

• The Gospel of Mark is the SHORTEST Gospel

• Each Gospel has a bit of a different emphasis and each one is unique

• With all four Gospels, we get a full look at Jesus

• But we don’t blend them together

• So here we are, a month and a half after the Gospel of John

• Over the next 8 days, we will hear Mark’s “voice” which is different from John, Luke, and Matthew

• Some people don’t like the Gospel of Mark

• Some people think it’s too brief

• Some people think it’s too staccato

• But if you read Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, it might change your mind ;)

• The UNIQUENESS of Mark’s Gospel makes it DIFFERENT and REMARKABLE

• Mark highlights things that aren’t necessarily in the other Gospels in the same way

• The early Church did not pay as much attention to the Gospel of Mark because of its brevity

• The first commentaries that were written on it were not until 8th century AD

• But in recent times, there is a lot more scholarship being written about it

• This Gospel, while short, is really packed with uniqueness that gives us a glimpse of Jesus and the work He is doing

• A lot of scholars believe that Mark was a real source for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke

• Around 90% of the stories are shared in the three Gospels

• Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

• Synoptic means to see with one vision

• Some scholars even believe that there was another source they were using called Q (Cue? Queue? 🤔)

• St. Augustine thought that Mark’s Gospel was an abbreviated version of Matthew

• Sort of like a “cliffs notes” (for our international brothers and sisters, “cliffs notes” are basically short synopses of books to explain the main points, kinda like the Bible in a Year Study Guide 😁)

• Most people believe the author is John Mark, possibly a relative of Barnabas

• It was written in extremely plain Greek

• The Gospel of Mark can be divided in two

• The first half of Mark focuses on the identity of Jesus as MESSIAH, the SON OF GOD

• The second half of Mark focuses on the MISSION of the Messiah

• The Son of Man must suffer many things

• The Son of Man must be rejected by the elders

• The Son of Man must be killed

• The Son of Man must RISE FROM THE DEAD

• There are a number of really unique things to Mark that we don’t see in the other Gospels

• “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” is unique to Mark Ch 2

• The parable of the growing seed is in Mark Ch 4

• Mark is the only one who talks about the pigs into which the demons went into in Mark Ch 5

• Mark is the only one who uses Aramaic at times when he talks about “Talitha koum” aka “little girl, I say to you arise.”

• In Mark Ch 6, this is the only one of the Gospels which Jesus is called the SON OF MARY

• WHOA!!!

• Mark Ch 6 shows that Jesus is called a CARPENTER

• Matthew’s Gospel states that Jesus was the SON OF A CARPENTER

• So the first 8 Chapters talk about the IDENTITY OF JESUS

• There are other things that make Mark’s Gospel unique

• As you read through it, make note of the first half of this Gospel

• THE IDENTITY OF JESUS

• In the second half, make note of the MISSION OF JESUS

• Mark is also the only Gospel writer who identifies HIMSELF as the author

• The Messianic Secret: Jesus tells the demons to be quiet, or when he heals someone, he says not to tell anyone

• So a lot of times, people wonder why Jesus doesn’t want people to know who he is

• One of the reasons is that it’s REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY

• JUST KIDDING!!! 🤪

• No, really one of the reasons is that there is a timing to everything in Jesus’ life

• Jesus is revealing himself FIRST to his disciples and those around them

• Jesus is laying the foundation down to who he was

• There is a time for EVERYTHING in his life

• The REAL PROCLAMATION OF HIS KINGDOM AND WHO HE WAS was through the DISCIPLES

• But that would come AFTER THE RESURRECTION

• It would be PREMATURE for the Romans and everyone else to say Jesus is the Messiah before it was the right time

• Jesus’ Kingdom of Heaven is DIFFERENT

• Why did Jesus not just appear to EVERYONE after his Resurrection instead of just to his disciples

• The idea was not just so that people could see him

• The idea was that the PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM and HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM could see him

• That way, they could go and BEAR WITNESS TO HIM as opposed to fickle crowds or those who had no investment whatsoever in him

• Out of our RELATIONSHIP with Jesus comes a WITNESS who vouches for Jesus’ identity

• The Apostles are sent out who are no longer servants, but friends

• They get sent out into the world not just to bear witness to his miracles or Resurrection

• But they bear witness TO THE ONE THEY KNOW, the one THEY ARE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH

• Jesus is in control of the narrative

• Jesus is not allowing the public narrative to define his kingdom, what he should do, or when he should rise from the dead

• And now we get a fun anecdote about Steve Jobs

• Solomon was known as the Great Builder in the Old Testament

• Jesus is the Master Builder and was GREATER than Solomon

• Part of the aspect of the Master Builder is PRUDENCE in when and how the Kingdom grows

• So the Kingdom of Heaven is better than Apple, inc.

• It is highly likely that this is Peter’s Gospel according to Mark since they were so close

• A lot of the themes Mark brings about are themes that Peter is interested in

• The real emphasis is on the IDENTITY AND MISSION OF JESUS

• But there is no doubt that Mark learned from Peter

• There is an immediacy to what Mark is telling us

• 41 times Mark uses the word IMMEDIATELY

• That averages to a bit more than two times per chapter

• It gives us a sense of a rapid-fire narrative

• Mark’s Gospel has a pretty unique organization by type of material

• MIRACLES

• PARABLES

• CONTROVERSIES

• It’s not so much THEMATIC like you would expect

• It is not a RANDOM TELLING

• Mark utilizes, in a MASTERFUL WAY, Jesus’ ability to use QUESTIONS when he teaches

• Jesus uses over TEN DIFFERENT WAYS to implement questions

• The question could be RHETORICAL

• The question could be to REVEAL A PERSON’S HEART

• The question could be to TRAP THOSE COMING AGAINST HIM

• So Mark showcases the WISDOM and CLEVERNESS in Jesus and how he taught

• Mark has a tendency to explain Jewish customs and traditions to the audience of this Gospel because it was written for EARLY CHRISTIANS

• Mark’s Gospel is not just interested in CONCEPTS

• It is focused on DEEDS

• That is really important

• We as Catholic Christians know that God revealed Himself in WORDS AND DEEDS

• Our response to this revelation is to respond with WORDS AND DEEDS as well

• The percentage of time Mark spends on the last 24 hours of Jesus life vastly outweighs the other three Gospels

• Jesus’ heart, identity, and mission is revealed in his TEACHING and in what He DOES

• Some scholars think this Gospel is told through the eyes of Peter since we spend so much time with him, especially during the last 24 hours of Jesus’ earthly life

• The final statement is to GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE OF CREATION

• This is called the KERYGMA which means GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS AN AMAZING PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. 

• SIN HASN’T INTERRUPTED THIS PLAN

• JESUS HAS DIED FOR YOU

• JESUS IS ASKING YOU TO REPENT AND RADICALLY REORIENT YOUR LIFE TO HIM

• JESUS IS ASKING YOU TO BE BAPTIZED AND RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

• JESUS IS ASKING YOU TO JOIN HIS MAGNIFICENT FAMILY

• JESUS IS ASKING YOU TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD YOURSELF AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS

• The final statement is Mark 16:20 says, “And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen”

• Jesus basically says if you proclaim the Gospel, He will be with you, and He will do ALL THE HEAVY WORK

• We just have to tell the GOOD NEWS

• These Messianic checkpoints are reminders that Jesus makes us a part of the story, even with all the troubles and trials that happen throughout Scripture

• Jesus didn’t leave the disciples orphaned

• Jesus didn’t leave the disciples abandoned 

• Jesus didn’t leave the disciples powerless

• Jesus is the one who BRINGS FRUIT to the works of Christians around the world

• So as you read through The Gospel of Mark, pay attention to who Jesus said He was

• Pay attention to Jesus’ mission

• HIGHLIGHT IT 

• Jesus’ mission is OUR mission

• Jesus is not just sending us out to build church buildings

• Jesus is sending us out WITH A MESSAGE

• That message and its proclamation is not dependent on your skill level

• Evangelization is the gift and responsibility given to ALL OF US

• God is looking for FAITHFUL DISCIPLES WHO WILL SPREAD THIS GOOD NEWS

• So here we have another Apple anecdote

• Do you know what “easter eggs” are?

• One of them in Mark 14:49-51 says, “...’Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.’ And they all deserted him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”

• Odd text, eh?

• Who do you think that young man was?

• Most think it was MARK!!!