Commentary on Mark

1. Overview of the Gospel of Mark

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1, NKJV)

No commentary on the Bible can begin without a proper context.  The WordTruth Ministries commentary on the Gospel of Mark will establish this context in the following sections:

1. Purpose
2. Authorship
3. Outline and Chronology
4. Contribution

It is the hope of this ministry that the commentary will provide insights into God's word that will not only help you understand the meaning of Scripture but to apply it in your own life in meaningful ways.

A. Purpose of Mark's Gospel.

(1) The priority of purpose over content.

Anytime a writer attempts to put pen to paper, that writer must have a clear purpose in writing.  Without a clear purpose, the resulting prose will be disorganized, incoherent, and unreadable.  However, with a clear purpose in mind, the writer can focus the story or account using the most important points to accomplish the purpose.  Likewise, in order to understand any written work, you must somehow ascertain the purpose of the writer.  Without understanding the purpose, you can read into a written work a meaning that was never intended by the writer.  For instance, if you read poetry, you are not expected to take the figures of speech or exaggerations literally.  If you did, you would misunderstand the meaning intended by the writer.  On the other hand, if you read an historical work, you would not want to take the facts presented as allegories or figures of speech.  To do so would also confuse the meaning intended by the writer.  The purpose of a written work guides both the writing and the reading of it.
 

(2) Finding the purpose in Mark's Gospel.

In many books, you find a preface written by the author explaining exactly why and on what occasion the book was written.  The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, some of which have the purpose explicitly stated, such as the gospel of John which reads:

(30)  And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; (31)  but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in his name.  (John 20:30-31, NKJV)

So the purpose of the gospel of John is unfold specific events in the life of Jesus so that you will understand and believe that Jesus is the Christ.

The gospel of Mark presents the purpose of its writing in the very first verse:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1, NKJV)

What is the purpose of the book of Mark?  The purpose is to show how the good news of Jesus Christ began and why His followers claim that He is the Son of God.
 

(3) The significance of the gospel.

What Mark begins in this account of the life of Jesus Christ is the "gospel" (1:1)  The word translated "gospel" comes from the Greek "euaggelion" which simply means "good news."  Mark had good news to share.  The coming of Jesus Christ into the world meant the fulfillment of God's promise to mankind that He would deal once and for all with the problem of sin (Gen. 3:15).  People would no longer be separated from God because of their sin but, through Jesus Christ, could be forgiven and reconciled to God.  God provided a way for people to have forgiveness and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 5:11-13).  This is good news indeed!
 

(4) The amazing truth about Jesus.

Mark begins this account of the life of Jesus Christ with a straightforward declaration:  Jesus is the Son of God.  Introductions are important in how you relate to a person.  Mark introduces us to a divine revelation about Jesus: He is the Christ, the Son of God.  In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus is introduced as both a human being and as the Son of God.  Jesus was fully human and fully divine.  Jesus is God in human form.

The title "Son of …" (1:1) can refer to the physical child of a man and woman, or a descendent of a family line. The Bible uses the phrase this way in over 1,100 verses. Does this mean that God has a wife somewhere and through His wife He conceived a Son?  While this sounds like a crazy premise, it is actually taught by the Mormons as well as other equally confused cults.  The answer to this question is definitively "No."  The Bible tells us that God is spirit in nature: "God is Spirit: and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24, NKJV).  Note that God is not "a Spirit" in the sense of being localized, in only one place at one time.  God IS spirit in nature, infinite spirit, without beginning and without end.  As a spiritual being, God does not have a physical body that conceives children.

So what does the phrase "the Son of God" really mean?  In the time the Bible was written, one was also called a "son of" something to describe what that person was like. Elisha called the king of Israel the "son of a murderer" (2 Kings 6:32, NKJV) because of his murderous intent toward the prophet of God. The Psalmist called the enemies of God the "son of wickedness" (Psalm 89:22, KJV). Isaiah saterized the princes of Zoan who thought of themselves as "son of the wise, The son of ancient kings" (Isaiah 19:11, NKJV). Here the reference is the characteristic of wisdom and royal ancestry. Daniel used the phrase "Son of God" (Daniel 3:25, NKJV) as the king described the heavenly figure (most likely the preincarnate Christ) in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Daniel also describes a vision Christ as the "Son of Man" (Daniel 7:13, NKJV) because of His appearance in human form.  Jesus used the phrase "son of peace" (Luke 10:6, KJV) to refer to a peaceful welcome. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was called the "son of perdition" (John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV). Barnabas was called the "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36, NKJV) because he was a great encourager of his brothers and sisters in Christ. And we should encourage one another just as Barnabas did.

Calling Jesus the "Son of God" (1:1) means that He has the character of God.  It also means that Jesus shares the same divine nature as God.  We find this same truth about Jesus in John 1:1, Acts 7:59, Acts 20:28, Philippians 2:6, Titus 3:4 and many other verses in the New Testament.

Some people look at Jesus as a great teacher.  Some people see Him as a great prophet.  Many see Jesus as just a man who lived a long time ago.  None of these judgments are correct.  In fact, to believe in a Jesus that is anything less than the Son of God is to believe in a different Jesus:

• A Jesus who is not the Son of God cannot save you from your sins nor get you to Heaven (John 5:24).
• A Jesus who is not the Son of God cannot be trusted to provide for your needs (Matthew 6:33).
• A Jesus who is not the Son of God can not be with you at all times, as He promised (Matthew 28:20).

This is why Mark reveals to us in the very first verse the vital truth about Jesus:  He is the Son of God.  Jesus has the character and nature of God.  The Apostles were eye-witnesses of Jesus Christ before and after His resurrection.  Except for the Apostle John, each of the apostles was murdered for his testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  They could have denied that Jesus was the Son of God and lived.  But they knew the truth and declared the truth about Jesus to the very end. And so should you and I as His disciples today.
 

(5) The focus of Mark's account.

When you read the gospel of Mark, you quickly see the focus is on the work of Jesus Christ.  Personal details about Jesus' life are kept to a minimum.  You do not find a lengthy explanation of Jesus' birth.  You do not read a detailed chronology of His family.  You do not know what town was Jesus' home.  There are only a few teaching discourses in Mark's gospel.  The bulk of the gospel is an account of the work Jesus performed.  Clearly, Mark was trying to explain Jesus by what He did more than what He said.

In presenting this account of the life of Jesus, Mark reveals Jesus as the mighty Servant of God, always about the Father's business.  The Greek word "eutheos," translated "immediately," "straightway," and "forthwith," is used forty times in just sixteen chapters.  In fact, it is used nine times in just the first chapter.  Mark uses this word not only to create dramatic tension in the story but to emphasize the nature of Jesus' earthly ministry.  It was persistent and urgent in its motivation, active and constructive in its mission, purposeful in its result.
 

(6) The key verse.

Without question, the key verse in the gospel of Mark is found near the end of chapter ten:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, NKJV)

The measure of greatness, according to our LORD Jesus, is not the power and influence you exercise over others nor the wealth you accumulate nor the beauty you possess nor the talents you possess.  The real measure of greatness is service.  Jesus taught the disciples about true greatness in word and then modeled greatness for them in His life.  "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16, NKJV).

The gospel of Mark portrays Jesus on the move as the mighty Servant of God.  The power of His might was in His selfless urgent service to others.  He "immediately" (Mark 1:10,12,20,21,28, 2:8, 5:30, 6:45,50, 8:10) went here and there preaching the gospel and performing mighty signs and wonders to confirm the truth of His word.  When Jesus entered a place or acted to heal and drive out demons, "immediately" (Mark 1:18,31,42, 2:2,12, 3:6, 4:5,15,16,17,29, 5:2,29,42, 6:25,54, 7:35, 9:15,20,24, 10:52, 11:3, 14:43,45, 15:1) things changed.  In the ultimate act of sacrificial service, Jesus willingly laid down His life for you and I.  The gospel of Mark was most likely written to a Roman audience.  To the Romans, the death of this mighty Servant of God on the cross would be an unthinkable shame.  As the key verse in the gospel, Mark 10:45 explains the reason for this extraordinary sacrifice.  Jesus was mighty in deed and in love.  What appeared to be a shame was in reality a purposeful act of redemption.  The resurrection of Christ confirmed the absolute victory and vindication of Christ in this ultimate act of sacrificial service.
 

B. Authorship of Mark's Gospel.

The beginning of the gospel…. (Mark 1:1, NKJV)

(1) Who wrote the gospel?

The Gospel of Mark itself does not state its author.  An ancient title "Kata Markon" at the beginning of the book translates as "According to Mark."¹   The early church fathers were unanimous that Mark wrote the gospel attributed to him, and that he wrote it in Rome.  While they do not agree on when Mark wrote the gospel, they record that Mark wrote not on his own but under the preaching and teaching of the Apostle Peter.  The earliest reference to Mark's authorship is found in Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis (ca. A.D. 140), who wrote in a book the following comment that was later quoted by Eusebius:

And the elder said this also: "Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered of the things said and done by the Lord, but not however in order."  For neither did he hear the Lord, nor did he follow him, but afterwards, as I said, Peter, who adapted his teachings to the needs of his hearers, but not as though he were drawing up a connected account of the Lord's oracles.  So then Mark made no mistake in thus recording some things just as he remembered them.  For he took forethought for one thing, not to omit any of the things that he had heard nor to state any of them falsely.²

The next reference to Mark as the author comes from "Justin Martyr (ca. A.D. 155)" who "mentioned the Memiors of Peter that contained the words 'named Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder."'"³   This nickname for the two brothers, James and John, is found only in Mark's gospel (3:17).  Both the Anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospels (ca. A.D. 160) and a later church father, Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 175), attribute the gospel to Mark.⁴   It is worthy to note that in the Muratorian Canon, a church document listing books recognized as authoritative Scripture, the gospel of Mark was included (ca. A.D. 170).  Mark is said to have been present at the preaching of Peter and so he recorded what he heard from the apostle.⁵
 

(2) What do we know about Mark?

As a young man, John Mark lived with his mother in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).  Mark's mother, Mary, had a house large enough to house the disciples for prayer meetings.  The Apostle Peter met there with the disciples on a regular basis since he was well known to the servants (Acts 12:13-14).  It could be that Mark and his family were led to faith in Christ by Peter (possible reference in 1 Peter 5:13, though Mark was a common Roman name).  In any event, John Mark was chosen by Barnabas, his relative (Col. 4:10) and Saul to accompany them on their journey to Antioch and in their first evangelistic missions trip (Acts 12:25).  At Pamphylia, John Mark apparently became afraid of the opposition and fled the missions party (Acts 13:13, ref. 15:38).  Paul did not want to continue with John Mark but Barnabas was adamant that he be included.  The conflict actually caused Barnabas and Paul to split up (Acts 15:39).  Paul took Silas and headed to Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:40-41).  Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus (Acts 15:39).  Near the end of Paul's life, we see that Mark had redeemed himself in Paul's eyes for Paul wrote to Timothy: "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Tim. 4:11, KJV).  The biblical record of Mark's life shows a disciple turned missionary, albeit one who ran scared at least once.  Let the record show that Mark did redeem himself through continued ministry or Paul would not have made sure to record his statement to Timothy shortly before his martyrdom in Rome.
 

(3) When was the gospel written?

Dating the gospel of Mark is a bit uncertain.  While the church fathers were unanimous in testifying that Mark is the author of the gospel account bearing his name, they are not consistent regarding when he wrote it.  Both Iraneaus and the Anti-Marcionite Prologue state that Mark wrote the gospel after the death of Peter (A. D. 67).  A few early church fathers state that Mark wrote the gospel before Peter's death, including the Alexandrians.⁶   It is also worth considering that Mark most likely would not have published the gospel that highlights the Apostle Peter's shortcomings (Mark 8:32-33, 9:5-6, 14:39-41 with 14:72, 14:37) while Peter was still alive.

Internal sources within the gospel of Mark are not conclusive.  Based on Mark 13:1-2, it appears to have been written prior to A.D. 70 when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army.  The disciples pointed out the magnificent structures and Jesus said, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Mark 13:2, NKJV).  Mark's account gives no indication in the narrative that the Temple was gone as Jesus had predicted.  Moreover, the years leading up to this tragic event were filled with Roman persecution of Christians.  Mark alludes to this persecution in the following quote from Jesus: "For everyone shall be seasoned with fire" (Mark 9:49, NKJV).  Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome (A.D. 64).  As a result, Christians were routinely arrested, tortured, and killed.  One of the more gruesome execution methods was to douse the Christian with a flammable liquid and light him up as a human torch in Nero's garden.⁷   The Apostle Peter himself was executed by Nero in the A.D. 64-68 time frame.⁸   The early church, facing such persecution, would need a gospel account of Jesus' persistent and strong ministry in spite of opposition and persecution.

Both the external and internal evidence point to a date on Mark's gospel in the A.D. 67-70 time frame.  Mark most likely recorded sermons and sermon fragments during the ministry of the Apostle Peter.  After Peter's death, Mark compiled what we now know as the gospel of Mark.
 

(4) What is the manuscript evidence for the gospel of Mark?

In terms of manuscript evidence, there is overwhelming support for the complete gospel of Mark as we know it today.⁹   A controversy, however, has been going on since the fourth century over the true ending of Mark's gospel.  The issue of where to end the Gospel of Mark will be covered in the section on Mark 16:9-20.

C. Outline and Chronology of Mark's Gospel.

The Gospel of Mark is an account of the life of Jesus shortly before His baptism through His resurrection from the dead.  The following high-level outline should be helpful to guide the reader through the topics covered in Mark's gospel:

I. Overview of the Gospel of Mark (Mark 1:1).
II. Jesus Prepares For His Earthly Ministry (Mark 1:2-13).
III. Jesus Begins His Earthly Ministry in Galilee (Mark 1:14-3:35).
     A. In Capernaum (Mark 1:14-34).
     B. Traveling Through Galilee (Mark 1:35-2:12).
     C. Encountering Questions (Mark 2:13-3:6).
     D. Organizing the Disciples (Mark 3:7-35).
IV. Jesus prepares His disciples (Mark 4:1-6:6).
     A. Jesus teaches His disciples through parables (Mark 4:1-34).
     B. Jesus teaches His disciples through miracles (Mark 4:35-6:6).
     V. Jesus Extends His Ministry Through His Disciples (Mark 6:7-6:56).
VI. Jesus encounters opposition to His ministry (Mark 7:1-8:30).
VII. Jesus Moves His Ministry to Jerusalem (Mark 8:31-10:52).
     A. The cost of following Jesus (Mark 8:31-9:13).
     B. The demands of faith (Mark 9:14-10:12).
     C. Finding salvation (Mark 10:13-31).
     D. Suffering and glory (Mark 10:32-52).
VIII. Jesus confronts Jerusalem with His authority (Mark 11:1-13:37).
     A. Presentation of the King (Mark 11:1-26).
     B. Testing of the King (Mark 11:27-12:44).
     C. Prophetic Discourse of the King (Mark 13:1-37).
IX. Jesus is Betrayed and Crucified (Mark 14:1-15:47).
     A. Conspiracy against Jesus (Mark 14:1-42).
     B. Arrest and Trial of Jesus (Mark 14:43-15:20).
     C. Crucifixion of  Jesus (Mark 15:21-47).
X. Jesus is Vindicated By His Resurrection From the Dead (Mark 16:1-20).

From a chronological perspective, we can deduce the purpose of Mark's gospel, in part, by analyzing the amount of material used to cover the different phases of Jesus' life.  There are sixteen chapters devoted to the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Mark devotes the following material to three primary time divisions in Jesus' life:

• Mark 1:1-8:26 covers 3 years (8 chapters).
• Mark 8:27-10:52 covers 6 months (2+ chapters).
• Mark 11:1-16:20 covers 8 days (3 chapters).

Chapters 11 through 16 cover the final week of Jesus' life.  From the amount of material used we see clearly what Mark was intending to emphasize.  Like a telescope, Mark's gospel broadly looks at the early ministry of Jesus, focuses in on His journey to Jerusalem, and then does a full zoom on crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  While the work of Jesus is emphasized throughout, the final week of Jesus' life is the capstone of that work.

D. Contribution of Mark's Gospel

The Gospel of Mark is unique in many respects.  It is generally acknowledged as the first gospel account written.  As such, Mark's gospel should be studied as the earliest account of the life of Christ.  Among the four gospels, Mark is unique in that there is little unique material presented in it.  Less than ten percent of Mark's gospel is not found in either Matthew, Luke, or John.  Mark's gospel is also the shortest of the four gospels.  It is a brief but lively account of the life of Christ.

The focus of Mark's gospel is on the work of Jesus.  No other gospel emphasizes the mighty works of Jesus Christ as found in Mark's account.  His narrative repeatedly uses "immediately" or "straightway" to describe Jesus on the move.  Jesus is was a mighty Servant of God even when opposed by the religious and political leaders of His day.  Given the time frame of its writing, Mark surely wrote to inspire early Christians to face opposition and persecution with the same tenacity as our LORD Jesus.  Mark's gospel is also a wake-up call to Christians today to get to work as Jesus did.  We need to be about the Father's business, less concerned with image and form than with the actual work of carrying the gospel to a world of lost souls.  As Mark concluded, we should: "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15, NKJV).
 
 

End Notes

1. Butler, Trent C. Holman Bible Dictionary.  Nashville, Tennessee: Holman Bible Publishers. Copyright 1991. p. 920.
2. Lane, William L. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark.  Grand Rapids, Michagan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Copyright 1974. p. 8.
3. Brooks, James A. The New American Commentary: Mark. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press. Copyright 1991. p. 18.
4. Lane. p. 9.
5. Ibid. p. 9.
6. Wessel, Walter W. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Mark. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House. Copyright 1995. p. 7.
7. Ibid. pp. 12-14.
8. Butler. p. 920.
9. Lane. p. 604.

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Copyright 7/05/2001, Randy Lariscy.