The Gospel of Mark

Doctor Luke, in the preface to his gospel, refers to other evangelists as 'eye-witnesses' to Jesus' ministry (Luke 1.2).  Was Mark one of these?  He could have been, especially if he were the young man who fled from Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14.51,52).  However, early chroniclers have testified that much of Mark's material came from the recollections of the Apostle Peter who, in his first letter (1 Peter 5.13) refers to Mark as his 'son' (in the faith).

There are a number of 'straws' blowing in the same direction.  For example, the period covered by Mark's gospel is precisely that named by Peter after Jesus' ascension to heaven.  Judas had betrayed his Master and hanged himself.  To restore the number of the Apostles to twelve, a replacement was needed - in Peter's words:

From John's baptism to Christ's ascension is the exact framework of Mark's record.  (Another 'straw' is the link between Mark 7.19 and the purpose of Peter's vision in Acts 10.9-16)

But, interesting though these theories may be, they make no difference to what really matters, which is that all the New Testament writings are inspired.  Having been recorded by Spirit-gifted men their testimony is confirmed by the Apostles, or by later elders who also were endowed with the Holy Spirit.

At a first reading of Mark one might get the impression that the various events he relates are not set in any particular order, other than that of an approximate chronological sequence.  There is, however, more in this than first meets the eye.  If, for example, we take chapters four and five together, we find the following accounts:

It is not difficult to recognise in these narratives an analogy with the progress of the gospel:

First: preaching it, the Word of Life germinates, takes root and multiplies; this is its present function in the world;
Next: in a time of crisis (cp.  Mark 13.24-26), Jesus takes command and stills the angry nations (cp. Psalm 65.7);
Finally: with the Lord's return and the kingdom of God established on earth, we have the healing of the nations - all ages blessed, whether men, women or children, and whether suffering from mental, physical or mortal diseases; and from all social classes. 

(The demonised man was penniless, the woman had spent all her money on doctors, but in vain; the child belonged to a rich family).

If there is a temptation to dismiss this sequence as a coincidence, consider chapter six, which immediately follows.  The incidents related here are as follows:

• Jesus is rejected by his own people;
• The twelve Apostles are sent out to preach the gospel of the Kingdom;
• John the Baptist is beheaded on Herod's order;
• Jesus feeds the 5,000;
• There is another storm on the lake again, calmed by Jesus' intervention;
• Finally, every sick person brought to Jesus is healed.

History and prophecy confirm the typical nature of this series too.  Messiah is rejection by his own people, the 'good news' is preached but subject to persecution.  Then a multitude sustained by the bread of life, there is a stilling of the storm and, lastly, all people are healed.

Other patterns have been identified in this gospel, especially in the case of the miracles of healing which, though they differ from Matthew's series in the order in which they appear, still show (as in Matthew) a significant pattern and design.

Mark's gospel is the shortest of the four.  How is this brevity achieved?  Mainly by omitting the long discourses of Jesus featured in the other gospels, although the Olivet prophecy of chapter 13 is the one exception to this.  Other items omitted are the birth narratives and genealogies, and also a number of the parables.  It has been calculated that only some sixty-six verses of this gospel have no parallel in any of the other three.

By contrast, most of the miracles recorded by Matthew and Luke also appear in Mark; there seems to be special emphasis on Jesus' deeds.  In fact, the miracles do more than merely authenticate the genuineness of Jesus' teaching, important though that is.  The miracles described appear to be acted parables.  When the Lord healed a blind or deaf person, it was also a testimony to all those present that he had received power and authority from his Father to cure their spiritual blindness or deafness (Cp.  Mark 4.1,12 and 8.17,18 with Isaiah 6.9,10).

The miracles of curing leprosy, paralysis and other physical or mental disorders, all of which have parallels in the moral sphere, are in a similar class.  Mark frequently uses a Greek word variously translated 'immediately, straightway, at once'.  Jesus' engrossment in these good works, and the apparent urgency with which he accomplished them have suggested to many Bible students that we have in this gospel a special portrayal of God's 'servant' who was to come (See 'Isaiah' in Books of the Bible volume 2).

There is one parable, which appears only in Mark's gospel - the parable of 'the growing seed.' (Mark 4.26-28)  It replaces the parable of 'the tares' in the sequence of Matthew's seven-fold parables (Matthew 13) although there are, in fact, certain features the two have in common.  In this parable the kingdom of God is likened to grain growing steadily from germination to harvest.  Just how it does this is a mystery, but in the normal course of events the farmer reaps what 'nature' has provided with minimal attention.

Jesus is telling us here how people of good and honest heart are continually being added to those who by obedience have made themselves heirs of the Kingdom.  One day (harvest-time) the wisdom of their obedience will suddenly become clear to the world at large.  Until then, this 'election' by God goes on quite unnoticed by 'the man in the street.'

Some Bible students see a second parable peculiar to Mark in the reference in Mark 13.34 to the householder who assigns tasks to his servants while he himself is away on business.  Although this account closely parallels the story in Luke's gospel of the nobleman and his ten servants (Luke 19.11-27), Mark's account includes this significant addition:

'He ... tells the one at the door (AV 'porter') to keep watch.' (Mark 13.34 NIV)

This is the antithesis of the other parable, in which the seed growth went on unattended.  The lesson here is about watchfulness.  In one sense every servant must be watchful (Mark 13.35-37).  But clearly experienced elders in each assembly of God's people have a special responsibility to act as guardians of the flock.  The attention of the flock should be directed to the many 'signs of the times' which herald the imminence of the Lord's return (Mark 13.24-30).

One cannot help marvelling at the state of most churches today, in which Christ's reappearance to become king of the world is virtually never mentioned!  The reason for this is because it is not believed in spite of many assurances such as those which this thirteenth chapter expressly supplies!

Mark's gospel is particularly helpful in explaining an incident earlier in Jesus' ministry, which on the surface appears as if the Lord was being impolite and dismissive to his mother.  We are told that one day, while he was busy in a house teaching a crowd of people, his mother and brothers arrived outside and were asking to have a word with him.  With apparent brusqueness he replied to those who had passed on this request: 'Who are my mother and my brothers?'  He added, with a glance round at the rapt circle of listeners: 'here they are!' - 'Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.' (Mark 3.31-35 NIV)

What provoked Jesus to speak like this?  Mark's account makes it clear (Mark 3.20,21) that 'his friends (better, with AV margin, 'his kinsmen') ... went out to lay hold on him: for they said, "He is beside himself."  This was a totally inappropriate, indeed insulting, estimate of Jesus' teaching and behaviour.

The connection between these verses and verses 31-35 is made even clearer in E V Rieu's translation: these relatives 'set out from home to take him into custody (v 21) ... His mother and his brothers now arrived' (v 31) No family ties or obligations could justify such groundless interference.  However, their error provoked a response from Jesus, which has since formed a touchstone for every claimant who declares he belongs to Christ's family.  He must ask himself 'am I doing God's will?'  That 'will,' which is a command, is:

'That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he (Jesus) gave us commandment.' (1 John 3.23)

In biblical terms, to believe in 'the name' of someone is to believe everything which is scripturally affirmed of him.  Therefore the obligation of every Christian is to believe that Jesus is God's one and only Son, the Saviour of the world and its future judge and king (1 John 4.14,15; John 5.27; 19.37).  Denial of even a single item is to make God a liar, and this is inexcusable.

We are also indebted to Mark only for recording a somewhat surprising and heart-warming sequel to an incident briefly related in Matthew's gospel.  According to Matthew the Pharisees, through one of their lawyers, tested (AV 'tempting') Jesus by asking him what was the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22.34-40).  Mark adds (Mark 12.28-34) that this lawyer (who Mark calls a scribe) recognised that Jesus had answered a previous question well.  Then he heard Jesus make the citation:

'Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.' (cp. Deuteronomy 6.4,5)

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' (cp. Leviticus 19.18)

The scribe observed that these two commands were more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.  Jesus perceived that this was a very discreet response and commented: 'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.' (Mark 12.34)  It was a great leap forward for an orthodox Jew to acknowledge that loving God and one's neighbour meant much more than the ritual sacrifices offered under Moses' law.  This is despite the fact that the Old Testament prophets repeatedly stressed this principle.  Similarly, it takes a great deal for an orthodox Christian to recognise that here Jesus endorses the unity of God.  Especially so, because when taken in context it negates the whole concept of the trinity.

Virtually all modern translations, from the Revised Version of 1881 onwards, note at Mark 16.9 that the last twelve verses of this gospel are missing in two of the earliest Greek manuscripts, (Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), as well as in many other manuscripts and versions.  From these facts it has been concluded that the original ending was lost early on, and that verses 9-20 are a later attempt to complete this gospel.

At first glance the evidence in favour of this conclusion looks overwhelming.  However, Dean Burgon, a biblical scholar of the last century, made a meticulous examination of all the arguments against the authenticity of this passage in a book running to some 300 pages, and he signally demolished every one.  His defence has never been successfully countered.

Bible students have been grateful for this 'rehabilitation.  Besides confirming the fuller accounts in Matthew, Luke and John of Jesus' post-resurrectional appearances to the disciples, Mark here records the Lord's direct command to them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, adding:

'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.' (Mark 16.16 RV)

So there are two essential steps for every would-be disciple of Christ to take.  First, one has to believe the gospel (of the Kingdom - Mark 1.14,15).  Secondly, the believer has to be baptized (by immersion in water) as a symbolic burial of one's old manner of life and a resurrection to 'newness of life' (See Romans 6.3-6).  The emphasis on the absolute necessity of belief should be noted.

The Twelve had disbelieved Mary Magdalene's eye-witness account of the resurrected Jesus (Mark 16.11) and had further dismissed the testimony of the two walking to Emmaus (Mark 16.12,13 - cp. Luke 24.13 ff.).  'Doubting Thomas' took a further week to be convinced! (John 20.26-29)  No wonder Jesus 'upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart' (Mark 16.14).  There will be no need for him to do the same to us if we accept the testimony of his inspired Apostles and act on it by being baptized into his name.