Dig Deeper into Mark’s Gospel: Who Jesus Is and What It Means to Follow Him

Mark’s Gospel is a narrative proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God, whose death and resurrection paid the penalty for our sins and achieved victory over Satan, sin, and death. The newly released Dig Deeper in Mark explores the most pivotal points of Jesus' earthly ministry and we have put together this blog to analyse the key themes and some essential background to this insightful Gospel. 

Outline

The revelation of Jesus as the Messiah

1:1               Introduction

1:2-8           The ministry of John the Baptist

1:9-11        The baptism of Jesus Christ

1:12-13      The temptation of Jesus Christ

1:14-20     The calling of the first disciples

1:21-45      The authority of Jesus Christ in his deeds

2:1-22        Ministry in Capernaum

2:23–3:12     The Sabbath controversy

3:13-19      The calling of the Twelve

3:20-35     Growing controversy surrounding Jesus Christ

4:1-34        The parables of the kingdom

4:35–5:43     Miracles around Galilee

6:1-6           Unbelief in Nazareth

6:7-13        The Twelve sent out to continue the work

6:14-29     The execution of John the Baptist

6:30-56     Further miracles

7:1-23        Teaching on uncleanness

7:24–8:10     Miracles in Gentile territory

8:11-21         The lack of understanding of the Pharisees and the disciples

8:22-26         A blind man sees

8:27-30     Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah

The revelation of the suffering of Jesus the Messiah

8:31–9:1       Jesus Christ defines discipleship as the way of the cross

9:2-13        The transfiguration

9:14-29    Jesus Christ heals a demoniac

9:30-50     Teaching on servant leadership

10:1-12      Teaching on divorce

10:13-16       Jesus Christ welcomes children

10:17-31       The rich man and worldly wealth

10:32-45       The disciples called to suffering and service

10:46-52       Bartimaeus receives his sight and follows Jesus Christ

11:1-11      The entry into Jerusalem

11:12-25       The cleansing of the temple

11:27–12:44    Controversy with the Jewish religious leaders

13:1-37      Teaching concerning the last days

14:1-26      The Last Supper

14:27-52   The betrayal in Gethsemane

14:53–15:15    The trial and condemnation before the Jewish leaders and Pilate

15:16-47   The death and burial of Jesus Christ

16:1-20      The resurrection of Jesus Christ

Background and setting

Mark’s was the first and shortest of the New Testament Gospels to be written, and was used by Matthew and Luke. What distinguishes Mark from the other Gospels? He shows little interest in close or detailed historical links between one story and the next. Nor does he include some material vital to a full biography of Jesus, such as his ancestry, birth or childhood. What happened after the resurrection is also largely omitted. Mark equally does not provide details of exact geographical locations. Stories move from scene to scene without explanation. It is clear that something else concerns him much more.

The opening of Mark’s Gospel sets out his goal. The good news (1:1) was originally used to describe a happening which would change world history. At the centre of this event is Jesus Christ. This significance is also seen when Mark describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He announces nothing less than the coming near of the kingdom of God (1:15).

Themes and relevance

The picture of Jesus as Messiah (1:1) is made more compelling by both the words he preached and the miracles he performed. It is much too simple a conclusion, however, to assume that Mark’s sole intention is to portray Jesus as the powerful Son of God (1:1). The opening of the Gospel is the necessary preliminary to something else. The first hint about this comes at the outset of Jesus’ preaching ministry as Mark records it. People are called not just to hear that the kingdom of God is imminent, but to respond (1:15). In this way Mark is pointing us to a double thrust in his message. It is both about who Jesus is and about how people should respond to him. These two themes run right through the Gospel of Mark.

However, there is a significant change in the tone and direction of Jesus’ ministry in Mark’s Gospel after the accounts of Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi (8:29) and of the transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-13), where the emphasis is again on the identity of Jesus: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! (9:7). Before this time, the concentration is on addressing the crowds, with attention on describing Jesus as a miracle worker. After it there is more concentration on training the disciples, and the focus turns to what he has come to accomplish as a lowly, dying servant (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34). This is the basis for a concentration in the second half of the Gospel on what Jesus came to do.

Mark first indicates Jesus’ stress on this element by recording his earliest exhortation. Because the kingdom of God has come near, his hearers should repent and believe the good news (1:15). Followed as it is by the series of miracles which Jesus performed, one would expect a welcome response to such an appeal. To the question, ‘How do people in Mark’s Gospel show faith in Jesus?’, the answer, to put it bluntly, is that mostly they don’t! His family misunderstand and try to deflect him from his course. His own townspeople are almost jealous of him and certainly refuse to accept his claims. The religious leaders are at first cool and later directly antagonistic to the point of seeking his death. The crowd follows, enjoying the teaching and being amazed by it, but in the end they do nothing to save him. Even his disciples, and not least Peter, struggle to understand without ever properly doing so, and get things badly wrong. Some of the women are at least faithful as far as the crucifixion, but even their faith fails them at the very end.

Only two groups seem to give anywhere near the expected response – the desperate and the demoniacs. The latter at least show signs of knowing who Jesus is; but they get no further because recognition leads to resistance, not faith, until they are delivered. The desperate alone are seen to be faithful. They have nowhere else to go, and no future to hope for without a cure. In the main they cast themselves on Jesus and find all that they need and more.

The pattern of concentrating half the Gospel on miracles and the other half on the passion is deliberate. It underlines the fact that discipleship is not an unending experience of supernatural power revealed in miracles and powerful teaching. Discipleship is also about lowly, costly obedience to the will of God. Thus, we see the two major themes of the Gospel: the identity and ministry of Jesus and the nature and demands of discipleship. These two come together in the focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus as properly the climax of all that he came to do and as the secret of true discipleship.

This blog post is extracted from the study notes of the NIV BST Study Bible. You can find out more about ‘Dig Deeper into Mark’, and order your copy in paperback or ebook, here.