This is a study of the Gospel of Mark. We want to reflect upon this book to discover what God is saying to us through this author. In Acts 17:11, the Christians in Berea were exemplary in that they searched the Scriptures daily, seeking to discover the will of God. In David's great hymn concerning the Scriptures, Psalm 119, he wrote, "Mine eyes anticipated the night watches, that I might meditate on thy word." The word "meditate" means "to pour over," to examine with extreme care. The early Jewish people did not have personal copies of the Old Testament, so they would daily sit and reflect upon the many passages they had been required to commit to memory as children. We want to search the scriptures; we want to meditate "to pour over" the scriptures in our minds. We want our lives also to be exemplary.

In this session together, we will seek to discover the message God has given us in the Scriptures. We will focus our attention on a study of the Gospel of Mark. Repeatedly, through this study, we will ask ourselves, what is the author saying to us in this book? We will ask questions as a way to penetrate to the core of the message of the Gospel of Mark.

This study has been designed in such a way that you can approach it from one of two ways. You can read the body of the text and hopefully the portion of Scripture will take on new meaning and life for you as you study with us. We will attempt to help you see the message through the eyes of the author. The second approach is that you can answer the questions found in the marked pages which precede the interpretation of the text. This will enable you to compare your observations with ours.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE GOSPELS

Did you ever wonder why we have four different Gospel records? Anyone who has studied the Gospel records, even casually, knows that the four Gospel records are quite different, though they have much in common. Each of the four has a different writing style. Each Gospel record has some words or phrases which are characteristic to its particular author. One of the trademarks of the Gospel of Mark is the use of the words "immediately" and "and."

Each Gospel record uses the Greek language in a slightly different way. Mark used a very unpretentious form of the language. The author of John, however, used words which are much more complex. There are more compound words in John than in Mark. Mark uses a very simple uncomplicated style of writing, whereas the Gospel of John is more complex and penetrating in its style.

Did it ever bother you that the Gospel writers made no real effort to be identical in their presentations? Look at the opening of each Gospel. Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus. Mark, on the other hand, begins with John the Baptist's preaching and Jesus' baptism. Luke includes a genealogy, but from a slightly different perspective than Matthew. Luke begins as a letter promising to help the Greek reader to discover the certainty concerning the things in which he had been instructed. John, on the other hand, begins in a very philosophic way.

Notice the way each Gospel writer concludes his work:

· Matthew ends with the great commission.

· Mark concludes with the ascension of Jesus.

· Luke concludes with the ascension and then reports that the apostles were praising God in the temple.

· John ends his Gospel with Jesus' rebuke of Peter for his unwarranted concern for John's future. John then closes with the fact that if all the details of Jesus' life were given, the world would not contain the necessary books.

Each Gospel has a different author who represents a different level of intelligence and training. The age difference between Mark and John would be obvious in their way of writing, and it is. The background of each writer is also different. One would expect a physician to see and write from a different perspective than a tax collector or a fisherman.

A. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Matthew appears to have been written to Jewish readers. In the opening chapters, careful attention is paid to the fact that Jesus was a descendant from Abraham through David. This would be particularly important to a Jewish reader, but not nearly as important to the average Gentile. Matthew focuses attention upon Jesus as the KING. The Sermon on the Mount, most prominent in Matthew, has many references to the kingdom. The kingdom idea is dealt with repeatedly in the rest of Matthew's Gospel.

B. THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke helps us out a bit. He identified a specific Gentile, named Theophilus, as the recipient of his writing. As a physician, it is not surprising that he would focus attention on the HUMANITY of Jesus. The phrase "Son of man" was used repeatedly throughout the book.

C. THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

John wrote for a Jewish audience. It is not surprising that he focuses our attention on the DEITY of Jesus. This Gospel contains a number of word pictures of Jesus as the Shepherd, the Door, the Light of the world, the Great Physician, etc.

D. THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Mark is probably the earliest of the Gospel records. He stressed the SERVANTHOOD of Jesus. This Gospel contains no genealogy, but that is not surprising. The genealogy of a king is very important, but the genealogy of a servant no one would read. It is fair to assume that Mark wrote the book, but he had to receive information from other sources because he was not present for many of the events which he records as if they were being seen first hand. The Gospel of Mark was written for a Gentile audience. Mark explains things that a Jewish reader would understand without explanation - i.e. he told us what "the day of preparation" means. It has been suggested that this Gospel was written to be read by the Roman Christians. The truth is that we do not know.

III. THE AUTHOR OF MARK

We know that Mark was a third generation Christian and the nephew of Barnabas. Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, but left them and went home when the going became too heated for his liking. This was a source of friction between Barnabas and Paul when Barnabas wanted to take Mark on another journey. Paul and Barnabas separated over this issue and each went in a different direction. Mark is next seen in Rome, with Paul, at the time the book of Colossians was written.

Tradition has it that Mark received his information from Peter. If that is true, one needs to ask, why didn't Peter write his own Gospel record? We are not really sure. We know that Peter was deeply upset over the fact that he had denied knowing Jesus. Some authors believe that Peter was reluctant to affix his name to a Gospel account because of his unfaithfulness. Again, the truth is that we do not really know. It may be that Peter dictated the material and Mark served as a scribe for him. This Gospel is particularly severe on the failures of Peter. There is no doubt, however, that Mark was recording some information that was not first hand for him.

IV. INDUCTIVE STUDY

As we begin this study of the Gospel of Mark, we need to note that we will be using what is called INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY. It is not pouring one's own interpretation into the text, but letting the text speak for itself. Very often, the way a message is written carries as much meaning as the message itself.

We will focus on three parts of Inductive Bible Study:

· Observation - Discovering what the book/passage says

· Interpretation - Discovering what the book/passage means by what it says

· Application - applying what the book says to our lives.

In the course of this study, we will attempt to focus our attention on each of these parts.

V. AN OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Any good book will contain a host of words, but it will contain only one simple idea. When you study a book, one of the things you must do is discover that important, simple idea. This is precisely what we want to do as we study the Gospel of Mark together. In order to accomplish this goal, we will use several means in order to find out just what it is Mark was trying to tell us about Jesus.

The study of a good book is a lot like observing a beautiful flower. You enjoy it from a distance as long as you continue to discover different features about the flower:

· The location of the flower in the yard

· The general color of the flower

· The size of the flower

· The shape of the flower

· The direction in which the blossom points

· The shading of the petals.

Eventually, however, as you come right up close, you observe intricate details about individual petals and their shape which you could not see from a distance. That is exactly how we begin a study of the book of Mark. We will make observations about the book as a whole before we begin to look intricately at individual chapters, paragraphs, sentences and words. We are going to assume that we know nothing about the Gospel of Mark.

When you read a good book, it is a good idea to read the preface before you begin with chapter one. When reading the Bible, however, there is no preface to read. You can solve that problem by writing your own preface. In order to do that, you will need some general information. The things that we will do in this session should give you the information you need to write a brief preface to the Gospel of Mark.

We will begin this overview process by reading the book casually. It is good to just sit down and read the whole book of Mark in an hour or less. You will come away with some interesting impressions. Some of the information I have shared with you already was gained in this manner. After reading the book in one sitting, then read it again a chapter at a time. It is helpful to summarize each chapter in seven words or less. When you have done this for the whole book, you will be able to study the list and it will give you even more information than you found before. It is not important that you have the same titles as I have, but they need to summarize what you found when you read the chapter. Only after we have gone through this process are we really ready to study the book itself.

As you read chapter one, you become aware of the fact that Mark was describing the way Jesus' ministry began. I entitled chapter one - THE BEGINNING OF JESUS' MINISTRY.

In chapter two, I discovered Jesus changing the lives of people. I gave chapter two the title - JESUS CHANGED LIVES - HEAL PARALYTIC, CALL OF LEVI.

As I read chapter three, I noticed that there was some strong opposition to Jesus' teaching. I used the title, INTENSE OPPOSITION BEGINS.

In chapter four, Jesus was busy teaching parables about the kingdom of God. I gave it the title, PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Chapter five is the story of Jesus healing three people. I used the title, JESUS HEALED THREE PEOPLE - DEMONIAC, WOMAN WITH ISSUE OF BLOOD, JAIRUS' DAUGHTER.

In chapter six, I found two things - the obvious rejection of Jesus on the one hand and miracles that Jesus performed on the other. I gave this chapter the title, JESUS' REJECTION AND MIRACLES.

In chapter seven Jesus performed a healing in the city of Tyre. Naturally, I gave this chapter the title, HEALING IN TYRE.

In chapter eight, there are miracles which point to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. For this reason, I gave this chapter the title, MIRACLES POINTING TO THE MESSIAH.

Chapter nine contains specific teaching concerning the passion and resurrection of Jesus. I gave this chapter the title, TEACHING OF JESUS' PASSION AND RESURRECTION.

In chapter ten, Jesus taught His disciples about the perils of riches and power. I gave this chapter the title, PERILS OF RICHES AND POWER.

In chapter eleven, you have the emotionally charged Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. I gave this chapter the title, TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.

In chapter twelve, Jesus invaded the turf of His enemies and they were not happy with that action. I gave this chapter the title, RELIGIOUS ENEMIES ATTACK JESUS.

In the midst of the struggle with religious leaders, Jesus took time out to teach His disciples about the events of the end times. The title I gave to chapter thirteen was, JESUS TEACHES DISCIPLES ABOUT END TIMES.

In chapter 14, the events begin to quicken. Jesus was betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter. Jesus was arrested and brought to a mock trial by the religious leaders. I gave this chapter the title, BETRAYAL, DENIAL AND TRIAL OF JESUS.

In chapter fifteen the trial continued, but it was quickly followed by the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. I gave this chapter the title, TRIAL, DEATH AND BURIAL OF JESUS.

Chapter sixteen is a bit different from the rest of the book. It deals with the resurrection. I gave this chapter the title, THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.

Now just stop for a minute and ask yourself, what observations can I make about the book of Mark?

1. This book does not try to give every detail. The author is very selective about what is mentioned and what is omitted. He is giving more of a general impression than a specific history of events.

2. This book is fast moving; it focuses on action. The words "and immediately" are used at least 16 times.

3. The ministry of Jesus stressed the miraculous.

4. This is a confrontational book. Jesus and the religious leadership, in the Gospel of Mark, seem bent on confronting each other with their opposing views.

5. Jesus' enemies are the religious leaders of Israel.

6. The book deals with the ministry of Jesus more than it does with the life of Jesus. The book spotlights the final week of Jesus' life.

7. It appears that the book moves toward a climax in the resurrection of Jesus.

8. There are two major sections of the book:

a. Chapters 1 - 9

b. Chapters 10 - 16

Now we have completed an overview of the book. This will become the foundation of everything we do in our study of the Gospel of Mark.

While doing this overview, I became aware of the places mentioned in the book. I wondered just what the significance of this information might be. I decided to read the book again to discover just what locations were identified. As we go through this, you may want to write these locations down for further reference.

Chapter one takes place in the Judean wilderness and then in Galilee. Chapters two through five take place around the Sea of Galilee. Chapter six takes place in the villages around Jesus' home. Chapter seven takes place in Tyre, Sidon and other parts of Galilee. Chapter eight takes place in Bethsaida and Caesarea Philippi, both of which are in the Galilean area. Chapter nine takes place on the Mount of Transfiguration, in Capernaum and elsewhere in Galilee.

Chapter ten moves south to the borders of Judea, beyond Jordan, on the way to Jerusalem. Chapter eleven takes place in Bethphage, Bethany, the Mount of Olives and in Jerusalem. Chapters twelve and thirteen take place in the temple in Jerusalem. Chapter fourteen takes place in Bethany, the upper room, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane and before the Sanhedrin. Chapter fifteen also takes place in Jerusalem, at the Praetorium, at Golgotha and the tomb. Chapter sixteen also takes place in Jerusalem, the road to Emmaus, and the Mount of Ascension.

Having studied the book to see where things happen, what did you find? As I studied my notes, I noticed that chapters one through nine take place in Galilee, in the north. Chapters ten through sixteen, however, take place in and around Jerusalem, in the south. It is not clear yet what this tells us, but it is a significant piece of information and we will want to refer to it again later in our study. The final 44% of the book, chapters ten through sixteen, take place in and around one city - Jerusalem. This part of the book is the focal point of the entire writing.

While I was giving each chapter a title, I was also becoming alert to the general time designations in the Gospel of Mark. The book opens at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. I also noticed that the book closes with the Ascension. This means that the book, in total, covers approximately three and one half years. As I looked more closely, I discovered that chapters one through nine cover roughly three and one half years. Chapters ten through sixteen, on the other hand, cover just about one week. It is clear that there is a specific focus on these closing chapters of the book both from the standpoint of time as well as location. We do not have enough information, as yet, to indicate just how important this is, but it is significant. We must watch to discern, later, the hints about the meaning of this information.

Again, while giving titles to the chapters, I noticed that there were repeated references to Jesus' teaching and to his actions. I decided to read the book again just to see what I could find out about that. You may want to take notes About what you found.

In chapter one, Jesus was healing and praying. In chapter two, Jesus performed another healing and did some teaching. In chapter three, Jesus healed the withered hand, among other miracles and did some teaching. In chapter four, Jesus taught the parables of the Sower and the Mustard Seed. In chapter five, Jesus healed the Demoniac, the woman with an issue of blood and Jairus' daughter. In chapter six, Jesus preached in His own country, healed the sick, did some teaching and fed the 5,000. In chapter seven, there was a serious conflict with the pharisees and a healing in Tyre. In chapter eight, Jesus fed the 4,000, he healed the blind man and did some teaching. In chapter nine, Jesus was teaching about His passion and resurrection. In chapter ten, Jesus was also teaching about divorce and the use of power. In chapter eleven, Jesus took part in the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. In chapter twelve, Jesus taught the parable of the vineyard, the issue of tribute and about whose wife a woman will be in the resurrection, as well as the greatest commandment. In chapter thirteen, Mark portrays Jesus teaching His disciples. In chapter fourteen, Jesus was betrayed, denied and placed on trial. In chapter fifteen, Jesus was standing trial, died and was buried. In chapter sixteen, Jesus rose from the dead.

Having completed this observation concerning Jesus' teaching versus His actions, we need to make some observations from the search. First, in eleven of the sixteen chapters, Jesus performed some kind of service. This is nearly 69% of the book given over to His actions. On the other hand, in only eight of the sixteen chapters, Jesus was teaching either the disciples or the crowds. This is only 50% of the chapters. It is clear that Mark has placed a deliberate emphasis on Jesus as a servant. Action, rather than teaching, is clearly the emphasis of this book. One of the most common phrases in the book is, "and immediately..." These pieces of information have a serious impact upon our understanding of the whole book. The message of the entire Gospel must be seen in the light of these observations.

As a result of our general observations of the whole book, there are some things I want to be sure to remember. The emphasis of this book is clearly upon the servant actions of Jesus. Everything appears to move toward the very last chapters of the book. The opening chapters clearly prepare us for the emphasis on the time spent in Jerusalem from chapters ten through sixteen. As we continue the search for information concerning the book of Mark, we will need to discover what it is that Mark was trying to lead up to in the closing chapters.