Gospel According to Mark

1
Gospel According to Mark

• Earliest canonized gospel
• Hurried composition
• Written in context of Jewish/Christian crisis of
  70 CE
• Roman armies about to devastate Rome
• hidden Messiah
• Secret apocalypse
• Written approximately 10 years after Paul
• De-emphasizes Christs teachings

2
Gospel According to Mark

• May borrow from Gospel of Thomas
• Disciple of Petergospel written short time after
  Peters martyrdom
• Equates discipleship with suffering
• Gospel highlights parousiaChrists immanent
  return
• This generation will see
• Presents eschatonthe end of historyas immanent
• Not fond of Christs relations
• Disciples often appear quite dumb

3
Gospel According to Mark

• Family oblivious to Christs mission and nature
• No mention of Christs virginal conception or
  birth
• Organized around geographical movementnorth to
  south
• Southward journey from Galilee to Jerusalem
• Christ as Son of God and Son of Man
• Apocalyptic term borrowed from Daniel
• Not called Son of God until after his death

4
Gospel According to Mark

• Definite Greek influenceeven Greek literary
  influence
• HeraldJohn the Baptist
• Tempted by Satan
• Demons know who Christ is
• Eschatological rush
• The kingdom of God is upon you repent and
  believe

5
Gospel According to Mark

• Performs numerous exorcisms
• Christ as apocalyptic preacher
• Not the lyrical/literary preacher of Luke
• Not the teacher of Matthew
• Not the theologian of John
• Uses present tenseimmediacy
• The present generation will live to see it all

6
Gospel According to Mark

• God speaks directly at Transfiguration and
  Baptism
• Bath qol
• Passion emphasizes fate of Son of Man
• What Son of Man must do
• Not understood
• Angers Phariseesobedient to Torah
• Angers Sadduceesaristocratic priests attempting
  to build relationship with Rome

7
Gospel According to Mark

• Consistent use of Radical Wisdom
• Calls 12 Galilean men to follow him
• True discipleship involves suffering
• Prominence of demons bespeaks Hellenistic
  influence
• Healing powers of Christ
• Messianic secret of chapter 8

8
Gospel According to Mark

• Christ accepts public role of Messiah in Ch. 11
• Enters Jerusalem
• Assault on Temple
• Prophesies fall of Jerusalem and Temple
• Immanent in 70 CE
• Great earthquakes of 60 CE
• Keeps Passover meal

9
Gospel According to Mark

• Ironic quality of Passion narrative
• Roman/Jewish forces take Jesus
• Fear threat of Jesus
• By killing Christ, glory of Son of Man realized
• Taken before Sanhedrin
• Jewish council headed by Caiaphas (high priest)
• Mark has Christ accept Messianic identity at trial

10
Gospel According to Mark

• Pontius PilateRoman Procurator
• Roman administrator assigned to maintain
  orderespecially during Passover
• Reluctant to act on Christ
• No interest in religious charge
• Must pursue political charge
• Mob demands Barabbas
• Simon of Cyrene made to help carry cross

11
Gospel According to Mark

• Body of Christ given to Joseph of Arimathaea
• Tomb found empty
• Resurrection?
• Second Coming?
• End times?
• Final comments clearly redactionary

12
Gospel According to Mark

• 1 Goes back to IsaiahJohn the Baptist
• John knows his roleand whats coming
• Baptism of Jesus
• Is this the first time Jesus knows?
• Now
• Calls disciples
• Unclean spirits know Jesus

13
Gospel According to Mark

• Authority/fame of Christ
• Christ as grassroots politician
• Tell no one
• Jesus must stay away from town
• 2 Radical wisdom
• Radical reinterpretation of scriptures
• Already plotting
• 3 Family says hes out of his mind

14
Gospel According to Mark

• Radical wisdom re family
• 4 Sower parable
• All to be made opensecret to be revealed
• Now
• Mustard seed
• Christs teachings/explanations in public/private

15
Gospel According to Mark

• Calms storm
• 5 Unclean spirits go into pigs
• Exorcisms
• 6 Radical wisdom
• Jesus knows how prophet is to be treated
• Recalls song of suffering servant
• Sends out the 12
• Death of John the Baptist

16
Gospel According to Mark

• Feeding miracles
• Loaves and fishes
• Closed minds
• 7 Radical reinterpretations
• Radical wisdomre-thinking Jewish law
• All food clean
• Nothing in can defile

17
Gospel According to Mark

• Does Jesus have a plan?
• 8 No sign shall be given for this generation
• Still dont get it
• Who I am?
• Messianic turn
• Must renounce self
• Radical wisdom

18
Gospel According to Mark

• 9 Sense of immediacy
• Transfiguration
• God identifies son
• Anger at unbelieving generation
• All is possible
• Radical wisdom
• 10 Radical reinterpretation of Scripture

19
Gospel According to Mark

• Child as kingdom of god?
• Hard for wealthy to enter kingdom?
• Today
• What will happen?
• Already planned
• 11 Jerusalemfig tree
• Christ wont disclose his authority

20
Gospel According to Mark

• 12 Vineyard parabletenants
• Radical wisdom
• Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar
• God of living
• Commands
• Not far from kingdom
• Beware scribes and interpreters

21
Gospel According to Mark

• 13 End times
• Call to proselytize
• End is coming
• Lord has cut short time
• Now
• Fig tree
• Secret
• Be alert
• Keep awake

22
Gospel According to Mark

• 14 Anointing with oil
• No transition to Judas
• Monty Python-esque scene
• Abba
• Naked man runs away
• Christ accepts identity as Son of Man
• 15 passive Jesus
• Human suffering
• Centurion now believes

23
Gospel According to Mark

• Mary of Magdala and Mary, the Mother of Christ,
  see where body was lain
• Angel announces resurrection
• Fear of women
• Editorial additions of early church