The Gospel of Mark

1
The Gospel of Mark

• What Does It Mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?

2
Characteristic Emphases

• The realism of the humanity of Jesus
• Emphasis on the messiahship of Jesus
• Messianic secret motif
• Son of Man
• A safer term than messiah
• Only 2 discourses (teaching material) 4 13
• Few parables

3

• Emphasis on miracles of Jesus
• Emphasis on suffering the cross (831-)
• Half of the gospel is leading to the cross
• Book of action (immediately)
• Strong emphasis on the struggle of the disciples
  to understand Jesus ministry
• Emphasis on discipleship and the struggles of
  following Jesus

4
Authorship of Mark

• No reference made in the book itself
• Papias bishop of Hieropolis, Phrygia (near
  Colossae/Laodicea) (d. 130)
• Mark wrote down what Peter had taught that Jesus
  had said and done
• Many others agreed with Papias
• Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Jerome,
  Muratorian Canon
• In fact no one questioned Mark as the author
  until modern times.

5

• Traditionally identified as John Mark, son of
  Mary, in Acts1212ff.
• Cousin of Barnabas, traveled with Paul Barnabas
  on 1st mission tour (left early)
• Traveled with Barnabas on his 2nd tour
• Identified by Peter as my son 1 P. 513.
• Paul said Mark was useful to him in his ministry
  2 Tim. 411.

6

• Martin Hengel argues that it is unlikely that the
  Gospels would have circulated for up to 60 years
  with no titles and then uniformly be given titles
  with no evidence of any other traditions
  regarding authorship.
• So he claims the title must go back to the time
  of the final redaction and first circulation of
  the Gospels themselves. (Studies in Mark, p. 82)

7
Date and Location of Mark

• Irenaeus (ca 115-202) associated with Polycarp
  (disciple of John)
• Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews in
  their own language, while Peter and Paul were
  preaching and founding the church in Rome. After
  their departure Mark, the disciple and
  interpreter of Peter, also transmitted to us in
  writing those things which Peter had preached.

8

• Tradition located Mark in Rome soon after Peters
  death
• Tradition also indicated Peter (and Paul) was
  executed in Neros persecution in the mid 60s.
• Some of the themes of Mark are consistent with
  such a setting (see later).
• Twice Mark uses Latin terms to explain Greek
  terms quadrans, 1242 (currency) praetorium,
  1516 (Roman administrative term).
• Consistent with Roman origin

9
Date

• Related to the relationships among Matthew, Mark,
  and Luke
• Mark may be the earliest, or even the latest
• The tradition dates Mark around the mid to late
  60s at the earliest.
• Again, the themes of Mark support such a date.

10
Possible Settings for Mark

• Rome just before or during Neros persecution
  of Christians after the fire that destroyed much
  of Rome in AD 64.
• Palestine during the mid 60s the Jews were
  struggling with Roman occupation in 66 a revolt
  broke out and war resulted in severe defeat,
  destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

11

• Christians would have been caught in the middle
• Jews would have accused them of being traitors
  not joining the rebellion.
• The Romans would have viewed them as
  troublemakers as well
• Back home they had been persecuted for the fire a
  couple of years earlier).
• Viewed perhaps as a subgroup of the Jews.

12

• Another significant factor second generation
  Christianity
• It had been 35-40 years since Jesus death.
• The level of commitment during the second
  generation did not seem as strong as it was for
  the first generation.
• The struggles had worn many down they were
  tired of constant battle over faith.
• Gentiles and Jews were both causing problems for
  them.
• Mark is writing to encourage them Jesus
  experienced a similar struggle with others.
• Jesus is presented as the model servant/disciple.

13
Finding the Structure of Mark

• Different approaches to the structure
• Focus on geographical movement
• Movement from Galilee to Judea, Jerusalem, death
• Recognition of Jesus as the Messiah
• Focuses on two confessions Peters (829) and
  the Centurions (1539)
• Discipleship
• Escalating conflict
• Follows the outline of the early preaching as
  presented in Acts (C. H. Dodd)

14
Structure of Mark

• 1st half
• 11-15 Introduction
• 116-312 The work of Jesus diverse
  responses to it.
• 313-67a The tension between those outside
  those with Jesus.
• 67b-826 The failure of the disciples to
  understand.

15

• 2nd half
• 827-1052 Describes discipleship
• Centers around three passion predictions
• 111-168 Illustrates discipleship
• After describing what discipleship involves, this
  section demonstrates that following God sometimes
  involves the supreme sacrifice.

16
Conflict in Mark

• Mark presents an escalation of conflict in his
  presentation of Jesus ministry.
• Conflict between
• Jesus and the authorities
• Jesus and the evil spirits
• Jesus own disciples

17
Jesus and the Authorities

• A series of conflicts in 21-36
• Jesus heals a paralytic
• Jesus calls Levi east with sinners
• Question about fasting
• Plucking grain on the Sabbath
• Healing on the Sabbath
• By the end of this section the Pharisees went
  out and immediately conspired with the Herodians
  against him, how to destroy him. (36)

18
The Conflict Escalates

• The authorities begin to plot his death.
• They approach his disciples.
• They slander Jesus (Beelzebub).
• Leaders approach Jesus about his disciples not
  washing their hands.
• Pharisees challenge Jesus directly about
  tradition and the law.
• The authorities challenge Jesus about his own
  authority (cleansing of the temple).
• They take it to the Roman officials.

19
Three Passion Predictions

• 831 931 1033
• Each time the disciples demonstrate they do not
  understand.
• Each prediction is accompanied by a call to
  follow and a description of true discipleship.

20
The Disciples Progression

• Imperceptions 11-826
• 652 They did not understand about the loaves,
  but their hearts were hardened.
• 718 Are you without understanding?
• 84 How can one feed . . .? (after the 5,000)
• 812-21 Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do
  you not see, and having ears do you not hear?

21

• Misconceptions of Jesus messiahship
• 827-1052
• After each prediction of the passion, the
  disciples misunderstand.
• After two of the three predictions, the disciples
  are concerned about power and position (932
  1035ff).
• They finally abandon and deny Jesus
• 1410 Judas
• 1437-41 the three sleep while Jesus prays
• 1415 all flee
• 1466-72 Peter denies Jesus
• At the cross, only the women disciples from a
  distance

22
Marks Pastoral Concerns

• The struggles that the disciples had were similar
  to those of Marks readers.
• Struggling to understand Jesus in the midst of
  negative reactions to their work. It was getting
  dangerous to be a disciple of Jesus.
• When things get this bad it is easy to be
  distracted from ones focus.
• Ones focus easily becomes self preservation and
  maintaining your honor.

23

• The parallel experiences of Marks readers and
  Jesus disciples provided Mark an opportunity for
  telling his story of Jesus and his own struggle
  to be a servant to others.
• Even in the midst of threats of persecution one
  cannot afford to lose focus on service to others.
• Mark illustrates from Jesus own life what
  discipleship is all about.
• He seeks to motivate his readers toward a greater
  level of faithfulness.

24
Messianic Secret

• Several times Jesus tells people not to tell
  others about what he had done, or to say that he
  was the Messiah
• 124-5, 34 144 31f. 543 736829f 99)
• Wilhelm Wrede suggested that Mark adds this to
  the tradition to explain why Jesus did not claim
  to be the Messiah in his own lifetime.
  Supposedly, only later did his followers realize
  this and they wrote it back into the stories.

25

• Reasons Jesus told people not to say he was the
  Messiah
• The term was politically loaded.
• The general concept of Messiah was military.
• Jesus didnt want people thinking incorrectly
  about his mission.
• There were enough barriers without this one.
• Jesus preferred the term Son of Man.

26
The Ending of Mark

• In the manuscript tradition Mark has more than
  one ending
• 169-20 (the longer ending) many of these
  indicate in some way that these verses may have
  been added (blank space, asterisk, etc.)
• Some mss add material after v. 15.
• 168 the oldest mss end here.
• One ms has the shorter ending
• Some mss have both the shorter and longer
  endings.

27

• 169-20 does not fit in very well into the
  context of Mk. 16.
• It appears to be constructed from the endings of
  the other gospels and Acts.
• What do we do with all this?
• Implications
• The original ending is probably lost.
• Scribes realized this very early.
• They tried to construct an ending that made sense
  to them.

28

• Which ending should we use?
• The safest thing to do, in my opinion, is to end
  with 168.
• The most important parts of 9-20 are found
  elsewhere in scripture use those passages.
• Recent scholars have tried to make sense of Mark
  with 168 as the intended ending.
• This is certainly an awkward ending.
• If it was the original ending, it presents some
  interesting possibilities of reading the Gospel
  of Mark.

29
New Understandings of How God Works

• Kingdom
• Not established with military force
• Submission to God as king, to Jesus as the leader
  of that Kingdom
• Has to do with God being in control not us.
• Has to do with service not (our) power.
• Yet it does initiate conflict.
• With the authorities, powers of darkness, culture
  society, even his own disciples

30

• God does not work as traditionally thought.
• The authorities work from Jerusalem outward,
  Jesus started at the outer fringes of society and
  brought people into the Kingdom.
• Jesus was establishing a new understanding of
  God, power, temple, spirituality, purity
• 833 thinking the things of man rather than of
  God
• 935 first will be last last will be first
• 1045 to serve rather than be served there is
  power in serving (not Lording it over)
  control.

31
General Observations forStudying the Gospels

• Respect their individuality.
• Dont try to harmonize everything.
• Cleansing the temple (2) Nazareth (2)
• Allow the authors to be authors their thinking
  is important.
• Learn as much as possible about the cultural,
  political, religious and moral challenges facing
  the early Christians.

32

• Look for over-arching themes that provide a
  framework for large sections, perhaps the entire
  gospel.
• Find smaller themes within the larger sections.

33
Use of Mark in the Early Church

• It was very popular for the first 3 4
  centuries.
• Referred to in all the early discussions of the
  gospels and manuscripts.
• Used in the churches.
• Tatian used it in his Diatessaron.
• The tradition was that Mark wrote what Peter
  taught Peter was very popular, so Mark was
  widely used.
• It spoke to those who were suffering.

34

• John Chrysostom (386-98)
• Mark reproduced the brevity of Peter
• Luke reproduced the abundance of Paul.
• Augustine proposed a new idea.
• Said Mark had nothing in common with John and
  little with Luke.
• Mark is an abridgment of Matthew Mark followed
  him like a slave and seems to be his
  summarizer.

35

• This contradicted the early theories that Mark
  was Peters interpreter.
• Thus far Mark had survived primarily on Peters
  authority.
• From then on, Mark was in Matthews shadow until
  the 19th cen.
• With the proposal of the two document hypothesis,
  Mark once again became widely used (proposed to
  be the 1st gospel).