The Gospel of Mark

In contrast to Matthew, Mark was not one of the original disciples of Christ. He was, however, a native of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), a companion of Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13), and the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10) who, in turn, was a close associate of Paul and the Jerusalem apostles. His relationship to the apostles was, therefore, close enough to render him familiar with the life of Christ and the activities of the early Christian group.
In a.d. 112, Papias cited Mark as “the interpreter of Peter.” A comparison of Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:34-43 with Mark’s Gospel shows the former to be an outline of the life of Jesus that Mark has given much greater detail.

Purpose and Content

Mark addressed his Gospel primarily to Roman readers and presented Jesus as the Worker, the Servant of Jehovah. (According to tradition, Mark wrote his record of the life of Christ in Rome.) The chief characteristic of Christ in this book is His activity, the mark of a good servant. The Greek word eutheos, translated variously as “straightway,” “immediately,” “anon,” or “forthwith,” appears forty-two times in the book. This message made a natural appeal to the busy, practical Roman reader.
According to the amount of space Mark allots to it, the most important activity of Christ was His death and resurrection. About three-eighths of the entire book is devoted to the narrative of the Passion Week (the last week of the life of Christ, 11:1–16:18). In the story, this is the most striking feature and shows clearly what aspect of Christ’s life was considered by the Gospel writers to be of supreme concern.

Outline

In keeping with the theme of the activity of Christ, the outline treats His life as a series of tours as He carried on His ministry. By so doing, one is impressed with the continual busyness of the Servant of Jehovah.

Introduction 1:1
Preparatory events 1:2-13
First tour of Galilee—Miracles and parables 1:14–4:34
Tour of Decapoli 4:35–5:43
Second tour of Galilee 6:1-29
Retreat to the desert 6:30-52
Third tour of Galilee 6:53–7:23
Tour of the north country 7:24–9:29
First announcement of passion 8:31
Fourth tour of Galilee 9:30-50
Second announcement of passion 9:31
Tour of Perea and Judea 10:1-52
Third announcement of passion 10:33
Ministry in Jerusalem 11:1–13:37
The passion and resurrection 14:1–16:20