Mark

Traditionally, it was believed that Mark wrote this gospel according to Peter’s teaching, transcribing Peter’s teachings as accurately as he could. Therefore, the events in Mark are not necessarily arranged in accordance to chronological order. Despite this, the early Church Fathers agreed that Mark’s version of Jesus’ story is still accurate and truthful. 

The Gospel of Mark was famous for being concise, written in a dynamic and vibrant prose, making it highly readable. 

Mark emphasized in his writing that Jesus is the Son of God. This can be seen in the first lines of this book, which states “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) 

Some have divided this book into three scenes, according to Jesus’ journey:

1. In Galilee: who was Jesus?
2. On route to Jerusalem: what does it mean for Jesus being the Messiah?
3. In Jerusalem: how did Jesus become King?

Scene 1: In Galilee: Who was Jesus? (1:1-8:30)

 In the beginning of the book, Mark affirmed the identity of Jesus as the Son of God by describing a scene in which Jesus was baptized.  Following his baptism, people around the area witnessed the opening of the sky, with God declaring, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (1:11) 

In addition, the identity of Jesus was not solely confirmed by God and John the Baptist—it was also revealed by the evil spirits, the sick, and the disciples. This clearly ratified Jesus as the Son of the Most High throughout his ministry.

Jesus’ miracles and healings also pointed to the supernatural and divine nature of Jesus. At times, his power caused some people to be fearful and confused.

Moreover, people began to wonder where His power came from.  In this process, we notice that there were two groups of people in the scene: the first group saw His power and believed in Jesus as the Son of God, but although the second group saw His power, they rejected Jesus, attributed His power to be from the devil. 

Scene 2: En route to Jerusalem: What does it mean for Jesus being the Messiah? (8:31-10:52)

The Jews had always been expecting the coming of Messiah, who came to deliver them from their suffering and redeemed Israel through military victory.  They were waiting for a King.  It probably was what the disciples expected.  When the disciple declared that Jesus as the Messiah, they were probably anticipating earthly power and wealth from Jesus, the future King.  However, they did not understand that Jesus was a very different king.  To become King, Jesus took the image of a servant and brought salvation through His own suffering and death.  Following Jesus was not about wealth and power, but about taking up the cross.  In Mark’s gospel, Jesus tried to explain to His disciples about this truth. In Mark 10:45, Jesus declared, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The climax of Scene 2 was at the transfiguration of Jesus.  Jesus revealed His glory to the three beloved disciples.  Moses and Isiah, who have seen God's presence on Mount Sinai in the past, were with Jesus to witness Jesus' glory now.  At a second time, God declared, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (9:7) We are reminded again the identity of Jesus: the Son of God, and the perfect incarnation of God’s glory.  However, this perfect incarnation was destined to suffer and die.  The disciples were left fearful and confused. 

Scene 3: In Jerusalem - How did Jesus become King? (11:1-16:10) 

Jesus did not become king through any military conquering. Instead, Jesus sacrificed Himself and died on the cross for our sins.  On the cross, he conquered the power of sin and death through His own death.  Paradoxically, it was a Roman soldier who declared Jesus’ true identity. 

While everyone was thinking that Jesus’ story had come to an end, an angel came and told the women about the resurrection of Jesus. Once again, the disciples were fearful and confused.  

Every time that the identity of Jesus was revealed in the gospel of Mark, it represented an opportunity for the readers to receive Jesus as the Son of God. Every scene was concluded with a question: would you accept Jesus as the Son of God? 

Similarly, the Gospel of Mark ends in an abrupt way.  It gives us the impression that the book is not finished. Some others believes that, Mark was forcing the readers to come up with their own decisions about following Jesus.