Though anonymous, the Gospel of Mark is believed to be written by John Mark, who is mentioned in the book of Acts and several epistles. Within the Gospel is possibly a hidden allusion to John Mark the author, as the man who flees naked after the arrest of Jesus (14:51-52).
John Mark was a member of the early church from its beginnings at Pentecost. Mark was a missionary partner of Barnabas, Paul and Peter. According to tradition he was a disciple of Peter and was with him in Rome (1 Peter 5:13). Clement and Origen claim that Mark wrote in Rome during Peter’s lifetime and that he wrote down the Gospel from what Peter proclaimed. Mark is often thought to be writing to Gentile Christians in Rome who are facing persecution in the time of Nero. The Gospel is neutral if not favourable to Romans. It quotes infrequently of the Old Testament and often explains customs and translates Hebrew and Aramaic terms. Interestingly Mark is the only Gospel that refers to itself as a Gospel. ‘The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God’ (1:1). Mark is publicly announcing the good news of Jesus and showing who He is through all that He did.
Mark’s Gospel focuses less on the teaching of Jesus and more on His actions. There are few teaching sections and even fewer parables. Instead, Mark’s gospel is an action-packed story showing you all the works that Jesus did. A word that features prominently is eutheós (εὐθέως) which means ‘immediately’ and appears 41 times. In his Gospel, Jesus is presented as the tireless servant, meeting the needs of humanity. The key portrait of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is immediately introduced as Jesus Christ the Son of God (1:1). The Father affirms this at His baptism (1:11) and later at the transfiguration (9:7). Demons call Him the Son of the God (3:11, 5:7) and Jesus alludes to Himself as the Son in parables (12:1-12). At His trial, the High Priest asks Him if He is the Christ the Son of the Blessed and He says ‘I am’ (14:60). Then finally, the centurion who witnessed Jesus breathe His last confesses: “Truly this man was the Son of God” (15:39).
Mark is split into 3 sections:
In the first section we are introduced to Jesus who, following the ministry of John, begins preaching the kingdom of God (1:14-15). Mark records Jesus calling disciples and then travelling around preaching the gospel, casting out demons and healing the sick. As He does this, multitudes flock to Him but He also encounters opposition from the religious leaders.
The second section covers His journey towards Jerusalem. It is in this middle section that Mark reaches a turning point. Up until this point Jesus has dissuaded the crowd from spreading the news of who He is and has likewise suppressed the demons (this is often referred to as the Messianic Secret). Yet in this section Peter identifies Jesus as the Christ. From this point Jesus presses towards Jerusalem and the cross. It is here that He starts speaking to His disciples about what is to come and three times predicts His betrayal, suffering, death and resurrection (8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34).
Mark has famously been named an extended passion narrative with nearly half the book devoted to Jesus‘ final week. In the final section, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey showing Himself publicly to be the Messiah (Zechariah 9:9). The next day, He cleanses the temple and proceeds the following days to teach in the city and disputes with the religious leaders who come to him posing questions. Following the Last Supper He is betrayed, arrested and sentenced to death. The book culminates with His death and resurrection.