The Gospel According to Mark[1]
The Gospel according to Mark is one of the four New Testament Gospels that collectively “exhibit both unity and diversity” while also “bearing witness to the same Jesus.”[2] Though technically anonymous, the Gospel of Mark’s English title, “The Gospel According to Mark,” is drawn from the Greek title/heading — KATA MAPKON — found in our earliest majuscule manuscripts of the New Testament canonical texts.[3] Early church authors also attribute authorship to New Testament character John Mark.[4]
Plot and Purpose of Mark
With its introduction, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (NRSV Mark 1:1a), the Gospel of Mark begins by way of an abrupt beginning. As Mark L. Strauss explains, “The reader is plunged “immediately” into the ministry of Jesus. Jesus appears on the scene abruptly, taking the Galilean countryside by storm.”[5] The Gospel of Mark leads with this storm of a plot because “The purpose of Mark’s high-speed narrative is to portray Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God of power and authority, a theme which dominates the first half of the Gospel.”[6] This “authority” of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is a major Markan theme, which we will consider in what follows.
Markan Theme: Authority
The “authority” (ἐξουσία) of Jesus is a major Markan theme. How does the Gospel of Mark portray the “authority” of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? The “authority” of Jesus is demonstrated through his words and deeds.[7] On the one hand, “Through his words and deeds, the reign of God is being actualized,” but, on the other hand, the “purpose of these miracles is not to gain popularity but to demonstrate that he is acting and speaking with the authority of God.”[8] That is to say, the authority and power inherent to Jesus’ words and deeds reveals that he is the Messiah of God. Eventually the Messiahship of Jesus is confessed (Mark 8:26). The Messianic recognition of Jesus is followed up by Jesus’ explicit passion predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33).[9] Jesus’ authority will be definitively demonstrated in the suffering of the Son of God: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The disciples do not understand Jesus’ instruction or passion predictions, and their “failure to grasp the point” then “sets the stage for Jesus’ teaching on discipleship (8:32-38; 9:32-10:31; 10:34-35).”[10] In what follows, we will discuss this other Markan theme.
Markan Theme: Discipleship
In the Gospel of Mark, there is a key shift from the narrative demonstrating the authority of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8:26) to the subsequent narrative predicting the final test of his authority and power (Mark 8:27-16:8). This narrative development buttresses the overarching purpose of the Gospel of Mark that was identified and discussed above. As R. A. Guelich explains, “The final part of Mark’s story (8:27-16:8) clearly focuses on the death of Jesus Messiah, Son of God.”[11] The “beginning of the gospel of Jesus Messiah, Son of God” is a story with only one conclusion: Jesus Messiah’s predicted crucifixion and resurrection.
In this final part of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus does not exercise power and authority as the world commonly does, or as his followers expect him to, e.g., with the type of power indicative of a sword, but rather, Jesus reigns with power and authority that is deeper than any mere human power and authority. Jesus reigns with the authority of the cross. Jesus reigns with the power of God. As Paul explained, “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power (δύναμις) of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).[12]
The suffering of Jesus is central to the Gospel of Mark’s emphasis on discipleship. As stated above, the disciples failed to understand Jesus’ predictions and explanation about the nature of the power and authority indicative of his Messiahship. This failure, going forward, sets the stage for Jesus’ instruction on the nature of discipleship. They failed to understand suffering was central to the Messiah’s mission. Going forward, Jesus clarifies the nature, the suffering connotations, of discipleship. In a word, a disciple of Jesus Messiah must be willing to suffer.
Brief Reflection
I can’t help but ask, Am I like the disciples? Have I failed to understand Jesus? Have I failed to understand his words and deeds? Do I understand and can I submit to the implications of Jesus Messiah’s authority being definitively demonstrated in his suffering? Jesus Messiah’s words are ringing in my ears: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In reflection, I am reminded of an author’s recent musings: “I’ve had the wrong picture of Christianity for a long time. It’s quite possible I still do. . . . Whatever the case—and I know it sounds cliché—I can give it all to Jesus and know that somehow it’s going to work out.”[13] However, Mark 10:45 isn’t the only thing ringing in my ears. I also hear, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Have I failed to understand? Have I failed to take up the cross and follow him? Have I failed to willingly suffer? If so, I have trust it will somehow work out because I am following “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
[1] For a survey and bibliography of the Gospel according to Mark, see “Gospel of Mark” by R. A. Guelich in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 512-525. In addition, Mark L. Strauss provides an insightful introduction and bibliography for Gospel of Mark in Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 170-211.
[2] Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels, 24.
[3] See title/heading for text of Gospel of Mark in ancient manuscripts Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. Free access to facsimile images is available at www.csntm.org/Manuscript. For descriptions of these important fourth century manuscripts of the Greek New Testament, see Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament, translated by Erroll F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 107-109.
[4] See discussion on authorship in Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels, 201-202. Strauss mentions several prominent early church leaders who attributed authorship to Mark: Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, Jerome, and Eusebius, who quotes second century church leader, Papias.
[5] Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus, 178.
[6] Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus, 179.
[7] See lexical entry for ἐξουσία in Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed.,revised and edited by Fredrick William Danker (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), 352-353. Regarding Jesus’ authoritative words and deeds: Jesus teaches with authority: “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22); Jesus commands and controls unclean spirits: “They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”” (Mark 1:27); Jesus has authority to forgive sins: “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the paralytic—I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home” (Mark 2:10-11); Jesus appoints twelve apostles to “have authority to cast out demons” (Mark 3:15), and during his ministry he commissioned and sent “them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7); Jesus has power over nature: Jesus commands and controls a storm, and the disciples wonder who he is (Mark 4:4).
[8] Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus, 179-180.
[9] Regarding the development of these three passion predictions: “The three major Markan predictions (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34) are most conspicuously placed within their narrative context. Mark 8:27-32 denotes a clear change of focus from chronicling the demonstration of Jesus’ exousia (“power”) to the final test of his exousia. Furthermore, Mark 8:27-32 leads to the first instruction of the disciples that the Son of man must die and rise after three days. Mark 10:32-34, on the other hand, is placed immediately prior to the entry into Jerusalem via Jericho. Mark clearly presents a climatic development beginning with the first prediction focusing on rejection, to the theme of being delivered into human hands and finally to humiliation and death in the third prediction” (“Predictions of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection” by H. F. Bayer in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 631).
[10] “Gospel of Mark” by R. A. Guelich in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 517.
[11] “Gospel of Mark” by R. A. Guelich in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 517.
[12] δύναμις and ἐξουσία are different words. Thematically, however, they frequently overlap. See lexical entry for δύναμις in Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 261-262.
[13] Matt Johnson, Getting Jesus Wrong: Giving Up Spiritual Vitamins and Checklist Christianity (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2017), 130.