Mark

The Gospel of Mark has Jesus calling his disciples “without delay” and disciples following “at once”. This calling becomes iconic within the church. The Gospel of Mark is the first writing to include the clever line from Jesus: 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mark presents the open of Jesus’ ministry by pointing to three actions: Jesus’ baptism. Jesus’ desert temptations. Jesus taking over the message of God’s Kingdom from John the Baptist. Hardly any details are given to fill out these passages. As we read this passage, instead of comparing it to the other gospels try and think about the Old Testament passages to which Mark’s gospel points. Mark 1:12-...

In the Gospel of Mark, the motif of the wilderness is one which the author goes back to again and again when describing the ministry of Jesus. The wilderness is a place of reckoning. It is where we consider our past and prepare for the future. Mark 1:4 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Today we are going to be looking at one of the four Gospels, and that is the gospel of Mark. While it is the shortest gospel, it is deep and revealing in its own way. Today we are going to be looking at a brief introduction to the author, his writing style, and the message of the gospel before getting into the text itself which will then take us several weeks, probably into next year.