Mark’s Gospel is often the one we turn to for a quick summary of the Good News, the events of Jesus ministry. There is no fluff in this shortest of the 4 Gospels, an efficient work which wastes no time but also lacks any literary flourish. Even the repeated use of “immediately” gives us the sense that Mark might have been a high-energy kind of person on a mission to spread the gospel. Who was this enigmatic figure? Here are 5 facts about Mark, the Gospel Writer.
Two of the Gospels were written by Apostles of Jesus - John and Matthew. Luke and Mark, however, were written by disciples. A disciple is a student, as are all of today’s Christians. Some scholars speculate that Mark was one of the 72 sent out by Jesus in (Luke 10:19), but numerous Bible Scholars agree with Papias of Hierapolis (who lived from around 60–163 AD) who “says the Mark who wrote the gospel was not an eyewitness”. Many other scholars agree that Mark heard the gospel from Peter and sought to record what he had heard. Though efficient with his words, this was a man who knew the value of Jesus’ teachings and the truth of the Resurrection.
In spite of Mark having never met Jesus, J. Warner Wallace is satisfied with the evidence that Mark wrote the Gospel we attribute to him, and that his story is a truthful representation of events. “Most scholars believe the Gospel of Mark demonstrates a writing style and literary syntax exposing the author’s first language as something other than Greek [...], probably a Semitic language such as Aramaic. This would be consistent with the idea Mark, a Palestinian Jew (who most likely spoke Aramaic) was the author of the Gospel.” Moreover, Mark’s information and style are in keeping with the substance of Peter’s public preaching according to Wallace.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Priscilla-du-preez
Mark’s mother might have been wealthy and independent, enablng Mark to see . Nelson tells us that “Mary was a homeowner with at least one servant [...] and Christians gathered in her home, [so] she was most likely a wealthy, reputable woman.” Was Mark in attendance when the Christians met and, if so, on purpose or as a bystander who could not help but overhear?
Since we do not know his age, it is difficult to speculate as to whether his mother led him to Christ as a child while modeling the example of the earliest Christians who shared everything in common. (Acts 2:44-45) Perhaps he was among the early followers in the new and growing church.
Whatever the case, we see the value of a parent who faithfully believes and lives out that faith in front of her child. Mark is said to have abandoned the mission at one point, leading to a heated argument between church leaders. In Mark we see the example that one might wander, but will return to the roots of faith. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) We also know that Mark got a chance to see, first hand, that women were viewed with respect by Christ and as part of the growing church.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/priscilladupreez
If Mark was not present at the Sermon on the Mount or during any of Jesus’ miraculous healing works, then whose accounts does Mark convey? “The early church unanimously claimed the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark the Evangelist, that he was closely associated with Peter, and that his gospel was based on Peter’s account.”
Nelson quotes from early works such as Church History and Against Heresies, works written between the first and second centuries. From the latter work we learn that Mark was Peter’s interpreter. “Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter.”
He was careful to ensure that he only told what he knew for sure, helping us to understand the many gaps in Mark’s account. According to Church History, this Gospel writer was conscientious about imparting only the truth. He had “no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely.”
In other words, all that Mark included was everything he remembered Peter and the others saying about Jesus’ ministry. If they did not say something to him or he felt he could not accurately convey the message, Mark left it out. This could account for the Book’s brevity.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tinnakorn Jorruang
Scott Sager summarizes the story of Mark “‘The Quitter - the AWOL missionary who abandoned his post and turned on his friends. This kid from Jerusalem had loads of potential and a pedigree that mission committees long to find.” Mark turns up in the Book of Acts as a companion to Barnabas and Paul on their missionary journey, but “when Paul and Barnabas needed him most” he fled for home.
Yet, Sager gives a compelling reason for Mark’s decision to leave: he was horrified by the inclusion of a Gentile into the new faith without first expecting the man to be circumcised.
“When the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” (Acts 13:12) He would have been a governor in Cyprus, “a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:7)
Here was a man of power who summoned the Christians and witnessed with wonder as they rebuked a magician, calling down a period of blindness on the man. (v.11) He gave his life to Christ, and that should have brought Mark joy. But Mark was under the tutelage of Peter, known for his legalism, at least during the early years of his missionary journeys. He preached to Gentiles, but seemed to expect them to adopt Jewish customs regarding circumcision and avoiding unclean foods.
Ryan Nelson explains: “Despite the vision and experience he had with the Gentiles in Acts 10, Peter struggled to disentangle himself from the cultural prejudice and favoritism of his fellow Jewish believers.” His was the most profound influence on Mark as they travelled together and Mark recorded what we now regard as one of the synoptic Gospels. Therefore, Sager believes that Mark left Paul and Barnabas (recorded in Acts 13:13) immediately after Paulus believed in Christ for salvation because Mark was too deeply influenced by Peter’s opinions. He did, however, return to the fold later on.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Brian A. Jackson
If you were to make a note of recurring themes in the Gospel of Mark, you would see that - as Douglas Sean O’Donnell puts it, “Mark features only one hero.” Everyone disowns Jesus in the end; these are even Peter’s last words: “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” (Mark 14:71) Yet Christ faithfully fulfilled God’s promise to bring redemption to men and women. “Mark 10:45 is often considered the book’s key verse: ‘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 cross of Christ is clearly front of mind for Mark.” (Mark 8:34). He is always leading us to the cross, and swiftly. “Note that cross-carrying centers on self-denial. Again and again, Mark forces us to ask ourselves, Have I renounced self-love and self-rule? Is Jesus my only king? Do I know and follow his commands?”
O’Donnell sees in this Gospel the repeated contrast of our usual earthly lives, full of self-fulfillment and egotism, with the servant-life of Christ and the true follower. “Where we have failed, Jesus does not. The great Shepherd is stricken, smitten, and afflicted for his sheep. Jesus goes to Calvary to atone for apostate apostles, blasphemous bystanders, taunting thieves, and even hate-spitting, flesh-whipping Roman soldiers.”
Since Mark wrote what he remembered, leaving out nothing of importance which stood out to him and including nothing which he remembered imperfectly, we can conclude that this point was central to Mark’s life. Christ’s ministry was intentionally leading to the cross from the very start. This means every Christian’s life is also focused in that direction.
But the Christian finds freedom in an empty tomb also. Mary Magdalene and Mary Mother of James went to the tomb to prepare Christ’s body after the Sabbath had ended, but they encountered “a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe.” (Mark 16:5) The two Marys “fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (v.8) Although Mark’s Gospel and Peter’s memory are always guiding us to the cross, they do not leave us in despair. Christ is elevated throughout Mark’s gospel, and Mark finishes with the hope that all cross-carriers will leave behind them an empty tomb.
Sources https://overviewbible.com/john-mark/
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/good-reasons-to-believe-peter-is-the-source-of-marks-gospel/
https://renew.org/who-was-mark-in-the-bible-a-quitter-who-finished-well/
https://overviewbible.com/apostle-peter/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-book-of-mark/
Photo Credit: © Unsplash/Daniele Franchi