The book of Mark was written by John Mark, a Jew from a prominent Jerusalem family some time between 55-70 AD, while in Rome where Mark was a disciple of the Apostle Peter. As a young man Mark accompanied his uncle Barnabas and the Apostle Paul on their first missionary trip. Later, in Rome as Peter’s disciple and personal secretary Mark was always present when Peter preached the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles who lived there. Mark not only heard Peter preach often he had numerous private conversations with Peter where he learned intimate details of the life of Jesus that he later recalled from memory as he wrote his gospel. Peter was illiterate as were all the disciples of Jesus except for Matthew.
The Gentiles in Rome asked Mark to write down everything Peter was preaching about Jesus so as to preserve the eyewitness testimony of Peter, greatest of the apostles. Mark probably wrote his gospel shortly after Peter’s death in Rome in 67 AD. The Emperor Nero had Peter crucified upside down on a cross. Mark’s gospel was written in Greek which was the common language of the civilized world. Since Mark was writing his gospel for a mostly Gentile audience he rarely quotes from the Old Testament. The hallmarks of the Greek style of writing are realism and simplicity. Mark’s goal was to write down and report all of the facts of Jesus’s life as he knew them even if he was unsure of the exact order of events (because he wasn’t there). Mark’s gospel is a straightforward, dramatic narrative about Jesus emphasizing Jesus’ actions and deeds while also stressing Jesus is the divine Son of God.
Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels. The word synoptic comes from two Greek words which mean “to see together.” There three gospels can be compared side by side and much of the material is the same and with pretty much the same events in the same order. Much of the wording is even identical. In fact, only 24 verses in Mark do nor occur somewhere in Matthew or Luke. However, each of the gospels are different enough to show they were not written by the same person. The evidence points to the gospel of Mark being written first and then used as a guide by Matthew and Luke when they wrote their gospels. Matthew and Luke changed the order of events slightly as they recalled them. Matthew and Luke also fitted in extra material as they saw fit. Mark is the essential gospel because it’s the first and most complete record of the life of Jesus.
Mark’s theme is to identify Jesus as the Son of God and at the same time summon people to repent in faith to the good news of Jesus Christ. Mark also strives to show us the human side of Jesus. More than any of the other gospels Mark emphasizes the passions and emotions of Jesus. Mark gives us a strong picture of both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. After all, Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. The first coming of Jesus to the earth was as a suffering servant and Mark is the gospel that best portrays that. As you read Mark you can feel Mark’s awe, astonishment and excitement because he knew Jesus was God among us. Mark knows he’s writing down the greatest story ever told. The story of God coming to earth to redeem his fallen creation from sin and restore their fellowship with God so that man can have eternal life in heaven in the presence of Almighty God.
Because Mark served two apostles, Peter and Paul, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Mark was an important disciple of Christ in his own right. Mark was involved in much of the work of the early church and Mark was a gifted preacher of the gospel as well. As a disciple Mark responded to Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to all nations. Mark moved to Alexandria, Egypt where he founded the Christian church there. Mark was martyred for preaching the gospel while in Egypt. Mark had his feet bound by an angry crowd and he was drug by his heels through the streets of Alexandria by a team of horses.
Witnessing for Christ