0129 JOHN MARK’S GOSPEL

JOHN MARK'S GOSPEL

Today we begin to explore the Gospel of Mark. 

Let me introduce you to Mark the author and tell you what we know of him. His name is John Mark. John is his Greek name, and Mark is his Jewish name. His mother (whose name is Mary) owned a house in Jerusalem, where the early church met to pray while Peter was imprisoned. John Mark himself travelled with Barnabas and Saul on their missionary journeys, but he turned back to return home to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas were readying for a second journey, but they split over whether or not to include John Mark with them. Paul strongly felt they should not bring John Mark with them, since he had left before, but Barnabas strongly disagreed. In the end, Barnabas and Mark sailed together to Cyprus, while Paul went on his own with Silas.

Later, Mark travelled with Peter and helped him while Peter was imprisoned in Rome. Mark did much of his writing there in Rome, and it has many internal evidences that his book is, in effect, ‘The Gospel of Peter.” We see Peter’s fingerprint in many of the details. You know how we see Peter being impetuous and speaking quickly? All those details are part of Peter’s personality and communication style. 

For example: Mark tells the whole story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, packed into a rapid and brief account. What takes the other gospel writers 28, 22 or 21 chapters, Mark says in only 16.You will notice the word “Immediately” far more than other gospels. He includes more of Peter’s self-deprecating confessions. So for the most part we will be reading this as the stories told the way Peter would have said it.

The Gospel begins with John the Baptist fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet. Jesus is baptized by him, then immediately sent into the wilderness, calls Peter and his brother Andrew, who immediately leave their nets and follow, then without delay calls James and John, and they follow, too, heals a man with an unclean spirit on the Sabbath, and the news spreads quickly throughout the region, then right away heals Peter’s mother-in-law of her fever. That evening after sunset the whole town gathers at their door to be healed. Very early the next morning, Peter and the others run to search for Jesus, find Him praying, He tells them they must go to other villages, so they all travel throughout Galilee. Jesus heals a man with leprosy, that man goes out and tells everyone about what happened, so Jesus could no longer enter a town but had to stay in lonely places, yet the people came to Him from everywhere. 

And that’s just chapter one. 

Frankly, Mark includes most of the accounts of mistakes that Peter infamously made, especially his impetuous sayings, such as his offer at the Transfiguration to build three booths for Jesus, Elijah and Moses, and including the confession that Peter had no idea what he was saying.

If Peter is going to refer to himself, you can be sure he will be self-deprecating in his descriptions. He was truly a man turned upside down by the teachings of the Master, and he freely compared his own weaknesses with the strength of Jesus. Peter shows us that spiritual maturity is not measured in sinning less, but in confessing sooner. So his testimony is that of being awed by how great a sinner he was and how great a Savior Jesus is.