PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Mark
A. Basic Information
1. Author
a. Attributed to John Mark
i. Traveled for a bit with Paul (Acts 12:12 and 15:37)
ii. Friend and disciple of Peter
b. Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew do not seem to be his original language though
2. Date
a. 62-70 C.E.
3. Location
a. Rome
4. Audience
a. Gentile Christians
b. Mark translated Aramaic expressions for the audience and had to explain
Jewish customs
5. Portrait of Jesus
a. Suffering Servant
b. Unrecognized Suffering Messiah
6. Genealogy
a. None given. Jesus is portrayed as a servant. Servants do not trace pedigree.
7. Theological Theme
a. Jesus on a journey
b. Actions speak louder than words
c. To be a disciple, we must serve like Christ did.
8. Symbol of Mark
a. Lion with wings
B. Mark’s Gospel, according to legend, was a record of Peter’s preaching.
1. Papias in 110 is recorded to have said, “Mark was an interpreter of Peter and wrote
down carefully what he remembered – though not in order – what was said or done by
the Lord. He had in fact neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later on, as I said,
he followed Peter.”
2. Papias basically saw Mark as a secretary to Peter.
C. John Mark in Acts 12:12
1. Traveled with his Uncle Barnabas and companion Paul
2. Paul and John Mark seemed to have a falling out and John Mark left their company and
began working with Peter
3. Peter mentions Mark at his side in 1 Peter 5:13
D. Mark shows Jesus drawing the disciples to mission with the Gentiles.
1. Sea of Galilee
a. West side Jewish
b. East side Gentile
c. Jesus is constantly going to the east side and bringing his disciples with him
E. Mark uses several literary techniques and structures in his Gospel.
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, PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Mark
1. Messianic Secret – Jesus keeps his identity as Messiah secret until after his death.
a. Only a few know who he is and even then, they don’t necessarily have it right
b. Demons know who he is but he forbids them to divulge it.
c. Peter confesses that he is the Messiah, but Jesus tells him to be quiet.
d. Mark opens his Gospel with revealing the secret and then tells the story that
allows that secret to unfold.
e. “The Gospel of Jesus, Christ, Son of God”
2. Sandwich Technique or Intercalation
a. Mark uses a literary device that sandwiches one story inside of another (Mk
5:21 – 5:43 – Jairus’s Daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage)
3. Threefold Pattern - Mark likes to put ideas in threes
a. Three reactions to the baptism of Jesus: heaven opens, spirit descends, voice
is heard (1:10-11)
b. Three times Jesus calls his core disciples to follow him: four fishers, Levi, the
Twelve (1:16-20; 2:14-17; 3:13-19)
c. Three times Mark emphasizes Jesus as a teacher teaching (4:1, 2a, 2b)
d. Three seed parables (Mk 4:3-32)
e. Three opinions on who Jesus really is (Mk 6:14-15)
f. Three times Jesus says he must suffer, die, and rise again after three days
(8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34)
g. Three times Jesus warns, “If your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble…”
(9:43, 45, 47)
h. The failures of the Disciples to stay awake in the Garden of Agony (MK 14:32-
42
i. Three denials of Jesus by Peter (Mk 14:66-72)
j. Three times Pilate tries to get the crowds to demand for Jesus’ release (Mk
15:6-15)
k. Three specific times are mentioned as Jesus is crucified: the third, sixth, and
ninth hours (15:25, 33, 34)
l. Three groups of people deride Jesus as he is hanging and dying on the cross
(15:29-30, 31-32a, 32b)
m. Three witnesses react to the death of Jesus: temple curtain, Roman centurion,
Galilean women (15:38, 39, 40)
n. Other groups of three:
i. Peter, James, and John (9:2; 14:33)
ii. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (9:4-5)
iii. chief priests, scribes, and elders (11:27; 14:43)
iv. Mary Magdalene and two other women (15:40; 16:1)
o. Periods of three days are also mentioned in 8:2; 14:58; and 15:29.
4. Thematic Groupings - Mark sometimes places similar stories together for thematic
continuity, even if the events related might not have occurred one right after the other,
chronologically speaking.
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A. Basic Information
1. Author
a. Attributed to John Mark
i. Traveled for a bit with Paul (Acts 12:12 and 15:37)
ii. Friend and disciple of Peter
b. Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew do not seem to be his original language though
2. Date
a. 62-70 C.E.
3. Location
a. Rome
4. Audience
a. Gentile Christians
b. Mark translated Aramaic expressions for the audience and had to explain
Jewish customs
5. Portrait of Jesus
a. Suffering Servant
b. Unrecognized Suffering Messiah
6. Genealogy
a. None given. Jesus is portrayed as a servant. Servants do not trace pedigree.
7. Theological Theme
a. Jesus on a journey
b. Actions speak louder than words
c. To be a disciple, we must serve like Christ did.
8. Symbol of Mark
a. Lion with wings
B. Mark’s Gospel, according to legend, was a record of Peter’s preaching.
1. Papias in 110 is recorded to have said, “Mark was an interpreter of Peter and wrote
down carefully what he remembered – though not in order – what was said or done by
the Lord. He had in fact neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later on, as I said,
he followed Peter.”
2. Papias basically saw Mark as a secretary to Peter.
C. John Mark in Acts 12:12
1. Traveled with his Uncle Barnabas and companion Paul
2. Paul and John Mark seemed to have a falling out and John Mark left their company and
began working with Peter
3. Peter mentions Mark at his side in 1 Peter 5:13
D. Mark shows Jesus drawing the disciples to mission with the Gentiles.
1. Sea of Galilee
a. West side Jewish
b. East side Gentile
c. Jesus is constantly going to the east side and bringing his disciples with him
E. Mark uses several literary techniques and structures in his Gospel.
1
, PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Mark
1. Messianic Secret – Jesus keeps his identity as Messiah secret until after his death.
a. Only a few know who he is and even then, they don’t necessarily have it right
b. Demons know who he is but he forbids them to divulge it.
c. Peter confesses that he is the Messiah, but Jesus tells him to be quiet.
d. Mark opens his Gospel with revealing the secret and then tells the story that
allows that secret to unfold.
e. “The Gospel of Jesus, Christ, Son of God”
2. Sandwich Technique or Intercalation
a. Mark uses a literary device that sandwiches one story inside of another (Mk
5:21 – 5:43 – Jairus’s Daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage)
3. Threefold Pattern - Mark likes to put ideas in threes
a. Three reactions to the baptism of Jesus: heaven opens, spirit descends, voice
is heard (1:10-11)
b. Three times Jesus calls his core disciples to follow him: four fishers, Levi, the
Twelve (1:16-20; 2:14-17; 3:13-19)
c. Three times Mark emphasizes Jesus as a teacher teaching (4:1, 2a, 2b)
d. Three seed parables (Mk 4:3-32)
e. Three opinions on who Jesus really is (Mk 6:14-15)
f. Three times Jesus says he must suffer, die, and rise again after three days
(8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34)
g. Three times Jesus warns, “If your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble…”
(9:43, 45, 47)
h. The failures of the Disciples to stay awake in the Garden of Agony (MK 14:32-
42
i. Three denials of Jesus by Peter (Mk 14:66-72)
j. Three times Pilate tries to get the crowds to demand for Jesus’ release (Mk
15:6-15)
k. Three specific times are mentioned as Jesus is crucified: the third, sixth, and
ninth hours (15:25, 33, 34)
l. Three groups of people deride Jesus as he is hanging and dying on the cross
(15:29-30, 31-32a, 32b)
m. Three witnesses react to the death of Jesus: temple curtain, Roman centurion,
Galilean women (15:38, 39, 40)
n. Other groups of three:
i. Peter, James, and John (9:2; 14:33)
ii. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (9:4-5)
iii. chief priests, scribes, and elders (11:27; 14:43)
iv. Mary Magdalene and two other women (15:40; 16:1)
o. Periods of three days are also mentioned in 8:2; 14:58; and 15:29.
4. Thematic Groupings - Mark sometimes places similar stories together for thematic
continuity, even if the events related might not have occurred one right after the other,
chronologically speaking.
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