Mark 9 part 2

What is a gospel?

The “gospel” is the Greek word for “good news”. So we often use “gospel” and “good news” interchangeably. We get words like “evangelize” and “evangelical” from the Greek word for gospel. The word “gospel” can refer to the good news itself (message of Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation) or the 4 books containing the gospel. Later in the NT, “message” and “proclamation” are used interchangeably with “gospel” or “good news”.

The 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell the story of the “gospel”. We often equate “the gospel” with the confession formula that Paul uses in 1 Cor. 15, Rom. 1:1-17, 2 Tim. 2:8ff, 2 Cor. 4, and other places. 60 of the 75 times the NT uses the word “gospel”, it is in Paul’s letters.

We’re sometimes surprised, therefore, that the books called “Gospels” don’t contain the confession formula clearly. The Gospel of Mark does not contain clear instructions on how to become a Christian. But it says that it is about the gospel! The Gospel of Luke doesn’t have clear instructions on how to become a Christian, but the sequel (Acts) has the whole or partial instructions up to 28 times!

Let’s find out what Mark means by “The Beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. It’s more amazing than we normally consider it.

The Synoptic Problem

Matthew, Mark, and Luke share so much material, they are called the Synoptic (“with”=”see”) Gospels.

We do this all the time in the modern world.

The Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark is well-attested beginning in the first century to have been written by Mark, aka John Mark, a disciple of both Peter and Paul. Although he travelled with Paul in Paul’s early ministry (Col. 4:10), after a disagreement with Paul, John Mark and Barnabas left to return to Jerusalem (Acts 15:37-39). Sometime after that, Mark followed Peter to Rome (1 Peter 5:13).

Based on Papias writing around AD 90, Mark recorded what Peter’s memory told him and wrote down the Gospel for the church at Rome around AD 64, around the time of arrest or death of Peter. The Gospel preserves what Peter taught after his death.

The audience of Mark, therefore, is the church in Rome. However, the church in Jerusalem is in mind also, based on the content, as well as the church universal.

Trouble with authorities: 5 stories in Mark chapters 2-3:12

Insiders and outsiders: different reactions to Jesus in 3:13-4:34

Growth of the kingdom: Parables and Power 4:35-5:43

Ministry to Jew 5:54-6:29

Just God Stuff: 6:30-56

Tradition and what makes someone unclean: 7:1-23

Ministry to Gentiles: 7:24-8:10

Removing the veil: 8:10-9:29

How do you measure greatness?

Mark 1:1 CSB

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

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Mark 9:26–29 CSB

Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”

Mark 9:30–32 CSB

Then they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it. For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise three days later.” But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.

Mark 9:33–37 CSB

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”

Mark 9:38–41 CSB

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ—truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.

Mark 9:42 CSB

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

Mark 9:42–49 CSB

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire.