Stories of the Rabbi 1

Mark 1:1-13

Background on Mark

· Who is Mark?

o First mentioned in Acts 12:12

o Tradition has it that Mary owned the upper room where Jesus and the disciples had the last supper and where the Holy Spirit fell in Act 2.

o Cousin to Barnabas Col 4:10

o He was called John Mark. It was tradition to have a Jewish name (Jonah = John) and a Greek name (Mark).

o Paul also mentions him in 2Tim4:11 and Philemon 24.

o He appears to have a deeper relationship with Peter and is mentioned in 1Pet5:13 as Peter’s “son.”

o Mark eventually traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, and founded churches there. To this day, the Coptic Church believes Mark is their founder.

o He was said to be executed on Easter morning by a mob of pagans who tied him to a horse and dragged him to death.

· Background on the Gospel

o Compact, action-packed gospel.

o Probably dictated to Mark by Peter.

o Written as early as 35 C.E. but probably around 50-64 C.E.

o Writing reflects direct observation, not a translation from oral traditions.

o Abrupt beginning and ending – thought is that the edges of the scroll were lost early on.

o The ending of Mark is the source of a bit of controversy. Today, there are two accepted endings:

§ 16:8 – the earliest manuscripts we have end here.

§ 6:9-20 – Most probably not written by Mark, but added around the end of the first century. Second-century theologians know about the ending and accept it.

o 97% of Mark is in Matthew, and 88% is in Luke – most probably a source for those two Gospels

o Mark is a name dropper – look in this Gospel for callouts to specific individuals – the reason for this is that these people were probably known to the church and could testify to the accuracy of the account (e.g., 15:21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.)

o Reasons for the Gospel:

§ Catechetical -The need to preserve apostolic tradition

§ Pastoral – A call to the church to persevere through persecution

§ Theological – correct false or inadequate teachings

Mark 1:1-13

It can be divided into four parts:

· Prologue – vss. 1-3

· Ministry of John the Baptizer – vss. 4-8

· Baptism of Jesus – vss. 9-11

· Jesus’ temptation – vss. 12-13

Read Passage

Prologue 1-3:

· Jesus is immediately identified as the Messiah and Son of God (thus equal to God)

o “Son of God” would be immediately identified by the early Christians as a title that the Caesars would give themselves to declare that they were gods.

o “Son of God” is a kingship or God-title.

· The book is identified as “Good News,” or εὐαγγέλιοs translated Gospel, which comes from the old English God-spell, which was a kind greeting.

· Quotation Combines 3 O.T. passages – Ex. 23:30; Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3. It is there to link the εὐαγγέλιοs and Jesus and JtB and to show a fulfillment of prophetic scripture.

JtB 4-8:

· Notice there is no nativity narrative.

· John the Baptizer – or more accurately, John the one who baptizes

· Four elements of John’s preaching:

o Baptism

§ The word βαπτίζω indicates an immersion or a sinking in.

o Βαπτίζω in Jesus’ days was done through ritual handwashing or mikvahs – ritual cleanings

o Repentance

§ μετάνοια metanoia - literally, a changing of mind, going in a new direction

o Forgiveness

§ ἄφεσις aphesis - dismissing of debt, pardon or release

o Sin

§ ἁμαρτία hamartia - failure, sin, missing the bullseye

· Wilderness – area East and North of the Dead Sea – probably where Israel crossed over into the Promised Land

· Description of JtB links him to the Qumran Essene community

· Vss. 7-8 – John’s message is one of Baptism, repentance, and forgiveness of sins, but ultimately it is a message pointing to the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Baptism of Jesus

· Jesus is identified as being from Nazareth in Galilee (most Judeans probably would not have heard of Nazareth)

· Vs. 10 Immediately – a sense of the instantaneous identification of Jesus as God with the presence of the other members of the Trinity

· Why did Jesus need to be baptized? Did He need to repent? (He was baptized to identify with Israel’s need to repent –a symbolic foreshadowing of his substitutionary role.

· Spirit of God – in O.T. instances, the Holy Spirit was visited upon people for specific times and specific tasks. In this instance, we see that the Holy Spirit is given permanently.

Temptation of Jesus

· Very brief account as compared to Matt 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13

· Mark uses stronger language than Matthew or Luke in that the Spirit drove him – propelled or cast Him out – into the wilderness.

· Seems to be an affirmation that Jesus was fully prepared for the ministry he was to embark on in the rest of the book.