Mark- The Messiah (The Suffering Servant)

Intro. Review:

Mark’s structure: Dramatic structure consisting of 3 Acts: Act 1 (chpts. 1-8): Galilee, Act 2 (chpts. 8-10) Jesus travelling, and Act 3 (11-16) Jerusalem.

Mark’s Audience: The Common Man’s Gospel: This is important, because many scholars believe that since Mark wrote his gospel for the “common man”, that is, Rome’s Jewish and Greek population, it was written as a drama that consisted of three acts, and the use of the word immediately are “stage cues”.

Mark puts specific emphasis on Jesus’ works and words, giving us the shortest, but also the earliest account of the Gospel. His aim is to convince others that Jesus is the Messiah by showing his word and works and how people responded to it.

Mark Overview:

Act 1: Galilee (1-10)

Chapters 1-2:

The “Son of God”

The Isaiah and Malachi Prophesy

The Baptism in the Jordan

The Demon announces Jesus as “The Holy One of God”.

Markan Sandwich #1: Kingdom Victory and Jesus’ Family: Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:6 “And the Pharisees went out immediately with the Herodians and began to conspire against him with regard to how they could destroy him.”

Mark 3:7-12- Great crowds respond with “You are the Son of God”

Mark 3:13-19- Jesus calls the twelve apostles and they follow

Markan Sandwich #1: Jesus’ Family and Beelzebub (3:20-35)

Markan Sandwich #2: Jairus and the Bleeding Woman: Mark 5:21-43

Jesus’ power to redeem and heal

The significance of the two 12’s.

The significance of faith in the story.

Markan Sandwich #3: The Twelve and John the Baptist Mark 6:7-32

This begins with Jesus sending out the twelve to do mission work

The story is interrupted by John being martyred

It picks back up with the twelve returning and Jesus feeding the five thousand.

Act 2: Jesus Travelling (8-10)

Mark 8:27-39

Peter’s Confession

The Suffering Servant (31-33)

Teaching on Following Jesus.

Act 3: Jerusalem (11-16)

Markan Sandwich #4: Fig Tree and the Temple Mark 11:12-25

Jesus curses the fig tree during its fruitless season

He cleanses the temple because it was supposed to be a house of prayer but it was turned into a den of robbers

He returns to the fig tree and speaks on prayer.

Markan Sandwich #5: The Plot to Kill and His Anointing Mark 14:1-11

The significance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Plot

Jesus Anointed

Jesus betrayed

Markan Sandwich #6: Peter’s Denial and Jesus’ Trial

Peter enters the courtyard

This is interrupted by Jesus’ trial

Peter denies Jesus

Mark’s Ending: 16:8 or 16:20

- Two of the oldest and most respected manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, do not contain the longer ending to the Gospel of Mark

- We should also consider the testimony of the ancient church leaders. Some early church fathers were aware of the long ending of the Gospel of Mark and even quoted from it. However, in the fourth century, two scholars who were aware of the long ending, Eusebius and Jerome, reported that nearly all the known Greek manuscripts ended with Mark 16:8.

- For example, the title “Lord Jesus,” used in verse 19, is not found anywhere else in Mark. Other words unique to this section of Mark include apisteó (“disbelieve”), blaptó (“hurt”), theaomai (“behold, look”), and husteron (“afterwards, later”). Another word, thanasimon (“deadly”) is found nowhere else in the entire New Testament. The same can be said of the expression in verse 10, toís met’ aftoú genoménois (“those having been with Him”), referring to the disciples: nowhere else in the Bible is this wording applied to the disciples.