Mark - An Overview of the Gospel

Mark - An Overview of the Gospel
by Wendy Elizabeth Middleton

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1

I usually start my Reading Plan with Mark. He is the lickedy-split Gospel. Things happen ‘immediately’ in Mark. He moves quickly form one episode to the next and covers the life of Jesus from the beginning of his ministry to his death and resurrection in 16 short chapters. He hits all the high points: miracles, parables, teaching, the humanity of Jesus and the divinity of Jesus.

The early church unanimously credited John Mark with writing the Gospel of Mark and generally agree that he was an associate of the apostle Peter. Peter preached, Mark wrote it down.
Mark serves as a good overview of the Gospel

If you have never met Jesus this is probably the best place to do it. John Mark’s mother opened her home as a meeting place for believers. When believers got together the stories of Jesus flowed forth, and John Mark was there, listening.

John Mark may have been the young man who ran naked from Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52), which means he was a follower of Jesus even before the crucifixion. 

John Mark knew Peter, who started preaching on the day of Pentecost and didn't stop until the day he died. John Mark knew Paul and Barnabus, who took him with them on their missionary journeys.

So, although John Mark was not one of the 12 disciples, he very likely met Jesus, and he certainly knew Peter, Paul and Barnabas.

From humiliation to humbleness
I always wonder about that naked young man. When the gospels mention the disciples I always picture the 12, but there were more than just the 12 who regularly followed Jesus. Mark mentions the women who had followed Jesus and cared for his needs (Mark 15:41). And in Acts there were 120 people gathered with the disciples and likely with them on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the whole house where they were sitting.

We know that the young man was there at Gethsemane and if he was John Mark and John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark then was he speaking of himself when he spoke of the disciples found sleeping? I can almost hear his remorse as he says, “They did not know what to say to him” Mark 14:40.

Was he looking back on the young man that he had been? Did he regret sleeping through some of his last moments with Jesus? Did he mention running naked from Jesus’ side because he still felt the sting of humiliation?

And yet he wrote the first Gospel. Both Matthew and Luke seem to draw from Mark’s gospel which indicates that it was in circulation when they sat down to write their gospels. John Mark may have viewed himself as a foolish young man. He abandoned Jesus. He abandoned Paul on his first missionary journey.

And yet…
And yet he could not keep silent. He was forgiven! He was forgiven by Paul, eventually, but more importantly he was forgiven by Jesus, immediately! 

The Gospel of Mark never mentions the author. There is no “I” or “we” There is only Jesus, what Jesus did, what Jesus said, why Jesus came. As a young man Mark may have felt the sting of failure but as a follower of Jesus Mark knew the power of forgiveness and he just had to pass it on.

Simple – Ain’t – Easy
But it is worth it
Wendy