It's likely that the Gospel of Mark contains the oldest recorded words about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
So who was Mark? When did he write his Gospel and why did he write it?
WHO: John Mark was a Jewish Christian whose mother Mary had a home in Jerusalem - this is where Peter went after his miraculous release from prison (Acts 12). Mark was a cousin of Barnabas and accompanied Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey from Antioch. In fact, Luke calls Mark a servant or assistant of Paul, using a Greek term that indicates Mark served in the capacity of a temple clerk.
Although Barnabas and Paul had a disagreement over Mark's continued missionary ministry, years later they did reconcile. Years later Mark was with Paul during an imprisonment in Rome and served as Paul's delegate on an important mission to Asia Minor (Col. 4.10; Philemon 24). Finally, Mark was with Peter when 1 Peter was written and the Apostle considered Mark as a son (1 Peter 5.13).
Interestingly, no person named Mark is named in the Gospel and there is no internal reference to him. However, there is a clear tradition in the history of the church that Mark wrote this Gospel.
The earliest statement about Mark comes from Papias of Hierapolis (A.D. 140) who wrote that Mark was an interpreter of Peter and "wrote down accurately whatever he remembered of the things said and done by the Lord."
Additionally, there are reocrds from the Anti-Marcionite Prologue (A.D. 160-180), Irenaeus (A.D. 175), the Muratorian Canon (A.D.170-190), Tertullian (A.D. 200), and Clement (A.D. 200) which assert Mark's authorship of the Gospel. In fact, in one document Mark is called "stump-fingered" because he had small fingers in comparison with the stature of his body.
WHEN: It's hard to know exactly when Mark's Gospel was written. Howerver, many scholars examining the internal evidence suggest that it was written before the seige of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
After Caligula was murdered in A.D. 41 (after attempting to erect a statue of himself as Zeus in the temple), Nero eventually came to power in Rome. Nero was a peaceful leader for several years. However, after the great fire of Rome in A.D. 64 the situation for Christians under Nero changed dramatically. The fire raged for a full week, burning 10 of the 14 city wards in Rome (some suggest 80% of Rome was impacted by the blazing fire). Attempts by Nero to clean up the city, create new parks, clear the slums, require new construction to use fire proof materials such as brick and stone did not pacify citizens of Rome. Romans remained unsatisfied with his efforts.
As many began to accuse Nero of starting the fire for political gain, Nero directed his attacks on Christians and blamed them for the fire. As a result, he began to persecute Christians in Rome. He started arresting Christians, clothing them in animal skins and releasing them to wild dogs in public to be killed. Other Christians were dipped in tar and ignited, their bodies used to illuminate his gardens. Finally, some Christians were thrown into the Roman Coliseum and devoured by lions.
The Gospel of Mark is a pastoral response to this crisis. Under Nero, Christians began to face widespread martyrdom for the first time. Consequently, in the Gospel of Mark Christians read about the suffering of Jesus Christ and are encouraged by the hope they have because of his redemptive work. The Gospel offers hope to persecuted Christians in Rome and reminds them of the promises of God to his people.
Some Final Thoughts: As we begin our study of the Gospel of Mark, here are some final thoughts:
- Today, the Gospel of Mark is widely read in the church and studied in the academy. It was not always that way. In the 5th century, Victor of Antioch complained that he could not find a commentary on Mark. For many in the early church, Mark was overshadowed by longer Gospels such as Matthew and Luke. Some even thought that Mark just borrowed his stories from Matthew and Luke (90% of the material in Mark appears in Matthew & Luke). In many ways, Augustine followed this line of thinking, teaching that the Gospels were written in the order they appear in our New Testament (a teaching that was mandatory in the Roman Catholic Church until the 20th century).
- Unlike the other Gospels, Mark has no birth story for Jesus Christ, no resurrection appearances, and the Samaritans don't really appear in Mark.
- Mark contains only 3 short sections that are not found in Matthew or Luke or both.
- Compare the structure of Mark with Peter's sermon in Acts 10.36-41
- Almost 1/2 of Mark describes the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ (Mark is a "passion-narrative with an extended introduction", Martin Kahler).
- Church tradition asserts that Mark evangelized in Egypt and planted churches that were characterized by asceticism and philosophical rigor.