Mark

by Rev. Trevor Moffat

Mark’s presentation of the Good News is unique in as much as the writer presents Jesus through His miracles, healings, and teaching rather than delving into the Lord’s family history. Jesus is seen as a Man of action and achievement. While the author speaks directly to the reader, using rhetorical questions that, hopefully, the reader would ask himself, such as, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (4:41). On occasions the writer has Jesus directly addressing the reader, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (13:37)

Overall Mark’s Gospel is aimed at the gentile Christians, that is those folk who have had some knowledge of the religious implications within the text, especially the Roman converts. The early Christians faced persecution and martyrdom from the Roman authorities. Hence the message was one of sharing the power and reality of the Lord Jesus Christ. Drawing attention to the suffering Jesus as the Messiah (8:29), and the Lord (1:3; 7:28). The readers needed to know that Jesus, as powerful as He was, suffered also, therefore He could understand and relate to their suffering. The message was a reminder that after His suffering Jesus had triumphed.

A focus of Mark is on the immediacy of events surrounding Jesus, the term “immediately” is used more frequently, in this expression of the Good News, than in the other versions i.e. Matthew, Luke, and John.

Read it for yourself and enjoy!

Teaching insight from Doctrine

“The twelve baskets of fragments that remained from the five loaves and two fishes with which the Lord fed five thousand men besides women and children (Matt. 14:5-2; Mark 6:37-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:9-13).

Each particular here, with the numbers themselves, is meaningful; “the five thousand men besides women and children,” signify all who are of the church that are in truths from good; the “men” signifying those who are in truths, and the “women and children” those who are in good; “loaves” the goods and “fishes” the truths of the natural man; “eating” spiritual nourishment from the Lord; the “twelve baskets of fragments” the knowledges of truth and good therefrom in all abundance and fullness.

Because “twelve” means all things, and is predicated of truths from good, which constitute the church:” (Apocalypse Explained 430)