Mark’s Gospel, the first to be written, emphasizes the certainty that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the fulfillment of God’s purpose. With nearly a third of the narrative dedicated to the passion and the resurrection of Jesus, the Gospel of Mark aims to persuade all who read to believe in Jesus.
Attributed to John Mark, a contemporary of the disciple Peter, the Gospel is identified as Peter’s first-hand account of life with Jesus. Not a creator, but a conscientious compiler of the information, Mark provides vivid descriptions of the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, Jesus and the religious leaders, and Jesus and the multitudes who sought His miraculous healing power. It is the misconceptions about who Jesus was that led to the actions of all three groups: the religious leaders who arrested Him, the disciples who abandoned Him at the cross, and the crowd that betrayed Him.
In this study, we’ll come to know Jesus as the Messiah, the Suffering Servant, the Son of God, the Risen Christ, and the Returning King. The Gospel of Mark strongly emphasizes the imperative of discipleship and mission, and also provides encouragement and hope in the face of persecution.