THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE EARLY CHURCH IN THE SPREAD OF THE

GOSPLE.

The apostolic church faced the following problems in the spread of the gospel.

The major problem was poverty, most of the apostles were poor, they couldn’t pay for their costs
during the missionary journeys, they couldn’t afford buying the writing materials, some people
started backsliding, it contributed to discriminationof the poor based on their out ward
appearance , it made some of the apostles engage in business instead of preaching the gospel ,it
contributed to selfishness among Christians eg Ananias , it limited the Christians to share
material and financial resources with other people so as to win them to Christianity etc.

Persecutions of the followers of Jesus Christ was another problem faced by the early church
believers .These were tortured by emperor Nero and other political leaders of the time.eg
Stephen was stoned to death , Paul and Peter were arrested and imprisoned several times.

Some converts were backsliding due to lack of faith and their pagan back ground .This had a
negative impact on the apostles because they were demoralized.

There was a problem of Gnostics and heresies [false teachers /teachings].These doubted the
death and resurrection of Christ and his divine son ship .This was undermining the church and
the Christian faith.

Too much work; as the church expanded throughout the Roman Empire, it became very difficult
for the few apostles to reach every corner of the empire hence work was tiresome.

Moving long distances; the missionary journeys were also tiresome .The apostles had to move
for long distances yet they had no supplies like food.

There was a problem of disunity in church for example at Corinth people had been divided
according to personalities.

There was a problem of illiteracy, very few people knew how to read and write, hence written
materials meant nothing to them.

The delay of the Parousia was also a problem; the un ending expectations stopped them from
writing the gospel, working etc.

Conflicts and quarrels especially during the Lord’s Supper where the rich had misunderstandings
with the poor.

Some people doubted the resurrection of the dead and that of Jesus Christ yet it was the core of
the kerygma.
There was a problem of indiscipline in the church and also disorder in worship eg a man sleeping
with the step mother.

There was a problem of language barrier. The people couldn’t understand Aramaic and other
Jewish languages.

There was also a problem of marriage among Christians and none believers.

The early church believers were attacked by diseases.

Some apostles were doubted by some Christians eg Paul.

There was lack of reference books during preaching.

ATTEMPTS MADE BY THE EARLY CHURCH TO SOLVE THE ABOVE PROBLEMS.

The policy of sharing property was instituted among Christians.

The rich Christians sponsored the writing of the gospels.

Apostles appointed assistants to help in the preaching of the gospel.

The apostles encouraged Christians to be united.

Apostles justified their message e.g. Paul to Galatians.

Apostles defended themselves as true apostles.

Apostles prayed against persecutions.

The church began compiling authentic books to avoid Gnostics and heresies.

The church endured persecutions and suffering.

About poverty, some apostles surrendered their apostolic rights e.g. Paul.

The church established rabbinical schools to teach new converts.

The church put emphasis on salvation by faith and not the law.

The church encouraged believers to patiently wait for Jesus’ return.

Some apostles started self sustaining projects e.g .Paul started a self sustaining project of tent
making.

COMMON OBSTACLES TO THE SPREAD OF THE CHRISTIANS FAITH TO DAY.

 1. Poverty has greatly hindered the spread of the gospel today.
2. There is great opposition from other religions e.g African tradition religion, Islam etc.
3. Political instability in some parts of the country has also greatly hindered the spread.
4. Presence of false prophets in church is also another problem hindering the spread of the
gospel today.
5. False teachings have also hindered the spread.
6. Poor examples of some religious leaders e.g. some are corrupt, immoral.
7. There are too many Christian denominations.
8. Divisionism in the church has also hindered the spread of gospel.
9. Lack of faith among believers.
10. Materialism and secularism among Christians has also hindered the spread of the
gospel today.
11. Witch craft has also hindered the spread of the gospel.
12. High rate of illiteracy
13. Strong African beliefs and culture eg polygamy.
14. Science and technology e.g computer, face book.
15. Hostile tribes egkaramonjong
16. Power struggle in church eg in kigezi diocese.
17. Lack of respect for preachers
18. Diseases eg AIDS, Ebola.
19. Poor transport and communication.
20. Permissiveness in society
21. Sexual immorality.
22. Natural hazards eg floods mudslides, storms.
23. Being too busy for God.
24. Religious fanatism.
25. Existence of cults.
26. Witch craft.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Examine some of the major problems faced by the early church fathers in the spread of the
gospel.

How were these problems solved by the early church fathers?

To what extent was poverty an obstacle to the spread of the gospel in the early church?

REASONS WHY THE GOSPEL WASN’T WRITTEN BEFORE

There were many reasons why the gospel wasn’t written and these include
Poverty; the church was still poor and it was very difficult to write since the writing materials
were expensive.

The disciples /apostles and eyewitnesses had fresh and sharp memories hence there was no need
of writing the down the gospel.

The eyewitnesses were still busy, they had no free time to sit down and write the gospel.

The exercise of writing the gospel was tiresome so most people couldn’t commit themself to
write the gospel.

Initially writing was expected to be done by the scribes only but it should be noted that they
were not interested in Jesus and so they could not write about him.

There was scarcity and lack of writing materials to use such as ink and scrolls.

The people expected the Parousia to be so near and this hindered them from writing the gospel.

The period was still an illiteracy age .The first followers of Jesus were illiterate so they didn’t
know how to read and write.

There was too much persecution in the early church; this created a lot of fear such that no person
could risk writing anything about Christ.

They didn’t write because the Holy Spirit had not yet inspired them to write down the gospel.

It was difficult to collect the information about Christ.

Some apostles had returned to their former professions.

The apostles and their colleagues expected their generation to the last one and hence saw no
need of writing the gospel.

The oral method was still effective in preaching.

Some Christians argued that Christ had commanded his disciples to preach not to write.

The church was still small so it was easy for them to do their work without writing.

The eyewitnesses still lived and preached.

There a problem of language barrier hence no common language.

Jesus himself had not written any gospel hence the preachers felt it was normal to use the oral
method.

There was lack of initiative among the apostles.

The roman government had not yet accepted Christianity officially

REASONS FOR THE EVENTUAL AUTHORSHIP OF THE GOSPEL.

The death of the eye witnesses; this threatened the early church fathers that the gospel would die
with their death so they had to write down the gospel in order to preserve it.

The expansion of the church; the church was greatly expanding and the work was becoming
hectic and the solution to this was writing down the gospel.

The delay of the Parousia led to the writing of the gospel, they had to write to keep the hopes of
the believers alive.

At this time the writing material were available e.g. ink, scrolls, etc hence writing the gospel.

There was need to have permanent records.

False teachings especially those opposing, those which misinterpreted the gospel forced the
early church fathers to write in defense of the gospel.

Fading memories of the eyewitnesses. They had started forgetting the gospel and so was need to
write down the gospel in order to preserve it.

The apostles and disciples of Jesus had been inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down the
gospel.

Literacy among the people; many people had learnt how to read write hence they started to write
down the gospel and other New Testament material.

The church’s economic status had improved so it was easy to meet the cost writing the gospel.

Evangelical purpose, there emerged so many evangelists who needed materials to use while
carrying out their work.

There was need to teach Christians morals.

There was need for a written document for catechical work

There was need to show the universality of Jesus’ ministry.

There need to spread the gospel very fast .The written documents spread faster than oral
preaching.

The gospel was written to prevent Christians from back sliding.

The rich Christians gave apostle money for buying materials to write the gospel egpaul and
Barnabas.

The need for uniformity in information to be used inspired the writing of the gospel.

Writing was no longer a monopoly to scribes, other could have written the gospel.

Scribes had converted to Christianity hence provided manpower in the writing of the gospel.

The gospel was written for liturgical purposes i.e to be used during worship.

As time went on people started doubting the resurrection of Christ so there was need to write the
gospel to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was a true reality.

There was need to defend Christianity before the government by proving and writing that it was
not about politics.

Many problems had cropped up in different churchs thus need to write down the gospel to solve
such problems.

Persecutions by emperor Nero in 64 AD made the oral tradition to come to and end

This is because many people went into hiding and so the need for the written gospel.

Common language as Greek had been agreed upon in which to write the gospel.

The oral tradition had become out dated and unpopular.

SAMPLE QUESTION

“The writing of the gospel was inevitable” Discuss

Explain the eventual authorship of the gospel.

IMPORTANCE OF WRITTEN GOSPEL TO CHRISTIANS TO DAY

 It helps in preaching
 It helps in evangelism.
 Encourages unity
 Encourages love for one another
 They guard against false teachings.
 Instill faith in the believers.
 Portrays love of God for mankind.
 Used for future reference.
  Maintains uniformity for all preachers.
 Used for catechical instruction.
 Used for liturgy.
 Encourages Christians to follow Jesus’ commands.
 Written gospels spread faster.
 Written gospels can be translated into language for easy conceptions

CANONICITY OF THE GOSPEL

The word canon originates from a Greek word ‘kanon’ which means an instrument of measure
standard measure while in biblical sense it means the basis upon which the 27 books of the new
testament were selected to become authoritative.

FACTORS WHICH COMPELLED THE CHURCH TO FORM A CANON

The church wanted to get a book for evangelical purposes .The church wanted to spread the
gospel to far away areas and to be able to do that they had to be with a standard book.

The church wanted to avoid the distortion of the teaching of Jesus.

The church needed books for reference.

They wanted to guard the teachings of Jesus Christ against misinterpretation by the enemies of
the church.

The eyewitnesses were dying, so there was fear of losing the first hand information about Jesus
and therefore there was need to select books for Christians.

The church needed a book to be used during public and private worship.

They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to form a canon.

Some writers had impersonated eyewitnesses e.g. the letter of Barnabas

There was need for a uniform canon because some churches had begun making their own
canons.

There was need find a uniform way of addressing immorality in the churches.

Because literacy levels had improved, there was need to guide Christians on which orthodox to
books read.
There was need to expose false writers who were disguising as apostles.

There was need to give prominence to those books Marcian had rejected in his heretical Canon.

There was need to harmonize the good news in order to avoid contradiction.

It was a reaction of Mercian’s acts of forming his canon in which he rejected some important
Christian book s e.g. the letters of Paul.

There was need to consider universal books eg peter’s

There was need to bring into use books written within apostolic age.

THE CRITERIA /STANDARD UNDERTAKEN TO SELECT THE 27 BOOKS

The church used the following criteria to select the 27 books of the New Testament;

For the to be accepted, the author had to have been inspired by the holy spirit .

For the book to be accepted, the content in it had to be spiritually edifying.

The book had to have been written during the apostolic age ie 1-100AD.

The book had to be in line with the orthodox teaching ie the book had to be in harmony with
other books which were highly accepted at that time.

For the book to be accepted among the 27books,it had to contain messages from God.

The book had to have been written by a close associate of an apostle.

The book had to have been written by an apostle in order to be accepted.

The book must have been written as a result of God’s power.

The book had to over emphasize Jesus’ life and deeds ie Christ had to be the centre of the
teaching.

The book must have been widely used in worship in many different churches in order to be
included among the 27 books.

The book must have been widely circulated in the early church in order to be included among
the 27 books of the New Testament.

The book had to be recognized by the leading church in Jerusalem.

The book had to have emphasis on faith sound doctrines.

The books had to be universal in character.

The books which contained the message of the kerygma were recognized.

Books which were written in Greek were easily recognized.

Books that put emphasis on Christian morality were recognized.

For the book to be considered as authoritative, it had to refer to Old Testament scriptures.

Books which recognized resurrection were selected.

The book must have been relevant to all Christians.

SAMPLE QUESTION

Account for the formation of the New Testament canon by the early church fathers.

Explain why some books were left out in composing the New Testament canon.

What compelled the church to form a canon?

What criteria did the church use to select the 27 books of the New Testament?

Examine the process that led to the formation of the New Testament canon.

THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

The synoptic problem refers to the similarities and differences found in the three
gospels of Mark, Mathew and Luke.

It should be noted that the three gospels were written in different places and by different authors.
For example Mark’s gospel was written around 65-67AD in Jerusalem, Luke’s gospel was
written from 70-80AD in Caesarea, Mathew’s gospel was written from 75-85 AD in Jerusalem.

Due to the fact that these gospels have similarities and differences, it is highly believed that
much of the material was extracted from the same source i.e. the Quelle or Q source.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE THREE GOSPELS

All the three gospels refer to similar Old Testament teachings.

All the three gospels narrate the transfiguration story.

All are similar in the presentation of gospel story e.g. the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, ministry
in Galilee, entry to Jerusalem, passion narratives and the resurrection.
All the three gospels have similar facts about the ministry of Jesus ie Baptism, temptations and
his life on earth.

The gospel stories are arranged in the same manner.

The parables of the sower and the mustard seed appear in all gospels.

All the three gospels have the sending out of the 12 disciples.

In all the three gospels, the entry to Jerusalem and cleansing of the temple occurred
simultaneously.

There common usage of language eg Mathew use 51% of Mark’s words and Luke uses 50% of
Mark’s words.

There is common subject matter for example mark has 661 verses and 601 are found in Mathew
and Luke.

Jesus’ performance miracles is also common in the three gospels eg the healing of a man with a
dread skin.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE GOSPELS

Several discourses and order of events also differ eg Mathew and Luke present the triumphant
entry and cleansing of the temple on the same day while mark presents the cleansing of the
temple the next day after the triumphant entry.

There is a difference in the element of the gospel activities eg mark doesn’t give the birth and
infancy of Jesus while Luke and Mathew present, its only Luke who talks about the prodigal
son.

There is also a difference in the sayings of Jesus Christ e.g. the Lord ’s Supper 14:22 and Luke
22:14.

All had specific different sources of material e.g. Markan source, Lukan source and proto
Mathew.

Mathew has 70 verses in common with Mark which Luke doesn’t have.

Luke has 307 verses peculiar to him.

Mathew has 226 verses peculiar to him.

SOLUTIONS TO THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

 Attempts have been made by many scholars to find a definite answer but all in
vain .However, some solutions have been put forward and these are as below.

The role of the Holy Spirit, one scholar put it forward that the authors were inspired by the Holy
Spirit so it is the Holy Spirit which provided similar information.

The eyewitness theory, it argues that the people saw and heard what Jesus said. This explains
why the gospels are similar because the authors got information from the eyewitnesses who had
the same information about Jesus Christ. However this doesn’t explain for the differences.

The oral tradition theory, this was started by a German scholar called Gesler in 1818. It put
forward that the similarities are due to the ancient gospel before the gospel was written.

It also put forward that the differences were due to the need to adapt to the circumstances.

The Quelle source theory, it’s a general German word which means two and this theory
emphasizes that there was an independent source before any other gospel. Thus Mathew and
Luke used the Q source and this explains the similarities between Luke and Mathew, for Mark
who did not use it, it explains for the differences between Mark and the other two gospels.

The literally interdependent solution, this theory asserts that each evangelist depended on the
predecessors.

Priority of Mathew; some scholars say that Mathew was the first to write the gospel, he wrote in
Aramaic to produce the Mesolithic version of the bible and then translated to Greek.

It has been put forward that mark might have used Mathew’s work and other information from
peter’s preaching. However Mathew fails to give some facts which are in Mark and Luke.

Priority of Luke; he was a historian and a theologian who stayed in Caesarea. He did a lot of
work in research about the facts of life and works of Jesus.

It’s put forward that the story of the prodigal son being peculiar to Luke and not anywhere else
in the other two gospels may suppose that he was the earliest author.

However, it’s said that Luke also found Mark’s gospel in circulation in Rome which accounts
for the similarity between mark and Luke.

Priority of mark; it assumes that mark is the source of Mathew and Luke and therefore it means
that mark wrote before any other author and hence Mathew and Luke depended on him.

However there are some materials common to Luke and Mathew but missing in Mark hence
creating doubt for the priority of Mark.

The documentary hypothesis;

The single documentary theory; it’s said that there was a document made up of fragments which
contained accounts of Jesus ministry and his resurrection, so Mark, Mathew and Luke could have
landed on some of these fragments that is why they seem to be similar yet different.

The complimentary documentary theory; this explains the origin of material common to Luke
and Mathew but not in Mark.

However, it ignores the oral tradition and only emphasizes the written material.

The multiple documentary theory; it states that the works and words of Jesus were contained in
many fragments that circulated amongst the faithful Christians at different periods of time .So
people may have given information to the authors in different ways thus accounting for the
difference.

EVIDENCES WHICH SHOW THAT MARK’S GOSPEL WAS THE FIRST TO BE

WRITTEN.

It was believed that Mathew’s gospel was the first to be written and Mark summarized it, but
later the belief was disapproved.

It was believed that Mark was the first to write and then the other two synoptic writers used his
work. The following are the reasons for such an argument.

Mark’s gospel is the shortest of all, so it is believed that other authors just expanded it.ie Mark
has 16 chapters, Mathew 28, Luke 24.

Mark uses a very poor language in his gospel but the other two gospels have a polished language.

The date given to the authorship of marks gospel seem to be an earlier date compared to the dates
of the other gospels i.e. Mark 65-67, Luke 70-80 and Mathew 75-85.

The common order, Mathew and Luke follow Mark’s order of events and where one departs
from it the other depends on it.

Common wordings, Mathew and Luke repeat the exact words of Mark ie Mathew produces 51%
and Luke produces 53% of mark’s words.

Common subject matter, Mathew contains nearly all in mark. Out of 661verses of Mark, Mathew
produces 606 verses and Luke has 505verses out of Mark’s gospel.

Mark’s gospel contains several episodes that are obscure {4:26-29} {14:51-52}, or make Jesus
look crazy {3:19-21} magical {7:32-37} or weak {8:22-26},if Mathew was first it is harder to
explain why added these strange episodes; but if mark was first it is easy to understand why both
Mathew and Luke omitted them.
Mark’s gospel contains literary historical and geographical difficulties {minor errors} that are
not found in Mathew and Luke. If Mathew was the first it’s harder to understand how mark could
have introduced these errors, but if Mark was the first,it’s easy to see how Mathew and Luke
were able to correct Mark’s minor errors.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

“Many scholars believe that mark’s gospel was the first to be written.’’ Account for this belief.

Examine the process through which the gospels were written.

MARK’S GOSPEL

WHO WAS MARK?

The gospel is of Mark is attributed to John Mark the only person known by that name
throughout the New Testament.

John Mark was a close friend of apostle peter and it is believed that he got most of his gospel
from peter as seen in 1peter 5:13.

Mark was a close associate of Paul.

He was the Mark talked of in most Paul’s letters and acts of apostles.

John Mark is also talked of as a close friend of Barnabas.

He is the one who accompanied Barnabas and Paul on first missionary journey [acts 13].

He was the young man who ran naked during the arrest of Jesus.

He must have been the son of Mary and they lived in Jerusalem.

John Mark was an interpreter and secretary to peter.

Peter lodged with Mark after being released from prison.

He the man who was carrying a jar and who directed the disciples to the room where they
celebrated the Lord’s Supper Mark 14:13.

The early church Christians used his mother’s house for prayers.

He was confirmed by the church fathers e.g. Justin, clement of Alexandria.

He is the one peter refers to him as his son 1peter5:13.

He is the one who disagreed with Paul at Parge and caused a rift between Paul and Barnabas.

The church also talks about mark as having been the founder of the church of Alexandria and
became her first bishop

DATE OF WRITING THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Many people shared their view that Mark’s gospel was the first to be written and
therefore it’s believed to have been written in Rome around 55-65 AD. It’s suggested that the
gospel was written in Rome during the persecutions of Christians when Emperor Nero burnt the
Roman city.

AUDIENCE OF MARK’S GOSPEL

 Many people suggest that this gospel was written to the gentiles [non Jews] who had been
converted to Christianity. Evidences to show this can be seen as below.
 Mark uses many Aramaic words that he explains what they mean as an indication that he
was writing to the non-Jews who could not speak Aramaic. Mk15:34, 3:17, 5:41, 7:11,
etc
 Mark doesn’t talk about the culture and customs of the Jews like circumcision which had
no meaning to the gentiles hence the gospel written to the gentiles.
 He doesn’t put much emphasis on the Jewish laws which were not of great importance to
the gentiles e.g. the Sabbath law.
 He doesn’t quote the Old Testament scriptures very often like Luke and Mathew which
means that the readers were non-Jews who didn’t know the Old Testament back ground.
 He doesn’t trace the descent /ancestral back ground of Jesus because it was of no
importance to the gentiles.
 Mark explains the geographical locations of the towns, mountains, places, etc which
would not have been necessary if he was writing to the Jews who these places e.g. mark
13:13, he talks about mountain olives being opposite to the Jerusalem temple.
 Most of the miracles which were given in Mark were performed in the gentile areas
compared to other gospel writers.
 Mark presents Jesus praising the faith of the gentile woman who insisted for Christ was
the son of God.
 Mark talks of the faith of a Roman centurion who was the first to recognize that Christ
was the son of God.
 Mark says that the gospel was for all mankind.
 However some Christian say that mark’s gospel was written to the Jewish Christians
because there many Jewish expressions e.g. “Talitha koum”.
 To the Jewish Christians who were experiencing persecution.
 The gospel was written to the newly converted Christians.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GENTILES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK

 Mark was essentially writing to the gentiles showing the universality

 Aramaic words were translated so that the gentiles would understand
 The parable of the mustard seed used the statement that the plant will grow branches to
act as shelter for birds hence gentiles
 Jesus exocrcised demons at Gerasa a gentile area and the demons shouted son of the
highest God giving chance to gentiles to recognize Jesus
 The demoniac at Gerasa became a disciple
 The phonician woman’s faith lead to healing of her Daughter , she must have spread the
news
 Healing of the deaf mute In a gentile territory made people to believe and could have
spread the gospel
 Feeding of the 4000 people in the gentile land showing the spread of the gospel
 Peter’s confession meant that the kingdom of God is for all people
 When the Jews abused the gentile apartment , Jesus cleansed it showing the love of God
for the gentiles
 Jesus said the temple was his house of prayer for all nations.
 Pilate looks reluctant to sentence Jesus to death implying
 Simon of cyrene , a gentile carried the cross of Jesus to Gologotha and through him the
gospel must have spread to new Africa , gentile land.
ROLE PLAYED BY FOREIGNERS IN SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY TO DAY.
 Foreigners eg Europeans and Americans play big role in the spread of Christianity
to day . they continuously spread the gospel eg Joyce Meyer , Richard Bonkey
 They give financial assistance to the teachers eg Verona fathers in northern
Uganda
 Some have offered charity to orphans, widows, street kids
 Some lived good spiritual life that Africans believers have copied
 Some advocate for peace talks and discourage armed conflicts eg missionaries in
Northern Uganda
 Have provide Christians literature to believers in Uganda eg magazines and bibles
 Some have performed miracles eg Ben Hin at Nambole
 Some have given scholarships to Ugandan s to study a broad
 Some have come with Audio visual video tapes and attracted the youth to join
 Have established media houses eg radio maria LTV
 They have built schools to teach theology
 Have built hospitals for free service or which are cheap
NEGATIVE
 Some have caused divisions between between teachers
  Some are alleged to have been sponsored to spy on Ugandans
 Some have introduced bad practices among the youth eg Homosexuals, lesbians
 Some have forged miracles to attract followers
 Some dress badly which has affected African values
 Some tolerate polygamy and divorce
 Some do not follow order of liturgy

AIMS/CONCERNS/INTENTIONS /PURPOSE OF MARK’S GOSPEL.

1. Mark wanted to show that Jesus was both a divine and a human being. It should be noted
that by that time , there was a belief in the early church that Jesus wasn’t really a human
being while others were saying that Jesus was a pure human being .This became problem
which came to be known as docetism .Therefore mark wanted to collect this
misunderstanding.
2. Mark aimed at preaching the good news about Jesus Christ indicated in mark 1:1-2.
3. He wanted to provide a right gospel which could be used during church worship. It should
be noted that people who had just been converted had to be taught and trained how to
worship.
4. Mark also wanted to encourage Christians who were suffering at that time and who were
being persecuted by Emperor Nero not to give up their faith since even Christ had also
suffered. It’s even believed that even apostle peter was also killed around that time.
5. Mark wanted to promote the good news about Christ everywhere in the in the world in the
shortest time possible .It should be noted that Jesus had promised back very soon thus
mark wanted to thing before his promised his listeners that he was coming Jesus came
back write down some.
6. He wanted to show that Jesus was stronger than the devil.
7. He wanted to stress the reality of the resurrection of Jesus which many denied.
8. Mark also had an aim of winning more converts to Christianity that is why he presents his
gospel in a simple manner for very many people to understand.
9. Mark wanted to show that Jesus suffered as his followers were to emulate him.
10. He wanted to show that Jesus was the messiah.
11. Mark wanted to show the universal nature of Jesus ie he came for both the Jews and
gentiles.
12. He wanted to show that the growth of Christianity is gradual.
13. Mark wanted to provide a written material about the rules and regulations of Christianity
which could be used in instructing new believers.
14. Mark wanted to show that work of Jesus was a fight against the devil and have victory
over evil.
15. Mark wanted to avoid the distortions that were trying to encroach on the gospel truth. It
should be noted that since the gospel was being spread orally, some people had started
distorting the information about Christ.
16. Mark wanted to provide a written gospel which could be used in defending Christianity.
17. He wanted to put an organized written form of the collection and preaching of Jesus

RELEVANCE OF MARK’S AIMS TO MODERN CHRISTIANS.

 Christians should proclaim the good news.

 Christians should organize the kerygma and put it in writing eg magazines and circulate
 Christians should preserve, the true teachings of Jesus and fight false teachers like
kibwetere
 Christians should encourage those who are suffering for the sake of the gospel.
 Christians should fight against evil forces that may hinder the spread of the gospel.
 Christians should stand firm when they face opposition from political and religious
leaders.
 Christians should defend Christianity before pagans and government officials who may
persecute them
 Christians should accept to follow Jesus as the messiah.
 Christians should testify about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
 Christians should use the language understood by the people
 Christians should carry out catechism instructions to new believers.
 Christians should believe in the old testament scripture
 Christians should follow the example of Jesus and treat all people equally irrespective of
race and social status.
 Christians should proclaim openly that Jesus is the messiah.
 Christians should be sympathetic to those who suffer.
 Christian should worship Jesus since he is son of God.
 Christians should keep secrets of the church

CHARACTERISTICS/FEATURES OF MARK’S GOSPEL

1. Mark doesn’t give ancestral backgrounds of Jesus Christ like other. He starts straight
away with the phrase “this is the good news about Christ”
2. Mark’s gospel is the shortest compared to other gospels, it has got only 16 chapters yet
John has got 21, Luke 24, Mathew 28.
3. The gospel is very sketchy i.e. he doesn’t give things in detail like other gospel writers
e.g. he presents Jesus baptism and temptation in very brief way.
4. Mark is a gospel filled with actions or drama e.g. Jesus healing the deaf.
5. Mark has got an abrupt ending Mark16:8. The other verses from mark 16:9-20 have got a
different style all together.
6. It has an element of being speedy or urgency e.g. words like straight away, immediately.
 7. Mark’s gospel is open and frank to facts .Mark is very candid when presenting his gospel.
He reports events just as he sees them eg when Jesus’ relatives considered him mad, mark
reports it Mark 3:20-21.
8. Mark uses Aramaic words which he labors to explain what they main e.g. Talitha koum,
Golgotha, corban etc.
9. Mark uses Latin words for example Denarius which means money.
10. Mark presents the greatest number of miracles compared to other gospels. He presents the
feeding miracles, those of exorcism, nature miracles etc.
11. Mark’s gospel is characterized by the messianic secrecy i.e. Mark hides that fact Jesus
was the messiah [Mark 8:27-30] that’s why his gospel has been described as the gospel of
messianic secrecy. Mark9:9, 7:36, 5:43.
12. Mark expresses the humanity of Jesus i.e. shows him being tired, sorrowful, hungry etc.
13. Mark presents Jesus as a divine being e.g. in miracles performed.
14. The gospel refers to Jesus as son of man on many occasions.
15. Mark has the biggest number of miracles.
16. Compared to other gospel writers, mark gives an orderly arrangement of events topics and
whatever Jesus did during his public ministry.
17. Mark’s gospel is seen as mainly to the gentiles compared to other gospels like that of
Mathew.
18. Mark’s gospel has got the greatest number of controversies (misunderstandings)
compared to the rest of other gospels. i.e. Mark shows how Jesus conflicted with the
religious leaders of the time which eventually led to his death.
19. Unlike other gospels, Mark doesn’t give an account of the private life of Jesus when he
was still young. E.g. he doesn’t talk about how Jesus was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit, how he went to Jerusalem at the age of 12 etc.
20. The gospel is characterized with the eschatological discourse Mark 13.
21. The gospel of mark is characterized with two endings ie Mark 16:9-20 and second 16:9-
10.
22. The gospel puts emphasis on the opposition and persecution faced by Jesus.
23. Mark’s gospel has got kerygma elements

THE PORTRAIT OF JESUS AS GIVEN BY MARK.

Mark presents Jesus as a human being who was born, baptized tempted etc
He portrays him as a divine i.e. A son of God, e.g. during Jesus’ baptism, the heavens opened
and a voice said, “This is my own dear son”.

Mark portrays Jesus as a miracle performer i.e. he presents him performing miracles of healing,
feeding chasing out demons etc.

Mark portrays Jesus as a suffering messiah i.e. as someone who suffered greatly during his
public ministry by being beaten and crucified on the cross.

Mark also presents Jesus as a great rabbi (teacher). He presents him as someone who taught
greatly more than the religious leaders of the time.

Jesus is presented as the perfect king i.e. he is a descendant of king David, he rode on the
donkey indicating that he was the prince of peace, he was anointed at Bethany, he is presented as
the lord of Sabbath, James and John’s request showed that he was the king, on the cross it was
written; king of the Jews, the thorny crown put on his head, the headship of the twelve disciples
indicated that he was the king.

Jesus is also presented as a prophet in mark’s gospel ie he is presented as one who was chosen
band sent by God, in the eschatological discourse Jesus predicted what was going to happen, he
fore told his death, at the transfiguration he was with Moses and Elijah, he called upon people to
repent, he told his disciples where to find a colt, predicted peter’s denial, he predicted his
betrayal by Judas Iscariot etc.

Mark portrays Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath i.e. Jesus being greater and not limited by the law
of Sabbath where he even used to work on the Sabbath day.

Mark at times refers to Jesus as a son of man in his gospel.

Mark also presents Jesus as an obedient son of God. i.e. he presents Jesus as a servant of God
who obeyed and did whatever his father told him to do. (Mk 14:35-36).

THE MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

The gospel of mark doesn’t give the details of the ministry of john the Baptist therefore we have
got to rely on Luke’s gospel chapter1 and 3.

John the Baptist was born by Zechariah and his mother was Elizabeth who conceived as a result
of the power of the Holy Spirit. Both parents were born from priestly families.

Elizabeth however had been barren despite the fact that for a long time she had been married to
Zechariah. At one time when Zechariah was serving at the temple the angel of God appeared to
him and promised him a child who was to named John. Through this promise Elizabeth gave
birth to a baby boy who was named John the Baptist.

John the Baptist lived a simple life style, he used to put on clothes made out of the Carmel skin
and used to eat locusts and wild honey.

John the Baptist grew up with power of the Holy Spirit and grew in the desert Luke 8. It was
during this period when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea that John the Baptist started his
ministry, he went around river Jordan preaching to the people so as to prepare them for the
coming of the messiah.

THE BASIC MESSAGE OF JOHNTHE BAPTIST

John started preaching by announcing the coming of the messiah. It should be noted that the
Jews had been waiting for a political messiah who would liberate them from the oppressive
Roman rule, however when John came, he told them that the messiah to come was to be a
religious messiah but not a political messiah.

He also used to call upon people to repent their sins such that they can be saved from God’s
punishment on the judgment day.

He called upon people to be baptized in water such that their sins may be forgiven.

He called upon people to share their resources with the poor since the majority of the people at
that time were poor. Thus he called upon the rich to share with the poor.

He also called upon the tax collectors not to take more than what was required. It should be
noted that the taxation system was too poor as most of the money collected was taken by the tax
collectors.

He called upon the soldiers not to take money from any one through use of force but always be
content with the payments they were receiving.

He also called upon people to practice justice and righteousness. This was because the political
leaders of the time were not practicing justice. There was a lot of bribery in the courts of law.

He also informed the people that the messiah who was about to come was the one promised by
the Old Testament prophets and therefore there was need to prepare for this messiah. .

John condemned evil people in the society. At one time he reprimanded Herod the governor of
Judea for having married his brother’s wife Herodias. It should be noted that Herod had a brother
called Philip who was married to Herodias but however Herod used his political power to take
over Philip’s wife. According to John this was tantamount to adultery.
John the Baptist also warned the people about the judgment. According to him, it was the
messiah who was going to separate the righteous from sinners on the judgment day.

John corrected people who were thinking that he was the messiah whom people had been waiting
for. He told them that the messiah who was going to come after him and he was much greater
than him to an extent that john was not good enough to untie his shoe laces.

John told the people that also he was baptizing them with water; the coming messiah was going
to baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MISSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

It showed that God will always send his messengers to announce his revelation.

It showed the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

It showed that God speaks to the world through man.

It showed that John prepared way for the Christ.

It showed the importance of repentance.

It showed the respect that Christ deserves.

It showed the importance of baptism.

John’s mission showed that Jesus was a fulfillment of the Old Testament, ie Isaiah40:3.

It reflected the coming of the Holy Spirit.

It showed the greatness of Christ; John was not worth to touch his sandals.

John’s mission showed that Christ was the son of Gods; he got God’s spirit during baptism.

The mission showed the coming salvation for mankind.

THE RELEVANCE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST’S TEACHING TO MODERN

CHRISTIANS

Christians should preach like John the Baptist.

Christians should acknowledge Christ as their savior.

Christians should accept to be baptized.

Christians should repent.

Christians should accept suffering, persecution for the sake of the gospel.

Christians should learn to fast and have self sacrifice.

Christians should appreciate God’s love to mankind.

Christians learn to do the will of God –serving Him.