ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY OF WEST AFRICA

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMANITY

DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY
FIRST SEMESTER 20212022

LECTURE NOTES1

RELB 115 SYNOPTIC GOSPELS (3 semester credits)

Lecturer: Yvonne Witherspoon M.Div.

e-mail: [email protected]
0775 022 465 (Mobile)

Class schedule: Monday | 4-5pm

Friday | 1-3pm
September 17- December 8

CHAPTER 6: MARK: THE GOSPEL OF THE SUFFERING SON OF GOD

CENTRAL THEME: Jesus the mighty Messiah and Son of God obediently suffers as the Servant of
the Lord to pay the ransom price for sins, and as a model of suffering and sacrifice for his disciples to
follow.

KEY VERSE: Mark 10:45

I. Topical Ordering of Events

Mark groups events for rhetorical effect. For example, Jesus' ministry begins with a collection of
healings and exorcisms which demonstrate his authority (1:21-28, 29-31, 32-39, 40-45), This is followed
by a series of controversy stories, the beginning of conflict with the religious leaders (2:1-12, 13-17, 18-22,
23-27; 3:1-6). Jesus' parables are similarly brought together to teach about the nature of the kingdom (4:1-
34).

II. The Plot of Mark's Gospel

1. The Beginning of the Gospel: The Preparation of the Son of God (1:1-13)

Mark introduces his work as "the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1).
Mark's gospel will describe how the good news of salvation got its start with the coming of Jesus. The
gospel here is the proclamation of the good news which began with John the Baptist and which continues

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Compilation of the textbook Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus. Zondervan, 2006.
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in Mark's church. Mark plunges the reader "immediately" into the ministry of Jesus. Jesus appears on the
scene abruptly, taking the Galilean countryside by storm.

2. The Authoritative Ministry of the Son of God (1:14-8:26)

The purpose of Mark's high-speed narrative is to portray Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God of power
and authority, a theme which dominated the first half of the gospel. Contributing to this tone of action and
authority is an emphasis on Jesus' miracles. For its length, Mark contains more miracles than the other
Gospels. The purpose of these miracles is not to gain popularity but to demonstrate that he is acting and
speaking with the authority of God.

A profound sense of mystery pervades Jesus' life. This is enhanced by a secrecy motif which the
narrator develops, as Jesus repeatedly commands silence from those around him. Not everyone is happy
with Jesus' authority, and conflict begins early in Mark. Jesus' first conflicts are spiritual ones, as he
engages and does battle with the forces of evil (1:13; 1:23-27; 34; 3:11; 5:7). Jesus' other main conflicts are
with the religious leaders, who repeatedly challenge his authority (2:1-12, 13-17, 18-22, 23-28; 3:1-6).

It is important to note that Jesus begins teaching in parables immediately following the Beelzebub
controversy and in the context of identifying his true family as "whoever does God's will" (3:35). The
connection between these events becomes clear as Jesus explains to his disciples why he teaches in
parables (Mark 4:11-12). Jesus explains that he teaches in parables for two reasons: to reveal and to
conceal. To his disciples, who are responding to his kingdom proclamation, the parables reveal the
kingdom. But to those who are rejecting the message, the parables hide the truth.

3. The Suffering of the Son of God as Servant of the Lord (8:27-16:8)

The question of identity is raised implicitly throughout the first half of Mark's Gospel. It comes to
center stage in the account of the calming of the storm, when the astonished disciples ask, "Who is this?
Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (4:41). The answer of course has already been given: He is the
Christ, the Son of God. The implied reader already knows this; the Father has announced it to the Son;
Satan and his demonic forces know it. Yet the narrative reaches its midpoint and initial climax when the
first human character proclaims it. The confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi marks a key turning point
as the chief representative of the disciples recognizes Jesus to be "the Christ" (8:27-29). Jesus' authoritative
words and deeds have confirmed that he is indeed the Messiah. The climax of the narrative is the death of
the Son of God (14:1-15:47). It is significant that at the beginning of Mark's narrative, heaven is "torn
open" at Jesus' baptism and God announces that Jesus is his beloved Son (1:10-11). Now at the end, the
temple curtain is "torn open" and the centurion announces that Jesus is God's Son. The whole Gospel
narrative may be viewed as an inclusion - the great explanation of these two great acclamations.

III. Mark's Portrait of Jesus: The Suffering Son of God

One caution is especially important for the modern reader when approaching the characterization of
Jesus in the Gospels. This is to recognize that the contemporary preoccupation with the deity of Christ was
not the primary concern of the Gospel writers. Their primary purpose was to demonstrate that Jesus was
the Christ, the promised Messiah. While some Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah have
implications of divinity, the term Messiah is not synonymous with deity but rather refers to the end-times
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agent who accomplishes God's salvation. Nor was divinity an essential or universal component in
predictions of the Messiah found in first-century Judaism. In Mark, Jesus is the central figure and chief
protagonist. Of the four Gospels, Mark presents the most human and down-to-earth portrait of Jesus. Hand
in hand with this focus on Jesus' humanity is an equally strong emphasis on his awesome power and
authority.

While Christ and Son of God are key titles in Mark's narrative, Jesus most identifies himself as the Son
of Man. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew designation ben adam ("son of man") means "a human being",
and Jesus' use of the title points especially to his humanity. Yet there is further significance to the title. The
Old Testament book of Daniel speaks of "one like a son of man" an exalted messianic figure who comes
with the clouds of heaven and receives authority, glory, and sovereign power from God, setting up an
eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14)

1. Other Characters in Mark's Gospel

Jesus' primary opponents are first Satan and his demons and second the religious leaders of Israel.
Both stand in opposition to Jesus' proclamation of the reign of God. Jesus' repeated victories over the
demons reveals his sovereign authority to announce and establish the kingdom of God. From the religious
leaders' perspective, Jesus' status as a teacher and rabbi is rendered suspect by his association with sinners
and his casual attitude toward the law. More significantly, his growing popularity among the people
threatens their leadership and so their very way of life.

The disciples play a more ambiguous role in Mark's narrative. On the one hand, they hold a
privileged position in Jesus' ministry. Yet despite this special status and responsibility, the Twelve are
more often examples of failure than success. Of the four Gospels, Mark's portrait of the disciples is the
most negative. They repeatedly fail to understand Jesus' teaching (4:13; 7:18) and to recognize his
authoritative power (6:37, 52; 8:4) etc... It is the small and insignificant characters who reveal the right
response to Jesus. Levi, a despised tax collector, answers the call to discipleship. A woman with a blood
disease has faith to touch Jesus' garment and be healed, etc... In summary, it is the outsiders--the sinners,
the despised, the outcasts, and even Gentiles-- who are examples of faith in Mark's narrative.

IV. Theological Themes

1. The Kingdom of God: The kingdom of God in Mark is conceived as present and future, a reign
and a realm.

2. Jesus the Servant-Messiah: Though Jesus is the mighty son of God and Messiah, his role is not
to conquer but to suffer and die as the Servant of the Lord-- and atoning sacrifice for sins.

3. Discipleship: Following the Servant's Suffering Path: The third major theme of Mark's Gospel is
authentic discipleship. True followers of Jesus must be willing to take up their crosses and
follow him, even to suffering and death.

V. Narrative Purpose

The Gospel of Mark has a threefold narrative purpose

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 1. to confirm that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and Son of God, the inaugurator of God's
kingdom and the fulfillment of Israel's promises.

2. to show that he fulfills these promises in a surprising way--not through conquest but through
servanthood and suffering;

3. and on the basis of revelation, to call believers to follow in the suffering path of their Messiah and
Lord. The path to glory is through suffering and sacrifice.

VI. The Historical Setting of Mark's Gospel: Author and Life Setting

1. Authorship

Like the other three Gospels, this one is anonymous. By this we mean that the author is not named in
the body of the text. The early church historian Eusebius, writing in the fourth century AD, quotes a church
leader named Papias as affirming that "Mark became the interpreter of Peter" and wrote his version of the
gospel. Papias, bishop of Hieropolis in Asia Minor till about AD 130, claims that he received this
information from John "the Elder", probably a reference to the apostle John. This would take the tradition
back to the first generation of believers. Other early church writers, including Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement
of Alexandria, Origen, and Jerome affirm that Mark was the author of this Gospel and that he was
dependent on the eyewitness accounts of Peter.

2. Place of Writing

Early church tradition claims that Mark wrote from Rome to a Roman Christian audience. This agrees
with New Testament references which place Mark in Rome with both Paul (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24;
2 Timothy 4:11) and Peter (1Peter 5:13). A Roman location also fits well with material found in the
Gospel. Mark translates Aramaic expressions for a Greek-speaking audience (3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 14:36;
15:34) and explains Jewish customs for Gentile readers (7:2-4; 15:42). Mark also explains Greek
expressions by their Latin equivalents. Latin was primarily used in Rome and Italy. Another bit of
incidental evidence for Rome comes from 15:21, where Rufus and Alexander are named as the sons of
Simon of Cyrene, presumably because they were known by Mark's church. Finally, the Gospel's special
interest in persecution and martyrdom would fit well with a Roman audience, since the Roman church was
a persecuted body.

3. Date

The date of Mark is also uncertain. Some evidence points to a date in the AD 50s or 60s. Other scholars
date it in the late 60s or in the 70s.

4. Purpose and Occasion

Mark wrote for:

 Historical reasons: to record for posterity the apostolic witness concerning Jesus.

 Christological reasons: to correct a false or inadequate view of Jesus being promoted by some in the
church.
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  Practical reasons: to challenge his readers that true discipleship means following the path of Jesus
through suffering to glory.

Today, Mark's gospel reminds us that the goal of the Christian life is not to fond security or self-
fulfillment. Following Jesus is responding to a radical call to commitment, taking up our crosses and
following him.