The Gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus the Christ. It’s the shortest of the four Gospels, but it gives some of the fullest accounts of peoples’ encounters with Jesus. Mark’s telling of the gospel kicks off by pointing out that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s plans from ancient times before sharing a rapid series of short stories.
This Gospel focuses on Jesus’s actions and identity. It is thought to be the first Gospel ever written. It was probably written in Rome and possibly for encouraging persistence among those Christians suffering the first state-sponsored oppression of Christianity, under the Emperor Nero. Mark may have written his Gospel to preserve the memories and traditions of the Apostle Peter—one of Jesus’ earliest followers, a leader of the churches in Rome, and a victim of Nero’s persecution.
Mark’s Gospel invites readers to watch and discover Jesus through the eyes of the first followers as they struggle to grasp who he is, what is his mission, and what committing oneself to him truly requires.
The first half of this Gospel works to establish that Jesus is indeed God’s promised king, and more. But once his followers grasp that, Jesus flips expectations on their head to point out that he is not the kind of king that they wanted. Rather than coming to be served by others, Jesus instead came to serve, and even “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Because of this, all would-be followers of Jesus are challenged to emulate his example. Honour and prestige are not the expected outcomes of loyalty to Jesus, but rather service and at times shame and even suffering (Mark 8:27–38).
If you have heard only a few things about Jesus or have wondered what churches believe or what qualifies Christians as Christian, the Gospel of Mark is for you. Jesus himself is what Christianity is about, and even though there are many flavours and variants of churches, we are united around the person of Jesus as described by the Gospels. If you would like to know more, I would recommend starting with the Gospel of Mark to discover who this Jesus is.
The Gospel of Mark is a part of the Bible but is often printed on its own as a booklet. If you would like to read a copy, I am willing to post you a booklet of the Gospel of Mark for free.
Alternatively you can read it online through the BibleGateway website HERE.
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