012-Summary Cycle Two

Christians are simultaneously disciples and apostles. 

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (1 hour 15 minutes)
• Text: Mark 6:1-13

Compared with the Twelve,
we act as though we were sent out to be tourists
rather than disciples in the world.
We plan, pack, and go.^[1]

Rejection in His Hometown (6:1-6a)

Jesus’ initial cycle of teaching of his disciples has come to a conclusion and he sends them out as apostles. But first, he makes a stop in his hometown (probably Nazareth) where the people reject his teachings because they cannot believe that a hometown boy they’ve known all his life could possibly have wisdom (spiritual understanding), power, and authority beyond what even their authorized religious leaders have.

People cannot get beyond the shared assumptions and biases that stem from the most local of cultural institutions, the family and the village; one might as well be in Plato’s cave, where people mistake for reality the shadows they have always been familiar with.^[2]

They hear Jesus’ words and hear about his activities. They recognize that they are not mere human words and actions. But what then could be the source? Like the scribes that questioned the source of his authority earlier (3:22-30) Jesus’ family and neighbors may harbor dark suspicions. Jesus cannot openly perform “mighty works” in his own hometown because to do so might only deepen their suspicions and work to further alienate them from him.

The people of Nazareth are like the seed that fell beside the path; they never take root. Their opinions about who Jesus is stand in their way. Jesus 'combination of human ordinariness and divine power makes no sense to them.^[3]

Apostles Sent (6:6b-13)

Rejection does not stop Jesus from his work. He goes on to other places. The work is also much lager than what one individual can accomplish.

The gospel demands judgment: either acceptance in faith, or rejection through disbelief. Jesus has experienced both and now he sends out his disciples with instruction to expect both kinds of response when they proclaim and act on behalf of his authority.

Jesus sends them out with what seem like extreme instructions: don’t take anything with you. Be at the mercy of those to whom you minister. Part of the reason may be that this was meant to be a short-term mission rather than a long-term lifestyle. Another is that the transparency with which they came, not seeking anything on their behalf but to simply be served with gratitude, shows that the apostles were not trying to manipulate their listeners.

Multiple commentaries note that these instructions were not meant to be prescriptive to all missionaries. Some, too, note the discrepancies in detail across the gospels in regards to these instructions and suggest that each gospel writer may be offering his own commentary on what was handed down as Jesus’ words. That said, we should also remain open to those times when God does call people to go without having time to prepare adequately.

What is most important is that Christians not stay confined inside their own bubbles, but to venture outside, to take risks that may be uncomfortable and challenge them. And while doing so to be vulnerable and transparent about their lives and motivations.

Our problem is that most of us would like to be disciples all our lives and never have to risk ourselves and our dignity by becoming apostles. We like the comforts of the cocoon rather than the uncertainties of the wider world.^[4]

Summary: Cycle Two

Success of an apostle is not measured by how many people accept the gospel. Success is measured by how faithful she is to Christ’s commission. The work of the apostle is to sow. God is responsible for the soil and growth.

When the gospel is sown, expect all kinds of responses. Some may be mere dismissal, but at other times it may be quite hostile, even to the point of death. The apostle should not be disheartened by the seeming lack of growth or fruit. The power of the gospel guarantees that it will be fruitful in the end, where it meets good soil.

Could it be that Mark intended the parable of the Sower and Jesus’ explanation of it (4:1–20) to serve as an interpretive guide for all of these problems of speaking and hearing about the kingdom of God?^[5]

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[1] Feasting: Mark, location 6238.

[2] Feasting: Mark, location 5894.

[3] Reading Mark, 6:1-6.

[4] Exploring Mark, p. 131.

[5] Feasting: Mark, location 5888.

009-More Seed Parables

Evangelism is about letting go of our human desire (need?)
to maintain control, especially over ministry.

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (53 minutes)
• Text: Mark 4:21-34

This session continues and concludes Mark’s example of how Jesus taught the people that came to him. By comparing the words arranged and recorded by Mark in this section to where these appear in the other Synoptics, we get an understanding of the methods and intent of the gospel writers.

The aphorisms from which this section has been constructed are traditional in character and occur elsewhere unrelated to each other… By inserting this block of material into the discourse on parables he sheds light on his distinctive understanding of these words of Jesus.^[1]

Mark did not record a specific instance of Jesus’ teaching, but arranged together what one might have looked like to communicate Mark’s own understanding of the gospel. In other words, what is recorded may not be what Jesus originally intended his words to say, yet still remains true and faithful to the gospel intent. Truth does not depend solely on factual or historical accuracy or precision.

A Collection of Sayings

Verses 21-25 are a collection of various proverbial and parabolic sayings of Jesus placed together to make the point that hearing and heeding Jesus’ words are of vital importance. It matches the corresponding “C” section of verses 10-12.

In the earlier set Jesus told his disciples that the secret of the kingdom was being revealed to them, but was being hidden to everyone else. In this session’s “C’” section Mark tells us, through Jesus’ words, that the hiding is not forever, but for the precise reason that the kingdom will be revealed in the future. Most of the people are not yet ready to hear and see the full revelation, and so its unveiling is being done through parables.

The disciples are being given an early preview of the kingdom. Through their hearing and appropriating of the words, they will be given additional wisdom and knowledge. They will be given the opportunity to participate in the revelation of the kingdom.

Precisely because there is going to be an unveiling which unravels the enigma and reveals the mystery [of the kingdom of God], hearing with true perception is important now… If the word of proclamation is appropriated with eagerness and joy, in like measure a rich share will be received in the eschatological revelation of the Kingdom, and “even more shall be given…” What will ultimately be received in the Kingdom of God will depend upon that which a man possesses of it now. Present possession depends upon hearing, upon appropriation or rejection of the word of the Kingdom that has been scattered like seed… Only those who penetrate the mystery in the present will share in the glory which is yet to be revealed.^[2]

Parable of the Growing Seed

Mark returns to giving an example of Jesus’ public teaching with the second parable involving a seed. What is of most interest in this parable is not what is there, but what is missing: the work of the farmer between sowing and harvesting.

This is a parable that hits at the center of human desire: to do something to make something else happen. It hits at the heart of church and evangelism. It tells us that beyond sowing seed, the church cannot control anything. In fact, as the first parable shows, the church cannot even control where the seed lands. The church can do things to possibly influence the environment to encourage sprouting, growth, and harvest, but it cannot control the environment.

And that’s okay. That’s the other message of this parable (as well as all three of the seed parables). Success of the gospel is quite guaranteed apart from any effort on the part of Christians and the church. The power of the gospel is inherent in its message. When it finds receptive ears, it will sprout, grow, and bear fruit, quite apart from anything the church or Christians do or don’t do.

This theme of God's reign as gift, not achievement, is present in the parable of the seed that grows automatically. The farmer merely sows the seed. After that, all he does is “sleep and rise,” not knowing how the seed is growing, not calculating what the result will be. This certainty of success parallels the first parable in which abundance results despite the failure of many seeds to mature.^[3]

In regards to this parable and how it might apply to the modern church, the commentary Feasting on the Gospels: Mark, has some vital warnings.

We have not been commissioned to manipulate, dominate, or coerce people to join our fellowship of believers; neither is it necessary for new converts to accept a particular political perspective. Further, we must not reduce evangelistic efforts to culturally limited recruitment of members who ‘look like us…’^[4]

The kingdom of God produces its fruit by its own internal power, a power that the sower does not understand and does not control. The process is mysterious, hidden, ambiguous, and sometimes stressful and frustrating. Clergy (pastors, teachers, evangelists, missionaries) do not control how the kingdom grows…^[5]

The kingdom of God grows because of its inherent God-given nature, not because of the efforts of its custodians… This relieves the church of an immense burden. It can do nothing to hasten the coming of the kingdom… It is impossible to rush the kingdom. It will take its own time, and its advance is ordinarily imperceptible…^[6]

Parable of the Mustard Seed

This third parable of the seed is one that has been heard and interpreted frequently. It probably makes allusion to the vision of a mighty cedar of Ezekiel 17:

On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. (v.23 ESV)

It should be noted that both Luke and Matthew write of the mustard seed growing into a tree. In regards to this difference Feasting: Mark notes,

In light of that expectation [a great, conquering kingdom], Luke and Matthew appear ill at ease with Mark’s diminutive expectation. Luke forces the parable into Ezekiel’s mold and says that the mustard seed grows into a tree (13:9). Matthew, on the other hand, combines Ezekiel and Mark, and explains that “when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree” (Matt. 13:32). Mark, the most spare, and the most botanically accurate, says the seed becomes a shrub… Agnes Norfleet, in an unpublished paper on this text, notes that “by keeping it a shrub Mark is differentiating the kingdom Jesus proclaims from past prophetic dreams of glory and hope to be like the other nations.”^[7]

This parable is often interpreted to be about small beginnings of our ministries and evangelistic efforts, and how if we work hard we will someday see a good result. Or it is about how our ongoing work for God, no matter how small, will have large results. The focus is often on the smallness of the seed.

But is this parable about us? No!

Mark records an extended introduction to this third parable where Jesus wonders and ponders how the kingdom of God can be explained. Thus the parable is not about us or our work, but about the Christ and the kingdom.

The parable’s point is that the kingdom of God will never make a splash in the world, that it will never make sense in human/worldly terms, that it will always look fragile and with apparent insignificance.

This parable is concerned with the enigmatic present manifestation of the Kingdom as embodied in Jesus' person. Its appearance may be characterized by weakness and apparent insignificance—but remember the mustard seed. The day will come when the Kingdom of God will surpass in glory the mightiest kingdoms of the earth…[8]

For Jesus’ listeners that certainly expected a splashy, mighty, conquering kingdom, this parable was a severe correction that would have mystified and baffled them.

For us, particularly in a nation (United States) that has always been friendly to Christianity, that has had Christians in the social majority for much of its history, it also provides a very necessary corrective. If we are looking for growth and greatness, we are looking for the wrong thing. If we are hoping that by our efforts we can make this into a “Christian nation” (not that it ever was), our efforts are disastrously misguided. If we are hoping that by encouraging everyone in our churches to go and witness so that we can have a grand revival, this set of parables tells us it won’t happen.

The Message of the Parables

These three parables reveal the nature of God’s kingdom in this world. It will not look like anything humans expect or desire. It can only be apprehended through faith. The growth of the kingdom does not occur through any human effort, but through the inherent power within the gospel itself. The work of the church is to sow seeds of the gospel. The church is not to force or coerce growth, because it can’t (and may only harm the growth if an attempt is made).

Just as Jesus spoke in parables to provoke thought and mystery, our gospel proclamation, in both words and deed, ought to leave plenty of room for questions and mystery. We need to leave room for God to work so that the seed is allowed to sprout when it is ready, to grow on its own schedule, and to bear fruit when it is fully ready.

Churches and Christians can set aside worries and fears that they aren’t doing enough or working hard enough, because success of the gospel is assured. We can relinquish our need to control the results of ministry and evangelism. We can rest assured that even when we see no growth, or even what appears to be retreat, the gospel is still advancing and growing.

Our task is to remain faithful to Christ, to imitate his character and actions more and more, and in so doing we sow seeds that will sprout, grow, and bear fruit on God’s schedule.

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[1] NICNT: Mark, 4:21-25 introductory text.

[2] NICNT: Mark, 4:24-25.

[3] Reading Mark, 4:1-5:43, discussion of B-B’.

[4] Feasting: Mark, location 4723.

[5] Feasting: Mark, location 4744.

[6] Feasting: Mark, locations 4660, 4686.

[7] Feasting: Mark, location 4879.

[8] NICNT: Mark, 4:30-32.

008-The Main Parable

The Gospel is One Big Parable.

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (1 hour 24 minutes)
• Text: Mark 4:1-20

Up to this point in the Markan account, the audience has not seen the contents of Jesus’ teachings. In chapter 4 we are provided with a sample of Jesus’ teachings. Through these few examples Mark gives his readers a taste of the ways in which Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God.

The material of 4:1-34 is arranged chiastically as shown here:

This session concerns A, B, C, and D. As such all conclusions remain tentative.

The following is the summary of the parables of 4:1-34.

The author of Mark uses the parables and sayings of Jesus to explain why the proclamation of God's reign is meeting with resistance and to assure the audience that despite the apparent lack of progress, God's reign will eventually burst forth in amazing fruitfulness.^[1]

The parable of the sower (or seeds or soils) is frequently interpreted parenetically; i.e., as exhortation or warning to believers. Some of these interpretations include:

• That we’re to cultivate and weed the soil (i.e., mission field)
• That we’re to strive to be fertile soil (i.e., work hard to produce fruit)
• And we’re to avoid being one of the unproductive soils (i.e., avoid the attractions of the world)

But the parable and its explanation are best understood to be descriptive.

… The allegorical interpretation is not parenetic in character… Neither seeds nor soil can change their nature, and the failure of the seeds to take root, or to flourish once they have taken root, is attributed to the influence of Satan, as we have seen. The Markan Jesus is not warning the disciples to be good soil; rather, he is warning them (and the overhearing audience) that even as the reign of God takes root and flourishes in some quarters, it will provoke opposition, persecution, and seduction from the forces of evil. It is the nature of the reign of God to provoke opposition; it cannot be otherwise.^[2]

The context in which this parable is to be read and interpreted is that of the immediate circumstances in which Christians were facing trials, persecutions, and possibly death. Perhaps some were being forced out of their homes and away from their families while some who once worshiped together were renouncing the faith they had once received with joy and eagerness. Through this parable the early Christians understood that the very same gospel that draws people to Christ can also elicit opposing responses.

There is nothing in the parables to exhort people to become better soil, to grow, or to bear fruit. Rather the only exhortation is to listen and understand the parable itself: that the gospel elicits different kinds of judgment from the people that come into contact with it, and that it is not the fault of the gospel nor the ones who sow, but rather it simply is.

The parable must also be understood in the context that the gospel is a hidden secret, a mystery, until the Passion and Resurrection. Even then, the gospel remains a mystery to those who refuse to exercise faith.

The parable of the sower is a description, not an exhortation.

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[1] Reading Mark, 4:1-34.

[2] Reading Mark, 4:1-34.

003-Signs of the Kingdom

Magic produces amazement (almost never a favorable term in Mark’s Gospel), but amazement is not faith.^[1]

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (56 minutes)
• Text: Mark 1:16-34

Jesus has announced the arrival of the kingdom of God. He is proclaiming the gospel of God and calling on hearers to repent and believe (1:14-15). The next section of Mark’s gospel account provides examples of the gospel, the kingdom of God, repentance, and what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God.

The telling of the call of the first disciples is just as abrupt as the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus in the gospel. Modern readers may be tempted to read it from the perspective of a “fifth gospel” where all the accounts are harmonized and we are able to explain why Simon, Andrew, James, and John leave and follow Jesus, but that does injustice to Mark’s purposes. This is not a factual account in our sense of the word, but a highly stylized account that highlights the immediacy of the decision in light of the judgment motifs of the kingdom and provides an example of the repentance that Jesus calls for.

In this account we see no mention of personal “sin” from which the disciples are repenting of. Rather they are rearranging their priorities. Following Jesus into the kingdom takes precedence over tending to the family business (but as we see a little farther down, they do not abandon their families). What this says about repentance is that we need to spend less time talking about and addressing sin and far more focus on the proper arrangement of priorities in light of Jesus and the kingdom of God. 

(See discussion outline for some historical and religious perspectives on the significance of “fishing” that sheds light on why “fishermen” being called to “fish for people” is far more than just a play on words.)

In the next episode Jesus is seen in Capernaum, in a synagogue, on the Sabbath. these three  motifs appears again in chapter 2 where we are given a contrast to what is portrayed here in chapter 1. Here there is no confrontation between Jesus and the people. The people are amazed by Jesus’ teaching. When an unclean spirit tries to challenge Jesus’ authority by speaking his name and title, it is immediately rebuked, silenced, and driven out. The people are further amazed and Jesus’ authority over the kingdom of Satan is demonstrated.

(See discussion outline for significance of demons attempting to utter Jesus’ name and divine title as a way to exert control over him. It is not merely a confession of their knowledge about Jesus.)

The people are amazed but they do not show faith/trust in Jesus. They are impressed by Jesus and want the benefits of his “magic” but they have no desire to repent and direct their lives toward God. Just as with the crowds that came to John the Baptist, they confess but they do not repent.

The scene moves to Simon’s mother-in-law’s home where she is sick. Here Jesus demonstrates authority over disease by healing her. Jesus has now performed two “works” on the Sabbath, something that will soon bring him into conflict with the religious leaders.

In response to her healing, the mother-in-law’s response is to serve. Jesus does not call her to follow as he did her sons, but her response is still a response of a disciple and a demonstration of repentance: to serve when God’s power, authority, and kingdom brings a change in circumstances. Once more there is no mention of personal sin. Here we see that not everyone is called to follow as Apostles were called. Some are called away from their current lives; others are called to stay and serve. Both are necessary in the building up of God’s kingdom.

In the final vignette for this session we see that a crowd has gathered outside the home. It is now after the Sabbath and people can carry the sick and ask for healing without violating any of their laws and traditions. Out of compassion and mercy Jesus offers healing and freedom, but the people are not looking to change their priorities – repent. Thus we will see next time that Jesus cannot stay. He must move on to continue to “fish for people” that are receptive to repentance.

In these opening stories we begin to gain a portrait of what a disciple of Christ – a Christian – looks like:

A Christian is not merely someone who professes and confesses Jesus Christ.
He is not merely someone who follows Christ.
She is someone who imitates Jesus’ acts of freeing the oppressed.

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[1] Feasting: Mark, location 1689.

002-What’s So Great About Repentance?

Unlike Matthew, Mark seems to have no difficulty with Jesus undergoing John’s baptism of repentance even though Jesus had no need to repent.[1]

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (1h07 minutes)
• Text: Mark 1:9-15

As we read Mark, we can make assumptions about the traditions about Jesus that he knew. If he was recording Peter’s knowledge, Mark certainly knew that Jesus was personally sinless. Yet in these opening verses, Mark chooses to deliberately omit those parts of the tradition that object to Jesus being baptized. Jesus is baptized with a “baptism of repentance.” We, as the audience, are left to wrestle with Mark’s choices of inclusion and exclusion.

Repentance and repenting are not exactly popular concepts within modern Christianity. I’ve noticed one of two ways of dealing with it. One is for churches to not talk about it – to ignore it. It is too embarrassing, too uncomfortable, it evokes too much in the way of guilt and shame. Don’t talk too much about sin, and don’t talk too much about repentance – seems to be the first way of dealing with it.

The second way is to talk about it all the time. The world is lost in sin and the Christian has been commissioned to identify that problem and bring people to repentance. Sermons frequently identify different types of sin and exhort listeners to repent and be saved. The constant focus, conscious or not, is on the ongoing failure of humanity to measure up to God’s standards and thus our need of repentance. The question is always there: have we sufficiently repented of our sins? For many this constant reminder of sins and guilt and shame leads to fear and in some cases, abandoning Christianity.

Both approaches to repentance – ignoring it and dwelling on it – are based on the premise that “repent” is defined primarily in its relationship to sin and more specifically, personal sin. But is this what Mark (and Peter) had in mind when the gospel opens with both John the Baptist and Jesus calling on people to “repent”, and when Jesus himself undergoes a baptism of repentance?

Sin Infects the Entire Community

The biggest mistake Western Christians make about sin and repentance is to see it primarily through our individualistic culture. For decades and even a couple of centuries now, Christianity has spoken primarily of personal salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus and/or God. But such a notion would have been rather foreign to Mark and his audience.

Do not forget that Metanoeite! [Repent!] is a plural verb. Over the years, in English, we have downsized this powerful Greek verb into a singular, private affair. Of course, a person’s decision whether or not to follow Jesus is deeply personal, but Metanoeite! is a plural imperative that extends beyond one’s personal decision. Mark refuses to reduce Metanoeite! to a privatized response, as though the invitation of Jesus involved “just me and Jesus.” Mark will have none of that. “Believing the gospel” is a group effort. Christian life is lived in community, always in community, no matter how many blemishes or scars.[2]

Sin has infected the entire human community. It doesn’t matter if just one individual sins or all of them. All have sinned. When Jesus chooses to become incarnate as a human, he chooses to take upon himself sin. He does not have personal sin, but that is of little consequence. He has placed himself under the curse of sin, and to exit the curse, to defeat it, requires that he too, repent. Therefore, Jesus must undergo a public demonstration of his repentance.

But for Jesus (and Mark as he writes) turning away from sin is a very tiny part of repentance. For Jesus repentance is turning to God, committing himself to God’s will and purposes, and making the decisions all through his life in line with a journey toward God. Jesus rejects the temptation to sin of self-preservation. He rejects the basis of power and empire of this world and reveals a different kind of kingdom, one based not on self-preservation but on self-sacrifice.

To prepare for participation in the reign of God means a complete reversal of mindset (metanoeite is usually translated "Repent!" but this is much more all-encompassing than mere regret or admission of fault). This reversal of mindset amounts to putting unreserved trust in the good news from God and about God that will unfold in the course of the narrative. That is all the Markan Jesus asks- a complete reversal of humanity's values, priorities, and ground of security.[3]

Testing Continues Through This Life

Unlike the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke, there is no “finish” to the period of testing/temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. There is no decisive victory. By this lack of a “finish” Mark tells his audience (Christians undergoing crisis and persecution) that like Jesus, the testing and suffering will continue through their entire lives, that they may well not experience any respite from it in this life. But the encouragement is that a “wilderness experience” is not a sign of God’s abandonment but quite to the contrary, God’s will can be accomplished through it. Not only that but heavenly ministers will minister to them during this trying period. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark writes that angels minister to Jesus throughout his testing period.

The Kingdom Is Here – Repent!

The Kingdom of God is vastly different from the kingdoms of the world. The two are based on diametrically opposed systems of power and governance. All human systems are based on hierarchy and power that leads to tyranny and corruption as those more powerful attempt to retain their positions and privileges through manipulation, deceit, and force.

Human history is a continued record of one kingdom conquering another, to be conquered by yet another. In many cases the conquering kingdom has noble vision and high ideals, but as it is established it falls to the same temptation that caused its predecessor to fall.

The same can be said not just of political powers but business and religious groups.

Therefore, repentance is the good news of the kingdom of God.

“The kingdom of God” here means the rule of God, and Jesus' message signifies that God has begun to establish his rule in a world viewed by many religious Jews as under the tyranny of Satan and evil.[4]

Jesus' action in confronting Satan, sin, disease and death, and subduing nature is the sign that the end stands as the next act of God in man's future. Provision has been made for men to repent, but there is no time for delay. Only through repentance can a man participate with joy in the kingdom when it does break forth… Either a man submits to the summons of God or he chooses this world and its riches and honor. The either/or character of this decision is of immense importance and permits of no postponement. That is what repentance is all about.[5]

We do not have to repeat the past. We can have a new beginning and enter into a new way of life. This is the meaning of Jesus’ opening announcement in Mark’s gospel account.

Without question, Metanoeite! carries with it the notion that we have some changing to do, some new directions to take; its primary orientation, though, is toward God’s future rather than our past. In Mark, Metanoeite! is an invitation to trust in a future made possible by the grace of God. The first word Jesus speaks in Mark’s Gospel is “Metanoeite!” Why? Because in Jesus, God makes it possible for God’s people to do more than rerun the past. That is the gospel, the good news, the glad tidings toward which Jesus invites us to stop, turn, or turn again, and hold on to for dear life. Metanoeite! says our Lord; things do not have to stay the way they are now! In fact, to follow Jesus means that things cannot stay the way they are…[6]

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[1] Exploring Mark, p.43.

[2] Feasting: Mark, location 1284.

[3] Reading Mark, 1:1-13.

[4] UBC: Mark, 1:14-20.

[5] NICNT: Mark, 1:14-15.

[6] Feasting: Mark, location 1260.

001-Background and Introduction

How can the one “crucified in weakness” (2 Cor. 13:4) be the Mighty One of divine power? This tensive question drives the plot of Mark’s Gospel.[1]

• Discussion Outline
• Discussion Audio (55 minutes)
• Text: Mark 1:1-8

"Colosseum in Rome, Italy - April 2007" by Diliff - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.

The author of Mark’s gospel account redefines what euangelion (i.e., gospel) means to its audience. To its Roman audience the gospel is about a new royalty that supplants Caesar. To its Jewish audience the gospel is transition between the Present Age and the Age to Come – it is the promised Day of the Lord.

The word “gospel” (euangelion), “good news,” refers to the church’s message of God’s saving act in Jesus, the message proclaimed by the church of Mark’s day and ours. It does not here refer to a book representing the life and teaching of Jesus, a meaning the word did not attain until the middle of the second century.[2]

The opening of the gospel account is a recounting of an invasion; an invasion of God and his power into the realm of sin and darkness.

Mark is the story of an invasion, an invasion of this world by God and God’s reign… This is an invasion that is going forward without any invitation. This is an invasion that neither expects nor requires any real receptivity on the part of those for whom the invasion is planned.[3]

Mark was written to a church in crisis; a church facing persecution, martyrdom, and even death. How does the story of a crucified Jesus give strength and hope to a suffering church? Mark invites his readers to place themselves in Jesus’ place, to experience his trials, and to take strength and encouragement in his story of faithfulness, even to the cross. Mark introduces the “wilderness” as a place where God is most present, where he draws closest to his people, where the exodus and salvation takes place.

The biblical concept of repentance, however, is deeply rooted in the wilderness tradition. In the earliest stratum of OT prophecy, the summons to "turn" basically connotes a return to the original relationship with the Lord. This means a return to the beginning of God's history with his people, a return to the wilderness.[4]

Summary Points

1. Mark’s gospel account: written for Christians facing crisis with all the questions of theodicy and the like that suffering and persecution raises
2. “The gospel,” for Mark, is the explanation and meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and how that speaks to Christians
3. Mark’s gospel account is not primarily for evangelism, but for encouragement and exhortation to those that already believe
4. Mystery surrounding Jesus and who he is figure prominently in Mark’s gospel
5. It might be seen as midrash (commentary) on the second half of Isaiah
6. The Exodus and wilderness wanderings figure as prominent motifs of salvation story
7. The gospel is not static – it continues with every generation of the Church

What could it mean for congregations to believe that we, here today, are part of this ongoing story of good news, that the end of the story has not yet been written?[5]

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[1] Feasting: Mark, location 658.

[2] Feasting: Mark, location 617.

[3] Feasting: Mark, location 522.

[4] NICNT: Mark, 1:4-5.

[5] Feasting: Mark, location 674.