Lesson One

OVERVIEW

Mark

Before beginning an in-depth study of Mark's gospel, one should get a general overview of the book by reading it straight through. This should not take much more than one hour, provided that you do not spend too much time pondering difficult passages (save that for a later reading!). Your first reading should be a time to gain first impressions, as though you were reading a novel.

As you read, consider the following: First impressions

1. The very first words a person says often give us a clue as to what he or she will be talking about.

a. What are Mark's first words (see 1:1)? What do they tell us about his gospel? ______________________________________ ______________________________________

b. What are the first words of Jesus (see 1:15)?

What is the main theme of His preaching? ______________________________________ ______________________________________

2. Repetition of key words or phrases is also a clue to finding out what the author is trying to communicate. As you read through Mark's gospel, jot down:

a. The references where he repeats the key words and phrases referred to in question 1. ______________________________________ ______________________________________

b. Other words or phrases you see as being key terms. (Do not take too long to do this during the first reading; you can come back and add to your list as you proceed through the study guide.) ______________________________________ ______________________________________

3. Perhaps the most important element of interpretation is discerning the flow of the author's thought. The chapter and verse divisions in our Bibles were created long after the books were written and are sometimes even obstacles to following the author's train of thought. Don't read the gospel of Mark as a collection of proof texts to be repeated in isolation from one another. Rather, read Mark as you would any other book: a story consisting of sentences and paragraphs that relate to one another.

1:1 Title
1:2-13 Preparing the way
1:14–10:52 Jesus and the kingdom of God
1:14–4:34_________________________
1:16-45_________________________________
2:1–3:6___________________________
3:7-35__________________________________
4:1-34__________________________________
4:35–9:29_________________________
4:35–5:43_________________________
6:1-6___________________________________
6:7-13__________________________________
6:14-29_________________________________
6:30-56_________________________________
7:1-23__________________________________
7:24–8:10_________________________
8:11-21_________________________________
8:22-26_________________________________
8:27–9:13_________________________
9:14-29_________________________________
9:30–10:52________________________
9:30-50_________________________________
10:1-12_________________________________
10:13-31________________________________
10:32-45________________________________
10:46-52________________________________
11:1–16:20________________________
The Final Week
11:1-11_________________________________
11:12-26________________________________
11:27–12:44_______________________
13:1-37_________________________________
14:1-42_________________________________
14:43–15:15_______________________
15:16-47________________________________
16:1-8__________________________________
16:9-20_________________________________

The beginning of the gospel (1:1)

Messiah (1:1). A translation of the Hebrew mashiach, which is related to the greek christos, meaning "anointed one." In the Old Testament, kings of Israel were anointed with oil as a sign of their spiritual authority, with the oil representing the Spirit of God. See, for example, 1 Samuel 16:13.

Son of God (1:1). In the Old Testament, this title usually refers to the people of Israel or the king of Israel. Thus, the ideas of being chosen (as were God's people) and of deserving obedience (as the king did) are present. The title "Son of God" does not refer to the coming Messiah in the Old Testament but was probably just coming into use as a messianic title when Jesus arrived on the scene.

4. Mark 1:1 is either an introduction to verses 2-8 or a title for the entire gospel of Mark.

a. Compare Mark 1:1 with Acts 1:1. Does this help you decide whether the word beginning refers to John the Baptist (see Mark 1:2-8) or the life and ministry of Jesus (the entire gospel of Mark)? If so, why? ______________________________________ ______________________________________

b. If the word beginning is a title for the entire book, what does this tell us about the "gospel about Jesus Christ"? ______________________________________ ______________________________________

For the group

This "For the Group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select what suits your group. The main goals of this lesson are to get to know the gospel of Mark in general and the people with whom you are going to study it.

If you read through the entire gospel of Mark this week, this may be the most time-consuming lesson for you to prepare. The group leader should warn members to allow several hours for reading Mark and doing the lesson. If reading the whole book is an impossible demand on someone's time, he or she could probably get a general impression of the gospel by skimming portions of it for the story line and repeated ideas.

Worship. Some groups like to begin with prayer and/or singing. Some pray only briefly for God's guidance at the beginning but leave extended prayer until after the study.

Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, getting comfortable with one another, and encouraging a sense of common purpose. One way to establish common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of your study of Mark and out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. You can include what you hope to give to the group as well. If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met. You can then plan more time for prayer or decide to cover Mark more slowly if necessary.

You may decide to take about fifteen minutes at the beginning of your discussion of lesson 1 to talk about goals. Or you may prefer to take a whole meeting to hand out study guides, introduce the study, examine the "How to Use This Study" section, and discuss goals.

First impressions. From lesson 1 you should get, above all, first impressions of the book's themes and purposes on which to build deeper discoveries later. To focus your discussion, each group member might choose one event or teaching that was especially meaningful to him or her and explain why. Ask the group to describe Jesus briefly. This open sharing could help introduce members who do not know each other well.

You need not compare the outlines of Mark's gospel that people might have made (question 3); these are for each student's personal use. You will want to share briefly first impressions (question 1), key terms (question 2), and the meaning of Mark 1:1 (question 4).

Application. If application is unfamiliar to some group members, choose a sample paragraph from the gospel of Mark and discuss possible ways of applying it. Try to state specifically how the passage is relevant to you and how you might act in light of it. Think of responses you might actually do, not just ideal responses (or something that "someone else" should do!). Do not forget that praying for ability, courage, discipline, or guidance to do something is an appropriate application of a passage.

Give the group a chance to voice any questions about the book or its historical background. You may decide to postpone answering some questions until you deal with the relevant passage, but you can keep the group's questions in mind.

As you go through each lesson, you will notice that although a few application questions are included (as well as the "Optional Application" questions), most questions deal with the content of the gospel. If there is no application question that relates to a question or concern that interests you, don't let that stop you from doing your own application. The relative scarcity of application questions in some lessons is not meant to deemphasize the need to apply Scripture to our lives but rather to emphasize that we need to come to terms with the content of the gospel before we can apply it.

Wrap-up. The wrap-up is a time to bring the discussion to a focused end and make any announcements about the next lesson or meeting. For example, some lessons cover more material and include more questions than others. Prior to such a longer lesson, you may wish to decide whether you should cover it in two meetings.

Worship. Praise God for His wisdom in giving us four Gospels, and especially the gospel of Mark, almost certainly the first of the four written. Praise Him for what He reveals about Himself in this book. Ask Him to help you "see Him more clearly, follow Him more nearly, and love Him more dearly" in all you do through your study of Mark's gospel.

The Kingdom of God: Already but Not Yet

"One dare not think he or she can properly interpret the Gospels without a clear understanding of the concept of the kingdom of God in the ministry of Jesus." This may sound like strong language, but it is true.

The Jews whom Jesus addressed believed they lived at the brink of the end of "this age" and the beginning of "the age to come." They were waiting for the Messiah, who would usher in the age to come, the prophesied time when God would defeat all evildoers and rule the world with peace, justice, health, and prosperity. This time of God's rule was called "the Kingdom of God."

When John the Baptist announced that the kingdom of God was at hand, people were on pins and needles waiting to see the Messiah appear and bring on the end. They expected the Messiah to be a warrior-king who would overthrow the evil Romans. When Jesus did the prophesied signs of the Messiah and the kingdom — healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons — His disciples thought this was it: The age of righteousness was beginning. His crucifixion crushed them, but His resurrection restored their hope that now, surely, He would bring the kingdom to fulfillment.

However, by only a few months after the Resurrection, the disciples realized that Jesus had come to usher in not the "final" end but rather the "beginning" of the end, as it were. Thus, they came to see that with Jesus' death and resurrection and with the coming of the Spirit, the blessings and benefits of the future had already come. In a sense, therefore, the end had already come. But in another sense, the end had not yet fully come. It was already but not yet.

The key to understanding Jesus' ministry and teaching is this tension between already and not yet. The kingdom of God — the time of God's rule on earth — has come, but it has not fully come. The King has come, but He will come again. The citizens of the kingdom live by the values and example of the King in a world where people live very much by their own rules. They enjoy a foretaste of the kingdom's peace, health, and freedom from sin, but await fulfillment of those benefits.