Mark's gospel: structure and major divisions

Marks Gospel

Mark's Gospel

The Gospel of Mark is one of the most important Gospels in the New Testament. It is considered so important because it provides a canonical account of the life of Jesus, and narrates the Ministry of Jesus from his baptism from John the Baptist all the way to the death and resurrection. (Bright, 2006) The gospel focuses on the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem. It deals mainly with the attempts of Jesus to perform miracles while maintaining a sense of secrecy about his own divinity, and after he predicts the events that are about to unfold, his disciples misunderstand the immanency of Jesus' demise.

Mark's Gospel does not discuss Jesus' birth or his life before his baptism. It simply refers to Jesus as the man from Galilee. The baptism of Jesus is portrayed as an interesting affair where Jesus' position had not been known to anyone, even John. Since Jesus was free of Sin, the baptism was technically not necessary, but it did symbolically show the beginning of Jesus' quest during the last part of his life. Right after the baptism, Jesus went into the desert, which was considered the domain of evil, and is where Satan tempted him. This is a rare moment when the Holy Spirit is described as a gentle bird, swooping down to protect Jesus, and Satan is cast off as Jesus repels his temptations.

After John the Baptist is thrown into prison, Jesus reveals that God has arrived and that all should repent before his arrival. This is when Jesus calls on his first disciples, Simon and Andrew. Jesus stunned people with the authority in which he taught his lessons. He cured the mother of Peter's wife, and cured a man with an evil spirit, prompting followers to begin mentioning his name.

Jesus continues with his teachings, telling his disciples to not fast, but to eat all that God provides. At this point Jesus chooses 12 disciples to follow him up the mountains. They were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, and Simon, and Judas. The teachings of Jesus continued while he spread the good word around the world. (Bright, 2006)

The gospel of Mark changes when the people of Nazareth refuse to accept Jesus. They saw him as the common carpenter that had worked among them years before, and as the son of Mary. Jesus continues his journey, however, and performs miracles like feeding thousands of people, and walking on water. Finally, Jesus enters Jerusalem as the Messiah, and Jesus warns that the temple at Jerusalem will come to an end. He predicts that the disciples will suffer and that Jerusalem will fall because of the interference with the Roman overlords, he also predicts Peter's betrayal, which Peter denies.