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The Life of Mark
The Gospel of Mark was most likely written by
a man named John Mark ( John was his Jewish
name and Mark was his Roman name). We usually
just call him Mark or Marcus. According to Colos-
sians 4:10, Mark was a cousin of Barnabas, one of
the preachers who accompanied Paul in his travels.
Mark was the son of a woman named Mary. The
disciples were meeting in her home when Peter
was released from prison (Acts 12:12). Mary may
also have been one of the women who went to
Jesus’tomb on the morning of His resurrection.
As far as we know, Mark was not a disciple
while Jesus was on earth. He became a close
friend of Simon Peter, who calls him “my son” in
1 Peter 5:13. He must have learned much about
Jesus from Peter and also from the Apostle Paul.
Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on Paul's
first missionary journey. He later split off from
Barnabas when Barnabas had a disagreement
with Paul. Later, Mark’s relationship with Paul
was restored, and they traveled together again.
The Book of Mark
The Gospel of Mark includes the most stories
about Jesus. This Gospel begins with a short de-
scription of John the Baptist and then moves
right into Jesus’ public ministry. Mark tells us
about Jesus and His disciples, devotes several
chapters to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and ends
with a passage about Jesus and His followers after
the resurrection.
Vocabulary Words
Aramaic (er′ ə mā ′ ik): native language of Jews in the New Testament period
Gentile (jen ′ tīl): someone who is not a Jew
Get Into the Bible
THE BACKGROUND OF M ARK
Lesson The Gospel of Mark
Read Your Bible – Mark 1:1-
Put your initials on the line when you have finished reading the passage.
Answer the questions.
- According to Mark 1:1, around what person is this Gospel centered?
- Read Matthew 3:1-3. Who is the person called the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” in Mark 1:3?
Mark was written specifically for Gentile
Christians, followers of Christ who did not fol-
low the Jewish laws of the Old Testament. Mark
shows Jesus as a man of action, a servant meeting
the needs of the people. Mark’s Gospel includes
only one long sermon; most of the book focuses
on the acts of Jesus. Mark shows his readers that
Jesus felt the same emotions we do. As we read
Mark, we sense how deeply Jesus related to the
people He met.
A unique quality of Mark is its briefness in
comparison to the other Gospels. For example,
the book of Luke spends two chapters and a total
of 132 verses leading up to the beginning of Jesus’
ministry. Mark describes Jesus’ baptism and
temptation in only five verses before he continues
with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The words
straightway and immediately are used more than
thirty times in Mark, conveying the sense that
Jesus lived an active, purposeful life. A key word
to remember from Mark is immediately.
Jewish Customs The book of Mark describes several Jew- ish customs that would not have been easily understood by people who were not Jews. The Old Testament book of Leviticus commands the Jews to wash to purify themselves before taking part in holy acts. Mark 7:3, 4 explains this process. God also presented the Jews with lists of ”clean” ani- mals they were allowed to eat and ”unclean” animals they were not allowed to eat. The Sadducees were a group of Jews who did not share other Jews’ beliefs in many supernatural things such as Heaven and angels. Many Sadducees were priests. Mark 12:18 mentions that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.
Aramaic Aramaic was the native language of many Jews at the time of Christ. The book of Mark uses several Aramaic terms that would have been unfamiliar to Mark’s non-Jewish readers. One is Golgotha, which means “the place of a skull,” according to Mark 15:22. Aramaic is very similar to the Hebrew of the Old Testament. In fact, some of the Old Testament was written in Aramaic. Chapters 4 through 7 of Ezra and 2 through 7 of Daniel were originally written in Aramaic. The name Aramaic comes from the old name for Syria, Aram. When the Jewish people lived in exile in Babylon, they learned Aramaic. Later, in the decades before Jesus was born, Aramaic replaced Hebrew as the everyday language of the Jewish people in Palestine. There are many Aramaic words and phrases in the Gospels, including some of Jesus’ final words on the cross. Here is a sample of Aramaic writing:
BIBLE MEMORY Write the memory verse and its reference. Memorize the verse.
THINK IT THROUGH
When Jesus was talking to the Pharisees about the custom of washing their hands, He said it is not
the things from outside that defile a man or make him unclean, but rather the things that are inside
of a man and then come out.
14. Read Mark 7:14-23 and explain what Jesus meant.
REVIEW Circle T if the statement is true and F if it is false. Correct false statements by writing the italicized part correctly on the line.
- T F Jesus is the Messiah, the One whom God anointed to deliver His people and establish God’s kingdom.
- T F A major purpose of the book of Matthew was to explain Jesus’ eternal existence.
- T F The book of Matthew starts off immediately telling of Jesus’ birth.
- T F A key phrase for the book of Matthew is kingdom of God.
Answer the questions.
- What is another name for Matthew?
- What is a word that means “good news”?
- What two commands did Jesus give His disciples near the end of the Gospel of Matthew?
- Over what two realms does Jesus have all power?
Complete the sentences.
- Matthew emphasized that Jesus is both and .
- Because of His position, Jesus has over His people.
- The book of Matthew has three sections: Jesus’ , Jesus’ , and the.
about the life of Christ. Luke states in the begin-
ning of Chapter 1 that his purpose is to give an
orderly, well-informed version of Christ’s life.
Among the four Gospels, Luke’s is the most
complete account of Christ’s life. He begins with
four chapters telling about Jesus’ early life. Luke
then focuses on Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Later he
records Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, His crucifix-
ion, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. No
Where Jesus Lived
other book of the Bible gives as many details
about the personal life of Jesus as Luke does.
Luke is also unique among the Gospels for
portraying how much attention Jesus gives to all
classes of people. Luke tells of Jesus ministering
to all groups of people, including Samaritans,
publicans, and sinners—people normally looked
down on by the Jews. He also frequently men-
tions women and children—two other classes of
people often ignored by the Jews.
Luke was careful to show his readers that the
favorite name Jesus used for Himself was Son of
man. This title emphasizes Jesus’ ability to iden-
tify with people and have compassion on them.
Remember Luke’s phrase, Son of man.
Jesus spent His life in the land of Israel, which in His day was divided into three provinces: Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Al- though Joseph and Mary were actually from Nazareth in Galilee, they traveled south to Bethlehem in Judea, where Jesus was born. The family later returned to Nazareth, so Jesus spent most of His growing-up years in Galilee. Jesus began His ministry in Galilee. Luke records several miracles Jesus performed in a town called Capernaum in Galilee: He cast out an unclean spirit, He healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law and a centurion’s servant, and He brought Jairus’s daughter back to life. On the Sea of Galilee, Jesus calmed a storm and filled Peter’s nets with fish. We learn about Jesus’ time in Samaria from John’s Gospel, which tells about Jesus giving water to a woman at a well in Samaria. Jesus only passed through Samaria and did not spend much time there. When the time of His crucifixion came near, Jesus went south toward Jerusalem in Judea. Jesus preached in various parts of Judea. In Jericho, He healed a blind man and ate with Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Finally, Jesus was crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem.
© Map Resources
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT Complete the sentences.
- Luke was a who came to faith in Christ.
- The book of Luke repeatedly calls Jesus the to show how He identified with people and had compassion on them.
- According to the book of Acts, Luke traveled with.
6. Jesus spent most of His life in the provinces of^ ,^ , and.
- The writer of Colossians calls Luke the.
- Luke tells of Jesus’ ministry to of people.
- Luke’s Gospel gives the most complete record of Jesus’.
Read the following Scriptures. Then use the map on page 12 to tell in which province each incident occurred.
- Luke 19:28-
- John 4:
- Luke 4:
BIBLE MEMORY Write the memory verse from memory, including its reference.
THINK IT THROUGH
- In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is often called the Son of man (Luke 6:5; 9:22, 26, 44, 56). Yet, in other places, He is called the Son of God (Mark 1:11; 5:7). How can these both be true?
A. Galilee B. Samaria C. Judea
Vocabulary Word
synoptic (sə näp ′ tik): seeing from the same point of view; a term applied to the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke
The Life of John
The Gospel of John was written by the Apos-
tle John, called by Jesus to be one of the twelve
disciples. John was the son of Zebedee and Sa-
lome and was also the brother of the Apostle
James. John may have been a follower of John the
Baptist before Jesus called him.
John was a fisherman along with his father and
brother James. After he began following Jesus,
John became very close to Jesus. He is the disci-
ple referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”
in John 21:20. John was with Jesus at some of the
important moments in Christ’s life. He was with
Jesus at His transfiguration, in the Garden of
Gethsemane, and at the cross.
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, John
worked with the early church. He is mentioned
several times in Acts as preaching and traveling
with Peter. John wrote three epistles that appear
as First, Second, and Third John in the New Tes-
tament. He also wrote the book of Revelation.
The Book of John
The book of John is different from the other
three Gospels, which are called the Synoptic
Gospels. The other Gospels view Jesus’ life from a
similar point of view. They all follow a similar
pattern of organization. The Synoptic Gospels
record Jesus’ acts in sequence from the beginning
of His ministry to the end, although they do not
THE BACKGROUND OF JOHN
Lesson The Gospel of John
Get Into the Bible
Read Your Bible – John 20:30, 31
Put your initials on the line when you have finished reading the passage.
Complete the sentences.
- John’s purpose in writing was to show his readers that Jesus is the , the of.
- A person who believes in Jesus as the Christ has.
Author Matthew Mark Luke John
Outline
I. Background II. Ministry III. Death andResurrection
I. Background II. Ministry III. Death andResurrection
I. Background II. Ministry III. Death andResurrection
I. Background II. Jesus is God’s Son III. Jesus in Jerusalem IV. Death andResurrection
Unique Characteristics or Emphases
Christ’s Kingly Power
Jesus a Man of Action; Most Brief Account
Most Complete Life of Christ; Jesus Ministers to All Classes
Through Jesus We Have Eternal Life Main Audience All Nations^ Gentile Christians^ Theophilus^
Those Who Are Spiritually Thirsty Length 28 Chapters 16 Chapters 24 Chapters 21 Chapters Key Term Kingdom of God Immediately Son of man Life, Light Portrays Christ As … King and Messiah^ Servant^ Son of man^ Son of God
always follow exactly the same order. John, how-
ever, focuses more on the message of Jesus. He
tells us about events in Jesus’ life only to provide a
backdrop for sharing Jesus’ teaching. Even the
parables and sermons in John are different from
those given in the Synoptic Gospels.
While the other Gospels tell of one time
Jesus went to Jerusalem, John speaks of four. It
also records several relationships Jesus had that
are not mentioned in the other Gospels. These
include His meetings with Nicodemus
(nik′ ə dē ′ məs) and the Samaritan woman at
the well. Instead of giving readers much infor-
mation about Jesus’ human background, John’s
Gospel explains His eternal existence as God.
Many unique names are given to Jesus in John,
including the Word, the Lamb of God, the Bread,
the Way, the Life, the Door, and the Light. Seven
times Jesus calls Himself I Am, the name by
which God revealed Himself in the Old Testa-
ment. Key words to remember in John are life
and light.
John reported the signs and wonders that Jesus
performed so that readers can be convinced that
Jesus is the Son of God. John shows that only
through Jesus can believers have eternal life.
( John used the word believe or a form of believe
ninety-eight times in his Gospel!) Although John
does not name a specific audience, his Gospel
definitely targets those who are spiritually thirsty;
it tells them that they can be filled with light, life,
and love.
An Overview of the Gospels
BIBLE MEMORY Write John 20:31 without looking at the verse.
THINK IT THROUGH
- Use the chart on page 16 to write at least three items comparing or contrasting the four Gospels. To help you get started, look at the outlines of the Gospels. Which Gospel’s outline is different from the others?
REVIEW Correct each false statement by crossing out the italicized word or phrase and writing the correct word.
- Jesus spent most of His life in the provinces of Galilee, Nazareth, and Judea.
- In the book of Acts, Luke traveled with Matthew.
- Matthew is called “the beloved physician.”
- The book of Mark gives the most complete account of the personal life of Christ.
- The book of Matthew shows Jesus reaching out to all classes of people.
- A key phrase for the book of Luke is Son of the Kingdom.
- Mark was a Gentile.
- Luke’s Gospel was addressed to all Jews.
