Mark was written "during the terrible persecution of Emperor Nero," after "the burning of Rome…AD 64 but before the fall of Jerusalem" to Rome in AD 70. (SV) It was written to Gentile believers who were under that persecution. It has, as SourceView says, "non-Jewish flavour and notable allusions to Roman customs" which point to a Gentile audience. The birth and genealogy of the Jesus is left out which would have been very important to a Jewish audience, further supporting Gentile readers. He doesn't spend as much time on prophecies as Matthew did and instead portrays Jesus as a "Man of action" who did many miracles. I'm sure that would have instilled confidence into the Gentiles rather than fulfilled prophecies and parables. (There's only nine parables in Mark)
Mark is the author of this book. He full name was John Mark and he was the "son of a Jerusalem widow whose home was a meeting place for early believers." (SV) Mark "was Peter's translator" recording "the events as he heard them firsthand." (SV) It is a very fast paced gospel, Mark gets to the point and still manages quite a bit of detail in the process. It is estimated that this book ranges from AD 55-68. He spent a lot of time with Peter and the SourceView says, "it could be said that this book is the gospel according to Peter."
A repeated idea in Mark is that of being a servant. "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." (9:35, 10:43) Jesus is the perfect servant. He does the will of the Father who sent Him. The most powerful example of this is in the garden of Gethsemane when He prays, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (14:36) He is obedient to the end and even helps God's will along.
There are also so many demons and I see Jesus' power over satan. Right away in chapter one Jesus is casting out demons and then in 3:11&12 it says, "whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of Him" they would hurl themselves to the "ground…shrieking, 'You are the Son of God!' But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was." Demons and evil spirits are brought up fourteen times in Mark. It was a major problem that Jesus needed to address and bring awareness to.
In one sentence the main idea of this book is: Jesus came to serve, impact lives and "give His life as a ransom for all people."
The primary reason this book was written was to encourage the Gentiles through Jesus' life and mainly His suffering. Nelson's says, "Almost forty percent of this Gospel is devoted to a detailed account of the last eight days of Jesus' life." (317) There is so much information and emotion surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus was/is the real deal, He did what He came to do and this book showed the Roman believers that the suffering they were going through was not in vain.
Jesus is black and white about the law. There is no grey or putting up with legalistic traditions. He often is confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees and they pose intricate questions to try and trick Him. He speaks the truth always and dumbfounds anyone who challenges Him. In 8:15 He says, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod." I love His boldness. He isn't the soft spoken, tender Jesus I learned about in Sunday school.
"The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" (1:15) Bah! Jesus is here! How amazing is it that Jesus, the Good News, is proclaiming the Good News. The word became flesh! The time has finally arrived! After so many years of silence, after passing the stories through the generations, after political change and the establishing of synagogues. God, in His faithfulness, has brought in His redemptive plan.
"Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." (6:34) This passage really challenges and convicts me. I find that it is easy to "hide" in my Christianity and not to share with those who don't know God. That scares me because it's not about keeping quiet and being filled over and over again. That is so selfish. It is about being empowered in the quiet place and in corporate times to then go out and share what I have been taught and blessed with! There are SO many sheep without a Shepard and I pray that God will increase my compassion for the lost around me, that I would be eager to teach and share and shine any way I can.
"Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!" (11:9-10) Those people sure knew how to welcome Jesus, spreading even their clothes on the ground for Him and the donkey to walk over. Some brought "leafy branches they had cut in the fields" which means that they had prepared for this or they used what they had collected for another purpose to bless Jesus. Either way doing that symbolized their reverence and admiration and excitement for Jesus! They showed Him their devotion, they told HIm by shouting praises. Yes God loves to bless us in worship times, but He also loves to see US bless Him in worship times. To not focus on ourselves and what we can get out of a worship time but what can we give, how can we show our devotion and our excitement to the One who came to our rescue.
It reminds me of the popular song that goes, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus…" I don't necessarily agree with those words. I absolutely agree that God is the only One worthy of praise but it seems to discount us from the equation. Worship is us pouring out God's praise and coming into a place of intimacy with Him. We, His children, coming before our Father and praising out of joy, brokenness, grace, thankfulness and repentant hearts. We just need to be careful that it isn't a "me time" it is a "Him time" primarily but also a "we time."
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