Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery I. I.On the surface, Mark’s narrative appears to be simple and straightforward, but its use of the term gospel (1:1, 14, 15: 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9) shows the author’s complex purposes in shaping his story A.Jesus is the proclaimer of God’s rule, who conquers demons yet submits to human suffering. B.He is the teacher whose words do not clarify but confound.

Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery 1.In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is called “teacher” by everyone, both followers and opponents. 2.But his parables serve to turn away rather than attract and his calls to discipleship are severe. 3.Mark presents Jesus as the “Mystery of the Kingdom of God" (mysterion tes basileias tou theou) who is identified as “Son” by God (1:11; 9:7), recognized as such by demons (5:7), but rejected by the leaders of his people, and by his followers, he is misunderstood, betrayed, and abandoned. Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery

II.All of Mark’s literary techniques are in service of a powerful story of cosmic and human conflict. A.The opening sequence (1:1-13) is an extraordinarily compressed introduction to the basic drama. 1.There is no infancy account, but Mark connects this good news to the words of the prophets (1:2-3). 2.Mark quotes scripture rarely. but when he does, he does so purposefully. Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery

3.John the Baptist appears only in his role as the forerunner of the Messiah (1:4-8): later, Mark will make John’s death a foreshadowing of Jesus’ passion (6:17-­29). 4.Jesus’ baptism is also an identification (to him and to readers) of him as God’s Son (1:9-11). 5.Jesus is in the wilderness with demons and returns to proclaim the good news of God's kingdom (1:12-15).

Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery B.The beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee unfolds three basic patterns that persist through the Gospel narrative; 1.Jesus powerfully demonstrates his authority to teach through his works of power, especially exorcisms (see 3:7-11). 2.Jesus draws people to him and, from those so attracted, selects disciples to extend His work and to “be with him” (3:13-19). 3.Jesus experiences rejection among the leaders of the people (3:1-6).

Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery C.Jesus the teacher of parables, is himself the parable of the kingdom (4:1-41). 1.Jesus tells parables in response to rejection, and his first parable (the sower) serves as a commentary on his own mission (4:1-9, 4:14-20). 2.The disciples, who as “insiders” are supposed to understand the parables, do not (4:10-13). 3.Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea shows how Mark regards him as the mystery to be deciphered (4:35-41).

Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery III.The drama of the Messiah becomes the drama of discipleship (5:1-8:26). A.The story moves forward structurally, by means of a series of doublets: two wonders on the water (4:35-11; 6:45-52), two sets of healings (5:21-42; 7:31-37), two multiplications of loaves (6:34-44; 8:1-10), two sayings on bread (6:52; 8:14-21). B.These doublets move the story from the question of the disciples in 4:41 (“Who is this man that even the wind and the seas obey him?”) to the question of Jesus in 8:29 (“Who do people say that I am?...Who do you say that I am?”).

Gospel of Mark – Good News in Mystery C.The drama centers, as earlier, on responses to Jesus’ wonderworking: Jesus is rejected by his townsfolk (6:1-6) and by the Pharisees and Scribes (7:1-23), but ordinary people respond to his wonders with faith (5:34; 6:34-31; 7:35-36). D.The disciples, however, are astonishingly unperceptive and dull (5:31; 7:18; 6:52; 8:17-21). E.Mark uses the strange healings of 7:31-37 and 8:22-26 to symbolize the condition of Jesus’ followers.