The Great Servant-Prophet; Being Nine Addresses on the Gospel of Mark.

Comparing the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

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Even Jesus remained silent about his own identity, and he encouraged others to remain quiet, too. Of course, the first readers in Mark's Roman audience were Christians, so they already knew that Jesus was the Messiah. But Mark's strategy in this portion of the narrative allowed them to feel the tension of the crowds around Jesus, who must have wondered who this man of power really was, and what he had come to do. Unfortunately, critical scholars have often taken Jesus' silence as an indication that Jesus was not self-conscious of his messianic role during his early ministry.

But as we've seen in Mark 1: In this light, it's much better to understand Jesus' silence as strategic. Jesus had a particular goal to fulfill, and he knew that the more people flocked to him, the more that goal would be hindered. Mark's narrative describing the power of the Messiah can be divided into four parts. First, Mark provided an introduction that set the tone for the entire narrative. Second, he focused on Jesus' localized ministry near the city of Capernaum. Third, he explained that Jesus' ministry expanded to the rest of the region of Galilee. And fourth, he reported that Jesus eventually moved beyond Galilee, even into predominantly Gentile areas.

We'll look at each of these three sections, beginning with the introduction in Mark 1: Mark indicated that Jesus' central purpose in Galilee was to preach the gospel or good news that the kingdom of God was near, and that its blessings were offered to all those who would repent and believe. Throughout his record of the power of the Messiah, Mark focused on Jesus' ministry in and around the region of Galilee, beginning near the city of Capernaum, and spreading out from there.

By comparing Mark's account with the other gospels, it appears that Mark omitted times when Jesus ministered in other places. These omissions indicated that Mark's goal was to report Jesus' activities and strategy in the region of Galilee, rather than to provide a detailed report of all his travels.

After the introduction, Mark described Jesus' ministry near the city of Capernaum in the region of Galilee in Mark 1: Mark began by reporting that Jesus called his first disciples in Mark 1: In this section, we see that one way people responded to Jesus was in radical obedience.

Jesus told them to follow him, so they dropped what they were doing and became his disciples. Next, Jesus proclaimed the gospel by teaching and working miracles in Capernaum in Mark 1: During this time Jesus' fame began to spread throughout Galilee, as it would continue to do so throughout his ministry.

Because of his growing fame, crowds began to gather around Jesus, often hindering his ability to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel. So, he began to instruct others not to promote him as Messiah. Jesus then left Capernaum and began teaching and performing miracles in neighboring villages, as we see in Mark 1: Jesus moved to neighboring villages partly to spread his gospel through his teaching and miracles.

But he also did it to escape the crowds in Capernaum that were preventing him from ministering freely. As he had done previously, he encouraged those he met not to spread reports about him. Next, Mark reported that Jesus returned to Capernaum, where he clashed with Jewish leaders, as we read in Mark 2: This part of Mark's gospel deals with things like Jesus' authority to forgive sin, his justification for ministering to sinners, and his teachings about the Sabbath.

But it also introduces another consequence of his growing fame: Jesus' detractors began to grow in number, and to oppose him more strongly. In fact, the section ends by foreshadowing Jesus' death. Now that we've surveyed Jesus' work near Capernaum, let's see how he expanded his ministry throughout the region of Galilee in Mark 3: At this stage, Jesus preached and demonstrated the nearness of God's kingdom in new areas, moving beyond Capernaum to the rest of the surrounding region.

As he preached repentance and faith in these areas, he continued to attract crowds, and to inspire strong opposition. This paragraph sets the tone for the entire section by emphasizing that Jesus' fame was spreading everywhere, despite his attempts to minimize it. And the resulting crowds that gathered around him made it difficult for him to minister. This difficulty appears to be one reason that Jesus extended his ministry to other areas of Galilee.

The next section of this narrative reports Jesus' appointment of twelve of his followers to be his special disciples, as we read in Mark 3: Jesus chose these twelve disciples to help him preach the gospel and perform miracles. But Mark also reminded his readers that one of these disciples would eventually betray Jesus. Opposition to Jesus would come not just from his enemies, but even from his closest followers.

After this, Mark reported the opposition Jesus faced from teachers of the law and from his own family, as we see in Mark 3: This narrative demonstrates that as Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom with miraculous power, he faced opposition from all sides. Rather than receiving him as the Messiah, the teachers of the law believed he was possessed by the devil, and his own family believed he had lost his mind. Following this, Jesus proclaimed the gospel through parables about the kingdom of God in Mark 4: Jesus commonly taught in parables when he was surrounded by unbelievers.

He did this in order to reveal God's kingdom to those who believed, and to hide it from those who did not. As he told his disciples in Mark 4: Sadly, sometimes Jesus' parables also confused his disciples. But when this happened, Jesus explained his meaning in private to make sure they understood. The main point of the parables in this section of Mark's narrative is that God would bring in the fullness of his kingdom only after a long process of slow growth through the spread of the gospel.

Jesus was bringing God's kingdom to earth.

Examining the Four Gospels

But he was doing it in a prolonged way that would often require his followers to face suffering and opposition, just as he had. Here, Mark reported that Jesus controlled the weather, cast out demons, healed disease, and raised the dead. In each of these stories, the people were terrified in the face of danger.

But after Jesus miraculously rescued them, their terror actually increased, because they didn't understand who this man of power really was. Following these displays of power, Mark wrote about the opposition Jesus faced in his hometown of Nazareth in Mark 6: This narrative reemphasizes that many people strongly opposed Jesus at this stage in his ministry. Even as his gospel spread with power, and the crowds following him increased, the people of his own hometown rejected him and his gospel.

Finally, the account of Jesus' ministry in the region of Galilee concludes with the sending of the twelve disciples in Mark 6: Jesus sent his 12 disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom and to perform miracles throughout the land of Palestine. But Jesus also made it clear that as the disciples spread the gospel of repentance and faith, people would respond to them in the same way they had responded to him. Some people would accept them, but others would reject them. Jesus consistently taught that the kingdom of God continues to grow despite its opposition.

After reporting Jesus' gospel ministry near the city of Capernaum and the surrounding region of Galilee, Mark turned his attention to the power of the Messiah in Jesus' ministry beyond Galilee in Mark 6: In recording Jesus' work beyond the region of Galilee, Mark continued to emphasize some of the themes we've already seen.

He reported the powerful spread of the proclamation of the kingdom, and the reaction of enthusiastic crowds, and the increasing number of Jesus' opponents. But Mark also began to focus on the disciples in new ways. He emphasized the ways Jesus trained them for the difficult days ahead.

And he called attention to the ways they regularly misunderstood his teaching and failed in their commitments to him. Mark's report of Jesus' ministry beyond Galilee begins with an emphasis on Jesus' growing fame in Mark 6: In the past, when Jesus had limited his ministry to the area around Capernaum, his fame had spread throughout the entire region of Galilee. And now his fame continued to precede him. As Jesus remained on the outskirts of Galilee, his fame was spreading throughout Palestine and even reached King Herod.

Mark also used this opportunity to address a question about Jesus' identity. Next, Mark reported several miracles in Mark 6: This section begins with Jesus attempting to withdraw from the crowds, but then it describes several works of power that demonstrate why the crowds had gathered in the first place. Jesus displayed his power by feeding crowds of 5, people and 4, people, by walking on water in the Sea of Galilee, and by healing the blind and the deaf. His miracles demonstrated his undeniable control over all creation.

And because of these powerful miracles, the crowds followed Jesus wherever he went. Sometimes they even preceded him. Following Jesus' miracles, Mark reported the continuing opposition from the Pharisees in Mark 7: Jesus and the Pharisees clashed over the proper way to observe the Old Testament Law, the value of traditions, and the nature of holiness. And as a result, the tension between Jesus and the influential Jewish parties increased. Lastly, Mark reported another set of miracles in Mark 7: This section begins and ends with statements about Jesus trying to avoid and even to prevent crowds.

And between these statements, it reports that Jesus performed many miracles among both Jews and Gentiles. And it even records that some Gentiles had faith in him. In the midst of this list of miracles, Mark drew special attention to the shortcomings of Jesus' disciples. Earlier in his ministry, the disciples had failed to understand the parable of the sower, as we see in Mark 4: And at this point, they still weren't able to understand some of his teachings.

So, Jesus confronted them directly. Listen to Mark's record in Mark 8: Jesus was talking about spiritual corruption, but his disciples thought he was talking about bread for their stomachs. It's easy to see why Jesus would have been frustrated with them. Throughout Mark's report of Jesus' power as the Messiah, Jesus' miracles and teaching confirmed that he really was the Christ. So, why did so many people oppose him? Why did they reject him? Why did even his disciples have such difficulty understanding and following him? It was largely because Jesus was not the kind of Messiah people anticipated.

Instead of rising to political supremacy as they had expected, he was using his power to preach the gospel and minister to the needs of others. Mark's original readers probably experienced the same tension the twelve disciples felt over the kind of Messiah Jesus was. The church in Rome had been planted at a time when Christianity was well received.

And like much of the early church, they had probably expected Jesus to return relatively quickly to consummate his kingdom on earth. But instead, the passing years brought horrible suffering and persecution under Nero. So, Mark made it clear that Jesus would always be the powerful Messiah, even though he doesn't always do the things his followers expect.

And because he's the powerful Messiah, believers can trust that when the time is right, he will victoriously consummate his kingdom just as he promised. But in the meantime, he is still the Lord, and he can sustain us through whatever troubles we face. After Mark's long narrative describing the power of the Messiah, we come to the third main section of his gospel: This is the famous scene on the way to Caesarea Philippi in which Jesus drew out of his disciples the confession that he was the Christ. And almost every Markan scholar agrees that it forms the centerpiece of Mark's gospel.

But since that verse, the word "Christ" had not appeared anywhere in Mark's gospel. Mark had not spoken of Jesus as the Christ. He had not reported that the disciples had called him the Christ, or that the people who witnessed him had speculated that he was the Christ, or even that the demons had used the term Christ. In fact, nearly everyone who had tried to identify Jesus had been wrong.

They thought he was a mere miracle worker, or a prophet, or John the Baptist, or a lunatic, or a demoniac possessed by Beelzebub. But at this moment, Jesus decided it was time to press his disciples to acknowledge who he really was. Listen to their dialogue in Mark 8: After 8 chapters of evidence, the apostles finally affirmed their belief that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the one who was bringing the kingdom of God. After the apostles' affirmation of the Messiah, the fourth major section of Mark's gospel deals with the suffering of the Messiah.

This section extends from 8: In the first half of his gospel, Mark had focused on how Jesus' powerful ministry led up to the glorious affirmation that he is the Christ.

A Christian Resource for Leadership and Teamwork Development

But at this point, Mark began to emphasize a different aspect of Jesus' messianic work: Mark's record of the suffering of the Messiah divides into three main sections: Jesus' preparation of his disciples for his suffering and death, his confrontation with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem that provoked his suffering and death, and finally his experience of suffering and death. We'll explore each of these sections, beginning with his preparation in Mark 8: The material describing Jesus' preparation of his disciples can be divided into three main parts, each of which begins with him predicting his suffering, death and resurrection.

The first section focuses on Jesus as Lord of the Kingdom in Mark 8: Mark began with a report of Jesus' unexpected strategy for bringing God's glorious kingdom to earth namely Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection which Mark explained in 8: Throughout his teachings in this section, Jesus talked about his own suffering, and warned his disciples that they would also have to suffer as they continued his gospel ministry.

After this, Mark called attention to Jesus' unique authority by reporting an event commonly known as the Transfiguration in Mark 9: In this event, Jesus' glory was revealed visibly to Peter, James and John. Moses and Elijah also appeared with Jesus, indicating that Jesus affirmed and continued in the teachings of the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament.

But God commanded the disciples to honor and obey Jesus above even Moses and Elijah. This event prepared Jesus' disciples by reminding them to remain loyal to Jesus above all others and by encouraging them that loyalty to Jesus was the purest form of loyalty to God and his Old Testament revelation. Finally, Mark focused on Jesus' unique power by revealing his ability to control demons in Mark 9: Jesus' disciples could not exorcise a particularly difficult demon, and Jesus taught that such demons could only be exorcised through prayer.

But Jesus himself was able to cast out the demon with a simple command. In this way, he demonstrated his superiority over all others, and ensured his disciples that he had unlimited power to bring his will to pass. Regardless of the doubts and fears they were to experience when he was killed, his power should have encouraged them to stand fast in their faith in him.

The second part of Mark's account of Jesus' preparation for his suffering, death and resurrection deals with the values of the kingdom of God, and is found in Mark 9: Like each section of Mark's account of Jesus' preparation for Jerusalem, this one begins with Jesus predicting his suffering, death and resurrection. This helps us see that Mark was still emphasizing the disciples' preparation for those events. After this prediction, Jesus continued to prepare his disciples by explaining that God does not judge things the same way human beings do. So, no matter what they suffered, and no matter what strange things happened, they weren't to judge matters in the way the world does.

Rather, they were to be assured that God was using these events to bring in his kingdom and to glorify Jesus. After Jesus' prediction in Mark 9: In this section, Jesus demonstrated how worldly intuitions clash with God's truth in five areas of life. First, Jesus talked about honor in Mark 9: Second, Jesus talked about worth in Mark 9: Specifically, he instructed his followers to get rid of anything that hindered them from pursuing the goals of the kingdom of God, regardless of how valuable those things seemed to be in this life. Third, Jesus talked about marriage in Mark His point was that marriage and divorce should ultimately be reckoned according to God's law rather than human law even if human law seemed to be intuitively more fair.

Fourth, Jesus talked about children again in Mark Despite what Jesus had said earlier, his disciples were still preventing children from approaching him. In response, Jesus reminded them that God had already given the kingdom to these children, so that by refusing the children the disciples were opposing God.

And fifth, Jesus talked about wealth in Mark This is the well-known story of the rich young ruler, who was dismayed when Jesus told him that his attachment to money was hindering him from embracing the values of the kingdom of God. In each of these sections of teaching, Jesus explained the values of God's kingdom so that his disciples would be better prepared to accept his suffering death, as well as the hardship they would have to endure as his followers.

The third part of Mark's account in Jesus' preparation for Jerusalem deals with leadership in the kingdom of God in Mark After predicting his suffering, death and resurrection in Mark First, he said that James and John would have to share in his suffering in Mark They would drink of the same cup and undergo the same baptism. These metaphors implied that Jesus' followers would have to share in his sufferings because of their service to him. Second, Jesus described leadership in the kingdom as service in Mark He had mentioned this idea twice before when talking about the values in the kingdom.

But this was the first time he had explained the reason behind it: Christian leaders have to be servants because they follow the model of Christ, who himself acted as a servant by suffering and dying for sin. Third, Jesus demonstrated the motivation for servant leadership by showing mercy to the blind man Bartimaeus. Servant leaders are not to make sacrifices just because they want a greater reward in the kingdom, but because they truly have compassion for those they serve. Jesus insisted that leadership in the kingdom of God can't be modeled on the world's pattern of leadership.

Instead, it needs to follow his own example of suffering. In some ways, this must have been disheartening news to Mark's readers in Rome. Instead of reassuring them that their suffering was abnormal and would soon pass, Mark's gospel assured them that suffering was the standard for those who follow Christ.

But at the same time, this news should have had an encouraging side. The suffering of the church is part of Christ's plan for victory. As Paul wrote in Romans 8: After reporting Jesus' preparation of his disciples, Mark turned to Jesus' confrontation with the Jewish leaders in Mark Mark's record of confrontation divides into two main parts: First, narratives of opposition in 8: And second, the Olivet Discourse in Throughout this section of his gospel, Mark reported how Jesus forced the hand of the Jewish leaders.

In earlier parts of Mark's gospel, Jesus had not looked for conflict with the Jewish leaders; he had faced opposition primarily as people had objected to his ministry of mercy. But in this section, Mark reported that Jesus actively sought opposition, in order to move toward his crucifixion. First, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Mark Next, his condemnation of Israel as a withered fig tree in Mark Jesus' also argued with the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders in Mark After defeating their challenge to his authority, he told the parable of the vineyard tenants that accused the Jewish leadership of mutiny against God.

At this point, they were ready to arrest him, but their fear of the crowds discouraged them. After this, in Mark And finally, he attacked the teachers of the law in Mark Although Jesus admitted that some of them knew the law, he insisted that as a whole they were controlled by greed and worldly ambition. In one way or another, Jesus forced a public confrontation with every party of influential Jews: He gave every group a reason to hate him and to seek his death, in order to provoke them into killing him.

The second major section of Jesus' confrontation with the Jewish leadership is a discourse between Jesus and his disciples. This discourse is commonly called the Olivet Discourse because it took place on the Mount of Olives. Broadly speaking, it spans Mark In this section, Jesus warned his disciples of the hardship they would face in the future so that they would not be caught off guard.

He taught them that they would be dragged before rulers to testify about him. They would be beaten. They would be hated. Their families would fall apart. They would suffer natural disasters and great tribulation. In fact, he made it clear that persecution and suffering would characterize the church until his return.

But Jesus also gave his disciples great hope by assuring them of the final victory of the kingdom of God. Predictably, Jesus' words to his disciples continued to incite the Jewish leaders against him. But as we see in Mark Now that we've looked at Mark's account of the suffering of the Messiah in terms of Jesus' preparation of his disciples and confrontation with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, we're ready to turn to Jesus' experience of suffering and death in Mark The record of Jesus' actual experience of suffering and death is filled with well-known events: These are dark, threatening chapters.

The mood is foreboding. They are filled with failure: Writing to a persecuted Roman church, Mark made it clear that the Jerusalem birth pangs of Christianity had been as severe as any in Rome. Mark's record of Jesus' experience of suffering and death can be divided into four main parts, beginning with his anointing for burial in Mark In this section, Mark reported some very important details. First, he said that the chief priests and teachers of the law were looking for a way to arrest and kill Jesus.

Second, a woman anointed Jesus with very expensive perfume, and he responded by saying that she had anointed him for burial. In this way, Jesus indicated that he would be killed in the immediate future.

Third, Judas Iscariot began plotting to betray Jesus to the chief priests and teachers of the law. We might see this as the turning point in the story of Jesus' suffering and death. His death was no longer a vague threat but an imminent reality. This part of Mark's narrative begins with Jesus and his disciples preparing for and eating the Last Supper in Mark It was during this meal that Jesus instituted the Christian ordinance of the Lord's Supper.

He also used this time to give his disciples some final preparations to help them through his suffering and death. For example, he warned them that they would all fall away from him, and he foretold Peter's denials. According to this passage, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled, and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

He was clearly suffering greatly in anticipation of his crucifixion. The third section of Mark's report of Jesus' experience of suffering and death is the account of Jesus' arrest and trials in Mark This section begins with Jesus' betrayal by his disciple Judas Iscariot in Mark It continues with his trial before the Jewish leadership in Mark Next, we read the report of Peter's denials that he knew and followed Jesus in Mark And finally, we read about his trial before the Roman governor Pilate in Mark At the end of these humiliating experiences, Jesus was flogged, and then handed over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

The fourth part of Mark's report of Jesus' experience of suffering and death covers Jesus' crucifixion in Mark It begins with Jesus being handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten, humiliated, and put to death on a cross like a common criminal. From a human perspective, his suffering was overwhelming.

The fact that Jesus suffered this mistreatment at the hands of the Romans would have connected these events strongly to Mark's original audience of Roman Christians. They would have quickly seen the parallels between their Lord's suffering and their own, and should have taken his courage as an inspiration for them to persevere through their own difficulties. But the worst part of Jesus' suffering was that the sin of the world was laid upon him, and he was subjected to the wrath of God the Father.

Finally, after he was dead, he was laid in a tomb, his body unprepared for burial because there was no time left before the Sabbath. Now that we've looked at the announcement of the Messiah, the power of the Messiah, the apostles' affirmation of the Messiah, and the suffering of the Messiah, we're finally ready to turn to the victory of the Messiah in Mark Before we get into the content of this section, we should pause to explain why we say that the Gospel of Mark ends in After all, most of our Bibles have twenty verses in this chapter. But most of these Bibles also have notes saying that verses don't appear in the most reliable ancient manuscripts of Mark's gospel.

In the ancient Greek manuscripts of Mark, there are three different endings. One group of manuscripts ends at verse 8. The second group ends at verse And the third group has a two-sentence ending after verse 8. A careful evaluation of all the evidence has led most scholars to conclude that Mark ended his gospel with verse 8.

The most ancient and most important manuscript traditions favor the shortest ending as the original. Many scholars believe that the other two endings seem to have been added because a scribe felt uncomfortable with the idea that Mark concluded the gospel with the sentence "They were afraid. In fact, the theme of fear, awe and amazement runs throughout this gospel.

And for this reason, the emphasis on fear is a very appropriate way to end this particular gospel. In fact, it also fits well with the experiences of Mark's original audience. As they faced persecution after the resurrection of Jesus, they were surely comforted to know that the earliest disciples of Jesus had also experienced fear. Let's turn now to the account of Jesus' resurrection in Mark Mark's resurrection account is shorter than the same account in the other gospels, but this brevity is completely in character with the outline of this gospel.

As you'll recall, the announcement of the Messiah that opened the gospel was also very short, and so was the apostles' affirmation of the Messiah that forms the gospel's centerpiece. This section on the victory of the Messiah begins with the women who came to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body on the third day after his death and burial. They were met by an angelic visitor whose message was clear and direct. Jesus had conquered death and risen in victory, just as he had predicted so many times throughout his ministry. Listen to the end of the gospel in Mark The women's response is completely predictable in the context of Mark's narrative: Nearly everyone in this gospel responded to God's powerful presence in awe, amazement, and fear.

God's people will experience weakness and need in this life. This was true for Mark's original audience in Rome, and it has continued to be true for the church throughout the ages. But the good news of the gospel is that the kingdom of God has come. The Messiah has conquered the enemies of God's people even the final enemy, death itself. And for this reason, the people of God can boldly face the enemies of the gospel of the kingdom.

The victory is already ours. Having considered the background and the structure and content of Mark's gospel, we're ready to look at some of its major themes. The identity of Jesus as the Messiah or Christ is undoubtedly the most critical theme Mark communicated in his gospel.

Mark wanted to make sure that his readers knew that Jesus had truly come to save them from their sins. Jesus was the king who had conquered death. He was powerful, fearsome, unstoppable, and glorious. He was the redeemer who had come to rescue them by bringing the kingdom of God to earth. And despite the fact that they couldn't see him anymore, he was still in control, and he had promised to return to finish the salvation he had started. For our purposes in this lesson, we'll divide the theme of Jesus' messiahship into two parts.

First, we'll consider Jesus as the messianic suffering servant. And second, we'll look at his identity as the messianic conquering King. Let's begin with Jesus' role as the suffering servant. Our discussion of Jesus as the suffering servant will divide into three parts. First, we'll mention some Jewish expectations regarding the Messiah. Second, we'll briefly highlight the nature of Jesus' ministry as the suffering servant. And third, we'll talk about the proper response Mark wanted his readers to have to this aspect of Jesus' messiahship.

Let's look first at the Jewish expectations for the Messiah that were common in Jesus' day. For hundreds of years before the time of Christ, the vast majority of Israelites lived outside the Promised Land. And those who remained in the Land suffered under the tyranny of Gentile rulers. At first it was the Babylonians, then the Medes and the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. And this long history of suffering led Jewish theologians to emphasize the Old Testament prophecies that God would eventually send a messianic liberator to restore Israel's kingdom.

Jewish messianic hopes took many different forms. For example, the zealots believed that God wanted Israel to usher in the day of the Messiah by rebelling against the Roman authorities. Different apocalyptic groups believed that God would supernaturally intervene to destroy his enemies and restore the people. There were also nomists, like the Pharisees, who believed that God would not intervene until Israel became obedient to the Law.

So, in Jesus' day, there were many people who longed and waited for their Messiah to come. He came as a humble, suffering servant. Jewish messianic hopes looked for an immediate earthly political kingdom under the rule of Messiah similar to the kingdom that David had ruled centuries before.

But Jesus didn't even try to establish this kind of kingdom during his earthly ministry. And this caused many people to reject him as the Messiah. Interestingly, the idea of the Messiah as a suffering servant wasn't new. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah had indicated this role for the Messiah, especially in Isaiah 53, which the New Testament frequently applies to Jesus. We can even say that if Jesus had not suffered and served, then he wouldn't have met the Old Testament requirements as Messiah.

And therefore, far from disqualifying him as the Christ, Jesus' suffering service is proof that he really is the Christ. But only a few people discerned this Old Testament theme during Jesus' lifetime. Most of them were so committed to contemporary Jewish speculations regarding the Messiah that they didn't recognize him when he came. Jesus was a surprising Messiah because he conquered by dying.

Early in the gospel, Mark reported the conflicts that eventually led to his crucifixion. And the second half of the gospel is dominated at first by the theme of Jesus' impending suffering and death, and then by his actual suffering and death. And parallel to this emphasis on Jesus' suffering is an emphasis on his service.

He healed and ministered to many different people. He gave his life as a ransom to redeem sinners. He obeyed God's will at every turn in order to benefit God's people. One place where Mark powerfully joined these themes of suffering and service is Mark In this passage, James and John asked Jesus for places of honor in Jesus' kingdom. Then the other ten disciples became angry at this aspiration to glory. But Jesus rebuked all twelve of them.

He urged them to a life of service, and offered his own life as a model. Jesus made it clear that leadership was a form of service to God and those who were led. Leadership is not an opportunity for glory. On the contrary, it more often results in suffering for the leaders. In fact, Jesus knew that his mission of serving others would eventually lead to his death. But this was a mission he embraced. And he commanded his disciples to embrace it too. With Jewish messianic expectations and Jesus' ministry in mind, let's consider the responses Mark wanted his readers to have to this aspect of Jesus' identity as the Christ.

Jesus taught that his followers would have to suffer. They would face opposition in society. They would have conflicts with their families. They would be tempted and harassed by demonic forces. They would be persecuted, and some would even be killed. But he still required their loyalty and perseverance. Listen to how Jesus summarized this idea in Mark Here, Jesus referred to Deuteronomy 6: We have to be totally dedicated to God in every aspect of our being and lives. Following Jesus involves sacrifice and suffering.

But he still requires us to be wholly dedicated to him, and to be willing to live in ways that the world despises for the sake of his kingdom. As just one example, consider the story of the rich, young ruler in Mark He came to Jesus asking what he had to do in order to inherit eternal life, and Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor.

But Jesus' demands were greater than the rich young ruler was able to handle, so he went away dismayed. Jesus told his disciples that this shouldn't surprise them because it was "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. They had to be willing be persecuted. They even had to be willing to be martyred for his sake. As Jesus had said in Mark 8: In one way or another, every Christian has a cross. But the glory and blessing of salvation is worth the sacrifice. Discipleship is a difficult path.

In fact, according to Jesus, entering the kingdom of God is actually impossible when we rely on our own power to do it. But listen to how Jesus encouraged his disciples in Mark We don't have the power to obey Jesus in the radical way he demands. And he uses that power within us in order to make sure that we enter his kingdom. Mark wanted his original audience in Rome to know that their suffering and persecution was a sign that they were true followers of Christ. It was part of Jesus' plan for his kingdom.

And Mark wanted his readers to be encouraged by this fact. He wanted them to have confidence that God would empower them to persevere through their difficulties, just as he had empowered Jesus, so that they could face their sufferings with courage and hope. Jesus is still bringing in his kingdom slowly; he is still using the suffering of his people as a means to that end; and he is still empowering us to endure. Suffering for the sake of Jesus and his kingdom shouldn't discourage us; it should comfort and inspire us. We suffer because we're his servants.

And we're confident that one day our suffering will be rewarded with blessings beyond comprehension blessings that more than make up for the difficulties we endure.

Distinctive Theologies in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew

The second aspect of Jesus' identity we'll consider is his role as the conquering King that brings God's kingdom to earth. The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David, and that his job would be to restore the glory of David's throne and to rule over Israel forever. We see this prophesied in places like Psalms 89, and , and confirmed in Mark So, whenever Jesus was identified as the Christ or Messiah, his royal status was also affirmed.

For example, this is why he was called "Son of David" in Mark And Jesus himself openly claimed to be the messianic King in Mark We'll consider three aspects of Jesus' role as the conquering King that Mark emphasized. We'll consider the fact that Jesus proclaimed his kingdom. We'll see that he demonstrated his power and authority. And we'll note that he conquered his enemies.

Let's start with the fact that Jesus proclaimed his kingdom. Recall the way Mark summarized Jesus' gospel ministry in Mark 1: The central purpose of Jesus' preaching ministry was to proclaim the gospel or good news that the kingdom of God was near, and that its blessings were offered to all those who would repent and believe.

Jesus also proclaimed his kingdom by teaching its secrets to his disciples. In fact, this is why he often taught in parables to reveal the kingdom's secrets to those who were chosen, while hiding them from those who were not. Listen to what Jesus told to his disciples in Mark 4: And of course, Jesus often described the kingdom of God. For example, in Mark 10 he identified those who could enter the kingdom with ease, such as children, and those who could enter only with great difficulty, such as the rich.

The second aspect of Jesus' role as the conquering King we'll mention is that he demonstrated his power and authority as the head of God's earthly kingdom. Jesus demonstrated his kingly power and authority primarily through his miracles.

For example, Mark 4: And demons frequently recognized him as the Son of God, as we see in places like Mark 1: Jesus' ability to accomplish his will over nature and demons was a strong demonstration that he had come to bring God's kingdom to earth. And the same thing is true of his miraculous healings. The blessings of the kingdom include life and health. So, when Jesus healed people, he was distributing kingdom blessings to them, according to his royal privilege.

Besides performing miracles, Jesus also demonstrated his royal power and authority in other ways. For instance, in Mark 1: He didn't just give wise suggestions; he demanded a life-changing response. In fact, this is the same command he gives to everyone who hears the gospel, and he continues to expect the same response. Every human being is obligated to obey Jesus, committing their lives to him and following him wherever he leads.

Perhaps the most memorable example of Jesus' authority is when he forgave the sins of the paralytic in Mark 2: Jesus and everyone else knew that only God could forgive sins. But amazingly, Jesus didn't tell the man to seek forgiveness from God; he authoritatively forgave the man's sins. As a result, this statement was not just an assurance of the man's pardon, but also of Jesus' royal authority. By forgiving the man's sins, Jesus demonstrated that he had divine authority to administer justice within the kingdom of God.

And by healing the man immediately after forgiving him, Jesus proved that his message truly came from God. And of course, Jesus' authority to forgive sins is one of the greatest reasons we have to follow him. Through him, our sins can be blotted out, so that we can be reconciled to God. Rather than being his enemies, we can be loyal citizens of his kingdom, with all the eternal blessings that come with it.

The third aspect of Jesus' role as the conquering king we'll mention is that he conquered his enemies. Jesus had many enemies during his life: And in every instance in which he clashed with his enemies, he won. He defeated their arguments; he avoided their plots; he released people from their oppression.

He even used their plots to accomplish his own purposes, allowing them to crucify him on the cross so that he could atone for sin. All these victories proved that Jesus really was the Messiah, the Davidic king that had come to bring God's kingdom to earth. One set of enemies Mark frequently mentioned was the demons.

In fact, Mark put more emphasis on Jesus' power over demonic and satanic forces than any other gospel writer did. Mark focused his readers' attention on Jesus' control over demons. For Mark, this conflict between Jesus and the demons was evidence that Jesus had brought the kingdom of God. The presence of the kingdom did not imply peaceful living without struggle. On the contrary, it implied that Jesus' kingdom had come to do battle with and eventually defeat the demonic powers of the kingdom of wickedness.

For the Christians in Rome, this meant that their sufferings were part of a larger spiritual war. And even though they might be oppressed and persecuted for a time, they were still on the winning side, and one day they would have complete victory. And the same is true for us today.

But as amazing as Jesus' power over demons was, his greatest victory was over death itself, which Paul called the "last enemy" in 1 Corinthians As we've seen, before Jesus died he repeatedly explained to his disciples that his death was the means to his victory. Death was an enemy. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. Stay here and watch. As the conflict with the Jewish leaders grew, Jesus made it clear that He must suffer and be killed, but that He would rise from the dead And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Jesus set the example as a servant Mark Jesus set the example as a servant For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. He gave them a job to do: That mission to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God continues to this day. The Gospel of Mark does not mention its author. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis A. The Roman Prologue to Mark, dating from A. He was also known as John Mark 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.

Mark may have included a story about himself in the book. The passage in Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. He was related to Barnabas Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas about whom you received instructions: Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas about whom you received instructions: These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me. Mark also assisted Peter She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. The last mention of Mark is in Only Luke is with me.

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