The Way of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark
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Transcript of The Way of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark
The Way of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark
Jesus’ Travels in Chapters 1-8Mark 1: 16 – “And passing along by the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew…”Mark 3: 7 – “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the
sea and a great multitude from Galilee followed.”Mark 4: 1 – “Again he began to teach beside the
sea…he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea.”Mark 4: 35 – “On that day… he said to them, “Let us
go across to the other side.”Mark 5: 21 – “And when Jesus had crossed again in
the boat to the other side…”Mark 6: 45 – “Immediately he made the disciples
get into the boat and go before him to the other side…”
Jesus’ Travels in Chapters 1-8The first time Jesus leaves the area around the Sea of
Galilee is in chapter 7; this is directly after a group of Pharisees comes up from Jerusalem to see what Jesus is all about and if he is properly keeping the Law of Moses
Jesus has a passionate confrontation with the Pharisees and then sets off to the Northwest to the region of Tyre and Sidon where he meets and heals a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter ; she is Greek/a gentile who displays a great amount of faith
Following this he traces back through the Galilee area to the pagan/gentile area of the Decapolis and performs more miracles
Peter’s Declaration at Caesarea PhilippiThe Gospel of Mark takes a dramatic shift in
Mark 8: 27-30Jesus exits the Sea of Galilee again to head to
Caesarea Philippi, a pagan area where often times children had been sacrificed to pagan deities
For the first time in the Gospel, Jesus poses the direct question to the disciples concerning his identity
Peter (in Mark’s Gospel) simply states, “You are the Christ”; as usual Jesus commands them to silence
Discipleship in Mark 8: 31 – 10: 52
Immediately following Peter’s declaration Jesus announces to just the disciples that he will have to be rejected and killed by the Jewish leadership in order to rise after three days
Peter then rebukes or chastises Jesus for claiming that he will be killed
This plays perfectly into why Mark emphasizing the Messianic Secret: people simply aren’t ready for the Messiah that Jesus will turn out to be, even his closest followers
Jesus then calls Peter “Satan” and accuses him of thinking only as man would
Discipleship in Mark 8: 31 – 10: 52Following this Jesus calls “the multitude”
along with the disciples to describe to them exactly what is demanded in being a disciple of Jesus
He explains that simply you must take up the cross and lose your life in order to gain it
Next, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain (most likely Mt. Tabor) and becomes transfigured, appearing with Elijah and Moses
Jesus still maintains the messianic secret charging the three to not tell anyone of the Transfiguration
Characteristics of Discipleship in MarkA disciple must take up his cross and lose his
life (Mk 8:34-36)A disciple’s greatness is shown by his
willingness to be last amongst everyone (Mk 9: 33-37, Mk 10: 35-45)
A disciple must receive the Kingdom like a little child (Mk 9: 36-37, Mk 10: 13-16)
A disciple must avoid sin at all costs (Mk 9:42-1o:12)
A disciple must leave all their possessions and goods from this world (Mk 10: 17-31)
The Journey to and Entrance into JerusalemAfter Peter’s declaration, Jesus and the disciples pass
through Galilee and their main residence at Capernaum one last time
At the beginning of chapter 10, Mark tells readers that Jesus is setting out on a journey to Judea and the area beyond the Jordan
In Mark 10: 32-34, Jesus tells the Twelve that the reason they are going to Jerusalem is precisely so that Jesus (who refers to himself as the Son of man) may be tortured and killed by the Jewish leadership
This is tremendously frightening for the Apostles who, although aware of Jesus’ final destiny, had no idea that they were on a sort of “death march” to Jerusalem
Jesus’ Ministry in the Jerusalem Area(video clip)Jesus enters Jerusalem to begin chapter 11; he is
greeted triumphantly but the people are still confused about the identity of the Messiah
They say in Mk 11: 10, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming, Hosanna in the Highest!”
This verse highlights the expectation that Jesus’ feared and gave reason to the messianic secret: the people desire and seek a kingdom like David’s but Jesus does not have this type of kingdom
Jesus’ first actions are to explore and then cleanse the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem
Jesus’ Ministry in the Jerusalem AreaOne by one Jesus encounters all of the Jewish
authorities who seek his downfallPharisees and Herodians (who back in
chapter 3 had begun planning Jesus’ death) question him on taxes
Priests and elders question his teaching authority
Sadducees question him on the resurrection of man
Scribes question him on the greatest commandment
Finally, Jesus renounces the scribes specifically for their delight in high standing and riches
Jesus’ Prophecies and Warnings Chapter 13 of Mark serves as Jesus’ final
instructions to all those who still follow himThis chapter is of MAJOR importance to Mark’s
audience suffering persecutions in Rome and throughout the empire
Mark employs Jesus’ words to the disciples to instruct his readers in two ways:1) Remain faithful to the very end, no matter how
frightening and difficult your suffering might be (Mk 13: 3-13)
2) In the end, at an undisclosed time, Jesus will save his elect, those who have suffered to the very end (Mk 13: 14-31
The Passion of Jesus in MarkAssignment in groups:
1) Read Chapters 14 and 15 of Mark’s Gospel2) On a sheet of paper please identify the
following things:a) All of the people who are mentioned betraying,
fleeing, or denying Jesusb) All of Jesus’ words from Mark 14: 43 through the
end of Mark 15c) The statement from Jesus which causes the high
priest to tear his garments and condemn him to death
The Passion of Jesus in MarkThe passion narrative begins very morbidly, with
Jesus’ body being anointed with funeral/burial oils even before his suffering begins
Jesus also prophecies about his absolute betrayal and abandonment by his disciples; this is key for persecuted readers to hear as they find themselves increasingly cut off and abandoned
The words of Jesus throughout are sorrowful, frustrated, and ridden with pain; he is frustrated with his disciples’ lack of watchfulness and frustrated with his arrest at the hands of people who heard him day after day in the Temple
The Passion of Jesus in MarkThe sufferings of Jesus in Mark include scourging, mocking,
being spat upon, and being struck with a reed; the mocking specifically at the hands of the Roman soldiers again has great significance for Mark’s Roman readers
In Mark, Jesus has a prolonged time of actually being crucified on the cross; he is crucified at the third hour and does not die until the ninth hour; this is of course three hours longer than the traditionally accepted 3 hours Jesus spends on the cross
Finally, in Mark, Jesus’ words on the cross are not tender or fulfilling; Jesus simply asks God why he has been forsaken and then lets out a loud cry before dying
Overall the picture of abandonment and suffering in Mark is total
The Conclusion of Mark’s GospelInterestingly, Mark’s Gospel ends almost in the same
way it begins!After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, the disciples
receive instruction to return to Galilee to meet the risen Lord
The disciples however react almost exactly the same as throughout the beginning of the Gospel when the messianic secret was in full swing: with astonishment, disbelief and fear! (Mk 16: 8, 11, 13)
There is no happy reunion in the end; Jesus has to chastise the disciples for their fear and unbelief (Mk 16: 14)