What Makes Mark’s Gospel Different?
Objectives
Participants will identify Mark’s unique writing style and learn about the themes that characterise Mark’s Gospel.
Anchor
5-minute discussion:
• Apart from the Bible, what are your favourite 2 books.
• What makes them so good?
Add
As a group, read the first 4 verses of each of the Gospels.
Learning Task 1
As they are being read, list the things that are different about each Gospel.
5-minute discussion:
What do just these first four verses tell you about Mark’s writing style and content?
Key Themes
There are 5 key themes that characterise Mark’s Gospel
- Jesus’ power – Jesus preaches a powerful Gospel message. He is a powerful healer. He shows his power by driving out demons. He has power over death.
- Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to people.
- His disciples struggle to understand who he is
- The religious leaders are corrupt and hypocritical and are united in their hatred for Jesus.
- There is a surprising cast of characters who do get who Jesus is and come to him in faith.
We will return to these themes each week to identify where they appear, if at all, in that week’s study text.
Something else to look out for
The climax of each of the 4 gospels is Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection. However, in Mark’s gospel there is another climatic moment that stands out. We will be watching out for that moment!
Interesting Background
Mark’s Gospel is the shortest at 16 chapters and was written around 60 AD.
He was a pupil of Peter and accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.
Away
Prepare for next week by reading and meditating on:
o Mark 1:1-4
o Isaiah 40:1-5