The Gospel of Mark

TheGospel of Mark

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Markcan be viewed as a mosaic symbolism of the ministry of Jesus Christ.The depiction of Jesus suffering in the hands of the Jews is astumbling block to the majority of the people that presumed that hewould be a triumphant King (BibleGateway, 2017).Christ’s crucifixion is the completion of God`s plan because Jesusobtains salvation for the new community of faithful that are calledto follow him. The following discussion reveals how Mark used titlesto reveal Jesus’ identity and who his foes were.

Markdevelops the main ideas in his Gospel through the actions of JesusChrist. Mark produces a secretive picture of Jesus by showing thecovert ways in which Christ taught his disciples, how Jesus commandedthe healed to keep the miracles to themselves, how he tells thedemons not to disclose his identity, and how the disciples findunderstanding what Christ says difficult (ReligionFacts,2017).Mark also develops the theme of death by using the demise of Jesus ashis central theme. Mark devotes a relatively small section of hisnarrative to writing about Jesus` resurrection.

Also,the ways of life in the 21^stcentury enable the readers of the Bible to understand the book ofMark in an in-depth manner. The culture of the 21^stcentury is defined by materialism and vanity (Aquua,2017)., conversely, idealizes Christ as a humble ruler(ReligionFacts,2017).These contradictions help Christians to understand the book of Markbecause they emphasize how a true Christian should not conducthimself. Although Jesus performs miracles, he requests the recipientsof the miracles not to say that he was responsible for them.

TheGospel of Mark was, most likely, written in the period between 60 and80 A.D. Irenaeus of Lyons supports this presumption when he writesthat Mark transmitted Peter’s teachings in writing (ReligionFacts,2017).Peter may have died in 65 A.D. thus, if Irenaeus is correct, theGospel of Mark may have been written during this period.

Mark’snarrative rapidly moves the reader through a series of events thatoccur sequentially. This swift movement leaves little room forpalpable linkage (Matson,2017).Time is primarily devoted to bringing the events that take place inthe narrative to life. Thus, the content of the actual events derivesmeaning from the quick cluster because activities take placerelatively fast. The author shows how Jesus appears, how he isdenoted as God’s son, how he is tested, and how he starts gatheringfollowers.

Varioustitles and names have been used in the first three chapters of Mark.The first chapter has many titles which have different meanings. Thefirst title is “John the Baptist Prepares the Way” (BibleGateway, 2017).This title reveals the coming of a Messiah who would heal the sins ofthe world. The second heading is the “Baptism and Testing of Jesus”(Bible Gateway,2017).This title indicates the cleansing of Jesus and the forty days thatthe devil tested him. The third title was “Jesus Announces the GoodNews” (BibleGateway, 2017).This designation shows how Jesus brought God’s word near the peopleand requested them to repent their sins and believe in God. Thefourth title was “Jesus Calls His First Disciples” (BibleGateway, 2017).This phrase shows how Christ began looking for his disciples. Thefifth title is “Jesus drives out an impure spirit” (BibleGateway, 2017).This headline reveals the power that Jesus had over demons. The sixthheadline is “Jesus Heals Many” (BibleGateway, 2017).This title shows how Christ healed Simon’s mother-in-law and theother residents of the town. The seventh heading is “Jesus Prays ina Solitary Place” (BibleGateway, 2017).This title Jesus’ desire to pray in isolation. The last title inchapter 1 is “Jesus Heals Man with Leprosy” (BibleGateway, 2017).This title shows the power of Christ to heal people with incurablediseases.

Thesecond chapter also has some titles. The first heading is “JesusForgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man” (BibleGateway, 2017).This headline shows the power and authority of Jesus to forgivepeople’s misdeeds and heal them. The second title is “Jesus CallsLevi and Eats with Sinners”(Bible Gateway, 2017).This heading reveals Christ’s mission on earth, which was to savethe sinners and heal the sick. The third title is “Jesus QuestionedAbout Fasting” (BibleGateway, 2017).This heading reveals Jesus’ outlook of the idea of fasting. Hebelieved that the time for his disciples to fast had not reached. Thefinal title of the chapter is “Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”(Bible Gateway, 2017).This heading shows the authority and the power of Jesus over the lawof people Christ worked on the Sabbath, which was prohibited underthe legislation of the Jews.

Thethird chapter also has many headings. The first title is “JesusHeals on the Sabbath” (BibleGateway, 2017).This headline reveals the loving nature of Jesus he could not let aperson live in pain simply because it was on a Sabbath. The secondtitle is “Crowds Follow Jesus” (BibleGateway, 2017).This heading shows how the power of Jesus inspired people to followhim. The third title is “Jesus Appoints the Twelve” (BibleGateway, 2017).This heading shows that Jesus selected the twelve followers thatwould help him to preach and to drive out demons. The last title ofthe chapter is “Jesus Accused by his Family and by Teachers of theLaw” (BibleGateway, 2017).This title shows how the family of Jesus turned against him claimingthat he had gone crazy while the lawmakers asserted that he had beenpossessed by Beelzebul.

Ina recap of the above discussion, Mark used headings to discloseJesus’ character and who his enemies were.is amosaic representation of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Mark uses manywriting styles to reveal the deeper meaning of the events that tookplace as Jesus was spreading the word of God, as discussed above.

References

Aquua,P. (2017).&nbspConsumptionVanity Disorder – CVD.&nbspPhoenixaquua.blogspot.co.ke.Retrieved 18 January 2017, fromhttp://phoenixaquua.blogspot.co.ke/2013/04/consumption-vanity-disorder-cvd.html

BibleGateway. (2017). BibleGateway passage: Mark 1 – New International Version.&nbspBibleGateway.Retrieved 18 January 2017, fromhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%201

BibleGateway. (2017). III.Major Themes of – Asbury Bible Commentary – BibleGateway.&nbspBiblegateway.com.Retrieved 18 January 2017, fromhttps://www.biblegateway.com/resources/asbury-bible-commentary/Major-Themes-Gospel-Mark

Matson,M. (2017).&nbspATime To Tell: Narrative Time and The Gospels.&nbspAcademia.edu.Retrieved 18 January 2017, fromhttp://www.academia.edu/1173334/A_Time_To_Tell_Narrative_Time_and_The_Gospels

ReligionFacts.(2017). Gospelof Mark – ReligionFacts.&nbspReligionfacts.com.Retrieved 18 January 2017, fromhttp://www.religionfacts.com/gospel-mark