Synopsis of the of Mark in the Bible - Book Report/Review Example

Synopsis of the Book of Mark in the Bible No: Synopsis of the Book of Mark in the Bible Mark is the second book of the New Testament. It does not mention its author but the early church fathers unanimously testified that Mark, Apostle Peter’s associate was its author1. He was Apostle Peter’s spiritual son and, therefore, he got first-hand information about Jesus’ teachings and events which he in turn shared with other people in written form. The date of writing of the gospel of Mark can only be approximated to be A.D. 55-592.

This is because there is likelihood that it is one of the earliest books of the New Testament that was believed to have been written within this duration. The book of Mark was written to share the gospel with Roman believers, especially the Gentiles. Mark wrote to Christians who had heard and believed the gospel and, therefore, wanted to share the biographical story of their savior, Jesus Christ3. His main aim was to strengthen their faith and educate them about the ideal life of Jesus’ disciples.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes on Jesus’ actions and gives very little concerning his teachings. Its structure involves discussion about episodes of Jesus’ life where it quickly moves from one episode to another. Gentiles where not interested to learn Jesus’ lineage and, therefore, Mark did not begin with his genealogy4. Jesus commenced His public ministry after he was introduced by John the Baptist at His baptism in Galilee. He followed by calling his initial four disciples. The Gospel of Mark continues to give account of His life, death and resurrection.

The book of Mark is a narrative that reveals Jesus as the Messiah for Gentiles in addition to Jews. The twelve disciples led by Peter undertook a dynamic profession of acknowledging their faith in Jesus Christ. They, however, did not understand His Messiahship fully until his resurrection5. Jesus and his disciples took journeys through Galilee, its environs, and then to Judea, setting a rapid pace of preaching the gospel. Jesus touched the lives of many people in his ministry and left an indelible mark on all His disciples.

During the transfiguration (Mark 9:1-9), He revealed to three of His disciples who He was, and gave them a preview of His expected future return in both power and glory6. His disciples were, however, bewildered, fearful and doubtful in the days following his final trip to Jerusalem. When He was arrested, His disciples fled. Jesus went through mock trials but He fearlessly claimed that He was the son of God and he would overcome at His Return (Mark 14:61-62). Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection as well as other activities that surrounded these were not witnessed by most of His disciples but several faithful women witnessed His passion7.

After the Sabbath, several women went to His tomb with burial spices in the morning of the first day of the week. They found that tomb was opened and entered to find Jesus’ body was not there. An angel stood beside the tomb and revealed to them that Jesus had risen8. This made women become the first evangelists to spread the good news of His resurrection. The same message spread by these women has been spread to other generations up to today. Bibliography Constable, Thomas. “Notes on Mark” http://soniclight.

com/constable/notes/pdf/mark.pdf Sumney, Jerry. The Bible: An Introduction, New York: William Morrow, 2014.