Overview of the Book
The Gospel According to Mark is believed to be written first among the four gospels and it is the shortest. Mark begins his writing stating that The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). Through this opening statement what Mark is trying to affirm is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Unlike the gospels according to Matthew and Luke who included Jesus’ genealogy, birth, and childhood events in their gospels, Mark did not include this information in his gospel. This indicates that Mark, being in Rome during this time, was primarily writing to the Jewish-Roman Christians assuming that his readers were familiar with the Jewish tradition that consists of the Old Testament prophecies regarding Christ’s incarnation, His birth, and childhood events. In fact, Mark did not include any information about Jesus until He was 30 years of age; that is, until the time He started ministry (Mark 3:23). He started his gospel from Jesus’ baptism in Jordan River by John the Baptist (Mark 1:9). Following His baptism, He was anointed by the Spirit that descended on Him like a dove (Mark 1:10), the heavenly Father’s declared from Heaven that You are my Son… (Mark 1:11), His temptation in the wilderness by Satan for forty days (Mark 1:12-13), the commencing of His ministry by preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. He proclaimed that The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:14-15). As Jesus began His ministry, multitudes of people from all kinds of walks began to follow Him wherever He went. Jesus called and separated twelve disciples to be His apostles who could continue the ministry He started. He taught and trained them and sent them out with authority to carry out the Mission of God, which He already began (Mark 1:16-20). Jesus continued His preaching, teaching, and ministry of deliverance until He was arrested and crucified. Jesus’ primary message was about the kingdom of God, and that it is near. Therefore, repent and believe in God and in His Son Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent to save the world.
Mark’s gospel systematically outlined Jesus’ ministry from the time Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist up until His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Mark keenly included John the Baptist’s testimony regarding Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist baptized people with water (those who repented of their sins received the baptism of repentance [Mark 1:8a]) but Jesus baptizes people with the Holy Spirit (those who repented and received the baptism of repentance under John the Baptist received the baptism of the Holy Spirit under Jesus Christ [Mark 1:8b], which marked the beginning of their life everlasting). Mark notes down very specifically that Jesus ministered in two different geographical regions. Initially Jesus started His ministry in Northern part of Israel, especially in Galilee and the surrounding regions (Mark 1:14-9:49). Later, Jesus moved to the regions of Judea, particularly in Jerusalem and its neighboring territories (Mark 10:1-14:31). Jesus concluded His earthly ministry with a prayer at the garden of Gethsemane and His arrest at the same location (Mark 14:32-52). After His arrest, He was presented before the Sanhedrin for the Jewish religious trial where the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law plotted to kill Him (Mark 14:53-72). Thereafter, He was sent to Pilate the then governor of Judea, where He faced the civil judiciary trial and they sentenced Him to be crucified (Mark 15:1-47). The last chapter records Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Mark 16:1-8), His post resurrection appearances to many (Mark 16:9-14), the commissioning of the Twelve to carry out the Mission of God (Mark 16:15-18), and His ascension to heaven (16:19-20).
The most important things one can notice in Mark’s gospel are:
- A gospel with less teachings but more actions: Mark focuses more on Jesus’ actions, especially the miracles Jesus performed, rather than His teachings
- A gospel with universal perspective rather than a specific focus: Since Jesus is from a Jewish background, Mark included some of the Jewish customs (the practice of washing hands, Mark 7:3-4), though he excluded the genealogy of Jesus; and used various terms such as Aramaic, Latin alongside Greek (Mark 3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 15:22, 33). Although, the gospel is aimed for the believers in Rome, it impacted a wide-range of audiences across many regions, including the believers in the Gentile world
- A gospel with minimum words but with deeper meaning: Mark’s gospel is the shortest of all four gospels in the Bible. The words he used and its meanings are very clear, deep, and understandable.
The Title of the Book
The book is generally called the ‘Book of Mark.’ In most versions of the Bible, the title of the book is mentioned as ‘The Gospel According to Mark,’ which is the English translation of the Greek title Κατὰ Μάρκος Εὐαγγέλιον. Some of the ancient New Testament manuscripts shows the title as ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Μάρκος that is translated into English as ‘The Holy Gospel according to Mark.’ Thus, the documented titles are chiefly either ‘The Book of Mark’ or ‘The Gospel According to Mark’ or ‘The Holy Gospel of Mark.’ Mark wrote down this gospel based on apostle Peter’s teachings and preachings on Jesus’ life and ministry. Apostle Peter’s message was that God sent His One and Only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) to this world who lived on this earth for thirty-three years like any human being, gave up His very life to redeem humanity from their sin and death, and give them eternal life (Mark 8:27-29 [John 3:16]). Everyone who accepts Him as the Lord and Savior of their life will be saved (Romans 10:9). This is the gospel, or in other words – the good news, for the world, therefore, the book is entitled as ‘The Gospel According to Mark.’
Authorship of the Book
John Mark is believed to be the author of the Gospel according to Mark. Although there is no provable evidence that tells for certain that John Mark wrote the Gospel according to Mark, there is strong consensus among Bible scholars and Bible historians that John Mark is the author of the Gospel according to Mark. There are several reasons for this and let us examine some examples from the Bible. Some Bible passages point out that John Mark grew up in and around Jerusalem and counted among the early followers of Jesus Christ, and could be part of the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out to preach the gospel (Luke 10:1ff). Also, it is believed that John Mark was the young man who followed Jesus during His arrest but ran away naked while they were trying to seize him, which is recorded in Mark 14:51-52, A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. Another example to highlight here is that while apostle Peter was imprisoned, an angel of God miraculously delivered him from the prison the night prior to his trial. When Peter realized that he was miraculously delivered from the prison by an angel, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying (Acts 12:12).
Mark’s given Jewish name was John (in other words Johanan), Greek name was Markos, and Latin name was Marcus. In every way he was popularly called as Mark. Thus, he was either called as John or Mark or John Mark or saint Mark. John Mark closely worked with the apostles Barnabas, Paul, and Peter. According to Colossians 4:10, Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (according to Acts 4:36-37, Barnabas was in Jerusalem but he is originally from Cypress), and accompanied Barnabas and Paul during one of their missionary journeys, but he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work (Acts 13:5, 13). John Mark’s act of desertion caused a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that broke their relationship as partners in ministry (Acts 15:36-41). Thus, both of them went their separate ways preaching the gospel for which they were called.
Ultimately, Mark became one of the disciples and ministry associates of Apostle Peter. The early church traditions leans on the notion that John Mark took notes of apostle Peter’s preachings and teachings as he was traveling along with apostle Peter as one of the ministry associates as well as his message interpreter. This reveals that there was a very close spiritual relationship between Apostle Peter and John Mark, which could be reason why apostle Peter called him ‘my son Mark’ in his first epistle (1 Peter 5:13). It could be said that Mark might have become one of apostle Peter’s favorite disciple who accompanied him wherever he ministered. In his Second Epistle to Timothy, Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry (2 Timothy 4:11; also refer Philemon verse 24). It could be possible that Apostle Paul wrote as such regarding Mark after apostle Peter’s martyrdom during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, since Mark had become one of apostle Peter’s devoted ministry associates. Some believe that apostle Peter was martyred in 64 AD, but some others believe he was martyred sometime between 64 and 67 AD. Although there is no evidence to tell in which year apostle Peter was martyred, there is unanimous consent among the Bible scholars that he was martyred during the persecution under the Roman emperor Nero.
In the light of the matters that are discussed above regarding the authorship of Mark’s gospel, we can conclude this part stating that John Mark is the author of the Gospel according to Mark.
Date and Place of Writing
It is almost impossible to tell specifically where and when Mark wrote his gospel since it is not clear from his writing. Some of the Latin and Roman terminologies he used in his writing along with Greek makes it harder to tell where he was when he wrote the gospel. Many simply believe that Mark wrote this gospel while he was either in Rome or in one of the several so-called Roman colonies like Syria or Cyrenaica. However, most Bible scholars believe that the gospel was written while John Mark was in Rome and mainly written for believers in Rome.
Similarly, there are strong disagreements regarding the date of its writing. Many believe that the Gospel According to Mark is the first (or one of the earliest) written gospels among the four canonical gospels that are included in the Bible. However, the exact date of writing is not certain. There are numerous opinions regarding the date of writing. Some believe vaguely that the gospel was written any date between AD 40-50. Despite all existing arguments, there is a strong consensus among the vast majority of Bible historians that the Gospel according to Mark was composed sometime between AD 55 and 60 and put together prior to AD 65.
The Purpose of Writing Mark’s Gospel
The ultimate purpose of Mark’s gospel was to tell the believers then and now, and rest of the world that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1); and He is not dead but resurrected from the dead. The empty tomb mentioned at the end of the gospel is evidence that Jesus is alive (Mark 16:4-5). The instruction Jesus gave His followers to preach the goodness of the Kingdom of God to all (Mark 16:15-16) and the promise of His presence with His followers until the end (Mark 16:7) shows that the ministry He started has not ended but needs to continue until He returns. Jesus instructed His disciples strictly to remain in Jerusalem until they receive power from above (Luke 24:49).
According to Christ’s promise, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the apostles and early disciples gathered together in the Upper Room (as Jesus commanded them) in Jerusalem to pray and encourage one another. As they were praying, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and other disciples who gathered there. This event is described in Acts 2:1-4,
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
As a result, that very day, that is, the Day of Pentecost, after the groundbreaking message by Apostle Peter along with other apostles (Acts 2:14), about three thousand people added with the apostles and other disciples and the New Testament Church was started with 3,120 people (Acts 1:15 and Acts 2:41). Following that event, more and more people began to join the church and the church began to expand rapidly (Acts 2:47; 4:4). As a result, the Jews and Romans began to mistreat and persecute the followers of Christ. Biblical tradition states that many were tortured and put to death by either Jewish people or the Roman authorities, including Stephan (Acts 7) and Apostle James, the brother of John (Acts 12:1-2). Also, early Christian traditions points out that many were tortured and put to death during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero for instance, Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul, and so on were martyred during this time period. All such incidents show that the church has been persecuted ever since its inception.
In the light of the above mentioned situation, John Mark, as a committed follower of Jesus Christ and as a ministry associate of apostles Paul and Barnabas, and a faithful disciple of Apostle Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, wrote down what he might had personally experienced while being present during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry as well as His apostles’ ministry. Also, Mark wrote down what he heard directly from apostles Peter, Paul, and Barnabas about their experience with Christ in order to encourage and strengthen the faith of the followers of Jesus Christ. Mark started his gospel writing by stating who Jesus Christ is: The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). Throughout the gospel, we notice that the key purpose of His coming is to live for others and give his life a ransom for many, as stated in Mark 10:45 – For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. For Mark, Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Suffering Servant. Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God to the poor, He healed the sick, He comforted the brokenhearted, He delivered the prisoners of sin, He did everything to everyone to help them. He also offered eternal life everyone who is willing to accept Him as the Lord and Savior of their life. Mark included almost everything about Christ’s ministry, arrest, trails (both religious and non-religious), crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, in order to encourage and strengthen the believers who were going through life threatening situations.
Mark wanted to pass the message to the followers of Jesus Christ, especially to those who are going through severe torture and persecution due to their faith in Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ Himself was severely condemned by the Jewish religious fanatics as well as other social, political, and religious fundamentalists. At the end of His earthly life, He was tortured and crucified by the Roman authorities. All the life situations Jesus went through was not because He was weak or powerless to defend Himself against His enemies but He allowed Himself to go through such painful situations because the purpose of His coming was to save the world from the slavery of sin and death. When Jesus fulfilled the purpose of His coming, He overcame all such situations and He became victorious. The lessons to be learned from this is that if the followers of Christ remain faithful in their calling even in the midst of their suffering, they would overcome the world and be victorious at the end just as Jesus Christ was victorious.
Major Themes in Mark
There are numerous themes discussed in the gospel according Mark, we picked just a few to mention here. In order to understand more on the themes, read gospel and try to understand all the themes discussed in the gospel along with a few mentioned in here below:
Divinity of Jesus Christ: Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah (Mark 1:11; 9:7; 15:39)
Humanity of Jesus Christ: The Basis of Christian Faith is the Incarnation of Christ (Mark 1:1). Jesus came down from Heaven in the form of a human being and suffered on earth
Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant of God: Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the penalty for our sins. Through Jesus, His followers can achieve victory over Satan, sin, and death
Authority and Power: The Authority of Jesus Christ is Revealed in and through His Ministry and Miracles (Mark 1:21-25, 29-32)
Discipleship: Jesus taught the true meaning of Discipleship through His Teaching and Sharing Gospel (Mark 3:13-19).
Revelation: Jesus Christ revealed God the Father
Faith: Trusting Jesus Christ is where Faith Life begins
Spiritual Life: Christ’s, Death, and Resurrection are where Spiritual Life begins
The Kingdom of God: Kingdom of God is one of the major theme of Mark. Jesus began His ministry with the preaching of the Kingdom of God, The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! (Mark 1:15)
Some of Jesus’ Predictions in Mark
Mark 8:31-33 Jesus’ First prediction about His suffering and death
Mark 9:30-32 Jesus’ Second prediction about His suffering and death
Mark 10:31-34 Jesus’ Third prediction about His suffering and death
Mark 9:31 Jesus’ Predicts His resurrection
Mark 3:1-2 Jesus predicts the fall of the Jerusalem Temple
Jesus’ Key Ministry Locations according to Mark
Mark 1:1-8:21 Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee and nearby regions
Mark 8:22-10:52 Jesus’ Ministry in the territories between Galilee and Jerusalem
Mark 11:1-16:8 Jesus’ Ministry (Final Days) in Jerusalem and its nearby regions
Jesus’ Titles and Names in Mark’s Gospel
Christian faith is founded and rooted in the truth that God took the form of a human being and lived among us just like one of us and gave His life as a ransom for our sins in order to reconcile humanity with Himself. His name is Jesus. However, in the Bible, especially in the gospels, He is known by various names and titles, based on His Life and Ministry. Below mentioned are few similar names and titles mentioned in the gospel according to Mark.
Son of God
Mark 1:1 Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Mark 13:32 Jesus called Himself – The Son
Mark 15:39 The Roman Centurion said, ‘surely this man was the Son of God’
Beloved Son
Mark 1:11 You are my Beloved Son; with you I am well pleased
Mark 9:7 This is my Beloved Son; listen to him!
The Son of the Blessed One
Mark 14:61 The Son of the Blessed One
The Holy One of God
Mark 1:24 The Holy One of God!
The Messiah / Christ
Mark 8:29 Peter said, You are the Christ
Mark 14:61 The Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One
Mark 15:32 The Messiah, the King of Israel
Jesus of Nazareth
Mark 1:9 Jesus of Nazareth
Mark 1:24 Demons called Him – Jesus of Nazareth
Mark 10:47; 14:67 People called Him – Jesus of Nazareth
Mark 16:6 Angels called Him Jesus the Nazarene
The Lord of the Sabbath
Mark 2:28 The Lord of the Sabbath
Son of Man
Mark 2:10 The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins
Mark 2:28 he Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath
Mark 8:31 The Son of Man must suffer many things
Mark 9:12 the Son of Man must suffer …
Mark 9:31 The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men
Mark 10:45 the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve …
Mark 8:38 The Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory …
Son of David
Mark 10:46-48 Blind Bartimaeus called Him, Jesus, Son of David
Mark 12:35 Is Christ the Son of David?
King of the Jews
Mark 15:2, 9, 12 Pilate called Him the King of Jews
Mark 15:18 The soldiers mockingly mentioned Him, Hail, king of the Jews
Mark 15:26 The sign nailed to the cross as ‘King of the Jews’
The King of Israel
Mark 15:32 the Jewish religious leaders mockingly called him the King of Israel
Prophet
Mark 6:4 a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown
Mark 6:15 People said, He is a prophet
Mark 8:28 People called Him as one of the prophets
Some of the Key Verses in Mark
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
Mark 1:9-11 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased
Mark 1:15 The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed
Mark 3:28-29 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin
Mark 8:35-36 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 11:22 Have faith in God, Jesus answered
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours
Mark 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these
Mark 13:32-33 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come
Mark 16:15-16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned
Practical Outline of Mark’s Gospel
1:1-13 Preparations and beginning of Jesus’ Ministry
1:1 Declaration of Jesus’ Identity
1:2-8 The Ministry of John the Baptist: the Forerunner of Jesus
1:2-3 The Prophecy Regarding John the Baptist’s Ministry
1:4-5 The Message of John the Baptist
1:6a-6b The Appearance and Food of John the Baptist
1:7-8 Testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus
1:9 Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist
1:10-11 Father’s Declaration of who Jesus is
1:12-13 The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness
1:14-7:23 Commencement of Jesus’ Ministry
1:14–3:6 Jesus’ First Phase of Galilean Ministry
1:14-15 The very beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry
1:16-20 Calling of the First Disciples
1:16-18 Calling of Simon and his brother Andrew
1:19-20 Calling of James and John
1:21-45 Jesus’ Authority and Power over Demons and Diseases
1:21-28 Jesus’ heals a man with impure spirit on Sabbath
1:29-34 Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law
1:35-37 Jesus’ Prayer at a Solitary Place
1:38-39 Jesus continues His preaching and healing ministry
1:40-45 Jesus heals a man with leprosy
2:1-3:5 Jesus’ Encounter with Jewish Religious Leaders
2:1-12 Jesus’ Authority over sin and sickness
2:1-8 Jesus forgives the sins of the paralyzed man
2:9-12 Jesus heals the sickness of the paralyzed man
2:13-17 Jesus Calls Levi son of Alphaeus (Matthew)
2:13-14 Jesus Calls Levi son of Alphaeus to follow Him
2:15-17 Jesus eats with Tax Collectors and sinners
2:18-22 Jesus response to the Religious Leaders regarding Fasting
2:23-3:6 Jesus’ (Son of Man) Authority over the Sabbath
2:23-28 Picking up the heads of grain on Sabbath
3:1-5 Jesus Heals a man with a shriveled hand on Sabbath
3:6 Pharisees plot to kill Jesus
3:7-7:23 Jesus’ Second Phase of Galilean Ministry
3:7-12 Jesus’ Preaching and Healing Ministry Continues
3:13-19 Jesus Chooses and Appoints the Twelve to be Trained for Ministry
3:20-35 Jesus’ Family and Religious Leaders Accused Him
3:20-21 Jesus’ own Family said, ‘He is out of His mind’
3:22-30 Religious Leaders said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebub’
3:31-35 Jesus clarifies who is part of His True Family
4:1-34 Jesus’ Usage of Parables to Teach the Truth about the Kingdom of God
4:1-2 The Context: People are Thirsty and Hungry for the Word of God
4:3-20 Jesus Tells the Parable of the Sower
4:3-9 The Farmer and the Seed
4:10-12 Jesus reveals why He uses Parables in His Teachings
4:13-20 Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower to His Disciples
4:21-25 Jesus Shares an illustration of the Lamp on a Stand
4:21-23 The Example of the Lamp on a Lamp
4:24-25 The Purpose of Telling the example of the Lamp
4:26-29 The Parable of the Growing Seed and the Kingdom of God
4:30-32 The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Kingdom of God
4:33-34 Jesus Reveals the Truth about the Parables to His Disciples
4:35-6:5 Demonstration of Jesus’ Authority and Power
4:35-41 Jesus Calms the wind and the waves
5:1-43 Jesus’ authority over the demon-possessed and the sick
5:1-20 Jesus delivers the demon-possessed man
5:25-34 Jesus Heals the Hemorrhaging woman
5:21-24, 35-43 Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter
6:1-6 Jesus’ Teaching at His Hometown
6:1-3 Jesus Teaches and Performs remarkable miracles
6:4-5 Disapproval of Jesus’ Ministry at His Hometown
6:6-13 Jesus’ Ministry Beyond His Hometown
6:6 Jesus travels far and beyond His Hometown for Ministry
6:7-13 Jesus Commissions and sends out His Disciples
6:7 Calling, Commissioning, and sending out the Twelve
6:8-11 Jesus’ Special instructions to the Twelve
6:12-13 Disciples’ special Ministry to carry out
6:14-29 Herod’s Order to behead John the Baptist
6:30-56 Jesus performs extraordinary miracles
6:30-44 The Feeding of the Five Thousand
6:45-52 Jesus Walking on the water
6:53-56 Jesus’ heals the sick people at Gennesaret
7:1-23 Jesus’ Perspectives on the Elders Traditions and God’s Commands
7:1-5 The Jewish Religious leaders questions Jesus’ disciples
7:6-13 Jesus’ response to Elders’ question
7:14-23 Jesus clarifies what exactly defiles a person
7:24-9:50 Jesus’ Preaching Teaching, Healing Ministry Beyond Galilee
7:24-30 Jesus heals the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman
7:24 Jesus’ ministry at the vicinity of Tyre
7:25-26 The request of the Syrophoenician woman
7:27 Jesus Response to the Syrophoenician woman’s Request
7:28-29 Jesus’ amazement upon seeing the Syrophoenician woman’s faith
7:30 The healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter
7:31-37 Healing of the Deaf and Mute Man
8:1-10 Feeding of the Four Thousand
8:11-13 Jesus declines the Pharisees demand for a sign from heaven
8:14-21 Jesus’ warning against the Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
8:22-26 Healing of the Blind Man at Bethsaida
8:27-30 Peter’s Confession of Jesus as the Messiah
8:31-33 Jesus Predicts His Suffering and Death to His Disciples
8:31a Religious Leaders Reject Jesus as their Messiah
8:31b Jesus Predicts His sufferings and Death
8:32 Peter underestimates Jesus’ Prediction of His Suffering and Death
8:33 Jesus Rebukes Peter for not knowing the Purpose of Christ’s coming
8:34-9:1 Jesus Special instructions to the Crowd and His Disciples
8:34-35 Jesus teaches His followers how one should follow Him
8:36-37 A Person’s Soul is worth more than the whole world
8:38-9:1 Reward for accepting Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior
9:2-13 Jesus’ Heavenly Glory Revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration
9:2-3 Jesus’ Heavenly Glory Revealed before Peter, James, and John
9:4 Appearance of Elijah and Moses before Jesus
9:5-6 Peter’s foolish desire to build tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah
9:7-8 Heavenly Father’s Attestation of Jesus’ Ministry on Earth
9:9-13 The discussion between Jesus and His disciples regarding Elijah
9:14-29 Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an evil spirit
9:30-32 Jesus Predicts His Suffering and Death a Second Time
9:33-37 Jesus’ Teachings on who is greatest in the Kingdom of God
9:38-41 Jesus’ Teachings on who is for us and who is against us
9:42-48 Examples of Stumbling blocks that prevent the Ultimate Reward
9:49-50 Example of Salt – Salt without Saltiness is useless
10:1-52 Jesus and His Disciples Travel to Jerusalem – His Ministry and Miracles
10:1 Jesus commences His Ministry in the Region of Judea
10:2-12 Jesus’ Teachings on Marriage and Divorce
10:2 Pharisees’ question to Jesus regarding Divorce
10:3-5 Mosaic Law on Divorce
10:6-9 Jesus Explains the Biblical Teachings on Marriage
10:10-12 Jesus’ Clarifies to His Disciples the danger that lies in Divorce
10:13-6 Jesus Blesses the Little Children
10:13 Acceptance of Jesus among the Parents
10:14-15 Jesus’ advice to become like a Child and accept God’s Kingdom
10:16 Jesus Blesses the Little Children
10:17-31 Jesus’ Teachings on the Rich Young Man and the Kingdom of God
10:17 The Rich Young Man’s question to Jesus
10:18 Jesus Corrects the Young Man saying ‘only God is Good’
10:19-20 Jesus’ Response to the Rich Young Man’s question
10:21-22 Jesus’ Advice to the Young Man to give up on his earthly wealth
10:23-27 Jesus clarifies who is eligible to enter the Kingdom of God
10:28-31 Rewards to those who have left everything and followed Jesus
10:32-34 Jesus Predicts His Suffering and Death a Third Time
10:35-45 The Request of James and John to Jesus
10:46-52 Jesus Heals a blind Man (Bartimaeus) near Jericho
11:1-13:37 The Messianic Ministry of Jesus Revealed in Jerusalem and nearby regions
11:1-11 Jesus’ Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem as King
11:1 Jesus and His Disciples arrive at the Mount of Olives
11:2-6 Jesus Commands His disciples to untie and bring a Colt
11:7-11 Jesus Enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey [Zechariah 9:9]
11:12-14 [20-26] Jesus Curses a Fig Tree between near Bethany
11:15-19 Jesus Cleanses the Temple of Jerusalem
11:15-16 Jesus cleanses the Temple that turned into a market place
11:17-19 Jesus declares the temple of God as the house of prayer
11:20-26 [11:12-14] The Fig Tree that Jesus cursed withers away
11:20-21 The disciples notified Jesus about the withered Fig Tree
11:22-26 Jesus’ teachings on having strong Faith in God
11:27-12:34 The Jewish Religious Leaders Questions Jesus’ Authority
11:27-33 The Religious Leaders Questions the Authority of Jesus
11:27-28 The Priests, Teachers, and the Elders Questions Jesus
11:29-33 Jesus Questions the Religious Leaders for their Integrity
12:1-12 Jesus Shares the Parable of the evil Tenants
12:1 The Chief Farmer (the Land Owner) Planted a Vineyard
12:1a Planted a vineyard
12:1b Put a wall around it
12:1c Dug a pit for the winepress
12:1d Built a watchtower
12:1e Rented to some farmers
12:2-5 The Master sends Servants to Collect the Fruit from the Vineyard
12:2-3 The First Servant was beaten and send back empty-handed
12:4 The Second Servant was struck and treated shamefully
12:5a The Third Servant was killed
12: 5b The evil farmers did the same to all the Servants
12:6-8 The Master send His Son to the Tenants to Collect the Fruit
12:6 The Master sends his Son to the Vineyard to collect the Fruits
12:7-8 The Evil Farmers Conspired against the Son and killed him
12:9-11 The Master kills the evil farmers and gives the Vineyard to others
12:12 Religious Leaders plot against Jesus to arrest Him
12:13-17 Questions Regarding Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
12:13-15 Pharisees and Herodians Test Jesus about Paying Tax to Caesar
12:16-17 Jesus’ Response Regarding Paying Tax to Caesar
12:18-27 Sadducees’ Questions Regarding Resurrection
12:18-23 Sadducees Describe an Example of Marriage
12:24-27 Jesus’ Response Regarding Marriage at the Resurrection
12:28-34 Questions Regarding the Greatest Commandments
12:28 Teacher of the Law questions Jesus
12:29-34 Jesus Response to the Teacher of the Law
12:29-30 Jesus’ Response: The Greatest Commandments
12:31 Jesus’ Response: The Second Greatest Commandments
12:32-34 Jesus Advice to the teachers of the Law
12:35-37 Jesus Clarifies to the Crowd Whose Son Is the Messiah
12:35-36a Jesus’ Question to the crowd
12:36b-37 David himself calls the Messiah ‘my Lord’
12:38-40 Jesus Warns against the actions and authority of the Teachers of the Law
12:41-44 Jesus’ Admiration of the Widow who gave everything she had to live on
13:1-37 Jesus and His Disciples on the Mount of Olives: The Olivet Discourse
13:1-2 Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
13:3-31 Jesus Talks about the Signs of the End of the age
13:3-6 Jesus Warns His Disciples about being deceived
13:7-8 The Situation of the World in the Last Days
13:9-11 Preaching the Gospel causes Persecution in the Last Days
13:12-13 Betrayal and Divisions in the family in the Last Days
13:14-19 The abomination that causes desolation
13:20-23 The appearance of the false messiahs and false prophets
13:24-27 The Son of Man coming in clouds
13:28-31 The Lesson to be learned from the Fig Tree
13:32-37 Be on guard! Be Alert! The Return of Jesus is nearing
14:1-15:47 Preparations Made to Fulfill God’s Purpose of Christ’s Incarnation
14:1-11 The Celebration of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
14:1a Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread in Jerusalem
14:1b-2 The scheming of Jewish Religious Leaders to arrest Jesus
14:3-9 Anointing of Jesus at Bethany
14:10-11 Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus
14:12-21 The Preparations for the Passover Meal – the Last Supper
14:12-16 Jesus’ Instructions to prepare for the Passover Meal
14:17-18a Jesus and His Disciples Partaking in the Last Supper
14:18b-20 Jesus foretells that He will be betrayed by one of His disciples
14:21 The punishment upon the betrayer
14:22-26 Institution of the Lord’s Supper
14:22-24 The Elements in the Lord’s Supper
14:22 The broken Bread represents the Body of Christ
14:23-24 The wine/grape juice represents the shed Blood of Christ
14:25-26 Jesus assures to have it again in the kingdom of God
14:27-31 Jesus Predict that He will be deserted by all
14:27 Jesus Predicts that He will be deserted by all His disciples
14:28 Jesus says He will go to Galilee after the resurrection
14:29-31 Jesus’ Prediction of Peter denial of Jesus
14:32-15:47 The Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus Christ
14:32-42 Jesus and His Disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane
14:32 Jesus and His Disciples arriving at Gethsemane
14:33-34 Jesus talks with Peter, James, and John very privately
14:35-42 Jesus Prays and Pleads with His Heavenly Father
14:35-36 Jesus’ Prayer at Gethsemane – the First Time
14:37-38 Jesus invites His Disciples to watch and Pray
14:39-40 Jesus’ Prayer at Gethsemane – the Second Time
14:41-42 Jesus’ Prayer at Gethsemane – the Third Time
14:43-15:15 Jesus’ Arrest at Gethsemane and Religious and Civil Trials
14:43-52 Jesus’ Arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane
14:43 Judas and the armed Crowd arrives at Gethsemane
14:44-45 Judas betrays His Rabbi, Jesus, with a kiss
14:46 The Arrest of Jesus at Gethsemane
14:47 The Disciples tried to oppose Jesus’ Arrest
14:51-52 The young man wearing a linen garment fled
14:53-15:1 Jesus before the Sanhedrin for Religious Trial
14:53 Jesus was led to the Sanhedrin
14:54 Peter Follows Jesus to high priest’s courtyard
14:55-61a Jesus’ Trial begins before the Sanhedrin
14:61b-62 Jesus agreed that He is the Messiah
14:63-65 The Crowd condemned Jesus as worthy of death
14:66-72 Peter’s Denied His beloved Master Three Times
15:1 The Religious Trial continuous to the next morning
15:2-15 Trial before Pilate the Roman Governor of Judea
15:2-5 The Initial Trial before Pilate
15:6-11 The Release of the insurrectionist, Barabbas
15:12-14 Jesus’ Trial before Pilate Continues
15:15 Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified
15:16-20 Jesus was handed over to the Soldiers
15:16 The soldiers led Jesus to the Praetorium
15:17-20 The Soldiers mock and hurt Jesus
15:21-32 Crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha
15:21 Soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross
15:22 Jesus was led to Golgotha carrying His cross
15:23 Jesus refused to drink the wine mixed with myrrh
15:24 Jesus was crucified and His clothes were divided
15:25 The Local Time at the time of Jesus’ Crucifixion
15:26 The Written Notice of the Crime Nailed to the Cross
15:27 Two thieves/rebels were also crucified with Jesus
15:28-32 People who passed by hurled insults at Jesus
15:33-41 Death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary
15:33 Nature Reacted at Their Creator’s Crucifixion
15:33-34a The Local Time at the time of Jesus Death
15:34b-36 Jesus Cried Out to His Father in Heaven
15:37 Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
15:38 The Temple Curtain was torn from top to bottom
15:39 The Roman Centurion’s Testimony of Jesus
15:40-41 The Women who witnessed His Death
15:42-47 The Burial of Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
15:42-43 Joseph’s Request to Pilate for Jesus’ body
15:44-45 Pilate gave Jesus’ Body to Joseph for burial
15:46 Joseph placed/buried Jesus’ Body in the Tomb
15:47 The Women who witnessed Jesus’ Burial
16:1-20 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead
16:1-8 Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified has risen from the dead
16:1-3 The Women Arrive at the Tomb in the early Morning
16:4-5 The Angels Appear to the Women
16:6-8 The Angelic Declaration of Jesus’ resurrection
16:9-18 The Appearances of Jesus to Many
16:9 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
16:10 Mary’s Testimony to Jesus’ disciples that He is Alive
16:11 Disciples did not believe that Jesus is Alive
16:12-13 Jesus Appears to Two of His disciples
16:14a Jesus Appears to the Eleven
16:14b Jesus Rebukes His disciples for their lack of Faith
16:15-18 Jesus Commissions His Disciples for God’s Mission
16:19a The Ascension of Christ to Heaven
16:19b Jesus sat at the right hand of God to Intercede for us
16:20 The Apostles of Christ Enter into God’s Mission