Mark
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
[Click on Title to Open Study]
{IN GALILEE}
- Introduction to Mark - {PDF Copy} - (A brief overview of the history and structure of Mark's gospel account)
- Commencement of the Gospel - {PDF Copy} - (In the ministry of Jesus, the kingdom of God arrived, beginning with his baptism by John the Baptist)
- Voice in the Wilderness - {PDF Copy} - (John arrived in Judea to prepare the way of the Messiah and herald the Good News of the Kingdom, as predicted in Isaiah)
- This is My Son! - {PDF Copy} - (The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirm the calling and identity of Jesus - Son of God and Messiah of Israel)
- Kingdom Herald - {PDF Copy} - (Victorious over the Devil and empowered by the Spirit, Jesus appears in Galilee of the Nations and proclaims the Kingdom)
- Arrest and Fulfillment - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus began to proclaim the kingdom following the arrest of John the Baptist and in fulfillment of the Scriptures)
- Four Fishermen Summoned - {PDF Copy} - (In Galilee, Jesus summoned four fishermen to leave their livelihoods to become his disciples – Mark 1:16-20)
- Authority over Demons - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus demonstrated his authority over Satan by driving his forces out of the children of Israel)
- Authority over Disease - {PDF Copy} - (Neither social conventions nor purity regulations prevented Jesus from ministering to the physical needs of men and women)
- Authority over Ritual Purity - {PDF Copy} - (The touch of Jesus cleansed a leper, and the forbidden contact did not render him “unclean”)
- Authority to Forgive Sins - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus healed a paralytic, demonstrating the authority of the Son of Man to discharge sins)
- The Son of Man has Authority - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the Son of Man foreseen by Daniel who received his authority to reign from Yahweh Himself)
- Tax Collector Summoned - {PDF Copy} - (‘Forgiveness’ links the call of the tax collector to the preceding story, the Son of Man’s authority to discharge sins)
- Authority over the Sabbath - {PDF Copy} - (In response to Jewish leaders, Jesus demonstrated that he is Lord even over the Sabbath Day)
- Crowds Press, Demons Confess - {PDF Copy} - (The crowds welcomed Jesus because of his miracles, but only demons recognized him as the Son of God)
- Twelve Apostles Appointed - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 3:13-21 - Jesus departs to a mountain to summon his twelve disciples)
- Unpardonable Sin - {PDF Copy} - (A line is crossed when the activities of God’s Spirit in the words and deeds of Jesus are attributed to Satan – Mark 3:22-35)
- Parable of the Sower - {PDF Copy} - (The Son of Man sows the seed of the gospel in the world where it grows into the kingdom of God until the end of the age)
- Kingdom Parables - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus taught several parables concerning God’s kingdom, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world)
- Authority over Sea and Storm - {PDF Copy} - (Despite his tremendous miracle of calming a tempest on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples still did not recognize the Son of Man – Mark 4:35-41)
- Who is this Man? - {PDF Copy} - (No one recognized who Jesus was except the demons cast out by him. Only in his sacrificial death can his identity be understood)
- Jesus and the Demoniac - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus delivered a demonized Gentile while traveling through hostile territory, demonstrating his vast authority over Satan)
- Two Women Restored - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 5:21-43 - Christ restores two afflicted women despite barriers raised by the Levitical purity codes)
- Rejected in Nazareth - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 6:1-6 - Jesus is rejected by his hometown despite his miracles and wise teaching)
- The Cost of Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be his disciple means taking up the cross and following in his footsteps, even if it results in death - Mark 6:7-30)
- Miraculous Witness to Israel - {PDF Copy} - (The feeding of 5,000 men was a spectacular witness to Israel, yet most Jews continued to reject Jesus as Israel’s Messiah)
- Jesus and Tradition - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus undermined the religious rationale for dietary restrictions. With the Messiah’s arrival, the old rituals lost their relevance)
- Spiritual Dullness - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 8:1-21 - Mark highlights the unbelief behind the inability of the disciples and Christ’s opponents to perceive who he is)
- A Blind Man Saved - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 8:22-26 - A blind man’s eyes are opened along the way to Jerusalem)
- On the Way - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to his disciples just what it means to be the Messiah of Israel) - {PDF Copy}
{TO JERUSALEM}
- The Transfiguration - (The Transfiguration confirms his status as the Messiah and the necessity for Jesus to suffer before receiving glory) - {PDF Copy}
- Disciples Stumped by Unbelief - {PDF Copy} - (Unbelief hindered the ability of Jesus to heal some afflicted persons, not the lack of fasting or other ritualistic practices)
- The Meaning of Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be his disciple means a life of self-sacrificial service to others, and especially to the weak and insignificant)
- Faithful or Salt-Less - {PDF Copy} - (Faithful disciples will receive great rewards, but those who harm their weaker brethren run the risk of Gehenna)
- Questions About Divorce - {PDF Copy} - (Opponents question Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he uses the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom of God)
- The Young Rich Man - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus means surrendering one’s entire life and following wherever he leads, no questions asked)
- His Imminent Death - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus explains that he is “on the way” to Jerusalem where he will be arrested, tried, and executed per the plan of God)
- Servant of the Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are called to lives of self-sacrificial service just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many)
- Blind Bar-Timaeus Saved - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:46-52 - Jesus restores the sight of a blind beggar while he is “on the way” to his death in Jerusalem)
{IN JERUSALEM}
- His Triumphal Arrival - {PDF Copy} - (At the end of his journey, his destination was the Temple in the center of the city – Mark 11:1-11)
- Fruitless Temple - {PDF Copy} - (The cursing of the budding fig tree pointed to the destruction of the Temple predicted by Jesus)
- Pronouncement on the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (When he left the Temple for the last time, Jesus pronounced its coming desolation to his opponents)
- In the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus gave his discourse on Olivet following his final and prophetic departure from the Temple)
- Geographic Scope - {PDF Copy} - (The Olivet Discourse presents two key events linked to different geographic contexts, one regional, the other global)
- Deceivers and False Prophets - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus warns us of coming false prophets, deceivers who will mislead many and disseminate false information about the future)
- His Repeated Warning - {PDF Copy} - (On the Mount of Olives, Jesus reiterated key information that is necessary for his disciples to avoid deception by false prophets)
- Sign of the End - {PDF Copy} - (According to Jesus. the end will not come until this gospel of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all nations)
- Abomination of Desolation - {PDF Copy} - (When disciples see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it ought not, they must flee Jerusalem without delay)
- "This Generation" - {PDF Copy} - (The generation contemporary with Jesus witnessed the events that he predicted that culminated in the destruction of the Temple)
- Coming on the Clouds - {PDF Copy} - (The whole earth will witness the Son of Man arriving on the clouds to gather his elect to himself)
- The Budding Fig Tree - {PDF Copy} - (The parable of the budding fig tree points to the imminent destruction of the Temple predicted by Jesus)
- Knowing Times and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Instead of calculating times and seasons, followers of Jesus must always be prepared for his sudden arrival)
