JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING

Who is Jesus? It’s a question people have been wrestling with for 2,000 years with an answer that has the power to change your life forever. Through this 26-part study of the Gospel of Mark, we’ll discover who Jesus truly is, what He did for us, and what that means for our lives today.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK: WEEKLY READING & STUDY GUIDE

Part Three: Jesus Goes Public

GLOVES OFF
JULY 10-11 | MARK 11:1–26
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Q&A WITH JESUS
JULY 17-18 | MARK 11:27–12:17
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TRAPPING JESUS
JULY 24-25 | MARK 12:18–44
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JESUS & THE ENDGAME
AUG 7-8 | MARK 13:1–37
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PRICELESS
AUG 14-15 | MARK 14:1–42
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FAILING FORWARD
AUG 21-22 | MARK 14:43–72
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JESUS THE FINISHER
AUG 28-29 | MARK 15:1–41
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THE GREAT COMMISSION
SEP 5-6 | MARK 15:42–16:20
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Part Two: Jesus Changes Everything

JESUS REFRAMES OUR HIGHS AND LOWS
MAY 29-30 | MARK 9:1–29
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JESUS REDEFINES GREATNESS
JUNE 5-6 | MARK 9:30–50
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JESUS ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
JUNE 12-13 | MARK 10:1-16
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JESUS REDEFINES PRIORITIES
JUNE 26–27 | MARK 10:17-31
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THE REVOLUTION OF POWER
JULY 3-4 | MARK 10:32-45
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Part One: Who is Jesus?

MARK’S JESUS STORY
FEB 6–7 | MARK 1:1–20
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GOD IN SANDALS
FEB 13–14 | MARK 1:21–45
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A DIFFERENT KIND OF DOCTOR
FEB 20–21 | MARK 2:1-17
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THE GOD WHO ASKS QUESTIONS
FEB 27–28 | MARK 2:18-3:6
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DRAFT KING
MAR 6–7 | MARK 3:7-35
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THE STORYTELLER
MAR 13-14 | MARK 4:1-34
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CALM THE CHAOS
MAR 20–21 | MARK 4:35-5:20
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THE KING OF THE COMEBACK
MAR 27–28 | MARK 5:21-43
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THE MISUNDERSTOOD GOD
APR 10-11 | MARK 6:1-29
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PROBLEM SOLVER
APR 17-18 | MARK 6:30-53
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THE GOD WHO MAKES YOU CLEAN
APR 25-26 | MARK 7:1-37
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MORE THAN ENOUGH
MAY 1-2 | MARK 8:1-21
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THE GOD WHO GIVES SIGHT
MAY 22-23 | MARK 8:22-38
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THE GOSPELS

The word gospel is Anglo-Saxon, meaning "God's spell," or “good news.” It is the Anglo rendering of the Greek word euangelion, which means, "good news." In ancient Greek literature and language, it was a word used when one brings good tidings. In reference to the Bible, it specifically refers to “the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and also of Jesus, the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom.” What are the four books of the Bible we call the Gospels? They are four accounts of the life, missions, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These four narratives, which tell the same story from unique perspectives and for diverse audiences were written to share the good news of salvation that comes through Jesus. The Gospel of Mark is one of the four Gospels found in the New Testament.

KEY THEMES

Jesus, The Son of God

From the very beginning, this Gospel makes its intention clear: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 NIV). The kingdom of God has come to the earth in the person of Jesus. Mark’s account reveals Jesus’ authority 1) as a teacher (1:21–22), 2) to forgive sins (2:5–12), and 3) over Sabbath (2:27–28), unclean spirits (3:20–27), creation (4:35–41, 6:45–52), the law (7:1–20), the temple (11:12–19, 27–33, 12:1–12), and the mystery of the kingdom (4:10–11).

Jesus, The Son of Man

Jesus did not shy away from getting His hands dirty. He wasn’t deterred by ritual defilement, physical contamination, the potential of contracting disease, or moral pollution. He sought and served all; He went to the lowest of low and raised them up. His loving touch, mighty power, and redemptive words displayed compassion, humility, and accessibility for all.

Jesus, The Messiah

Jesus’ suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection are the center point of all of history and the lynchpin in God’s plan of salvation for mankind. Mark revealed the disciples’ initial inability to recognize Jesus as Messiah.

Jesus, The Suffering Servant

Jesus spoke openly of His suffering and death and warned His disciples that they’d also face persecution because of His name.

Jesus, The Savior of All Who Believe

Jesus is the Savior of all who receive Him by faith. Mark’s Gospel focuses on Jesus’ ministry in Gentile regions, records Gentile confessions of faith (15:39), the sending of the first Gentile missionary (5:18–19), and calls the temple “a house of prayer for all nations” (11:17).

NEED-TO-KNOW INFO

The narrative we now call the Gospel of Mark was written by the John Mark most likely somewhere between A.D. 50 and 68, with many pinpointing 64 as the year it was written. Based on this date, it is likely that Mark was the earliest Gospel account that was written.

John Mark and his mother were among the earliest followers of Jesus (1 Peter 5:13). In fact, his home was used as a meeting place for the apostles and early disciples, as is noted in Acts 12:12. He was cousins with Barnabas and even travelled with Paul for a season. He then served with the apostle Peter as his secretary up until Peter’s death in Rome in 68 AD. Thus, Mark's Gospel is actually a record of what Peter said, saw, and taught.

The Gospel of Mark was written while Peter and John Mark were in Rome working with Roman Christians, and this was the original audience of the letter. Whereas the Gospel of Matthew was clearly written to a Jewish audience (as evidenced by the notations of fulfilled Old Testament prophecy), Mark was penned primarily to a Roman audience.

Mark is a historical narrative describing Jesus' life, work, teaching, miracles, death, and resurrection with little background information. Starting with His baptism, it doesn’t record the events surrounding Jesus’ birth or early life at all or dive into deep theology. Think of Mark like a snap shot or a post card. It’s short, to the point, and powerful. It tells the simple story of Jesus and then ends with a challenge: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 NIV).

Mark is a Gospel of action and reaction. Not interested in character or doctrinal development, more space is given to miracles in this Gospel than the others—18 of the 35 recorded miracles across the four Gospels are found in Mark. He also takes a lot of time to describe the reactions of people to Jesus. This 16-chapter account contains more than 20 references to people who were “amazed,” “astonished,” “puzzled,” or “hostile.”