© Yes Lord Ministries 1996, 1998
This lesson was Revised April 1998
This is a study of the entire book of Mark. If you have a Bible, it is recommended that you do the assignments in your own Bible. Or, if you have a Computer Bible program, Print out the Text from that program and use those pages for your marking.
The Gospel of Mark is one of the four Gospels in the New Testament which convey to us important information about the Lord Jesus Christ while He was here on earth nearly 2000 years ago. Each of the 4 Gospels has a different purpose. In this, the first lesson in our study, we will determine the Purpose of Mark's Gospel. We will also discover information that will enable us to better understand to whom it was written, and what it contains. So, get out your colored pencils, grab your Bible and let's begin this Interactive study of the Gospel of Mark.
Sections 1 & 2
Your first assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read the entire book of Mark one time, using either your Bible or the Scripture Work Sheets, and as you read mark every reference to Jesus. Also mark all synonyms (words used in the place of His name) and pronouns (I, me, my , mine, his, he, etc) which are used in place of His name. Read slowly and thoughtfully. Do not rush. When you have finished, there will be some questions for you to answer. Don't worry. These will not be difficult. This is not an academic course. You will not fail. The purpose of all of these lessons and assignments is NOT to pack your head with information but, rather, to allow you to spend time with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and to let the Holy Spirit draw us closer to Them and to teach us the things He wants us to know. So, consider these assignments and activities as opportunities to spend quality time with God. Also, before beginning this or any time of Bible reading or study, ask God to teach you. So begin and end every time of Bible study in prayer and let your entire time of study be in an attitude of prayer. When you don't understand something, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. I won't remind you of this need to pray before every assignment, but just know, this is something to always do. You could pray a prayer like this or one of your own:
Oh Father, as I begin now to read the Book of Mark, let this not be an academic exercise
but let it be a time of getting to know You better! I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me Your Word.
Draw me closer to You. Help me to know You and love You better. Show me whatever it is
that You want me to know. Thank You, Father.
In Jesus name. Amen.
Ok, you have your assignment...which is to read the Book of Mark, and as you read, mark every reference to Jesus. (I marked His name and the synonyms and pronouns by putting a blue cross on the actual word. But you may use any symbol or color you prefer.) This may take you an hour or two, so we have given two days (sections) for you to do this assigment.
Section 3
Finished? Great ! Now, let's do some things based on what you have read.
First, on a separate sheet of paper, List how Jesus is described in the Gospel of Mark. Also note the scripture passage where the description is found.For example, your list would include
Jesus is
1:1 the son of God
...
8:29 the Christ
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<>< <>< <>< <>< Pause while you do this assignment <>< <>< <>< <><
Now, answer the following questions.
? What is the emphasis of the Gospel of Mark. Circle the correct answer from the 2 choices listed below:
1. The WORKS (MIRACLES & DEEDS) of Jesus (What He did.)
2. The WORDS & SERMONS of Jesus (What He said).
There are 4 Gospels in the New Testament which tell the story of Jesus Christ. Each had a different approach because each was telling about or emphasizing a different aspect of Christ's life and ministry. You have correctly noted that in the Gospel of Mark, the "What He did" was the emphasis rather than the "What He said," which is emphasized in some of the other gospels. Selecting from the choices listed below, fill in the blank concerning the emphasis in Mark.. I have done 3 of them for you, so this will not be hard.
Choose from these choices: ....Son of Man--- King----Son of God----Servant
In the gospel of MATTHEW, the emphasis is on presenting Christ as King
In the gospel of MARK, the emphasis is on presenting Christ as _________ .
In the gospel of LUKE, the emphasis is on presenting Christ as Son of Man.
In the gospel of JOHN, the emphasis is on presenting Christ as Son of God .
How many chapters are in the Gospel of
MATTHEW ___28___________
MARK _____________
LUKE ____24______
JOHN ____21______
So, then, the Shortest of the four gospels is the book of ____________.
However, even though Mark is the shortest, it is packed with wonderful insights, information, and facts which will enable us to know and love Jesus more and to better understand His power, interests, desires, intentions, and purposes.
Section 4
Well, so far in this lesson, you have correctly observed that the Works / Miracles/ deeds of Jesus (the "What He did" ) were emphasized in the Gospel of Mark. And, therefore, Jesus is being presented as the Servant of God! Now we want to look at these WORKS again.. Of course, these are not all of the works that Jesus did while on earth, but they are a good representative sampling of what Jesus did.
So, your assignment now is to note the miracles (works / deeds) that Jesus did by writing in the margin of the text (in a color of your choice, I used RED) a few words describing or summarizing each miracle so you can see it easily and locate them rapidly in the future. How do you do this? Let me give you an example. In the margin beside verse 21 of the passage related in 1:21-28, you could write, Jesus drives out an evil spirit. And beside verse 29 of 1:29-38 you could write, Jesus heals many and drives out many demons.
To assist you in this, here are the locations of Miracles which I marked: ....1:21; 1:29: 1:40; 2:1; 3:1: 4:35; 5:1; 5:21; 6:30; 6:45; 7:22; 7:31; 8:1; 8:21; 9:14; 10:42; 11:21: 14:47. I may have missed some; if you see more, feel free to include them in your marking.
Ok, you have the idea. Now, do your assignment. Again, remember to pray before you begin and do not rush. Read thoughtfully and let this be a time of just fellowshiping with God and letting His Holy Spirit show you what Jesus did and can do.
------- Pause while you do this assignment -------
Finished? Great! Now, based on what you have observed so far in this lesson, answer the following questions.
? Were there MIRACLES in the Gospel of Mark? (Circle your answer)....YES.....NO
? Were there PARABLES in the Gospel of Mark? (Circle your answer).....YES.....NO
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? Were there any PREDICTIONS in the Gospel of Mark? (Circle your answer)..YES...NO
Di you notice any REPEATED WORDS or PHRASES in the Gospel of Mark?
List some of them in the space below.
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Sections 5
In Section 4, you noticed that there were several repeated words and or phrases in the Gospel of Mark and you made a list of some of them. Did you include on your list the word STRAIGHTAWAY (kjv) IMMEDIATELY (niv) (or its synonyms -- AT ONCE, AFTER THIS, SUDDENLY, AT THIS, WITHOUT DELAY, JUST THEN, QUICKLY, AS SOON AS)? This word or its synonyms is used approximately 30 times, give or take a few, depending on which version you are using. The actual word also varies depending on what version you are using, but the sense is the same and this is an important and key word. Other repeated words and phrases which I noticed were: Son of God, Son of Man, heals, teach (teaching, prolcaiming, etc), authoriity, Kingdom of God, demon possessed, spirits (evil spirits, demons), sign, sin (sins). I assume you also noticed those. Wonderful.
Well, you have been reading, re-reading, and meditating (hopefully) on the Gospel of Mark as you have done these various assignments.. So now that you have a general idea of what is in this wonderful Gospel, tell me...
? Who wrote the Gospel of Mark? ______________________
What do we know about Mark, the author? Well, actually we don't know much from the book itself, but the following scriptures will give us some really interesting information. So, read the following Scriptures (Cross-References) and in the spaces provided, briefly summarize what you learn about Mark.
Acts 12:12, 25
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Acts 13:5, 13
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Acts 15:37-39
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Colossians 4:10-11
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Philemon 24
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2 Timothy 4:11
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I Peter 5:13
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Mark 14:51-52 Many believe that the young man mentioned here is really Mark. If so, what do we learn about Mark from this passage? Why do you think this passage is included in the gospel of Mark?
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Now, let's draw some conclusions. It is time for you to figure out on your own, based on what you have learned from reading and rereading the Gospel of Mark this week, the answers to the following questions.
? When was the Gospel of Mark written? (Right now concern yourself not with the specific year but with the general time span. Circle your answer from the 4 choices listed below.)
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1. Before Christ's death
2. After Christ's death but before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70
3. After Christ's death and after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70
4. Can't tell
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.? For whom was it mainly written? Circle your answer from the 3 choices below.
1. For Gentiles (Romans, Greeks, etc.)
2. For Jews
3. For Gentiles and Jews
.? Why do you think it was written for the group(s) of people you chose? What in the book of Mark caused you to make this decision?
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? What is the PURPOSE of the Gospel of Mark? (What was the author trying to
tell his readers?)
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? Did you see a MAIN (KEY) VERSE that summarized this book? What was it? Write it in the space below:(Hint: the key verse and the purpose go hand in hand. When you determine one, it helps you to know the other.)
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Hmmmm. so you thought that Mark 10:45 was the Main verse, eh? Well, so did I! Imagine that. And, you probably also, therefore, correctly noted that the Purpose of this Gospel, which was written after Christ's death but before the fall of Jerusalem, is to show that Jesus did not come to be served but TO serve. Jesus served in many ways, but the most important and significant of them all was when He died for our sins. And, since this book is written for both Jews AND Gentiles (but probably more for Gentiles than for Jews... yet, it is for Jews also, of course), then Mark is showing us that Jesus was a servant for ALL. So, Mark is writing to tell us that Jesus is the Servant of Jehovah, the Servant Who paid the penalty for our sins, whether Jews or Gentiles, Jesus paid the penalty!!! Wow! Thank You, Jesus!!!
? Finally, let's consider the question, where did Mark get his information?
. .......Was Mark one of the 12 apostles? Circle your answer:.....YES ........NO
........Did Mark know any of the apostles? Circle your answer:.. YES.....NO.......NOT SURE
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So, how did Mark get his information?
Well, as you surely correctly noted, Mark was not one of the 12 Apostles. But, Mark did know all of the apostles and many even visited in the home of his mother. (Remember what you read in Mark 14:51-52? The young man mentioned here probably is Mark.) And, Mark also not only knew but also ministered with Peter. So, most people believe that the information recorded in this Gospel of Mark was obtained by his many contacts with the apostles and especially from Peter himself.
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Well, that is it ! You have finished Lesson 1 of your Bible Study of the Book of Mark! In the next lesson we will begin to look at this Gospel Book in more detail. In the meantime, thank God for what you have learned and Praise Jesus for Who He is and what He does !
See you in Lesson 2!
© 1996, 1998 "Yes Lord" Ministries.....
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