Entries 10
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Mark 1:29-45 -- The Word Spreads
In this last part of Mark's first chapter, Jesus performs a bunch of miracles and word about him spreads all over the region and people start coming to him to have miracles performed. In 1:29-31,...
Mark 1:21-28 -- The Synagogue
Jesus goes to Capernaum and begins teaching in the synagogue. One commentary says there was a custom of "the freedom of the synagogue" where guests could give speeches on that week's Scripture re...
Mark 1:16-20 -- The First Disciples
In this passage, Jesus calls the first four disciples, two pairs of brothers: Simon and Andrew, plus James and John. The way Mark makes it sound, Jesus calls these four disciples right after meet...
Mark 1:15 -- The Kingdom of God
In my last Bible study entry, I pondered the meaning of the phrase "the kingdom of God," and suggested one possible meaning, based on my reading so far in Mark: "the baptism of the Holy Spirit th...
Mark 1:14-15 -- Jesus' Message
This passage is the beginning of Jesus' preaching. Jesus' first message is in verse 15: "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" This is the first ...
Mark 1:12-13 -- The Number Forty
The verses here overlap those of the previous entry. These two entries deal with two ideas that I think are both separate and important enough to each warrant their own entry. One of the comment...
Mark 1:9-13 -- Jesus' Baptism
Mark 1:9-13 describes Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. One of my open questions so far is whether there are places in the gospel of Mark that describe Jesus as the Son of God besides the conte...
Mark 1:4-8 -- John the Baptist
In the last entry, regarding Mark 1:1, Thylacine asked, "Would saying he's the messiah not suggest He's the son of God?" I don't think that's necessarily the case. My understanding is that the Je...
Mark 1:1-3 -- Introduction
The first chapter of Mark already starts with an interesting situation. Chapter 1, verse 1 says, "The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God." A footnote says that som...
The Gospel of Mark
One of my New Year's resolutions was the walking maps in the previous entry. Another one was to do a weekly Bible study. This isn't meant to be a devotional or to convert anyone. It's really just...
Book Description
One of my New Year's resolutions was to do a weekly Bible study. This isn't meant to be a devotional or to convert anyone. It's really just for my own benefit. I'm going to read parts of the Bible and research any questions that come to mind and write up in Prosebox whatever I find. My goal is just to learn more and see where that takes me.
Now the story of Jesus' life is, of course, central to everything Christians believe, so I figure I should start in the gospels, and as far as I know, Mark was the first gospel to be written. So, I'm starting with Mark.
Things to look for while reading:
- The "vivid details that are unnecessary to the flow of the narrative" described in Theopedia.
- Stories from Peter's perspective, suggesting Peter as a source for Mark.
- Theological differences within the text, suggesting multiple sources.
- Explanations of Jewish customs and translations of Aramaic, suggesting a non-Jewish target audience.
- Assumptions that Jewish customs are known to the reader, suggesting a Jewish target audience.
Open Questions:
- Is Jesus’ status as the Son of God established elsewhere in Mark, in verses that are consistent across the ancient manuscripts?
- Is there a better explanation for the Malachi quote in Mark 1:2?
- What did Jews believe about the Messiah and Messianic prophecies before Jesus and John the Baptist?
- What did Jews believe about sin, repentance and baptism before John the Baptist?
- What does the number 40 mean throughout the Bible? What does it mean to God?
- How was Jesus transformed or renewed in his baptism and 40 days in the wildnerness? What does this say about who he was before his baptism?
- Is the number 40 in my personal life a coincidence or does it have deeper significance?
- What does “the kingdom of God” really mean?
- What did “the kingdom of God” mean to the Jews that Jesus was preaching to?
