Gospel of Mark Course

In this expositional study of the book of Mark, Prophet Russ brings dynamic, inspirational insight into the study of the Gospel of Mark that will impact your life and supercharge your understanding of the life of Jesus.

In Mark chapter 1, we find the account of the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He is baptized of John in the Jordan, and after 40 days in the wilderness, comes out in the power of the Spirit, casting out devils and healing the sick. Before too many days pass, the crowds are so great that Jesus cannot enter into the city, but for the magnitude of the crowds must remain out in the open fields as miracle after miracle takes place, galvanizing our faith and leaving us crying out for this same Jesus to make Himself known in our midst.

Who wrote the gospel of Mark? The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, who was the nephew of Barnabas and briefly a traveling companion who accompanied his uncle Barnabas with the apostle Paul (see Acts 12:25). At a certain point, Paul rejected Mark, prompting Barnabas to separate from him, who took John Mark with him (Acts 15:38). Sometime later, Barnabas was martyred, and John Mark is believed to have become then the traveling companion of the apostle Peter until his martyrdom in Rome. Traditions hold that when Peter was put to death, the church at Rome prevailed upon John Mark not to leave the city until he put down in writing all of Peter’s Jesus stories, hence the gospel of Mark was born. The gospel of Mark is the earliest written of the four gospels and is characterized by the type of anecdotes of power and action that Peter would have been attracted to with his own bombastic personality. We may call it the gospel of Mark, but it could just as easily and accurately be described as the gospel according to St. Peter, penned by John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas.

When we read this account in its simplicity and power, we can only declare, as John Wesley did after encountering Moravian missionaries, “When shall THIS Christianity cover the earth as the waters cover the sea?” We desire and we long to experience the presence and the power of Christ manifested in our midst, even as they did in Galilee during the beginning days of Jesus’ ministry. While others claim these things have passed away, we nonetheless dismiss that contention as unbelief and lay hold on the promise of Hebrew 13:8:

Each of the four gospels is unique, presenting the claims of Christ and the narrative of Jesus’ life in a particular light:

1. In Matthew, we find Jesus as the Messianic Savior, the hope of the Jews.

2. In Mark, Jesus is the Servant sent to fulfill the purposes of God.

3. In Luke, He is the Savior of all mankind, very human and approachable.

4. Finally, in John, Jesus is the Cosmic Christ, the living essence of the Creative Principle of the Universe, clad in the flesh, paying for our sins.