This the second lesson of the books of the Bible. Please remember this is only a helicopter view of the books. In the previous lesson, we covered Matthew. Today, we will be talking about the book of Mark. I hope that you enjoy this blog, as much as I have enjoyed doing. Please leave a comment if you feel compelled to.

Mark, was also know as John Mark. He was born in the North African country of Libya. He was born to Jewish parents, but most histories date him as too young to be a disciple of Jesus during his ministry. His parents were Aristopolos and Mary. They migrated to Palestine shortly after his birth, due to the fact that their town and property were under siege by the Berbers. Mark’s parents eventually settled in Cana, which is in Galilee not too far from Jerusalem.

Mark is thought to be among the 70 disciples who first gathered to follow Jesus. Mark was friends of the apostles Peter and Paul. It is believed that he traveled with Paul on at least one of Paul’s missionary journey. While in Jerusalem, Mark met future disciple Simon Peter (whom we will talk about later).

Mark’s father died suddenly, and Simon Peter considered him (Mark) to be a son. Simon Peter ensured that he received a good education, training in literary classics, and law. Mark’s mother Mary was a great admirer of Jesus and followed Jesus on his journey. It is thought that Mark chronicled the path of Simon Peter, and that the Gospel of Mark serves as a biography told by the apostle himself. Mark went to Egypt to preach the gospel, he established one of the oldest churches there. It is believed that he wrote his gospel while in Egypt. He was martyred by pagans in 68 AD.

Marks gospel is considered the no-frills gospel, as it is the shortest and most concise. Mark felt it was important to show Jesus as a humble servant. His writing contains many famous lines. His most famous line is found in Mark 10:45. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The book of Mark was believed to be written between 50-60 AD, and covers the time period of 7 BC to 26 AD. It is thought to be a memoir dictated by the Apostle Peter.

Some of the famous stories in the book include:

1. Jesus tells Simon Peter and his brother Andrew that he will make them “fishers of men”.
2. Jesus specifically appoints 12 disciples early in his ministry
3. Jesus heals a blind man who reports that people look like trees; Jesus prays for him again. Jesus, also heals a deaf and mute an with his spittle.

An important point of the book is that Mark does not mention the birth or childhood of Jesus, but starts with the ministry of John the Baptist.

Finally, another one of Mark’s famous verse was mark 8:34, where Jesus called to the crowd and told them that if they wanted to follow him, they must deny themselves and take up their cross. Here is the verse: ³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

There is so much more to the book of Mark, but again this is just a helicopter view. I hope that you enjoyed reading this. Have a blessed day.