New Testament Core Seminar

Class 5Mark

“The Servant King”New Testament Overview 1

Introduction

2

• Tell me what you know about modern and historical kings.• Are they more interested in dinner guests than making laws?• Would you think of him as servant or a ruler?• Most are surrounded with servants and treated as royalty.• What kind of king would we be?• We don’t mind serving but would we like to be treated as

servants?• Jesus came to both be a servant and to be treated as such.• Why? Because he wanted to be despised and rejected?• No, He came as a suffering, servant king – the kind we need.

3

Background. • Mark reveals Jesus as the arriving king, who is at the same time

the suffering servant. • His goal was to help its readers understand who Jesus was and

what true discipleship involves.“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."” (Mark 10:45)

• Many think the Mark is the oldest Gospels, written in the 60’s.• The author is Mark (John Mark) who was visible in the Gospels.• He was from a wealthy and prominent early church family (it

was his mother’s house in Jerusalem, where many were praying for Peter to be released (Acts 12:12).

• Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10) and a younger companion of Paul, Barnabas and Peter during the first Christian missionary efforts (Acts 12:24-25 and 13:5).

• Later, his departure from Antioch on the first missionary journey caused the rift between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13).

4

• Historical tradition identifies Mark as the unidentified young man who fled, clotheless, during the arrest of Christ (Mk 14:51).

• Evidence shows it was written in Rome to Gentile Christians in the Roman church. There are many Greek translations of Aramaic terms and the presence of many Greek transliterations of Latin words, which lends credibility to the claim that it was written for a Greek/Roman audience.

• Mark’s source was probably Peter … Mark was not one of the disciples, but Scripture suggests that they knew one another well:– Acts 12:11-12 – Peter goes to Mark’s house after he escapes from

prison.– I Peter 5:13 – Mark was with Peter at the time he wrote that letter. – The late first-century church leader Papias, who knew the disciples

themselves, said that Mark wrote everything Peter told him about the sayings and deeds of Jesus.

5

• The most striking feature of Mark is how action-filled it is. • Mark’s uses “immediately” 47 times.• Compared to the other Gospels, it is short on teaching. • There are only 7 parables Matthew’s 20 and Luke’s27.• And it covers fewer events than the other gospels. • But when Mark does cover an event in Jesus’s life it is with more

detail than the others. • It is marked by concise phrases and vivid details, which add to

its action-oriented flavor. • As the shortest of all the Gospels, Mark gets right to the point. • Read 1:15 as a perfect example.• By verse 1:16 Jesus has begun his ministry and calls his disciples.

• It takes Matthew three plus chapters to get to this point.• Mark records the key facts about what Jesus came to do and

leaves out parables and teachings found in the others.• Mark spends 1/3 on the passion week.

6

The Structure of the Gospel• Divided into 2 sections:

– what happens before Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, and– what happens after his confession.

• The first half (1:1-8:26) contains Jesus public ministry in Galilee.• There He established himself as one who had authority as a

teacher and one who could perform miracles. • As in Matthew’s Gospel, the turning point of the Gospel occurs

when Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (8:29). • Mark uses the healing of a blind man to explain what is

happening. Mark 8:22-26Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking.“ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

7

• Following this miracle, as they traveled, Jesus as the quest, “Who do people say I am?”

• Look at the parallelism between the two accounts.– In 22 they’re coming to Bethsaida; in 27they’re going on to the villages

around Caesarea Philippi. – Then we see miracles of partial sight. The blind man sees people, but

they look like trees walking around. – The people see Jesus, but think he is John, Elijah, or one of the prophets.– Then we get full sight. The blind man sees clearly. Peter sees that Jesus

is more than one of the prophets risen to life: he is the Messiah. – Both followed by a command to silence.

• At this turning point, clarity begins and everything changes.• Geographically up to this point it has been around Galilee.• In 8:27 Jesus moves to Caesarea Philippi, then on to Jerusalem –

Jesus has begun His walk to the cross.

8

• The first part of Mark asks the question: “Who is Jesus?” and giving the answer: “Jesus is the Christ!”

• Once that answer is understood, the second half of the book asks a different question: “What kind of Messiah is Jesus?”

• Answer: “He is the Suffering servant.” Read Mark 10:45.• The second half of Mark includes Jesus’ private teaching of the

disciples (8:27-10:52): • Jesus provides private and intense teaching to them about his

coming suffering, death, and resurrection, and what it means to follow Him.

• The book concludes with six chapters focused on the final week of Christ life, His death, and Resurrection.

9

Jesus is the Son of ManNote: The phrase “son of man” was used in the first half of the Old Testament to distinguish between man and God. The poetry of Number 23:19 uses this term to indicate mere mortal man as opposed to God. So, there it says: “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” The point is clear: God is not like man. But Jesus also clearly understood himself to be more than man. Daniel 7:13-14 refers to son of man.• Jesus uses “Son of Man” 16 times to refer to himself in Mark.• It carried massive significance, and it stressed both continuity

and discontinuity with the Jewish expectations of the Messiah. • By using the term, Jesus certainly picked up the mantle of

everything the Jews thought about the Messiah. Daniel 7:13-14:

10

• Daniel 7:13-14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him, His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

• With “Son of Man,” Jesus is identifying himself with the figure in Daniel 7.

• In the first half of Mark, we see this side of the “Son of Man” - Divine authority.

11

• From the people’s perspective there is also discontinuity with their expectations.

• “Son of Man” also refers to human frailty – used 93 times to refer to the suffering Ezekiel.

• It is often used in the first half of the Old Testament to emphasize the difference between man and God.

• Contradiction in terms? • No! Jesus was both the devine figure of Daniel 7 and the

suffering servant of Isaiah 53. • In John 12:34 the crowds equate the “Son of Man” with the

Messiah. “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, “The Son of Man must be lifted up?” Who is this Son of Man?’”

• Jesus’ portrayal of the son of man as one who was to suffer and die was contrary to their understanding of the expected Messiah

12

Jesus has Authority• In first half of Mark we see Jesus authority over:

– people (1:14-20)– sickness and demons (1:29-34)– sins (2:1-12)– nature (4:35-41– sickness and death (5:21-43)– those not even in Israel or in His presence (7:24-30)– to open blind eyes twice (8:22-26)

• The first half of answers, “Who is this?”• In Mark 4:41, even the disciples were terrified and asked each

other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"• Jesus himself poses this question to the disciples in Mark 8:27-

30, leading to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ and the turning point of the entire book.:

• Jesus is more than the authoritative, divine Son of man. He is also the Suffering Servant—the other half of that term.

13

Jesus Came With A Mission: To Die As A Ransom for Many• This was His mission, to die as a ransom for many (not all).• Read Mark 8:31-38.• They expected a conquering King … Jesus introduces Himself as

Messiah who will suffer and die!• If they are to follow Him they must be willing to forfeit their lives• Jesus mentions His mission four times in Mark.

– 8:31 “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”

– 9:31 “the son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

– 10:33 “We are going to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

– 10:45 “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.”

14

• That is exactly what happened!• After his arrest, Jesus is utterly deserted (14:50). • In 15, a guilty man is released in place of the innocent. • In Mark 15: 21-31, we read of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.• His suffering on the cross is the greatest display of his service.• What does this say about the character of God? About His love

for repentant sinners? What does this mean for us? • Jesus prepares His disciples for what lies ahead. • In Mark 8 … to follow this servant King means

– to take up our cross and share in the cost of discipleship. – to surrender our lives for Christ knowing how much we have been

forgiven . – to share the cost of discipleship and suffering in evangelism by telling

others about Christ even though that may be difficult in various ways.– to obey and trust Him in the difficult things as well as the easy ones.

15

Jesus Evokes a Response• How others responded to Jesus is a critical aspect of Gospels,

especially in Mark. • Mark is a great book for evangelism and is useful to draw

people’s attention to the ways people responded to Jesus when they heard Him in person.

• Some may claim that if only they had been there during the time of Christ and seen Him, then they’d have believed.

• We should take account of the varying reactions to Jesus by individuals during Jesus’ time.

• Times and cultures have changed, the types of responses remain the same.

16

1. Some Believed.• Some believed that Jesus was who he said He was like the

friends of the paralyzed man lowered him through the roof (2:5).• The woman who had been subject to bleeding for a long time

who touched Jesus’ cloak, and then fell at his feet (Mark 5:34), Jesus tells her that her faith has healed her.

• Others: Jairus the synagogue ruler (5:23), the Syrophoenician woman (7:29).

• Interestingly, many of those who responded most positively and decisively were the outcast of society.

• If it was our plan, we’d want the influential, powerful, rich. • And they did, but most responders were societies outsiders.

17

2. Some Were Confused.• We see this mainly with the disciples. • The disciples responded in faith by following Jesus when he

called them, they are slow to understand who He is. • For example, after the parable of the soils, Jesus rebukes them in

Mark 4:13, “Do you not understand this parable?”• When surprised by his ability to calm the storm on the lake,

Jesus asked, “How is it that you have no faith?” (4:40). • When He fed a large crowd the second time, the disciples were

as uncomprehending and surprised as after the first time. (8:14).

• Same with us. We are slow to learn and often act more like the disciples than the outcasts in the area of faith.

• We should be encourage that Jesus didn’t cast off the disciples.• And be humble and patient with the growth of other believers.

18

3. Some Were Antagonistic.• Of those who rejected Jesus, many were antagonistic to Him.• Plots on Jesus’ life started early, in response to his claims.

– professing to be the one who could forgive sins, [Mark 2:7, 10], – the bridegroom of Israel [Mark 2:19-20], and – the Lord of the Sabbath [Mark 2:28].

• The teachers of the law responded to his claim to forgive sins as blasphemy.

• The Pharisees objected to his healing on the Sabbath and, as early as chapter 3, began to plot how they might kill him (3:6).

• Others that you wouldn’t expect reacted antagonistically as well. – Jesus’ family thought he was out of his mind and tried to take custody of

him (3:21). – The residents of his hometown were offended by Him (6:4-5).

19

• In the end, the opposition engulfed the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jews and Gentiles, foes and even friends.

• Not only Judas, but the rest of the disciples played their parts in betraying, denying and deserting Jesus (consider the garden).

• Some people believed, some were confused, and some were antagonistic.

• Some post-modern theologians add a fourth, ambivalence.• It might seem to fit but ambivalence towards Christ is merely

disguised opposition. • How about us? • Can you think of times when each one of these responses

characterized you?• Christ has granted us the gifts of faith and repentance, we can

still react in all of these ways at various points in our lives.

20

• The message of this book is that no matter the opposition, confusion, wrong expectations and hopes for the Messiah, there is only one rightful response.

• The book concludes with Jesus’ death and resurrection, leaving us with the glorious answer of who Jesus is.

• He is the Divine king, God Himself, and the suffering servant. • And our response, to quote from Jesus’ very first words in this

gospel, is to repent and believe