St Mark's Gospel-Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is the first verse of the Gospel?
“This is the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God.”
Why is this first verse important?
Is important because he declares his purpose and content of his gospel.
What does gospel mean?
Good news
What does Jesus mean?
Saviour
What does Christ mean?
Messiah, anointed one
What does son of God mean?
Title showing Jesus’ divinity
When was Mark’s Gospel written and where?
In Rome when Emperor Nero was persecuting the Christians around 60-70 A.D.
What were the sources for Mark’s Gospel?
Peter – papayas said Peter asked Mark to write down everything he knew about Jesus as his close disciple. Peter was an illiterate fisherman.
Blind Bartimaeus – and other eyewitnesses
Ur Markus– An early gospel in Aramaic
Divine inspiration – fundamentalist Christians believe every word come straight from God. Literalists believe the same.
His own experience – some think he was the man who fled naked at Jesus’ arrest.
The passion narrative and collective of Jesus’ teachings
What were Mark’s reasons for writing the gospel?
Delay of the Parousia-so that people would not forget the stories as the second coming was taking a long time.
Threat of heresy– Mark wanted to prevent false beliefs about Jesus, such as the ideas converts brought from their previous religions.also the idea of the Christians were cannibals.
Eyewitnesses were dying out and in accurate written record was needed for posterity.
To encourage persecuted Christians and give them hope of eternal life.
Peter asked him to write down what he knew of Jesus’ ministry.
To convert non-believers to Christianity.
What is the significance of the calming of the storm?
Violent storms were seen to be caused by Demons and so the nature miracle was also arguably an exorcism. Jesus used the same words as those used in exorcisms. The Emperor Nero was universally hated, so Christians might well have identified a demonic possession of the lake with him.
It must also have seemed as if God was asleep in that time of need but this story shows his power to save them. In the old Testament they would descriptions of God controlling nature Jesus demonstrated gods power over all the forces of evil.
The ship on the rough seas with an early Christian symbol representing the church ceiling of the stormy seas of life to its haven, God.
What are the ways of interpreting the story?
Literalist and fundamentalists believe every word is exactly true.
Conservatives believe it probably happened but may have been exaggerated and Mark as a human may have made mistakes.
Liberals do not think the miracles have historical truth but symbolic truth. Jesus could have been talking to the disciples in their panic “Be still!” could have been to calm them. it could have been a coincidence as Lake Galilee is known for its sudden storms.
Tell the story of the calming of the storm.
On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples,”Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting and they took him with them.
Suddenly a strong wind blew up and the waves began to spill over into the boat, So that it was about to fill with water. Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on the pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, teacher don’t you care that we are about to die?”
Jesus stood up and come onto the wind,”Be quiet! “And he said to the waves,”Be still! “The wind died down, and there was a great calm.then Jesus said to his disciples and why are you frightened? Have you still no faith? “
But they were terribly afraid and said to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Christians in the modern world.
The 21st-century world is vastly different from that of the first century and the same is true of Christianity.
