INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark – (A brief overview of the Gospel of Mark, its contents, background, and literary structure)

The Son of God in the Gospel of Mark – (Mark presents a Messiah that cannot be understood apart from his self-sacrificial death)

The Identity of Jesus – Calvary – (Mark 15:47 – The Messiah of Israel cannot be understood apart from his sacrificial death)

CHAPTERS 1 – 8

The Commencement of the Good News of the Kingdom – (Mark 1:1-3 – The ministry of John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah)

John, the Forerunner – (Mark 1:4-8 – John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for God’s Messiah)

Jesus, the Spirit, and the Wilderness – (Mark 1:9-13 – After his baptism, the Spirit “drove” Jesus into the Wilderness)

Arrest and Fulfillment – (Mark 1:14-15 – The kingdom is not a distant reality waiting for the return of Jesus but something that began in Christ’s ministry)

Four Disciples Summoned – (Mark 1:16-20 – The summons of Jesus to follow him necessitated total commitment from his disciples)

Authority over Demons – (Mark 1:21-28 – Jesus demonstrates his victory over Satan by driving his forces out of God’s children in his exorcisms)

Jesus has Authority over Disease – (Mark 1:29-39 – Social conventions or purity regulations did not prevent Jesus from ministering to the physical needs of men or women)

The Son of Man has Authority over Ritual Purity – (Mark 1:40-45 – The touch of the Son of Man cleanses a leper; the forbidden contact does not render Jesus “unclean”)

The Son of Man has the Authority to Discharge Sins – (Mark 2:1-12 – Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive sins by healing the paralytic)

A Tax Collector is Called – (Mark 2:13-17 – Jesus further offends the religious authorities by summoning a tax collector to follow him)

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath – (Mark 2:23-3:6 – Jesus reaches a major point of departure with the Jewish religious authorities)

Crowds Press and Demons Proclaim Jesus the Messiah – (Mark 3:7-12 – Demons began to declare Jesus to be the Son of God)

The Twelve Apostles Appointed – (Mark 3:13-21 – Jesus chooses his Twelve Disciples from among a larger group of followers)

The Unpardonable Sin – (Mark 3:22-35 – A line is crossed when what God’s Spirit is doing in Jesus is attributed to Satan)

The Parable of the Sower – (Mark 4:1-20 – The parable of the sower pictures the Son of Man sowing the “seed” of the gospel in the world where it grows largely unseen and in unexpected ways until the final harvest at the end of the age)

Kingdom Parables – (Mark 4:21-34 – After giving his parable of the Sower, Jesus taught several more parables about the kingdom of God, its unexpected methods of expansion, and its status in the world up to the End of the Age)

Jesus Calms the Sea of Galilee – (Mark 4:35-41 – Despite a tremendous miracle, the disciples continue to lack faith. )

The Demoniac – (Mark 5:1-20 – Jesus delivers a demonized Gentile while traveling through hostile territory)

Jesus Restores Two Women to Wholeness – (Mark 5:21-43 – Jesus healed two women and restored both to states of ritual purity)

Jesus in Nazareth – (Mark 6:1-6 – Despite his wisdom and miraculous deeds, Christ’s hometown and family rejected his ministry and took offense at his humble origins)

The Cost of Discipleship – (Mark 6:7-30 – To be a disciple means to take up one’s cross daily and to follow in his steps wherever they lead)

The Miraculous Witness of Jesus to Israel – (Mark 6:31-56 – The feeding of the 5,000 was a spectacular witness to Israel of her Messiah yet most Jews rejected him)

Jesus Confronts Added Human Traditions – (Mark 7:1-23 – Jesus confronts the traditions added to the Law of Moses by the “elders”)

Jesus and Food Purity Laws – (Mark 7:1 – Christ’s teachings undermine the religious logic behind dietary regulations)

Spiritual Dullness, Sign Seeking and Unbelief – (Mark 8:1-21 – The gospel accounts of Jesus highlight the unbelief behind the inability of his opponents and his disciples to perceive who he was)

A Blind Man Saved Along the Way – (Mark 8:22-26 – A blind man’s eyes were opened, and the man “saved” as Jesus continued “on the way” to Jerusalem and his inevitable death)

Who Do You Say That I Am? – (After Jesus healed a blind man, for a fleeting moment the eyes of Peter were opened to “see” just who he was – Mark 8:27-38)

His Suffering and Death – (Mark 8:31 – To be the Messiah of Israel means suffering and death, though he is the promised Messiah and Lord over all things)