The Gospel of Mark: The Fast-Paced Story of Jesus

The Gospel of Mark offers a breathless, urgent account of Jesus' life that captures his identity as the Son of God and extends his invitation to follow him today.

• Mark is the shortest gospel at 16 chapters—readable in about 90 minutes
• Written around 55-65 AD, likely the earliest written account of Jesus' life
• Tradition says it was written by John Mark, capturing Peter's eyewitness perspective
• Uses the word "immediately" about 40 times, creating an urgent, fast-paced narrative
• Features "sandwich" storytelling technique where one story is nested inside another
• Preserves Jesus' original Aramaic words like "Talitha kum" (little girl, get up)
• Emphasizes Jesus' authority over sickness, nature, demons, and death
• Presents Jesus as a different kind of Messiah who serves, suffers, and saves
• Contains 16 references to "follow me"—Jesus wants followers, not just admirers
• The earliest manuscripts end at 16:8, with later copies adding verses 9-20

Take one step this week—read Mark using one of the suggested reading plans and ask: Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him?

RELATED EPISODES:

The Gospels: A Four-Fold Portrait of Jesus

RESOURCES: 

Carson, D. A., & Moo, D. J. (n.d.). An introduction to the New Testament (pp. 183, 187) [Kindle edition].

Cooper, R. L. (2000). Mark (Vol. 2, Holman New Testament Commentary). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Deppe, D. B. (2011). All roads lead to the text: Eight methods of inquiry into the Bible. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

MacArthur, J. (Ed.). (2011). The MacArthur Study Bible (New International Version). Thomas Nelson.

Nelson, T. (n.d.). The NIV, Open Bible: Complete reference system (pp. 5877, 5879) [Kindle edition].

Puskas, C. B., & Crump, D. (2008). An introduction to the Gospels and Acts. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible companion: A handbook for the Classic Chain-Reference Bible. (n.d.).

The Word in Life Study Bible: NRSV, New Testament edition. (n.d.).

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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.

Episode Transcript

Jacqui (00:12):
Greetings listeners.
What if the very first storywritten about Jesus wasn't neat
or slow at all, but urgent,fast-paced, almost breathless,
like someone saying thishappened and immediately this
happened, and then immediatelythis?
That's the gospel of Mark, andif your life ever feels like

(00:36):
it's moving a mile a minute,you'll connect with Mark.
And especially if you're brandnew to the Bible, this is the
place to start.
It's a short book, it's vividand it doesn't let you sit back.
It sweeps you right along intothe story.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics

(01:00):
Podcast, where every two weekswe break down the basics of the
Bible into understandable,bite-sized chunks.
And today we're walking throughthe gospel of Mark together.
Now picture this with me.
We're sitting side by side,you've got your coffee, I've got

(01:25):
my tea and we're flippingthrough Mark like friends.
I'll point things out, pause onthe surprising bits and check
in with you along the way.
Can you picture that?
My hope is that by the end ofour time, you won't just know
about Mark, you'll actually wantto read it for yourself this

(01:49):
next week.
Okay, let's set the scene.
Mark is the shortest of the fourGospels 16 chapters.
You could read it in about anhour and a half or listen to it
on your commute.
Now just a reminder.
The word gospel means good news.

(02:09):
It's a written account of thelife, death and resurrection of
Jesus.
Most scholars think Mark wasthe first gospel written
somewhere between AD 55 and 65.
Somewhere between AD 55 and 65.

(02:29):
So this is likely the earliestwritten account we have about
Jesus's life.
Tradition tells us this gospelwas written by John Mark.
You might remember him from thebook of Acts where he worked
alongside Paul and was a closefriend of Peter.
Many believe Mark was basicallywriting down Peter's preaching,
which gives the book thisunpolished eyewitness feel.

(02:53):
If you've ever heard someoneretell their friend's powerful
story, you know the emotion andthe honesty that can come
through.
That's what Mark captures forus through Peter.
Unlike Matthew the taxcollector or John the beloved
disciple, Mark wasn't one of the12 apostles himself, but

(03:16):
through Peter's perspective hestill gives us a front row seat.
Now we've been talking aboutMark as the writer and Peter as
the eyewitness behind much ofthe story.
But here's something crucialChristians believe this gospel,

(03:36):
like the rest of the Bible,isn't just human memory or
storytelling.
It's God's Word.
2 Timothy 3, verse 16 says AllScripture is God-breathed, that
means God's Spirit was guidingthe writers.
So what Mark wrote down isn'tjust Peter's preaching, it's

(04:02):
God's truth for us.
The Holy Spirit inspired thesewords and that same Spirit helps
us understand them today.
Now let's move on to Mark'saudience.
It was likely not Jewish, andhere are a few of the clues.
In this book Mark explainsJewish customs, such as the

(04:26):
washing of hands before eating,and we find that in chapter 7,
verses 3 and 4.
And it even translates Jesus'sAramaic words.
We see that in chapter 5, verse41, chapter 7, verse 34, and
chapter 15, verse 34.

(04:46):
That tells us that his audiencewas most likely Gentile
Christians in Rome, people whodidn't grow up with the Old
Testament but still wanted toknow who exactly is Jesus.
So what's Mark's answer?

(05:06):
Right from the first versechapter 1, verse 1, it says the
beginning of the good news aboutJesus, the Messiah, the Son of
God, and it's repeatedthroughout the book.
Messiah means anointed king,but as we'll see, he's not the

(05:28):
kind of king anyone expected.
He came not to be served, butto serve and give his life a
ransom for many, and we findthat in chapter 10, verse 45.
Find that in chapter 10, verse45.

(05:49):
Now let's talk about how Marktells the story.
Here's what makes Mark feeldifferent from the other Gospels
Matthew, luke and John.
First there's the pace.
If you notice one word, it'simmediately.
Mark uses it about 40 times.
We see that in chapter 1, verse10, chapter 1, verse 12,
chapter 1, verse 18, and on andon and on.

(06:13):
Like he'll say Jesus healsImmediately.
They move.
Or we see a demon cries outImmediately.
Jesus silences it.
Mark just sweeps you along.
And right alongside that speedcomes amazement.
From the very first chapter,people are astonished.

(06:36):
In chapter 1, verse 22, we readthey were amazed at his
teaching.
In chapter 2, verse 12, whenJesus heals the paralyzed man
who was lowered through the roofquote they were all amazed and
glorified God.
And then in chapter 5, verse 42, when he raises Jarius'

(07:00):
daughter from the dead quotethey were overcome with
amazement.
And that wonder, that amazement, pulses throughout the book of
Mark.
Twelve times that word shows up.
Another difference is thetreatment of Aramaic words.
This is beautiful, this is thelanguage Jesus uses.

(07:24):
And when he goes to that littlegirl who has died, he says
Talitha koum, which means littlegirl, get up.
In chapter 7, verse 34, to thedeaf man.
Jesus says Ephatha, which meansbe opened.
In chapter 14, verse 36,.

(07:57):
In Gethsemane he prays Abba,which is Father At the cross.
We hear him cry Eloi, eloi, ,my God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?
That's chapter 15, verse 34.
Mark keeps those words so youcould almost hear Jesus' voice

(08:19):
yourself.
And here's a theme that keepsrepeating Follow me.
In chapter 1, verse 17,.
Jesus calls fishermen, followme and I will make you fishes of
men.
Calls fishermen, follow me andI will make you fishes of men.
In chapter 2, verse 14,.
Later, jesus says to Levi, thetax collector follow me.

(08:44):
16 times in Mark the word showsup Not admire Jesus from a
distance, not just agree withhim.
Follow him.
Now let me tell you one moreunique thing Mark does with his

(09:05):
writing.
Scholars call it the sandwichtechnique, and here's how it
works He'll start one story,pause to insert a second story,
then circle back to finish thefirst one.
Why does he do that?
Because he wants you to holdthe stories together.
The clearest example is inchapter 5, verse 21 to 43.

(09:31):
Jarius begs Jesus to heal hisdying 12-year-old daughter.
That's story A.
On the way to his house, awoman who's been bleeding for 12
years, pushes through the crowd, touches Jesus' cloak and is
healed.
That's story B.
Then Mark brings us back toJarius' daughter.

(09:56):
Jesus raises her from the dead.
That's story A.
Again.
Now here's the beauty of it Twodaughters.
One is 12 years old, one hasbeen bleeding for 12 years.
Both are hopeless cases.
One story highlights faith, theother never mentions it, but in

(10:20):
both salvation comes throughJesus.
So Mark is saying don't readthese separately, read them
together.
And once you see this technique,you'll start spotting it in
other places too, like the storyof the fig tree wrapped around
the story of the templecleansing in chapter 11, verses

(10:42):
12 through 25.
This isn't just about Jesuspurging the temple.
His words in verse 17 actuallypoint forward to its destruction
.
17 actually point forward toits destruction, just like that
fig tree.
These sandwiches are Mark's wayof slowing us down, inviting us

(11:03):
to notice connections andshowing us deeper truths about
who Jesus is.
So what's the main message ofthe book of Mark?
What's Mark really driving home?
He tells us right from thestart, as we talked about before

(11:27):
in chapter 1, verse 1,.
Quote the beginning of the goodnews about Jesus, the Messiah,
the Son of God.
End quote.
That's the headline and thewhole gospel circles around this
question who is Jesus?
Well, mark wants us to seeJesus for who.

(11:48):
He is the Son of God, theMessiah who serves, suffers and
saves.
That's the main message of hisgospel.
Now, along the way, mark showsus glimpses of what this looks
like.
First, he talks about Jesus'sauthority being the good news

(12:09):
for the broken.
Mark records 18 miracles, andin every one of them it points
to Jesus's authority and hiscompassion.
He speaks and storms stopChapter 4, verse 39.
He touches and fevers leave,and fevers leave.

(12:32):
Chapter 1, verse 31.
He forgives sins and the crowdcan't believe it.
Chapter 2, verses 5 through 7.
And if you've ever thought, hmm, my mess is too much for God,

(12:56):
mark says watch Jesus.
He runs toward the broken.
Second, we see that Jesus' pathis the way of suffering.
Once Peter declares in chapter8, verse 29, you are the Messiah
.
And what happens?
Jesus flips their expectations.

(13:19):
The Son of man must suffer, berejected, be killed and after
three days rise again.
That's chapter 8, verse 31.
He even says whoever wants tobe my disciple must deny
themselves, take up their crossand follow me.
That's in chapter 8, verse 34.

(13:39):
So in Mark's gospel, greatnessdoesn't look like winning.
It looks like serving,suffering and sacrificing out of
love, out of love.
And finally, mark shows us thatJesus models a life rooted in
prayer.
In chapter 1, verse 35, we seehim praying early in the morning

(14:04):
.
In chapter 6, verse 46, on amountainside.
Chapter 14, verses 32 through39, he's praying in Gethsemane.
No-transcript, and woventhroughout the book is a clear

(14:29):
call Follow.
As I shared before, 16 timesMark uses the word.
He's not inviting fans, he'scalling followers.
So maybe for you this week,following looks costly but
simple, like making that hardphone call to repair a

(14:51):
relationship, telling the truthat work when a shortcut would be
easier, or setting your alarm10 minutes earlier to pray like
Jesus did.
That's the invitation of Mark,not just to admire him but to
follow him, because Mark wantsus to see Jesus for who he is

(15:17):
the Son of God, the Messiah whoserves, suffers and saves.
Now here's something that mightsurprise you.
It certainly surprised me Inthe earliest copies of Mark that
we found the book ends atchapter 16, verse 8.

(15:38):
The women go to the tomb.
They find it empty and they runaway trembling and afraid.
That's it.
But if you look in your Bibleyou'll probably see more verses
Chapter 16, 9 through verse 20.
Most translations include thoseverses, but almost always with

(16:01):
a note or brackets explainingthe situation why?
Well, we don't have Mark'soriginal handwritten scroll.
What we do have are hundreds ofancient handwritten copies of
the New Testament, calledmanuscripts.
These manuscripts were writtenin the original language, greek.

(16:24):
Some were older than others andclose to the time of the
originals.
Others are later.
The two oldest and mostreliable Greek copies of Mark,
both from the 300s, end at verse8.
But many later Greekmanuscripts include the longer

(16:45):
ending.
Early church leaders were awareof both endings and that's why
Bible translators today areupfront about it.
If you're reading the KingJames Version or the New King
James Version, you'll see verses9 through 20 right in the text.
The New King James Version willusually add a note add a note.

(17:17):
In most modern translationslike the NIV, the ESV, NASB, CSB
, NLT and NRSV, the longerending is included, but it's
bracketed off or footnoted toexplain that the earliest
manuscripts don't have it.
A few translations, like theNET Bible or the Revised English
Bible, stop at verse 8 and thenmove verses 9 through 20 into

(17:39):
the notes.
Catholic and Orthodox Biblesusually include that longer
ending in their main text.
The point is translators don'thide this.
They show you the evidenceright on the page.
And that honesty, thatstraightforward approach, is one
of the reasons we can trust ourBibles.

(18:01):
And whether you stop at verse 8or keep reading through to
verse 20, the heart of themessage doesn't change Jesus is
the Son of God, who came not tobe served but to serve and to
give his life as a ransom.
For many, the tomb is empty.

(18:24):
Jesus is risen.
Jesus is risen.
Okay.
So how do you actually readMark this week?
Here are three simple paths, notabout speed, but about
discovery.
Option one read it in onesitting.

(18:50):
Set aside about 90 minutes.
You'll feel the urgency ofimmediately and see how the
story races toward the cross.
Option two take it in chunks,read two or three chapters a day
for a week and each time askthree simple questions what do I

(19:13):
learn about Jesus here?
Two, how are people responding?
And three, what does followinghim look like in this passage?
And then there's option threeGo slow.
Ten minutes a day.
Pay attention to Mark's details, circle the word amazed,

(19:38):
identify the sandwiched storiesand notice when Jesus prays.
And don't stress if you don'tget everything.
Keep the two big questions infront of you.
Who is Jesus and what does itmean to follow him?
Now let me leave you with thispicture.

(20:01):
Imagine that little girl inMark, chapter 5, verse 41.
In Mark, chapter 5, verse 41,everyone said it was too late,
she was gone.
But Jesus takes her hand andsays Talitha koum, little girl,
get up.
And she does.

(20:23):
Listeners, whenever you feelstuck, hopeless or too late,
hear Jesus' voice in Mark, getup, come with me.
The tomb is empty.
He's alive.
And this invitation is stillopen to all of us.

(20:44):
And do you remember how westarted this episode?
And do you remember how westarted this episode?
Mark's gospel moving almostbreathlessly from scene to scene
, immediately, this immediately.
That that urgency isn't justabout Jesus's ministry, it's
about our response.
Mark doesn't want you to admirehim from a distance.

(21:09):
He wants you to follow Jesusnow.
So this week, take one step,pick one of those reading paths
and begin, and maybe share thisepisode with a friend.
Thank you for listening.
Episode with a friend.

(21:37):
Thank you for listening anduntil next time, keep reading,
keep seeking and keep growing inyour faith.