The Gospel of Mark emphasizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus announced the Kingdom of God, healed the sick, and died as a ransom for sinners. In addition to Jesus, Mark features three main groups of people: the disciples, the crowds, and the religious leaders, none of whom understood Jesus. When the time came for Jesus to go to the cross, the religious leaders arrested him, the disciples abandoned him, and the crowds jeered him. Only when he died alone on the cross did a Roman centurion recognize that he was the Son of God. Though the book is anonymous, tradition identifies John Mark (Acts 12:12) as the author. He may have based his Gospel on Peter’s preaching, writing sometime in the 50s or 60s A.D. (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Mk). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.)
Mk 1.1-8; Prophecy fulfilled; John the Baptist Prepares the Way (Mal 3.1; Isa 40.3)
Mk 1.9-11; Story; The Baptism of Jesus
Mk 1.12-13; Story; The Temptation of Jesus
Mk 1.14-15; Story; Jesus Begins His Ministry
Mk 1.16-20; Story; Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Mk 1.21-28; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit
Mk 1.29-34; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals Many
Mk 1.35-39; Story; Jesus Preaches in Galilee
Mk 1.40-45; Story; Jesus Cleanses a Leper
Mk 2.1-12; Authority-Forgiveness; Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Mk 2.13-17; Story; Jesus Calls Levi
Mk 2.18-22; Law Abrogation; A Question About Fasting
Mk 2.23-28; Law Abrogation; Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
Mk 3.1-6; Authority-Healing; A Man with a Withered Hand
Mk 3.7-12; Story; A Great Crowd Follows Jesus
Mk 3.13-21; Story; Appointment of the Twelve Apostles
Mk 3.22-30; Conflict; Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Mk 3.31-35; Story; Jesus’ new family, those who obey the will of God
Mk 4.1-9; Parable-Judgment; The Parable of the Sower. One seed, four types of soils.
Mk 4.10-20; Parable-Explanation; The Purpose of the Parables (Isa 6.9-10)
Mk 4.21-25; Parable; A Lamp Under a Basket. The one who has will be given more and vice versa.
Mk 4.26-29; Parable; The Parable of the Seed Growing. Kingdom of God.
Mk 4.30-34; Parable; The Parable of the Mustard Seed. Kingdom of God.
Mk 4.35-41; Authority-Creation; Jesus Calms a Storm
Mk 5.1-20; Authority-Angels; Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
Mk 5.21-43; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter
Mk 6.1-6; Story; Jesus Rejected at his hometown Nazareth
Mk 6.7-13; Story; Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
Mk 6.14-29; Story; The Death of John the Baptist at Herod’s birthday banquet
Mk 6.30-44; Authority-Creation; Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Mk 6.45-52; Authority-Creation; Jesus Walks on the Water
Mk 6.53-56; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
Mk 7.1-13; Conflict; Traditions and Commandments
Mk 7.14-23; Law Abrogation, Purity Laws; What Defiles a Person
Mk 7.24-30; Authority-Angels; The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith. Her daughter healed of the demon
Mk 7.31-37; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
Mk 8.1-10; Authority-Creation; Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Mk 8.11-13; Conflict; The Pharisees Demand a Sign
Mk 8.14-21; Teaching; The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
Mk 8.22-26; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida. Takes two goes.
Mk 8.27-30; Story; Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
Mk 8.31-9.1; Prophecy-Instruction; Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection. The cost in following Jesus.
Mk 9.2-13; Story; The Transfiguration
Mk 9.14-29; Authority-Healing; Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit. ‘I believe, Help my unbelief!’
Mk 9.30-32; Prophecy; Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
Mk 9.33-37; Teaching; Who Is the Greatest?
Mk 9.38-41; Instruction; Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us
Mk 9.42-50; Instruction-Warning; Temptations to Sin
Mk 10.1-12; Teaching; Teaching About Divorce and Adultery
Mk 10.13-16; Teaching; Let the Children Come to Me. Entering the Kingdom of God
Mk 10.17-31; Story-Instruction; The Rich Young Man. Leaving everything for the sake of Jesus and the gospel
Mk 10.32-34; Prophecy; Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time. Approaching Jerusalem
Mk 10.35-45; Story-Instruction; James and John want to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. Jesus came to serve.
Mk 10.46-52; Authority-Healing; Jesus heals blind bartimaeus who called ‘Son of David have mercy on me!’
Mk 11.1-11; Prophecy fulfilled; Jesus enters Jerusalem praised as the coming King riding on a colt (Zec 9.9)
Mk 11.12-14; Story; Jesus curses the fig tree
Mk 11.15-19; Story-Conflict; Jesus cleanses the temple. The chief priests want to destroy him
Mk 11.20-25; Story-Instruction; The lesson from the withered fig tree
Mk 11.27-33; Conflict; The authority of Jesus challenged by the chief priests, scribes and elders
Mk 12.1-12; Parable-Prophecy fulfilled; The Parable of the Tenants (Ps 118.22-23)
Mk 12.13-17; Teaching; Paying Taxes to Caesar
Mk 12.18-27; Teaching; The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
Mk 12.28-34; Teaching; The Great Commandments. Love God, love your neighbour.
Mk 12.35-37; Prophecy fulfilled; Whose Son Is the Christ? ()
Mk 12.38-40; Teaching; Beware of the Scribes
Mk 12.41-44; Teaching; The Widow’s Offering. They gave a portion. She gave all she had.
Mk 13.1-2; Prophecy; Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
Mk 13.3-13; Prophecy; Signs of the Close of the Age
Mk 13.14-23; Prophecy; The Abomination of Desolation
Mk 13.24-27; Prophecy; The Coming of the Son of Man
Mk 13.28-31; Teaching; The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Mk 13.32-37; Prophecy-Instruction; No One Knows That Day or Hour
Mk 14.1-2; Conflict; The Plot to Kill Jesus
Mk 14.3-9; Story; Jesus Anointed at Bethany. The women’s act is to be told to remember her.
Mk 14.10-11; Story; Judas to Betray Jesus
Mk 14.12-21; Story; The Passover with the Disciples
Mk 14.22-25; Instruction; Institution of the Lord’s Supper
Mk 14.26-31; Prophecy; Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
Mk 14.32-42; Story; Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
Mk 14.43-50; Story; Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Mk 14.51-52; Story; A Young Man Flees
Mk 14.53-65; Story; Jesus Before the Council
Mk 14.66-72; Prophecy fulfilled; Peter Denies Jesus (Mk 14.26-31)
Mk 15.1-5; Story; Jesus Delivered to Pilate
Mk 15.6-15; Story; Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
Mk 15.16-20; Story; Jesus Is Mocked
Mk 15.21-32; Story; The Crucifixion
Mk 15.33-41; Story; The Death of Jesus
Mk 15.42-47; Story; Jesus Is Buried
Mk 16.1-8; Story; The Resurrection
[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20]
Mk 16.9-11; Story; Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Mk 16.12-13; Story; Jesus Appears to Two Disciples
Mk 16.14-20; Instruction; The Great Commission. Jesus taken up into heaven.