Part 1: The Good News of God’s Son | Gospel According to Mark Semester Discussion Guide

Part 1: The Good News of God’s Son | Introduction and Mark 1:1-15

The following should be read aloud as a group, with each person reading one paragraph before passing on to the next person. Afterwards, a discussion will follow with the provided discussion questions.

The Gospel according to Mark was written by John Mark, a member of the early Church who accompanied the Apostles Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys.¹ He was also a spiritual son of the Apostle Peter,² and, according to some traditions, a member of the seventy apostles.³ The earliest information we have about St. Mark outside of the pages of the New Testament is from Papias, a second-century bishop who recorded various sayings from the apostles and their direct successors. Papias tells us the following:

Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord’s sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For one thing, he took especial care not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements.⁴

In other words, according to Papias, although Mark himself was not a disciple of Christ during his earthly ministry, the information out of which he composed his Gospel comes directly from the Apostle Peter. Mark then took this information from Peter and composed it into a cohesive narrative, choosing to put the events in a specific order for the needs of the early Christians. Most likely, his Gospel was written in Rome around 70 AD, although scholars debate the exact date and location.⁵ The Church Fathers believed that Matthew was written first, with Mark being a shortening of Matthew’s Gospel; however, modern scholars tend to believe that Mark comes first, with Matthew being an expansion of Mark.⁶ The Apostle Mark also founded the Church in Alexandria, where he would eventually die as a martyr.⁷

St. Mark lived in a period in which the Church was undergoing intense persecution both from the Roman government and from the Jewish synagogues. Christianity, for most of the ancients, was viewed as a backwards, subversive, and societally destructive worldview because of the Christian belief that the Son of God was tortured and put to death on a cross. In the mindset of the ancient world, which prided itself on power and force to achieve political aims, the very idea of a suffering Son of God who would voluntarily die at the hands of the Romans and the behest of the Jewish religious leaders was self-evidently absurd. A weak and crucified Savior was, in the words of St. Paul, “a scandal to the Jews and stupidity to the Greeks.”⁸ Mark’s Gospel, therefore, should be viewed as offering an apologia, an explanation and justification, of why Christ suffered and died through giving an overview of his life and teachings. The content of Mark’s Gospel centers around the identity of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and the Son of God, and how the crucifixion is inseparable from his identity. For Mark, this means that the life of the Christian inexorably involves suffering in imitation of Christ, which nevertheless leads to the glory of the age to come.⁹ The Orthodox Church reads the Gospel according to Mark on Saturdays and Sundays throughout Great Lent, the period of preparation for Christ’s death and resurrection by voluntary self-denial, to remind us and encourage us in our participation in Christ’s sufferings.¹⁰

Mark 1:1-15 (NKJV)

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Packed into the first sentence of Mark are three important terms we must explore the meaning of: Gospel, Christ, and Son of God.

Gospel: The word “gospel” literally means “good news,” and was often used in the ancient world to refer to the military victories of a new king or ruler.¹¹ This communicates that this book, a “Gospel,” communicates something about the victory of a new ruler named Jesus.

Christ: Also called Messiah, Christ means “the anointed one,” and was a title applied to kings and prophets in the Old Testament who were blessed by God by being anointed with oil. In the centuries before Jesus’ earthly life, the title Christ came to refer to the coming king who would restore the Davidic monarchy, liberate Israel from their oppression by foreign powers, and fulfill God’s promises in the Scriptures to set the world right.¹²

Son of God: This phrase could have various meanings in the ancient world, depending on the context. Notably, various Old Testament figures such as Adam, David, and Solomon were “sons of God,” that is, favored and chosen by God in a special way to fulfill his purposes.¹³ In other parts of the Old Testament, the phrase “sons of God” refers to immaterial angelic beings who operate on God’s behalf.¹⁴ In the ancient Roman world, Caesar Augustus claimed to be a son of God, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who was believed to have ascended to godhood upon his death. Roman coins at the time of Jesus had an image of Caesar and were stamped with the Latin phrase divi filius, “son of God.” While which of these meanings Mark has in mind is not clear this early on, Mark’s intended meaning of the phrase “Son of God” applied to Jesus will become clear in the subsequent narrative.¹⁵

Putting all of this together, the Apostle Mark has told us that this book contains the good news of the victory of the new Davidic king, Jesus, who has some special connection to God by being God’s Son.

Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’

By quoting the prophets Malachi and Isaiah, Mark both positions Jesus as the one who fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures and introduces us to John the Baptist and his specific role in “preparing the way of the Lord.”¹⁶ It is noteworthy that the one John prepares the way for is “the Lord,” a common title for the God of Israel in the Old Testament. This, combined with the previous affirmation that Jesus is both the anointed David king (Christ) and specially chosen by God (son of God), gives us hints of Jesus’ identity. From here on out, Mark will not give us editorial comments about Jesus’ identity, but will instead leave it up to the reader to infer his identity from the narrative.

And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Here God himself confirms Jesus’ identity through calling Jesus his “beloved Son,” combined with the heavens “being ripped open” (σχιζομένους) as the Spirit descends upon him. Another passage in the Gospel of Mark has notable parallels with the baptism passage: the voice of a Roman soldier says, “Truly this man was God’s Son” as the curtain of the temple is ripped in two (ἐσχίσθη εἰς δύο) at Jesus’ crucifixion in Mark 15:33-39. These are the only two uses of the word “ripped” in the Gospel of Mark, and both are accompanied by a voice confirming Jesus as God’s Son.¹⁷ From this, we can infer a connection between Jesus being gloriously proclaimed as God’s Son by the voice of God and the presence of the Spirit and between Jesus being confirmed as God’s Son by a Roman soldier after his crucifixion as Jesus exhales (“breathed his last” or “breathed out the Spirit,” ἐξέπνευσεν). In other words, Jesus’ death by crucifixion reveals who Jesus is just as much as God’s own voice at his baptism does.

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

While most Christians are familiar with the longer narratives of Christ’s temptation by Satan in Matthew and Luke, relatively few people talk about Mark’s account.¹⁸ Mark interestingly includes the detail that Christ was “with the wild beasts,” a detail not present in Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts. This detail hearkens back to Genesis when God commanded Adam to name the animals and have dominion over the whole creation; the fact that Christ is now also at peace with the animals shows him as the new Adam who completes what the first Adam failed to accomplish.¹⁹ This detail is also reminiscent of the prophet Isaiah saying that in the age to come, “the wolf will feed together with the lamb,” showing that Christ in his own person has inaugurated the age to come and all of God’s promises concerning it.²⁰ The Fathers of the Church also interpret this passage symbolically as referring to how Christians, after joining the Church through baptism and chrismation, often undergo a period of trial and temptations. St. Theophylact of Ohrid says:

The Lord went up onto the mountain to be tempted, teaching us not to become despondent if we are assailed by temptations after our baptism. In fact, He did not go up, but was led up by the Holy Spirit to show that likewise we should not rush into temptations, but should patiently endure them when they come at us. Jesus ascends the mountain so that the devil might be emboldened by the desolation of the place to approach Him. For it is his custom to set upon us when he sees that we are alone.²¹

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

Here, two terms are used that are important in the Gospels: kingdom of God and repentance.

Kingdom of God: This refers to God’s rule on earth, including God’s reestablishment of the Davidic monarchy by the Messiah and the calling of the pagan Gentiles to worship the one true God, all of which was predicted by the Old Testament prophets. In other words, Jesus is saying that he, as God’s representative on earth and anointed king, is establishing the rule of God through his ministry and actions.

Repentance: This word literally means “change your mind” in Greek (μετανοεῖτε). Notably, the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, in an interaction he had with a Jewish revolutionary group rebelling against Rome, told the rebel leader to “repent and believe in me,” i.e., to give up his dreams of a violent revolt against Rome and to follow a more sensible path instead.²² Similarly, the call to “repent and believe in the gospel” of John the Baptist and Jesus is a call to give up whatever foolish ways one might be following, and to instead change one’s mind, turn around, and follow Jesus’ vision of how God’s kingdom will be established on earth as it is in heaven. This vision of how God’s kingdom will be established on earth entails radical self-sacrifice, even to the point of death.

Combining these definitions, the first words of Jesus’ ministry mean something to the effect of, “The time has come for God’s prophecies and promises to be fulfilled; think differently and turn your life around so that you can be faithful to the good news of God’s impending victory over evil.”

In the next part, we will get into the meat of the Gospel according to Mark as Jesus begins his public ministry. May God bless us as we journey through the gospel of his Son!

Discussion Questions:

1. Mark opens his Gospel by calling Jesus “Christ” and “Son of God.” Based on the historical and biblical meanings of these titles, what expectations might an early reader have had about who Jesus was supposed to be? How does Mark begin to affirm or challenge those expectations right away?

2. Mark presents the crucifixion as inseparable from Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Why do you think Mark insists on linking Jesus’ suffering and death so closely to who He is? How does this challenge modern ideas about power, success, or what it means for God to “win”?

3. The Gospel was written during a time of persecution, when a crucified Savior seemed foolish or offensive. How might Mark’s portrayal of Jesus have encouraged or strengthened Christians facing suffering? Where do you see parallels with pressures or challenges Christians face today?

4. At Jesus’ baptism and at His death, a voice identifies Him as God’s Son. What does this pairing suggest about how Mark wants us to understand Jesus’ ministry as a whole? What does it say about where God’s glory is revealed?

5. Jesus begins His ministry with the call to “repent and believe in the gospel.” If repentance means changing one’s mind and direction, what kinds of assumptions, habits, or loyalties might this call challenge in the life of a college student today?

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¹For Mark being a member of the early Church, see Acts 12:12. For him being a missionary companion of Paul and Barnabas, see Acts 15:36-41.

²cf. 1 Peter 5:13.

³“Apostle and Evangelist Mark,” Orthodox Church in America.  < https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2007/04/25/101204-apostle-and-evangelist-mark >. See also the Matins Gospel reading on St. Mark’s feast day, being the sending out of the seventy apostles from Luke. “Scripture Readings Saturday April 25, 2026.” Orthodox Church in America. < https://www.oca.org/readings/daily/2026/04/25 >.

⁴“Fragments of Papias,” Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume 1, translated by Philip Schaff. < https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0070-0130,_Papia_Hierapolitanus,_Fragmenta_[Schaff],_EN.pdf >.

⁵The estimation of 70 AD comes from the fact that Jesus, in Mark 13, makes clear predictions of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which occurred in 70 AD. Therefore, according to secular historians and New Testament scholars, the Gospel according to Mark must have been written 70 AD or after. However, as Orthodox Christians who know that Christ, being the Son of God incarnate, was perfectly capable of predicting the future, we are not bound to a post 70 AD dating of Mark and are free to think it was written earlier. For an academic exploration of the authorship and dating of Mark, see “Author” and “Setting,” Joel Marcus, Mark 1-8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary.

⁶For Matthean priority, see St. Augustine of Hippo, The Harmony of the Gospels, Book 1, Chapter 2, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Volume 6. Edited by Philip Schaff. < https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1602102.htm >. For Markan priority, see Mark Goodacre, The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze. < https://markgoodacre.org/maze/ >.

⁷“Preface by Blessed Theophylact,” The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. < https://www.amazon.com/Explanation-Holy-Gospel-According-Mark/dp/096351833X  >.

⁸1 Corinthians 2:8. Translation my own.

⁹See N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, “The Gospel according to Mark,” The New Testament in its World. < https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Its-World-Introduction/dp/0310499305?s=books >. 

¹⁰See, for example, “Great Lent Scripture Readings,” St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. < https://www.svots.edu/greatlent >.

¹¹N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, “The Greco-Roman Context of the Early Church,” The New Testament in its World.

¹²N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, “The Jewish Context of Jesus and the Early Church,” The New Testament in its World.

¹³For example, see Psalm 2:7, “You are my son, today have I begotten you,” historically a reference to God ruling the nations through his anointed king and adopted son, David.

¹⁴For example, see Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX. Some manuscripts say “according to the number of the sons of God,” while others say, “according to the number of the angels of God.” See also Job 38:7 MT and LXX.

¹⁵N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, “The Greco-Roman Context of the Early Church,” The New Testament in its World.

¹⁶Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3.

¹⁷This was pointed out to me by Dr. Robert Foster in his course on the Gospels at the University of Georgia in the spring semester of 2018.

¹⁸Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13.

¹⁹Genesis 2:18-24.

²⁰Isaiah 11:1-10.

²¹Theophylact of Ohrid, Mark 1:12-13. The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark.

²²N.T. Wright. “The Challenge of the Kingdom,” The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is.