Mark

Believers Church Bible Commentary......Page 2
Contents......Page 8
Series Foreword......Page 12
Author’s Preface......Page 14
The Kind of Gospel Mark Wrote......Page 16
The Nature of This Commentary......Page 18
Who Is Mark? Where and When Did He Write?......Page 21
How Has Mark’s Gospel Been Received?......Page 22
Reading Mark as Historical and Theological Literature......Page 23
The Theology of Mark’s Gospel......Page 24
Mark 1:1—8:26......Page 27
Mark 1:1-15 Preparing the Way......Page 28
Jesus Fulfills OT Expectations......Page 38
The Way of Glory and the Way of the Cross......Page 41
The Kingdom of God......Page 42
Mark 1:16-45 Jesus’ Ministry Begins......Page 45
Driving Out Demons......Page 54
Leprosy and Cleansing......Page 56
The Call of the Disciples......Page 57
Multifaceted Ministry......Page 59
Mark 2:1–3:6 Conflict in Galilee......Page 60
Sin and Sickness......Page 74
The Christian and the Sabbath......Page 75
Mark 3:7-35 From a Religious System to a Family of Disciples......Page 78
Jesus’ True Family......Page 87
Binding the Strong Man......Page 88
Church: Institution or Family?......Page 89
Mark 4:1-34 Parables: For Those with Ears to Hear......Page 91
Human Choice and Divine Predestination......Page 106
“So That They May Not . . . Be Forgiven”......Page 107
The Mustard Seed Parable and the Gentile Mission......Page 108
A Kingdom That Cannot Fail......Page 109
Mark 4:35—5:43 Victories over Storms and Satan, Sickness and Death......Page 111
The Sea and the Demonic......Page 126
Resurrections......Page 127
Miracles......Page 128
Miracles and the Christian Church......Page 130
Mark 6:1-29 The Rejected Prophets......Page 134
Shaking Off Dust......Page 142
OT Parallels to the Martyrdom of John......Page 143
Mission Strategies......Page 144
Mark 6:30-56 The Misunderstood Miracle-Worker......Page 146
Meals......Page 156
Compassion and the Sovereignty of God......Page 157
Preaching the Stories of Jesus......Page 158
Expecting Miracles Today......Page 159
Mark 7:1-30 Breaking Down Barriers......Page 161
First the Jews, Then the Gentiles......Page 173
Law and Grace, Rituals and Purity......Page 174
Religious Traditions and Ceremonies......Page 175
Mark 7:31—8:26 Hearing Ears and Seeing Eyes......Page 178
Seeing Eyes and Hearing Ears......Page 192
The Fulfillment of Israel’s Hopes......Page 193
Expressing Christ’s Compassion in Word and Deed......Page 194
Part 2 Journey to Jerusalem, the Cross, and Beyond......Page 196
Mark 8:27—9:1 A Promise of Glory by Way of the Cross......Page 198
Cross-Carrying......Page 210
Cost and Reward: Two Sides of Discipleship......Page 212
Discipleship......Page 213
Mark 9:2—10:16 Divine Thoughts— Human Thoughts......Page 215
The Disciples’ Journey and OT Backgrounds......Page 235
The Child and the Circle......Page 237
Demonization, the Bible, and Psychotherapy......Page 238
Divorce and Remarriage......Page 241
Mark 10:17-52 The Cost and the Reward of Discipleship......Page 243
Good Examples and Bad Examples......Page 255
Hierarchy in the Church......Page 257
Riches and Selling All......Page 258
Mark 11:1-25 House of Prayer or Den of Thieves?......Page 260
Judgment on Institutionalized Religion......Page 273
A House of Prayer for All Nations......Page 274
When Religion Becomes Mere Ritual......Page 275
Marketing Faith......Page 276
Prayer and Guaranteed Responses......Page 277
Mark 11:27—12:44 Conflict in Jerusalem......Page 279
Faithful Vineyard; Unfaithful Tenants......Page 295
Religious Ceremonies and the Commands of Love......Page 296
What Belongs to Caesar?......Page 298
Mark 13:1-37 The Beginning of the End......Page 301
The Prophetic Perspective......Page 321
The Meaning of the End......Page 323
The Four Watches of the Passion Night......Page 324
Mark 13 and Popular Eschatology......Page 325
After the Temple’s Destruction: What Comes Next?......Page 326
The Value of Eschatological/Apocalyptic Texts......Page 327
Mark 14:1-26 Preparations for the Passion......Page 329
Passover and Lord’s Supper......Page 340
Jesus’ Substitutionary Death......Page 342
Lord’s Supper, Sacrifice, and the Presence of Christ......Page 343
Mark 14:27—15:15 The Trials of Jesus and the Disciples......Page 346
You Will See the Son of Man......Page 366
King Jesus......Page 367
King of Peace......Page 368
Who Killed Jesus?......Page 369
Cross-Carrying and Jesus’ Crucifixion......Page 371
Mark 15:16-47 The Coronation of the King (the Crucifixion)......Page 372
OT Allusions in Mark’s Crucifixion Narrative......Page 385
Jesus and Pacifism......Page 387
Jesus and His Sacrificial Death......Page 388
Mark 16:1-8 Resurrection . . . A New Beginning......Page 391
Resurrection in the NT......Page 404
Meeting Jesus in Galilee......Page 406
Outline of Mark......Page 408
CHIASM AND INTERCALATION......Page 417
THE DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY......Page 419
ESCHATOLOGICAL TIME FRAMES IN MARK......Page 420
ISRAEL AND ISRAEL’S LEADERS (MARK AND ANTI-SEMITISM)......Page 423
KINGDOM OF GOD IN MARK......Page 424
THE MEANING OF CROSS-CARRYING (ANOTHER VIEW)......Page 425
MESSIANIC SECRET......Page 426
MIRACLES IN MARK......Page 427
QUESTIONING JESUS......Page 428
SON OF MAN......Page 429
TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF MARK......Page 430
THREE LESSONS FROM A BOAT......Page 432
Bibliography......Page 435
Selected Resources......Page 446
Index of Ancient Sources......Page 448
The Author......Page 454