by Pedro A. Moreno, O.P. Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis
Big message, little gospel
Mark is the smallest of the God-inspired gospels, and considered by some, but not all biblical experts, to be the first gospel written. It would take an average reader about an hour to read it from beginning to end.
It begins with, and almost ends, with a similar statement:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God” (Mk 1,1).
“When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mk 15, 39)
Jesus Christ our savior and redeemer is presented as the Son of God, a key theme in his gospel, to a non-Jewish, gentile, audience. Mark also is known as John Mark, son of Mary of Jerusalem and cousin of Barnabas. He was a close collaborator with both Peter and Paul. Many believe the bulk of his gospel was probably taken from Peter himself while in Rome. Peter and Mark were very close.
“When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who is called Mark” (Acts 12, 12).
“Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas” (Col 4, 10).
“The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son” (1 Pet. 5, 13).
The reason why Mark’s gospel is so short is threefold. Mark does not spend anytime on the infancy or childhood of Jesus; he doesn’t expand on the resurrection stories; and he concentrates on what Jesus does more than on what Jesus said. All this together results in a very short gospel of only 11,300 words. Luke’s gospel is almost twice as long.
Mark wishes to highlight the power and authority of Jesus, but, in spite of this, his own people do not believe in him. They reject him and even his own disciples misunderstand him and abandon him at the end when he is tortured and killed in the holy city. I always have been impressed that the biggest declaration of faith in Jesus was not made by a disciple or someone else from the Jewish community, but by a gentile, the Roman centurion at the foot of the cross, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
On a side note, a quirky little factoid regarding the Gospel of Mark is that he always seems to be in a rush. He enjoys the use of the word “immediately.” This word rarely is used throughout the rest of the holy Scriptures.
His gospel also speaks to us of the Kingdom of God, and he connects this to discipleship and the cross; a clear message to all Christians in Rome who at that time were suffering under the emperor’s persecutions. Also, a clear reminder to all disciples, of all time, that following Jesus is not an invitation for a cruise or vacation, to follow Jesus means to carry a daily cross.
“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels’” (Mk 8, 34-35).
Thank you, Lord, for the Gospel of Mark. (Whenever it was written.)