To Whom Did Mark Write his Gospel?

If we are to believe the testimonies of Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria that Mark wrote out Peter’s Gospel for the Roman Christians, could it be reasonably shown within the Gospel that this is true? The answer to this question is “Yes, and no!” There is no direct evidence within Mark that shows his labor was spent upon Roman believers, but there is some very good indirect evidence that implies Mark’s Gospel was written with the Roman believer in mind.

 

Whose is Mark’s Gospel?

What we know to be the Gospel of Mark is not signed, and neither is there any direct internal evidence linking the Gospel to any individual. However, does this mean the work is truly anonymous? That is, do we have no reasonable idea of who its author is? The answer to this question largely depends upon your personal bias. If one completely rejects early testimony of its authorship and clings to modern criticism stating the author is unknown, then for you the author cannot be known. However, if you are willing to accept ancient testimony as evidence of its authorship, then one can be reasonably certain that John Mark, Peter’s assistant, wrote the Gospel we know by his name.

 

Who Wrote Mark’s Gospel?

Often scholars criticize the Greek syntax in the Gospel of Mark, concluding that the author of Mark didn’t know Greek very well. However, if one were to consider the syntax from a Semitic viewpoint, one would find that the order of the Hebrew (or Aramaic) verbs is preserved in Mark’s Gospel implying that the author translated it from the Hebrew (or Aramaic). In fact, the late Dr. Robert L. Lindsey,[1] when he attempted to translate the Gospel of Mark from the Greek to Hebrew, discovered that what had been poor Greek syntax had surprisingly become good Hebrew! Therefore, it would seem that at least Mark’s Gospel is not the result of a Gentile church writing down an oral tradition long after the Jewish Messiah had died and rose from the dead. Rather, it seems to be a very literal translation of the Hebrew/Aramaic original into the Greek, completely lacking an independent point of view. The Greek of Mark is completely dependent upon a Semitic mother tongue, which preserves the original Hebrew/Aramaic syntax and idiom, making the Greek clumsy with poor word order.

 

Did Everyone Copy Mark?

Many scholars (but not all) claim the New Testament manuscripts (Synoptic Gospels) were copied from one another and were probably written late in the 1st century CE—after the destruction of Jerusalem, or even early in the 2nd century CE. If we assume as reasonably true the tradition of the Christians of the 2nd century, that Mark is actually Peter’s Gospel, written by Mark who traveled with Peter, then we can see how both Matthew and Luke could be very similar to Mark in many places without actually having a copy of Mark before them. How so? Well, if, as is presumed by many, the Gospel accounts were an oral tradition for a number of years, then both Matthew and Luke could be very similar to Mark without their having a copy before them as they wrote their accounts. After all, would any American Christian really need a copy of the hymn, Silent Night, before him or her if one wished to write it out for a friend?

 

Simon the Great One!

While Philip preached the Gospel in a Samaritan village, a man named Simon is said to have believed and was baptized (Acts 8:13). What is interesting is that Philip’s works among the believing Samaritans is contrasted with this man’s works before Philip arrived. Philip did miracles, drove out evil spirits and healed the people (Acts 8:6-7), while Simon used sorcery and bewitched the people (Acts 8:9). Philip preached Christ, but Simon preached himself as a great one. The Greek word megas (G3173) means great one and is the root from which the 2^nd century church fathers derived Simon’s other name, Magus.

 

Who Were the Seven?

When we come to Acts 6 Luke immediately plunges us into a controversy within the now multiplying body of Messianic believing Jews (Acts 6:1). In fact, in Acts 6:7 Luke offers us his fifth church-growth report up to this point in time, but the first of six multiplication records that divides his thesis into three major sub-themes addressed in two parts each. The point is that in Acts 6 Luke shows us that the body of believers is no longer simply Jews of Palestinian origin, i.e. Jews who grew up in Judea and Galilee. The Church has become what we call today bicultural. That is, a major portion of it is made up of Hellenist Jews who have resettled in Palestine, and when one adds two cultures together, there is bound to be some friction.

 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

When we come to Acts 5 we find the Church of God between a rock and a hard place, or nestled between the hidden enemy within (Ananias & “the others”) and the formidable enemy from without (Annas & the Jewish rulers). God struck down Ananias and Sapphira, giving “the others” pause to think over what they were planning to do. However, Annas struck out at the Apostles and imprisoned them, intending to have them slain (Acts 5:17-18, cp. v.33). Nevertheless, the power of God was with them, and no one could harm them for their time had not yet come (cp. John 7:30; 8:20; 21:18-19).

 

Authority But Not “Our” Authority

After Peter’s testimony before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, the rulers took note that Peter and John had been with Jesus. They were surprised with the Apostles’ boldness. They had marveled at Jesus’ boldness despite the lack of formal education (John 7:15) He spoke with authority, but not authority conferred upon him by any of the Jewish rabbinical schools. The rulers were faced at this time with a similar phenomenon in Jesus’ disciples. Boldness is one of Luke’s favorite descriptions of believers (Acts 2:29; 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27, 29; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31). The Greek word (G3954 or G3955) means to have assurance or confidence; to speak freely etc., and this boldness is always used in connection with the Gospel and testifying to the fact that Jesus is Lord (cp. Acts 9:27-29).

 

The Union of Jews and Gentiles

Once you get the Jews and the Gentiles in the Church together, how does that work? Under what conditions is this possible, and who gets to say? God’s plan has always been not only to sum up everything in heaven and earth in Christ, but to bring together the whole human race in him as a sign to the principalities and powers (Ephesians 3:10). Caesar and world powers today would have loved to unite the world in this way, but they cannot. Only God is able to cross national and traditional boundaries with all the differences this implies, and cross gender lines, social class, and levels of authority and unite all in one body under the Lordship of Jesus.

 

The Builders and the Stone

When the Apostles were arrested in Acts 4 they were force to confront the very people that had Jesus put to death. While some of these people could be swayed according to the theology they held, many of the members of the Sanhedrin were harsh, having their own interest in view. Their judgment was tempered only by the prevailing will of the people, which, if they could influence as was done in the case of Jesus’ crucifixion, strengthened their resolve to have their own desires implemented. Six months to a year ago these same men had Jesus put to death, and now they found themselves wrestling with his movement in the persons of the Apostles.

 

Jesus is Alive and Here’s the Proof!

Peter and John had been brought before the Sanhedrin in an effort to squash the Gospel before it really began to take hold in Jewish society. The authorities had found the Apostles preaching the resurrection in the Temple and arrested them, planning to hear their case the following day (Acts 4:1-3). The problem for the authorities was they put themselves between a rock and a hard place as far as squashing the new movement was concerned. To bring up the resurrection (the real reason for their arresting the Apostles; see verse-2) would have divided the court between Sadducees and Pharisees and nothing would be accomplished. What to do? So, they decided to threaten them (Acts 4:17).

 

The Blunder of the Powerful

Few of us have ever been confronted by the world and threatened in such a manner as was done to the Apostles, Peter and John, in Acts 4. Luke places a special responsibility of blame upon the Sadducees, and the Annas family in particular, for the rejection of the Gospel message and for the persecution of the church later. In chapter 4 Luke highlights the position of the Sadducees by comparing this sect with the ordinary Jews. Later, in the next chapter he does the same when he contrasts the positions of the two ruling parties of Judaism—the Sadducees and the Pharisees (who had their own reasons for not embracing the new Jewish movement among them).

 

Jesus Is Lord of All!

Many, if not most of the Jews present at Pentecost 34 CE when the Holy Spirit fell down upon the Apostles, knew Jesus was a man, approved of God, in that he was enabled to perform so many great miracles. They knew this, yet they, and especially those who mocked at the praise of the Apostles, took and crucified Jesus (v.23)—cursing him by putting him on a tree. However, God showed he did not endorse the ruling of the Sanhedrin when he resurrected Jesus from the grave (v.24), because it was not possible for the grave to hold him. Why? It is because God foreknew they would do this, and he had it placed in prophecy in the mouth of David, that he would raise him from the dead. If it is in prophecy, it **must** be fulfilled, if God is to retain his good name.

 

The Day of the Lord

At times I wonder if it isn’t easier to convince an unbeliever of the truth about the Lord and his word than to convince a believer who believes wrong doctrine and thinks he is correct. It doesn’t seem to matter how many Scriptures I use to prove a point, the brother will cling to the error taught him by a man he trusts or the organization of which he is a member.

 

Speaking in Tongues

After the Holy Spirit fell down upon the Apostles and all those within the house where they were gathered for prayer, the Apostles began to speak in tongues. Many Jews scattered abroad were attending the Feast of Pentecost and wondered what was taking place. All seemed to be hearing the Apostles in their native tongues. That is, the tongues of their homeland, not the universally understood commercial language of Greek in the West or Aramaic in the East. At this point Luke enumerates twelve different countries to which the Jews had been scattered (Acts 2:9-10).[1] The point of the miracle was to emphasize that this was the time for the regathering of God’s people out of those places where they were scattered. The time of restoring all things to their original God-intended beauty and meaning had begun (cp. Acts 3:21).