St Mark’s Gospel - the life of jesus

• Holy Spirit

  Came as dove
• Voice

  Spoke from heaven
• Wilderness

  • Hint of the exodus story when the Hebrews spend a time in the wilderness before entering the promised land
• Paralysed man

  • Man brought to Jesus by his friends that have faith but the man does not
  • Jesus' healing of the man demonstrated that he could forgive sins
  • Jesus refer to himself as son of man
• Jairus' daughter

  • Only Peter, James and John present
  • Jesus said that the girl was sleeping
  • Might mean that the girl was dead but not for long / was in coma but not for long
  • Jesus show authority
  • An example of messianic secret as he tells the family to not tell anyone
• Rejection at Nazareth

  • People think that Jesus' teaching is a scandal
  • Jesus couldn't perform any miracle as they have no faith
  • Faith is necessary in order for miracles to happen
• Feeding of the five thousand

  • Echoes the old testament when Elijah feeds 100 men with loaves
  • Jesus broke the bread and shared it (also in last supper)
  • Suggested that it looks like the Holy Communion
• Conversation at Caesarea Philippi

  • Peter was open about his opinion on how he thinks Jesus is the messiah
  • Others think he is Elijah
  • All people think he is special
  • Jesus gives a passion prediction
• Passion prediction

  A prediction that Jesus would be rejected, crucified and then be resurrected
• Transfiguration of Jesus

  • Reveals Jesus as the messiah
  • Jesus shining with light
  • Elijah and Moses present
• Elijah

  Signify the prophets from the Old Testament
• Moses

  Signify the law
• Jesus' passion prediction

  • Disciples following Jesus to Jerusalem reluctantly
  • Warned the disciples that he will be handed over, crucified and resurrected in 3 days
  • Son of man title used again
• Request of James and John

  • Jesus challenge James and John for accepting martyrdom like him
  • Show that the way of Christ is the way of servant
  • Jesus say that he came to earth to serve instead of to be served
  • Use son of man again
• Bartimaeus

  • Blind Bartimaeus called Jesus son of David
  • His faith has healed him
• Entry into Jerusalem

  • Jesus enter on a donkey
  • People put cloaks in front of him as a gesture of honour
  • Palm branches waved and placed on road in front of him
  • People shout Hosanna
• Donkey

  Humble messiah rather than a warrior king riding on a war horse
• Last Supper

  • Judas betray Jesus
  • Jesus said that the meal (bread and wine) would commemorate his body and his blood
• Jesus in Gethsemane

  • Jesus showed fear and prayed if he can avoid the suffering of the cross
  • Mark saw Jesus as fully human and knew human feelings
  • Kiss from Judas highlights the level of betrayal
• Trial before the Jewish authorities

  • Jesus remained silent
  • Jesus admit that he is the messiah
• Trial before Pilate

  • Pilate see no fault in Jesus
  • He asked if Jesus was a king
  • Pilate could have let Jesus go free but did not
• Crucifixion and burial

  • Had a sign above his head on the cross
  • Jesus was offered sour wine mixed with drugs to ease pain but he refused
  • Torn curtain in the temple at the most sacred section of the temple
• Torn curtain

  Symbolised God's presence no longer being hidden away but open to all
• Empty tomb

  • Tomb was empty and stone rolled aside when the women went to prepare his body
  • They saw a young man in white
  • Arguments of the resurrection
• Arguments of the resurrection


  • Disciples stole the body
  • Romans or Jewish leaders hid it
• Son of God

  • Most frequent
  • Beings and ends the gospel
  • Baptism, transfiguration, trial
  • Describe Jesus's divinity and being part of the holy trinity
• Son of Man

  • Describe humanity of Jesus
  • That Jesus is fully human and fully God
• Messiah

  • Anointed one
  • Christians believe that Jesus' resurrection fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament and in the deliverer of humanity
• Son of David

  • Show an inseparable link with the Old Testament
  • Jesus' resurrection is seen as proof that he was the coming son of David
• Jesus as teacher and miracle worker

  • Jesus' miracles are signs of his divine power
  • Some people see nature miracles as exaggerations or just symbolic
  • Some Christians do not believe in Jesus' healing miracles
  • Non religious people would see that miracles are added onto the story as time passed
• Bread and wine

  Change into body and blood of Christ
• Death of Jesus

  • Sacrifice to atone for sin
  • Victory over death
  • Way of showing that God is involved in the suffering of the world and leads people through and beyond it
  • An act of sacrificial love for the world
  • He forgave those who were tormenting him
  • A confirmation of the truth of his divinity
• Mark is seen as the earliest gospel
• Many of the original eyewitnesses would still have been alive when St Mark's gospel was written