The Gospel of Mark
- Authorship of the specific gospel
The Gospel of Mark 1:14-15
- Dating
The Gospel of Mark probably dates from AD 66-70.
- Intention of the author in the Gospel—how, in particular, does it depict Jesus (Jewish Messiah, Savior of the world, God, Light, etc)?
From start to finish, Mark depicts Jesus as the prophesied messiah—born to suffer blame and shame, and finally, death, for the salvation of sinful humanity.
- What was its intended purpose in relation to the author’s intention?
The Gospel of Mark was written for a Gentile audience.
- Where exactly is the periscope in the narrative of the Gospel found?
Since the entire narrative revolves around the salvation of sinful humanity, the periscope of the Gospel of Mark is, undoubtedly, found in Jesus’ first sermon—“the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”Mark 1:15.
- What is the goal of this specific periscope in relation to the author’s overall intention?
Since the overall intention of the author is to announce a message about the messiah, this particular periscope sets up this intent quite beautifully—it marks the advent of the messiah and announces his mission.
- How does the author’s use of the sources (M, L, Q or other oral traditions) reflect this intention?
To reflect the intention of announcing a message concerning the messiah, the author uses oral tradition—from the periscope, the use of the phrase, “the time is fulfilled” implies the expectation, since the giving of the promise, of a messiah.
- Finally, attempt to make the connections and the applications of the text to our own day
It is evident, without much convincing, that all of us, Jew or Greek, male or female, rich or poor, are suffering from sin, and therefore, without heeding the savior’s first message—repent and believe the Gospel—those sins will inevitably lead to our eternal doom.