Commonly Asked Questions in Mark’s Gospel
Below you will find a bunch of answers to a list of commonly asked questions that have been asked before about Mark's Gospel.
What are Demons or Evil Spirits? (Mark 1:23-27)
The Bible takes seriously the reality of an unseen spiritual world. This spiritual world has both a good side and an evil or malignant side.
The Devil, or Satan, is not just some impersonal evil force at work in the world. The Bible depicts Satan as personal and powerful. His work is totally opposed to God and directed against God's people.
Evil spirits and demons mentioned in the Gospels are the Devil's agents in this work. Although Satan and his angels are immensely powerful, the New Testament shows Jesus to be Lord over Satan, and to have defeated him through his death and resurrection.
Why did Jesus Tell Healed People not to Tell Anyone? (Mark 1:34, 7:36)
Jesus did not want to become like a side-show with people coming just to see signs and wonders. He rejected such people (Mark 8:11-13, John 4:48). If people would not respond to the preaching of the Kingdom of God calling for repentance and faith (Mark 1:15), miracles alone would not convince them.
Miracles attract people, and it is possible that Jesus saw that the curious crowds would hamper his ministry, which is just what happened (Mark 1:45).
Why did Jesus Call Himself the Son of Man? (Mark 2:10)
Jesus wanted to identify with mankind, so he preferred to be called Son of Man rather than being called Son of God. Son of Man is a Jewish term meaning simply 'a man'. The prophet Ezekiel was often called 'son of man' in this sense (Ezek.33:1).
Son of Man is also a well known title used in the Old Testament for the Messiah. See Daniel 7:13-14. In this vision Daniel saw 'one like a son of man' (i.e. like a human being). God then gives to this son of man an eternal Kingship over all the nations of the earth.
The religious leaders in Jesus' day would have interpreted Jesus' use of Son of Man as a veiled claim to be the coming Messiah, the fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy.
New Cloth, Old Coat; New Wine, Old Skins. (Mark 2:21-22)
People were complaining that Jesus was not observing the religious rules and traditions of his day (Mark 2:18). The Pharisees had literally thousands of laws and religious regulations, and they taught that a person had to observe these rigorously in order to please God.
Jesus was saying that the faith he had come to bring was totally incompatible with the Pharisees' system. Jesus could not be 'fitted into' their legalistic religion. He came to bring a living relationship with God, not rules; grace, love and peace, not religious formulas.
Christianity is not a religion.
What is the 'Eternal Sin'? (Mark 3:29)
The context here is the key. The religious leaders had observed Jesus' miracles and heard his teaching at first hand. However, their assessment of Jesus was: 'He has Beelzebub' (Mark 3:22)—an old name for the Devil.
They had hardened their hearts against the work of God's Spirit through the ministry of Jesus. This unrepentant, continuous attitude is the 'blasphemy against the Holy Spirit' (Mark 3:29 RSV). This has nothing to do with swearing at the Holy Spirit—in simple terms it means to continuously reject Jesus' claim upon a person's heart and life.
For this there can be no forgiveness, for they have refused the only way of forgiveness that God has provided. Of course, it is only unforgivable for as long as a person goes on doing it. Many of the religious leaders did repent later on, and so were forgiven (Acts 6:7)
This is a vital personal concept. If I reject Jesus, I can never be forgiven!
Why did Jesus Teach in Parables? (Mark 4:10-12)
Many people have trouble with this passage. On the surface it sounds as if Jesus taught in parables so that people would not understand, which would be very strange indeed.
However, we need to see that there are two groups mentioned here: the disciples and 'those outside'. The disciples were spiritually intrigued by the parables and drawn nearer to Jesus to hear the explanation. There is a spiritual principle here - 'to those who have will more be given'.
However, to 'those outside' the band of disciples, the parables just remained baffling stories. Their spiritual interest was not aroused. They 'hear, but do not understand'. All people are either like moths or bats. They are either attracted to the light of Jesus' teaching, or repelled by it. Jesus' words, including his parables, always act in this two-fold way. See also Mark 4:33-34.
Did Jesus have Brothers and Sisters? (Mark 6:3)
This passage mentions four brothers by name and at least two sisters. These were presumably the natural children of Joseph and Mary conceived after the birth of Jesus. See also Mark 3:32.
Some Christians hold that Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus, and that the brothers and sisters mentioned here are really cousins. The Greek word adelphoi can also mean 'cousins'. However, Matthew 1:25 seems to imply that Joseph and Mary entered into a normal sexual relationship after Jesus' birth.
Throwing the Children's Food to the Dogs? (Mark 7:24-30)
The key to this difficult passage lies in the fact that the woman was not a Jewess—she was a Gentile, from near the pagan city of Tyre (verses 24,26).
Jesus' ministry at this stage was exclusively to the Jews, the chosen descendants of Abraham. He forbade his disciples, at this period, to preach to the Gentiles or Samaritans (Matt.10:5).
Jesus says to her, 'Let us first feed the children. It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs'. The term 'children' here refers to the Jews and 'dogs' was a common, unflattering expression for any Gentile person. So Jesus is saying in fact: 'It isn't right to take what belongs to the Jews and give it to you Gentiles.'
In her reply in verse 28 the woman is, in effect, saying; 'Yes Lord-I acknowledge that as a Gentile woman I have no claim upon you, the Jewish Messiah. But at least give me a few moments of your time to deal with a problem I have!' Jesus is impressed by her faith and her persistence and grants her request (Matt.15:28).
The term 'dogs' seems hard from the lips of Jesus. One writer says, 'The Lord's use of the conventional Jewish term 'dogs' for Gentiles does not mean that he recognised this description as accurate, or desirable. He desired to see whether the woman was ready to take such a lowly position in order to win healing.'
What is the Yeast of the Pharisees and the Yeast of Herod? (Mark 8:15)
'Yeast' means influence. Just as a tiny amount of yeast has a large effect on the whole batch of dough, so Jesus warns against the 'yeast' of the Pharisees and Herod. The Pharisees were the most influential religious party in Jesus' day, though they were few in number. They taught that rigorous law-keeping was the path to God. Jesus called them 'hypocrites', which means 'play-actors', for their public displays of religion and self-righteousness.
On the yeast of Herod one writer says, 'The yeast of Herod is adultery, murder, hastiness in swearing, affectation in piety and hatred of Christ and his forerunner (John the Baptist)'. So, Jesus is warning against outward religious show (the Pharisees), and crass worldiness (Herod).
'And You Still Don't Understand?' (Mark 8:17-21)
Twice Jesus had fed large crowds of Jewish people in a desert place where no food was available. Surely, as Jews, they would have been reminded of the way God fed the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses, and gave them the manna in the desert.
Surely, too, they would have remembered Moses' prophecy towards the end of his life, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you' (Deut. 18:15). Could the disciples not yet understand that Jesus was the predicted Moses-like prophet, in fact the prophesied Messiah?
It is perhaps no accident that in the very next section Peter declared; 'You are the Messiah' (Mark 8:29). The penny has dropped, at last!
What is 'The Kingdom of God Come with Power'? (Mark 9:1)
This is probably a reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples: 'When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power' (Acts 1:8).
The Kingdom of God came with the entry of Jesus into the world. It came with power at the pouring out of God the Holy Spirit.
Who is Elijah? (Mark 9:11-13)
In the last statement of the Old Testament, God promised that he would send again Elijah the prophet before the day of the Lord! (Malachi 4:5-6). Elijah was a prophet in the 8th century B.C., and he dressed in a distinctive way, wearing animal skins and a leather girdle (2 Kings 1:8).
When John the Baptist appeared he was dressed in a similar manner (Matt 3:4). Jesus makes it clear that John was the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning Elijah.
Does this mean that John was a prophet like Elijah, or that John was Elijah actually come back to life again? Probably the former, though it is not made clear in the Gospels.
What Does it Mean to Cut Off Your Hand? (Mark 9:43-48)
Jesus obviously did not intend that a Christian should physically cut off a hand or foot, or pluck out an eye!
In this dramatic way, Jesus says: If anything is stopping you from entering the Kingdom of God, it is better to take drastic and perhaps sacrificial action to rid yourself of that impediment, whatever it is, than to end up in hell forever.
The logic is obvious: temporary pain is better than eternal punishment!
Divorce - What Does Jesus Say? (Mark 10:1-12)
Jesus is making it clear that divorce is always against the perfect purpose of God. God's plan, since creation, is that married people should live together for the whole of their lives (verses 6-9). This is God's perfect plan.
Jesus also emphasised that if people institute divorce because they have found a nicer partner, such action is adultery (verses 11-12).
However, because people's hearts are still hard (verse 5) divorce has always taken place. The danger is that divorce may become the unforgivable sin, where a divorced person can never again be acceptable to God.
Christ came to die for all sin, including the sin of divorce. In talking to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, Jesus knew that she had already been divorced five times and was now living with a sixth man. No doubt in some of these divorces the woman had been in the wrong. But even knowing these facts, Jesus still freely offered acceptance and forgiveness to her. 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water' (John 4:10).
It is not our role to be moral policemen. Like Jesus, we must freely hold out the water of forgiveness, cleansing and eternal life.
If the subject of divorce becomes a major issue in your Christianity Explained group, it may be advisable to arrange an extra session, and involve a minister or counsellor who can explain the biblical position lovingly.
Why did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree? (Mark 11:12-14; 20-25)
This action has perplexed many Christians, as it was Jesus' only destructive miracle. Two suggestions can be made.
(a) Jesus was teaching his disciples about the power of prayer. Certainly that was the interpretation that he himself gave in the following verses (verses 22-24). Jesus was saying in effect, 'This power is available to you too. If you say to this hill...etc.' (b) Many commentators have suggested that we have here what is called an acted parable or a parable without words! Many such acted parables were used by the Old Testament prophets. In verse 11 Jesus went to the Temple, which should have been the most spiritual place on earth. He looked around on everything and saw in fact spiritual bankruptcy—a commercial racket going on.
The next day he cleansed the Temple (verses 15-19). Wedged between these two incidents is the cursing of the fig tree.
Some suggest that the fig tree represents Israel and the Temple worship. Instead of finding spiritual fruitfulness in the Temple, he found barrenness, like the fig tree. Just as the fig tree was cursed, so too Israel would come under God's curse and condemnation for her spiritual emptiness.
This idea of the coming destruction of the temple is taken up more fully in Mark chapter 13. The Temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Roman armies in A.D. 70, about 37 years later.
One Bride for Seven Brothers? (Mark 12:18-27)
What is the point of this trick question? In Jesus day there were two major religious parties: the Pharisees, who believed in life after death, and the Sadducees, who said that death was the end—there was no hope of life beyond the grave, or resurrection (verse 18).
The Sadducees thus came up with this question (verses 18-23). In his answer to them in verses 24-27 Jesus says two things.
First, there is life beyond the grave, but no marriage relationship as such. This does not mean that married couples will not know each other in heaven—just that sexual relationships will have ended.
Second, God did not say, 'I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...' but, 'I am the God of Abraham...'. I am still their God, because they live on! The hope of the resurrection is the central Christian hope.
What is the 'Awful Horror?' (Mark 13:14)
Fortunately, this is one case where the parallel passage in another gospel, in this case Luke, gives us the key. Luke chapter 21 is the parallel passage to Mark chapter 13. Luke has a tendency in his Gospel to explain difficult words or expressions.
In the place of Mark 13:14, Luke has these words; 'When you see Jerusalem surrounded by her armies...then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.'
So in the place of 'awful horror', Luke has 'Jerusalem surrounded by her armies.' In A.D. 65 the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem after a political uprising. After a terrible five-year war, the Roman armies entered the city, desecrated the Holy of Holies in the Temple, then proceeded to pull down and burn both the Temple and the city. Jesus' words in Mark chapter 13 came to pass.
Why Did Jesus Not Know the Date of His Own Return? (Mark 13:32)
Some people have suggested that, because Jesus did not know the date of his own return, this means that he is less than perfect, less than divine. Since God is omniscient (knows everything), therefore Jesus cannot be God.
Two comments need to be made.
First, there is a great mystery here. When 'the Word became flesh', Jesus 'emptied himself' (Phil.2:7). As a baby and child, Jesus had to grow in wisdom, just like all human children do. He was not born with a complete knowledge built-in. It is probably fair to say that Jesus would have known nothing about computers or internal combustion engines.
Second, it is not sinful to lack knowledge. It is sinful to make dogmatic statements on the basis of little or no real knowledge. Jesus freely acknowledged that he did not know the date of his return. If he did not know, we should never speculate!
This is one of those little touches which verifies the truth of the Bible. If someone was making up the story of Jesus Christ, he would never have left in Mark 13:32
Was the Darkness an Eclipse? (Mark 15:33)
It has been suggested that the darkness over the cross of Jesus was caused by a daytime eclipse of the sun.
However, this idea is not possible. Jesus was crucified at the time of the Jewish Passover, which is always at full moon. At full moon, the heavenly bodies are in an almost straight line like this: Sun—Earth—Moon.
To have a daytime eclipse of the sun, the bodies must be in an exact straight line like this: Sun—Moon—Earth.
Physically we cannot explain this account of darkness adequately. Sufficient to say that it was in keeping with mankind's darkest deed!
Why are there odd endings to Mark's Gospel? (Mark 16)
Most scholars agree that Mark's Gospel ends abruptly at verse 8 in a rather unsatisfactory manner. The women have seen the empty tomb and been informed of the resurrection of Jesus, but there is no account of Jesus himself appearing, as there is in the other three Gospels.
The long endings of Mark's Gospel appear to be attempts by well-meaning scribes to add some resurrection appearances to Mark. However, even the style of the Greek original changes after verse 8.
This does not mean that what is contained in verses 9 to the end is wrong or fictional, and many of the details here can be double-checked from the other Gospels. It just means that they were probably not in Mark's original