The Basics of: Mark
Not too far off from the Funky Bunch, but I digress...
Welcome back to Back to Basics with me, your friendly neighborhood Reverend Doc.
The last year has been wild, so I imagine that we are in for a real rollercoaster in 2025…but let’s not talk about that.
We have more important things to discuss.
Like Disney ruining every major franchise.
Like Hollywood losing all creativity and only making sequels (for the most part).
Like…Marky Mark.
No, not that one. Obviously. This ain’t that kind of Substack.
We are talking about the second Synoptic Gospel (if you can’t remember what that is, click here).
The Gospel According To Mark.
I will never stop bringing up According to Jim because it makes me laugh, and you signed up for this, so…I can’t apologize.
ANYWAYS…
Without knowing who Mark is, the rest of The Gospel According To said man loses a little bit of its context. So, let’s learn about:
Our Dude, The Marky Mark
A lot of early church fathers believe that Mark was a guy named John Mark, who happened to be Peter’s assistant. Mark (or, markos, pronounced exactly how you think) was one heck of a scribe.
Here’s the interesting part: Mark was not in the original Disciple gang. He didn’t even know Jesus, probably. We can’t really prove that now, can we? Exactly. Doesn’t matter. Let’s just assume that the Marky Mark didn’t know Jesus, so his (only) job was to write down everything that Peter remembered, which is partially why Mark is the shortest Gospel rendition.
Makes sense now, doesn’t it?
Especially when you take into account how much the book of Mark focuses on Peter’s experiences, his downfalls and his inevitable perspective. More on that later. Great. Sensational. Let’s move onto the bigger things:
The Gospel According to Marky Mark
I’ve mentioned before, and I’m positive you already know this, but the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the Gospels of Jesus. We have the unbelievably lucky gift of four different accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. So, while these books are easier to read than, say, Leviticus, they are heavy.
Heavy with riddles. Heavy with perspective. Heavy with emotion. While they may seem easier to read, in a lot of ways, they are some of the most spiritually tough books to digest. And guess what? That’s a-okay. That’s the whole point of walking in faith, so don’t feel intimidated.
Matt, Mark, Luke and John weren’t the smartest dudes in town, nor were they the most eloquent. Just pretend they’re your oddly jovial cousins during Thanksgiving and reading these books becomes a smidge easier.
Now, I’m a kind and humble Reverend Doc, so let me give you a quick tip…
There are two ways to read it (and they are the same as the book of Matthew):
The Standard Way
Jesus? (Mark 1:1-15)
Jesus! (Mark 1:16-14:42)
Oh no, Jesus! Oh wait. Yay, Jesus! (Mark 14:43-16:20)
or …
The Cool Factor™ Way
Part One: “Wassup, I’m here.” - Jesus (Mark 1:1-15)
The Cool Factor™: A lot can happen in fifteen verses, and this is the perfect example of that. The part that always strikes me, which is obviously repeated in other Gospels, is that Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days. Numbers have biblical meaning (if you listen to my podcast, you are probably scratching your eyes out right now), and 40 represent a time of consecration (that’s a big fancy word that essentially means becoming holy)... food for thought.
Part Two: Gone Fishin’ (Mark 1:16-2:17)
The Cool Factor™: When I say Gone Fishin’, I mean both literally and metaphorically. Jesus told His friends to be fishers of fish and of people. The thing I like to focus the most on though is that this shows both the humanity of Jesus (who loved to fish) and the mission of Jesus (to be with people).
Part Three: The First Two Riddles (Mark 2:18-28)
The Cool Factor™: Jesus loved His riddles. He was that guy who you ask a question and He somehow answers it by asking you the same question. Infuriating, but intriguing. These riddles include fasting and rest, so have fun with those!
Part Four: Gone Fishin’ Again (Mark 3)
The Cool Factor™: Another thing to mention, when I say Gone Fishin’, Jesus is probably conducting a series of miracles to both catch and reel people to Him. In this chapter, He also uses teaching as a way to catch ‘em.
Part Five: Five More Riddles (Mark 4:1-34)
The Cool Factor™: A farming parable, a lamp parable, another farming parable, a mustard seed parable, and, much to our chagrin, Jesus tells us why parables matter. Godspeed.
Part Six: Gone Fishin’ AGAIN (Mark 4:35-6:13)
The Cool Factor™: Calming the storm. That’s The Cool Factor. Oh yeah, and also miracles (obviously).
Part Seven: Depression (Mark 6:14-29)
The Cool Factor™: Jesus was besties with John the Bug Eatin’ Baptist, and this is the point when he dies…brutally. Depression is fitting. The Cool Factor, you may be wondering, is the fact that this was a big moment for Jesus. He knew what was coming for Him down the turnpike, and yet…He still kept going.
Part Eight: Jesus Goes Fishin’ A Lot, Okay? (Mark 6:30-8:30)
The Cool Factor™: Miracles! Teaching! 8:21 is one of my favorite Sassy Jesus moments. It never fails to make me laugh.
Part Nine: That’s So Jesus! (Mark 8:31-38)
The Cool Factor™: Jesus, because He’s God, knows the future. As I mentioned before, despite knowing exactly how His life is going to “end,” He does it anyways. That’s The (ultimate) Cool Factor.
Part Ten: Jesus Doesn’t Not Go Fishin’ (Mark 9-12)
The Cool Factor™: You know the drill by now.
Part Eleven: The New York METS, i.e. Misinterpreted End Times Stuff (Mark 13)
The Cool Factor™: I will have a whole Substack dedicated to this soon, but until then…read it without the whole doom and gloom feeling. Nothing Jesus says in this part should be interpreted as doom and gloom or like the movie 2012. That’s why I call it the New York METS, because everyone interprets it as this. So…don’t.
Part Twelve: The Beginning of the End (Mark 14-15)
The Cool Factor™: Jesus is betrayed (except He knows it’s coming), Jesus is captured (He knew it would happen), Jesus is tried (He knew the verdict), Jesus is hung on the cross (He knew) and takes His last breath.
Part Thirteen: The End, But Also A Beginning (Mark 16)
The Cool Factor™: SURPRISE! HE’S NOT DEAD! Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene first, which I love. A more detailed account is in John 20.
Reading the Gospels can be overwhelming, I know.
Take it as slow as you want.
But, here’s what I will say:
If you are confused or overwhelmed, don’t stop reading.
Slow down. Take a breath. Underline or highlight what you don’t understand. Move on.
It’s my experience that the things I don’t understand in the Bible have a way of explaining themselves to me, sometimes when I fall asleep and sometimes while I’m doing something random, like driving to the grocery store or washing my face.
Go easy on yourself.
The Gospel According To Mark isn’t so bad, right? Only 16 chapters and it’s all blurbs and montages that seem out of place. It’s a chaotic read, but a good read.
So, go read with confidence. Thanks for being here.
