Sabbath: The Beginning of the Gospel
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 29th of June 2024
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study
Acts 13:1-5,13; Acts 15:36-39; Mark 1:1-15; Isaiah 40:3; Daniel 9:24-27.
Memory Text:
“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel’ ” (Mark 1:14-15, NKJV).
Who wrote the Gospel of Mark, and why was it written? No Gospel lists the name of the author. The one that comes the closest is John, with reference to the beloved disciple (see John 21:20,24).
However, from early times, each of the canonical Gospels has been associated with either an apostle (Matthew, John) or with a companion of an apostle. For example, the Gospel of Luke is linked with Paul (see Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). The Gospel of Mark is linked with Peter (see 1 Peter 5:13).
Though the author of Mark never gives his name in the text, early church tradition indicates that the author of the Gospel of Mark was John Mark, a sometime traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2,5) and later an associate of Peter (1 Peter 5:13).
The first step this week will be to learn about Mark as reported in Scripture, to see his early failure and eventual recovery. Then the study will turn to the opening section of Mark with a look forward to where the story is headed and a look backward at why a failed and then restored missionary would write such a text.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 6.
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Most readers would know that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very similar in content, while John is somewhat different. The first three are known as the synoptic Gospels. Many biblical scholars think that Mark's Gospel was written first and that Matthew and Luke used it as a source for their Gospel accounts.
There is not much to say about Mark's authorship of Mark but he is traditionally thought to be the John Mark that is referred to in Acts and Peter. Does it matter? In the Sabbath School Net circle of readers, it probably does not matter much, but we need to acknowledge the scarcity of information about the author. For us, it is important to understand the message of the Gospel.
It's as crucial knowing and understand the author as the message, to enable connect crucial circumstances or contextual understand of Who, what, where, how and why issues.
It is useful but I don't think it is crucial. There is only circumstantial evidence that John Mark was the writer. The issue is that we do not have an original manuscript. There are some fragments of Mark's gospel from around 200 CE and the first full manumscript is dates aroun 370 CE. I am happy to accept the circumstantial evidence and leave it at that.
Scripturally, the beginning of the "gospel" is Genesis 3:15 where the "good news" is stated to be that there was still hope, regardless of what Adam had selfishly screwed up for himself and his offspring, a screw up, that neither he, nor any of his imperfect offspring to come, could provide a ransom. It stated that the purpose for mankind could not be thwarted. It is GOD'S purpose and it WILL succeed. Lovingly, he immediately described how it would unfold. Throughout the rest of the scriptures,the understanding of HOW it would find fulfilment is consistently unfolded from that point, through Abraham, through David, through a better kingship that could not be ruined and finally, by presenting the promised King appointed by God himself - the Seed that would bring the works of the devil to nothing, and raise mankind back to the perfection; a full restoration.
If we get hung up on the author we may be distracted by the pearls in the gospel. If we focus on Eve eating the fruit we may minimize the entrance of sin in the world. In heaven we will have all the answers. May we not be sidelined or distracted by small things but stay focused on God’s purpose for our lives, the examples He inspired men to write and His plan of salvation.
In the beginning God loves me
Do you remember the story of the naked young man at Jesus’s arrest? It doesn’t say who it is, but some say that the young man may have been John Mark because it’s only noted in Mark’s gospel (Mark 14:51-52). And being not significant to the events of the night who would have remembered it? Therefore, it may be Mark’s own personal story of how that night impacted him.
What happened? All of Jesus’s 12 disciples fled once He was in captivity in the Garden. Following Jesus was also this teen - (reminds me that many other people followed Jesus around… not just the 12.) - who some other young people grabbed, but he slipped out of their grasp leaving his outer cloth. Maybe he was left in his underclothes, or maybe stripped bare as he escaped. That would certainly be memorable, and I’d probably want to include it in my account of what happened that night, too. As my own personal connection to this most important story. And if it was Mark, it shows his personality as being a “man of action” also, like the way Mark’s gospel shows a vigorous, on-the-go Jesus and action-packed ministry.
It adds an interesting, unique detail into a gospel that many scholars think is actually Peter’s account of Jesus’s life. It was Mark's home that held the "upper room" where the disciples would meet....so Mark may have sat listening and been "an insider" to the conversations of Jesus' closest friends. Mark had also traveled with Peter and heard him deliver the gospel story over and over ….while Mark (from an educated well-to-do family) probably translated from Aramaic to the languages of the local audiences….and so he became very familiar with Peter’s story from beginning to end, and wrote it down through the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit.
I'm so excited because we're gonna study the 70 weeks of Daniel 9! I can't wait!