Mark’s Portrayal of Jesus

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | David Dann | Athens, Georgia

“And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak'” (Mark 7:37, NKJV). That is how Mark presents Jesus to the world. He truly is the One who “has done all things well.”

Mark is referred to at various points throughout the New Testament as, “John whose surname was Mark” (Acts 12:12, 25), “John called Mark” (15:37), or at times, simply as, “John” (13:5, 13). The record in Acts indicates that he was of Jewish heritage, was a relative of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), and along with his mother, Mary, was a resident of Jerusalem and a member of the church there in its early days (Acts 12:12). Although Mark was not himself an apostle, he evidently enjoyed an especially close association with the apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13).

The general consensus among Bible scholars and expositors is that Mark’s gospel was written to convince a Roman audience that Jesus is the Son of God. The evidence for this focus is abundant. Greek was the universal language of the Mediterranean world of the first century A.D., however, Aramaic was the language commonly spoken by the Jews in Palestine, while Latin was the official language of the Romans (Tenney, 54). Rather than taking for granted his readers’ familiarity with the people and places of Israel and the prophecies of the Old Testament as Matthew does, Mark actually uses Latin terms instead of Greek words for various places (Mark 4:21; 12:14; 15:39), employs Latin terms to explain Greek words (12:42; 15:16), translates Aramaic expressions for the benefit of his readers (3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 14:36; 15:34), and explains the geography (1:5; 13:3) and customs (2:18) of Palestine and the Jews to his readers (Gromacki, 97).

Like Matthew, Luke, and John, Mark provides an accurate record of the life of Christ, from the events surrounding His baptism (Mark 1:1-13), through the events of His ministry (1:14-14:42), to His death, burial and resurrection (14:43-16:20). However, Mark’s portrayal of Jesus is tailored to resonate with his Roman target audience in specific ways. In order to reach the Romans with the gospel, Mark’s inspired account portrays Jesus in the following manner:

The Active Savior
It is obvious that Mark’s portrayal of Jesus places a heavy emphasis on His activity and actions. From the very first chapter, Mark stresses the continual action of Jesus’ ministry as He moves rapidly from one event to the next. For example, when Jesus is baptized, Mark writes, “And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove” and, “Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught” (v 10, 21). Mark employs the Greek adverb euthus, which is translated “immediately,” forty-two times throughout the book (cf. Mark 1:10, 20, 21; 2:8; 5:30; 6:45, 50; 8:10), which is more times than the word is used in all other new Testament books combined (Gromacki, 97). In so doing, Mark portrays the constant activity of Jesus in working toward the definite and predetermined goal of offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins on the cross (Mark 10:32-34; 14:22-26). This emphasis on the activity and power of Jesus is by design. Mark’s Roman readers would have been more directly impressed by action than by words (Geisler, 70-71). Unlike the other gospel accounts, which include lengthy sections devoted to Jesus’ teaching, Mark focuses more on what Jesus did, rather than on what He verbally taught. The book includes numerous examples of His miracles, but only four parables (Mark 4:20-20, 26-29, 30-32; 12:1-9), and only one of His major discourses (13:3-37). Mark portrays Jesus as a Savior who constantly takes the action necessary to accomplish what He came to do.

The Perfect Servant
Along with his fellow gospel writers, Mark presents Jesus to the world as both Son of God (Mark 1:1) and Son of Man (2:10-11). However, Mark especially focuses on His role as the perfect Servant of God who came into the world in order to serve mankind by giving His life to save the lost (cf. Isaiah 52:13-53:12). When His disciples argued among themselves over who would be the greatest, Mark writes, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many'” (Mark 10:42-45). In keeping with the theme of highlighting Jesus’ role as a Servant, Mark foregoes providing any details regarding HIs birth or genealogy and instead introduces Jesus as an adult ready to begin His word following HIs baptism by John (1:1-15). As the perfect Servant, Mark portrays Jesus throughout the book as One who is constantly ministering to large crowds without turning away anyone (1:32-34; 2:13; 3:7-12, 20; 5:21; 6:30-44, 53-56; 8:1-10). However, unlike an ordinary servant, Mark’s portrayal of Jesus as the Servant of God describes Him as One who is possessed of great power and authority. He has power over disease (1:29-31, 40-45; 5:25-29), power to forgive sins (2:1-12), power over nature (4:35-41), power over death (5:21-24, 35-43), and the ability to do “all things well” (7:37). Mark portrays Jesus as the Servant of God who came into the world to give His life for the everlasting good of mankind.

The Powerful Son
Mark’s portrayal of Jesus is intended to convey that He is the uniquely divine Son of God (Mark 1:1; 15:39) who possesses divine authority (2:1-12) and demands absolute commitment from those who would follow Him (8:34-38). Mark accomplishes this goal by presenting a series of episodes in the life of Christ which emphasize that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God (8:29). By giving considerable attention to the miracles Jesus performed, Mark demonstrates the power and authority of the Son of God over nature (4:35-41), demons (5:1-20), death (5:21-24, 35-43), and disease (5:25-34). In addition to his detailed description of Jesus’ works as evidence that He is the Son of God, Mark also vividly describes numerous personal reactions of the people who encounter Him throughout the book. Mark includes the amazement of the people at the display of Jesus’ power: “Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him'” (1:27). Mark includes the fear of His disciples upon witnessing His power: “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!'” (4:41). Mark also includes the astonishment of the people due to the completeness of His miracles, recording that “they were astonished beyond measure” (7:37). In addition to these examples, Mark also includes the bold declaration of the centurion who witnessed the events surrounding His death on the cross: “So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God!'” (15:39). Mark portrays Jesus as the powerful Son of God who acted with the authority and approval of heaven in all that He did.

Conclusion
Just as is true of Matthew, Luke, and John, Mark’s gospel would be incomplete without portraying Jesus as the risen Lord who conquered death. Therefore, Mark concludes his account with the crucified Savior rising on the first day of the week (Mark 16:1-8), appearing to His disciples (v 9-13), commissioning His apostles to preach the gospel message to the world, emphasizing belief and baptism as conditions that must be met in order to receive salvation (v 14-16), promising to confirm their message through miraculous signs (v 17-18), and finally, ascending to the right hand of God in heaven (v 19-20). The active Savior, the perfect Servant, and the powerful Son of God portrayed so clearly by Mark as the risen Christ who reigns forever.

Sources:
Dann, David, Overview of the Bible (Part 4). Athens: Truth Publications, 2012.
Geisler, Norman L., A Popular Survey of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007.
Gromacki, Robert G., New Testament Survey. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1974.
Tenney, Merrill C., New Testament Survey, Revised. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.

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July 2022 | GROW magazine