Bibl2213 Arbitration

Mark’s Essay

AJ Johnson

Northwest University

        The Gospel according to Mark happens to be one of the Gospels that stands out from the rest of the other gospels. It is in Marks Gospel will be fine an in-depth account of the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus's death burial and resurrection is found in this Gospels. In fact, Harcourt stated that “From a historical point of view, Mark, being the oldest of the Gospels, is the most reliable, the reason for which is not merely that it is closer in point of time to the events that it records but that less interpretation concerns the meaning of these events than in the other Gospels”. It is within The Gospel of Mark that we see the main events of the life in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Within these events that were recorded it gave evidence and proof to support The believe that Jesus Christ was truly the Messiah and by believing in Him we would obtain salvation.

      In addition to the Gospel of Mark standing out due to the vast and accuracy of the main events of Jesus life, that Mark reveals, Matthew and Luke both seem to have included what they have gathered from Mark and their own Gospels. More makes no references to Jesus's birth is it two days prior to the time when he was baptized by John or even Jesus's childhood. Another key point that makes Mark's gospel different from the other Gospels is that the other Gospels actually talk about Jesus father Joseph. However, in Marks Gospel there is no record of Joseph he doesn't even mention him. For Mark it seems as if his whole focus was on the humanity in the emphasis on Jesus his life. It was as if Mark's whole goal was to so the significance of Jesus's career and what his purpose was for the kingdom of God. According to Strauss and Strauss “The Gospels confirm that Jesus was a teacher with extraordinary gifts. Mark notes that “the people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1: 22)(loc. 10001). This is what seems to be Marks focus and that is pointing out who Jesus is.

        As we look at the suffering that Christians are faced with in Rome Mark’s account of Jesus can help with the process of encouraging those that are persecuted. One of Mark’s purpose of his gospel was to present Jesus to the Gentiles in such a way that those who were being persecuted would be encourage to stand, for Jesus Christ their savior is their deliverer and would save them if they just endured the test. “12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”(Mark 13:12-13 KJV). To this account Mark could be looked at as the encouraging gospel.

        In my own observations and opinion Mark’s leading theological concerns about Jesus’ self-understanding and aims is that Jesus is the Son of God. “First of all, it is in Mark's opening verse which forms a kind of headline to the gospel: the beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ and Son of God.  It recurs again in the climactic position on the lips of the centurion who watches Jesus die and confesses: "Truly this man was the Son of God" (15:39)”( Blomberg & Schreiner, 2017). This statement alone sets the course of how Mark’s approach of who Jesus Christ is.

Reference List

DRS. VAN PELT, BLOMBERG & SCHREINER. (2017). Distinctive Theologies in the                 Gospels of Mark and Matthew

Strauss, Mark L.; Strauss, Mark L.(2011). Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus                 and the Gospels. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Matthew’s Essay

AJ Johnson

Northwest University

        As we read about the life of Jesus Christ, that is found in the gospels of Matthew and in Mark, it is clear to see that there was some modifications on how Matthew accounted Jesus as to what Mark’s account was. The first evident of this is the way Mark tells of the miracles that Jesus had preformed. According to Henry, (2015) “The miracle stories in Mark serve as a sort of “commentary on the narrative”, which make the characters in the stories ‘examples’ to the reader.  A case of this is seen in Mark 6:45-52 where Jesus walks on water”.  When the disciples seen this they were terrified for they thought that Jesus walking on the water was some sort of ghost. “The audience of Mark is able to see Jesus’ significance, while the disciples are depicted as confused and unable to understand Jesus” (Henry, 2015).