Running head: GOSPEL CHRISTOLOGY PAPER 1

Gospel Christology Paper

Shawn King

NBST 515

August 7, 2022

Liberty University
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Gospel Christology Paper of the Gospel of Mark

Introduction

The first principle of writing, according to the themes of scripture, is writing the things

that are, the things that have been seen and the things that are related to the things that are and

seen1. This is important because writings are essentially doctrine. These doctrines are to be made

plain that the reader may be able to understand them2. And since doctrine means teaching, the

things written are educating the reader. Writing, then, must educate the reader on something the

writer wants to reader to understand. For instance, this writing I complied is to make the reader

understand my concept of the Gospel of Mark. I want you to understand Mark’s position of Jesus

from his writing, just as Mark intended.

Gospel Context

The Gospel according to Mark is the story of Jesus from the eyes and understanding of

“John Mark, one who worked so closely with Peter”3. Compared to the other Gospels, Mark’s

work is short. “Mark is concerned with recording a description of who Jesus was and the impact

he had on those who came in contact with him”4. From the very beginning of the Gospel, Mark

identifies who Jesus is to him and who he hopes the reader may understand Jesus is, the “Son of

God” and throughout his gospel this is the focus of his writing “as the story of Jesus unfolded”5.

The theme of the Gospel according to Mark is the supernatural nature of Jesus.

1
Revelation 1:19. King James Version.
2
Habakkuk 2:2. King James Version.
3
Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological
Survey, Third Edition., Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013. Pg. 75
4
Ibid. pg. 75
5
Ibid. pg. 75
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Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A

Historical and Theological Survey, Third Edition., Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids,

MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 77.The illustration of Jesus revealed in the Gospel of Mark is quite

practical. Mark’s gospel creates a portrait of Jesus where he is identified as a Man. He is referred

to by titles, such as: Son of Man, a common title given to man. When Mark recounts the events

of Jesus, there is a constant that cannot be ignored, as

that constant is seen throughout Jesus’s interactions with all those He encounter. After

viewing

Jesus through the eyes of Mark, the constant that enables each of the roles to become

interconnected is the role of Teacher that Jesus portrays even when He is healing,

preaching, or

representing his Heavenly Father here on earth.

When Mark provides a chronological timeline, Mark shows how significant Jesus’s role

as a Teacher really is throughout his journey. Whether this was intentional of Mark, that

will

never be determined. Nevertheless, Mark clearly shows that Jesus’s teachings enabled not

just

believers, but non-believers, the faithless, the faithful, priests, kings, and even more

intimately

his disciples to truly understand why he was indeed sent by God.

Context of Mark (Understanding the Origin of The Gospel of Mark)

The Gospel of Mark has been viewed by many scholars and theologians as a Gospel

influenced by Peter called Simon. The reason for this speculation is due to the very close
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relationship that Mark had with Peter. This close relationship can be seen in 1 Peter,

when Peter

refers to Mark as his son. “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you

her

greetings, and so does my son Mark” (1Pet. 5:13). It has also been speculated by early

Christians that Peter may have been the one to lead Mark to Christ.