Mark: Ballad of the Upside-Down King

Clearly Season 7
Written By Jimmy & Kelly Needham

You know Kanye's "Power," or DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win"? Of course, you don't because you are a good Christian and don't listen to anything but Christian music. BUT if, for some crazy reason, you might have heard those songs...just know the book of Mark is, like, the exact opposite. Okay, go back to listening to your WOW CDs. I hear Steven Curtis Chapman has a banger coming out...

The Context of Mark:

1:15 - What genre is Mark? Mark is one of the four Gospel books and we discuss why there are four accounts of these events!

Side quest: Take a listen to our episode about how we got the biblical canon!

5:15 - Who wrote Mark? Mark (also known as John Mark)

Fun fact: Mark was not one of the twelve disciples! He was a close friend of Peter’s (1 Peter 5:13).

6:51 - When was Mark written? Some think this was the earliest gospel, written around 45 AD. Others place it after the book of Matthew at around 67-68 AD.

8:20 - What makes Mark different from the other Gospel accounts? It was written to the Roman community to convince them that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior.

Tips for reading Mark:

11:23 - As you read, notice how Mark emphasizes Jesus as a servant-hearted king. 👑 This was completely counterintuitive for the Romans. Caesar was their ruler and everyone served him, not the other way around.

15:20 - Mark is full of action! 💥 This book would make a great graphic novel! Fun fact: the original text was written in the present tense. 

What we love about Mark:

17:15 - This is a great book for discipling a new believer! It’s got two main sections:

  1. Who is Jesus?

  2. What did He come here to do?

Almost half the book focuses on the last week of Jesus.

Challenges to reading Mark:

20:11 - "The longer ending of Mark" is found in Mark 16:9-19. This portion wasn’t in the earliest and best manuscripts that we have. The translators are very forthcoming with this information which points again to the Bible’s trustworthiness and reliability.

Application questions:

  • When was the last time you read Mark?

  • What stood out to you in this podcast episode? What questions are you wondering about the book of Mark?

  • What does Jesus have authority over according to Mark? Contrast this list with how He gave up His rights in the last week of His life.

  • What does it mean to be a servant-leader?

  • How does Jesus demonstrate His servant-leadership?

  • Love these application questions? You gotta check out the Clearly One-Pager!

Want to ask us a question? Email question@clearlypodcast.com.

Our Recommendations:

Jimmy & Kelly Needham
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