Study With Me: Mark

I finished with Mark a few months ago. As I go through and copy books of the Bible, I highlight one verse per chapter (maybe more if it's a really good chapter) that I would like to memorize someday. Once I finish the book, I go back through and look at those verses and see how they all interlock and things.

Since Mark is done, I figured I'd share that list with you, along with my general thoughts on the book.

The Gospel of Mark: Main Takeaways

A while back, my pastor came up with one-word descriptions of every book in the New Testament, and Mark's was Servant. I can see how that fits, now. Mark specifically shows Jesus as a servant - from miracles to responses to the simple way he lived his life, we see the humble Jesus in every sense of the word. Mark also mentions Jesus putting his relationship with God at the forefront of his life by showing how he spent time with God first and foremost. That was the only part of his life that he wouldn’t sacrifice for the sake of others, which is a great example. Overall, it's a very concise book. It focuses more on Jesus’ actions proving his teaching rather than focus on his teaching itself, like in Matthew and John.

As for some basic takeaways…

• Two kinds of baptism (1:8)

• Jesus’ mission (2:17)

• The Sabbath is of lesser value than man (2:27-28)

• Unity (3:24)

• The serious consequences of blasphemy (3:28-30)

• Generosity (4:24-25)

• Faith over fear (4:40)

• Witnessing (5:19)

• The lessons learned from the unclean woman (5:33-34)

• Faith over fear again (5:36)

• Jesus’ wonder over how hard hearts can be (6:4-6)

• Spiritual (and thus every other aspect) recharging (6:31)

• Spiritual recharging example (6:46)

• God’s commandments over man’s traditions; hard hearts (7:6-8)

• Defilement of a person (7:20-23)

• Jews first, then to the Gentiles (7:27-28)

• We can know things (8:18)

• Humility in self, pride in Christ (8:34-38)

• Our faithlessness grieves Jesus (9:19)

• Help for faithlessness (9:24)

• Putting others before self (9:35)

• Anyone not against us is for us (9:39-41)

• Saltiness & peace (9:50)

• We have a powerful God (10:27)

• Humility & Christ’s example of it (10:42-45)

• Faith in prayer - or praying in faith (11:22-24)

• Inward over outward (12:14)

• God of the living (12:27)

• The most important commandments & living them out (12:29-33)

• Ratio matters more than amount; dedication to God (12:44)

• False christs (13:21-23)

• What the end of the world will be like (13:24-27)

• God’s words last (13:30-31)

• Stay alert because no one knows when he’ll be back (13:32-33)

• Stay awake (13:37)

• “A beautiful thing to me” (14:6-7)

• Institution of the Lord’s Supper (14:22-24)

• Trusting God (14:36)

• Christ’s victory (14:61-62)

• The Crucifixion (15:33-39)

• He wins (16:6)

• Our mission now (16:15-18)

• Jesus rests (16:19-20)

What Are Your Thoughts?

Have you ever read Mark? How do you like it in comparison to the other Gospels? Do you have a favorite Gospel or passage from Mark specifically? How do you best study the Bible?

Until next time,

Take courage, pursue Christ, and smile while you still have teeth!! ;)

-Joelle