Thank you for the question on the Gospel of Mark, “What are your thoughts about the Gospel of Mark?”
Here are some thoughts on the Gospel of Mark:
- Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels.
- Mark is less complicated in sentence structure.
- Mark begins the life of Jesus with John the Baptist.
- Mark emphasizes the actions of Jesus rather than the words of Jesus.
5. Mark does not record the Sermon on the Mount.
6. Mark does not cite the Old Testament.
6. Mark places greater emphasizes on the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
7. Mark has an abrupt ending to the Gospel.
It appears from my viewpoint that the Gospel of Mark was written in a hurry or in an abbreviated life of Jesus. Modern scholars believe that Matthew and Luke copied from Mark, but that does not have to be the case as John’s Gospel record that the Holy Spirit will enable them to remember all that Jesus taught them.
In my opinion, Mark appears to writing to common Greeks who were more interested in Jesus words and actions than in his lineage or the Jewish culture. Jesus is presented as a servant of God who fulfilled the will of God just as many of the Greeks or slaves were subordinated to their master.
Scholars have debated why the Gospel of Mark abruptly ends. They inferred that Mark’s account contradicts the other Gospels. Mark 16:7 records that the angel commands women to tell the disciples and Peter that they will see Jesus. If the women did not tell the disciples and Peter what they experienced, Peter and John would not have gone to the tomb. They would have no reason to go to the tomb. It is more likely that the women were afraid to tell anyone else whom they may have met that morning until they told the disciples first. They were frightened by their experience of seeing an angel. Would they have disobey the command of the angel and refuse to give message to the disciples and to Peter? In my opinion, the answer is no.
Could it be that the scroll of Mark was worn out that some of the pages were lost through handling? Thus when the copyist came across this scroll with the missing text, he either left it as it is or one of the later copyist decided to complete the narrative. There is also the possibility that the copyist ran out of the scroll and ended there or that he stopped there to rest. Someone else may have thought that the copyist was finished and rolled up the scroll and filed it away. We don’t know the reason why the scroll ends so abruptly, but from my viewpoint there was more to it that has been lost through copying.
The additional Gospels provide sufficient information to complete the Gospel of Mark regarding the resurrection of Jesus.
Summary: Mark is the shortest and most controversial book of the Gospels.