Mark 1 / 마가복음 1

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

 ¹ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in the Prophets:


      “ Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
      Who will prepare Your way before You.”[Malachi 3:1]
       ³ “ The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

      ‘ Prepare the way of the LORD;
      Make His paths straight.’”[Isaiah 40:3]

⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. ⁵ Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus

⁹ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus

¹² Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry

¹⁴ Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

¹⁶ And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
¹⁹ When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. ²⁰ And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit

²¹ Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. ²² And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. ²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ²⁸ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed

²⁹ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. ³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset

³² At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door. ³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. ³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. ³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
³⁸ But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
³⁹ And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

⁴⁰ Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

The Gospel According to Mark

The Gospel According to

Mark

Mark's Gospel is unique. It is not a biography of Jesus, Like Matthew or Luke, for it does not dwell on Jesus' family history or career. Instead, the Gospel is a record of Jesus' actions and achievements. It presents Jesus as a Savior-King, who conquers demons, disease, and death.

The emphasis on Jesus' mighty and miraculous works makes the Gospel action-packed, fresh, and vivid. Mark constantly uses the present tense to create the impression of an eyewitness account - the kind presented by an on-the-spot reporter. And just like a reporter, he speaks directly to the reader. He uses rhetorical questions that readers would likely ask themselves, such as, "Who can this be, that even the wind and sea obey Him!" (4:41) Sometimes he even addresses his audience with Jesus' words, "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (13:37). Mark wants to transform believers with his report, not to merely inform them.

Moreover, his eyewitness accounts provide considerable detail - the emotional responses of Jesus and others, the sizes and reactions of crowds, and the appearance of men and women. The account of the Gadarene demonic is an example of Mark's attention to detail. He uses twenty verses to tell that story, while Luke uses fourteen and Matthew writes a mere seven. Yet Mark's Gospel is the most concise of all the Gospels, because he omits Jesus' longer discourses. In general, Mark presents the miracle-working Jesus, not the teaching Jesus.

Author: The Gospel of Mark does not identify the author. However, numerous documents from the early church unanimously point to Mark as the author. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (AD 140), claimed that Mark, as Peter's interpreter, wrote an accurate Gospel. The Roman prologue to Mark, dating from AD 160-180, also named Mark as the author, and Irenaeus, in France around AD 180, claimed that Mark wrote down Peter's preaching This repeated by Tertullian and Clement of Alexandri, both in North Africa around AD 200.

Mark is mentioned tens times in the New Testament. His Jewish name was John (Acts 13:5, 13), but his Roman name was Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37). He lived in Jerusalem and was a cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10). He might have been the youth wearing a linen cloth Jesus' arrest (14:51, 52), because only his Gospel mentions this incident, which occurred after all the disciples had already fled. The fact that Peter announced his miraculous jail escape at the home of Mary, Mark's widowed mother (Acts 12:12), indicates Mark had significant contact with Peter and the other leaders of the Jerusalem church.

In AD 46, Mark spent time with Barnabas and Saul in the Anitoch Church before he accompanied them as a helper on the first missionary journey. His unexpected departure from that expedition, however, caused Paul to loose confidence in him (Acts 15:37-39). Yet Mark later continued his missionary activity with Barnabas on Cyprus.

By AD 60-62, Paul again had placed his confidence in Mark and had complimented him as a fellow worker (Col. 4:10, 11; Philem. 24). In addition to helping Paul and Barnabas, Mark assisted Peter in Babylon. (1 Pet. 5:13). Finally, Paul asked Mark to come to Rome to assist him while he was confined (2 Tim 4:11). These short, positive references to Mark in the New Testament indicate that he faithfully and successfully served God as a missionary and apostolic helper throughout the period.

Composition: Peter was Mark's primary informant. In fact, the outline of events in Mark's Gospel follows precisely the outline of Peter's sermon to Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10:34- 43; compare Acts 13:23-33). Oral preaching at the time, such as Peter's sermon, used established styles and rhetorical techniques to aid both instruction and recall; Mark's Gospel reflects these oral styles. Furthermore, Justin Martyr, writing about AD 150 in Rome, confirmed that Mark wrote down Peter's recollection of events. He quoted Mark 3:17 as being in "the Memoirs of Peter." In addition, to recording Peter's memories, Mark may have added his own memories and consulted other documents.

Most agree that Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome under Peter's supervision. A second-century document, called the prologue to Mark, states that the Gospel was composed in Italy. Furthermore, Irenaeus, writing about AD 180, specifically stated Rome. Since Mark was with Paul in Rome around AD 60-62 and may have retuned around AD 65 at Peter's request (2 Tim 4:11), there is little reason to doubt this evidence.

Several important early source, including the anti-Marcionite Prologue and Irenaeus, stated that Mark composed his Gospel after Peter's death. In fact, Irenaeus dated its composition after both Peter and Paul's death around AD 67.

However Clement of Alexandria and Origen, writing a few years after Irenaeus, insisted that Peter was still alive during Mark's writing of the book. Moreover, a later tradition, recorded by Eusebius about AD 340, stated that it was written earlier during the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54). Finally, in inscription on the later manuscripts dated Mark's composition at even an earlier date around AD 39-42. These early dates, however seem doubtful because (1) Mark probably would not have written the Gospel before his first failed missionary journey, (2) Peter most likely was not in Rome until after AD 60, and (3) Paul's epistle to the Romans (About AD 56-57) greets many believers, but mentions neither Mark or Peter.  

The Most thoughtful estimate would place Mark's work sometime after Peter's death in AD 64 or 65, yet prior to AD 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed. In any event, the Gospel of Mark was penned within only three or four decades after the events it records.

Intended Readers: Mark wrote for the Gentile Christians, especially Romans. This conclusion is based on several facts: (1) Mark assumes some prior knowledge of the Christian faith on the part of his readers. John the Baptist, baptism, the Holy Spirit (1:4, 5; 8) are all mentioned without comment. (2) He does not assume a familiarity with Jewish scripture. He directly quotes only one Old Testament passage (1:2, 3). (3) Furthermore, he regularly explains Jewish customs and geography (7:2-4; 13:3; 14:12). (4) Finally, Mark purposely omits Jesus' prohibition of preaching to the Samaritans and Gentiles (6:7-11; compare Matt. 10:5, 6).

Mark's Gentile readers faced persecution and martyrdom. He wrote his Gospel to strengthen and guide Roman believers through Nero's terrible persecutions. First of all, his readers needed to know that Jesus had also suffered. But, they also needed to know that Jesus, after his suffering, had triumphed over suffering and death. The suffering Jesus was also the Son of God (1:1; 11; 14:61; 15:39), the Son of Man (2:10; 8:31; 13:26), the Christ (Messiah 8:29), and the Lord (1:3; 7:28). After the death of Peter and other eyewitnesses to Jesus' life, the Gospel message needed to be written down. Mark wrote the story down in order to verify these truths and provide a way to pass them on to new generations of believers.

Content: Mark introduces the main character of his action-packed narrative, Jesus, in thirteen quick verses. He weaves in this introduction both expectation ("Prepare the way of the Lord," 1:3) and conflict (Satan tempts Christ in v. 13). The large section that follows (1:14-8:30) heightens the conflict, as in a Greek tragedy. There are successes for Jesus, but there is also growing hostility. Triumph and conflict appear side by side. This long section culminates in Peter and the other disciples recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah (8:29).

In the next section (8:31-15:47), Mark describes the final outcome for the messiah - Jesus' passion and death. First, Jesus announces His coming death to His disciples (8:31; 9:31; 10:33) and prepares them for it. Then, He journeys to Jerusalem and is tried and put to death. But in the epilogue (16:1-20), the purpose of His death becomes clear. The drama comes to a rousing conclusion as Christ rises from the dead and encourages His followers. This is the Gospel of Mark - the good news of Jesus Christ.