Mark
Overview
Understood today as the first written gospel, Mark seems to be the most direct and straightforward account of Jesus’ life. In his verse-by-verse commentary, Ralph P. Martin brings out the power of this eminently practical and persuasive Gospel. Martin emphasizes how Mark’s Gospel is a story of action—as encouraging and compelling today as when it was written.
Top Highlights
“So it is clear that Jesus is no solo performer, intending to do the work of the kingdom on his own. He is looking for associates who will share his company and be his representatives, both in the Galilean ministry and later when he has to leave them (14:28; 16:7). In the meanwhile Jesus will make them useful as ‘fishers of men’—a metaphor that goes back to Jer 16:16 but here used of ‘catching’ men out of the turbulent waters of the world in the net of the company of Christ that expects God’s coming reign (Anderson).” (Pages 13–14)
“A sermon on ‘creedal religion’ could pick up these items in verse 1. Use the ‘fish’ symbol (Greek ichthus = ‘Jesus Christ is the son of God, the savior’) as a lead-in; the text will have three parts: (1) Jesus is God’s agent, the anointed; (2) he is his son; (3) salvation is the start of a new day in personal and world history.” (Pages 6–7)
“‘The Son of David was popularly expected to ‘cleanse Jerusalem from the Gentiles.’ Jesus wanted it cleansed for the Gentiles’” (Page 68)
“He was in an impressionable mood, and his confession was, ‘Truly this man was God’s son’ (v. 39).” (Page 92)
“Caligula to set up his statute in the temple in ad 40. Another sees the allusion as referring to the stress of Jerusalem under Roman siege in ad 66–70. The clown Phanni was mockingly crowned (according to Josephus) and sacrilegiously dressed up as high priest and installed in the sacred office. The third possibility is the bringing in of the Roman standards to the temple precincts at the victorious conclusion of the war. Whatever the precise detail, it relates to the horror Jewish pietists (or Jewish Christians among them) felt by the Roman attack on the central and most holy place of their religion.” (Pages 78–79)
- Title: Mark
- Author: Ralph P. Martin
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 1981
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. N.T. Mark › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9781579108328, 1579108326
- Resource ID: LLS:MARK
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:27:48Z
Ralph P. Martin (1925–2013) served as scholar-in-residence at several schools, including Fuller Theological Seminary, Haggard School of Theology, and Azusa Pacific University. He was a professor emeritus of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary and an associate professor in biblical studies at the University of Sheffield in England.
Martin earned degrees at University of London and King’s College. He has written several commentaries and books, including Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, the commentaries on 2 Corinthians in the Word Biblical Commentary series, and many more!