is hurry through Mark (Mark 2-14)

For reasons that should become obvious, I am going to take just two more posts to finish Mark.

Another interesting difference between Matthew and Mark is the omission of the Sermon on the Mount by Mark.  Considering that this sermon was the first public pronouncement of Jesus in Matthew’s story, I am surprised that it was not included in Mark’s gospel.  Apparently Mark was written before Matthew so it makes sense that Mark’s gospel will contain less information, but it is interesting that some really important differences occur.

After that Mark and Mathew follow a similar pattern.  Jesus gathers his disciples, preaches, heals, associates with outcasts and performs miracles.  Most of the highlights from Matthew can be found in Mark.   He heals the paralyzed man on the Sabbath.  He teaches with the parables of the sower and the tenants in the vineyard and the mustard seed and the fig tree.  He calms a storm. He drives the demon out of the possessed man and into the pigs that drown.   He brings the girl back from death.   He walks on water.  He feeds the 5000 with five loaves and two fish and then the 4000 with seven loaves and a few fish.   He meets Elijah and Moses.   He warns of the suffering that he will face as well as the persecutions of those who follow him.  He says that he will rise from the dead.  He warns against false prophets.   He blesses the children and tells the rich man that he has to give up everything to enter the Kingdom.

He makes a triumphant entry into Jerusalem where he attacks the moneychangers in the temple.  He warns against the teachers of the law.  He teaches the two great commandments of loving god and loving your neighbour as yourself.  He warns about the coming horrors before the Son of Man returns when the angels will gather up all the righteous.   And just like some of the other scenes in Mark, the depiction of the Kingdom and who will enter and what will happen to those who don’t doesn’t have the same detail as was found in Matthew.

Finally, as in Matthew, Judas agrees to betray Jesus.  They have the Last Supper with the eating of the bread and wine and where Jesus predicts that someone will betray him and that Peter will deny him.   They retire to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays that the suffering will be taken from him.  Judas arrives and kisses Jesus to let them know who to arrest and Jesus is taken away.