Mark: a study in fours

At the moment in Bible study, we’re currently reading through the Gospel of Mark. As I’ve been preparing for this tour through the Evangelist’s testimony, I’ve been struck again and again that, although Mark is often described as the “simplest Gospel”, Mark is by no means simplistic. The more I study, the more I realize that the construction of this work was extremely carefully planned out.

When we began our study, I remarked to the group that Mark has something of a penchant for the number four. We have now been studying Mark’s Gospel for a couple of months, so last week as we reviewed the material covered thus far, we spent some time highlighting some of the quintuplets we have encountered thus far. In today’s post, I would like to list the collections we found…

Calling of disciples

In the very first chapter of Mark, Jesus calls four disciples:

1. Simon/Peter
2. Andrew
3. James
4. John

In a later chapter Jesus calls Matthew/Levi and then much later we have the explicit naming of the Twelve.

Questions

Over the course of the second chapter, a series of questions are asked concerning Jesus and His disciples:

1. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
2. “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
3. “Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
4. “Why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Each of these questions are used by Jesus to reveal His identity and mission.

Healings

As we journey through Chapter 2 into Chapter 3, Mark narrates a series of miracles:

1. Healing of the man with an unclean spirit
2. Healing of Simon’s mother-in-law
3. Cleansing of the leper
4. Healing of the Paralytic

Jesus no doubt performed many miracles, but Mark seems to purposefully record these four.

Groups of opposition

Over these same early chapters, Jesus encounters trouble from four groups:

1. The Pharisees
2. The Scribes
3. The Herodians
4. Evil spirits

Each of these groups oppose Jesus, but only the evil spirits seem to really seem to have an idea of who Jesus is (“We know that you are the holy one of God”).

Parables

In Chapter 4, we are treated to four parables:

1. Parable of the Sower
2. Parable of the Lamp
3. Parable of the Growing Grain
4. Parable of the Mustard Seed

Miracles

Then in Chapters 4 and 5 we have another collection of miracles:

1. The calming of the storm
2. Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac
3. Raising of Jairus’ daughter
4. Healing of the hemorrhaging woman

The more I study Mark, the more clearly I see what a carefully structured narrative he presents to us. In a few more weeks I plan to do another post about Mark’s Gospel. By that time, we will have read a little more and have encountered more examples of the topic of my next post, the “Marken Sandwich”…