Mark's Gospel Edexcel - 5RS16
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Mark’s Gospel
Edexcel - 5RS16
Revision Booklet
a c kground
B
Mark tells stories about Jesus, a carpen- put their procurator to rule over him
ter and a teacher who lived in Israel. called Pontius Pilate. 2) Herod Antipas
Our calendar is supposed to tell us the ruled the Northern part of Israel called
number of years that have passed since Galilee which was where Jesus grew up
Jesus‟ birth (for example 2010 should be and taught before travelling to Jerusalem.
two thousand and ten years after Jesus Things important to the Jews were:
was born.) In fact it is slightly wrong as 1. Torah: the Law or instruction given by
we think Jesus was born in about 4BC God through Moses (10 commandments)
and died in AD30. 2. The Synagogue: a local place of wor-
In 37BC the Romans made Herod the ship where the Torah was read and ex-
Great, King of the Jews. He ran the plained.
country for the Empire. When he died 3. The Temple: There were many syna-
in 4BC the Romans divided up his king- gogues, but only one Temple in Jerusa-
dom among three of his son, two of lem built by King Solomon in 950BC.
them are important for us: 1) Archelaus Animal sacrifices to God could only be
ruled the southern part of Israel called offered there. All travelled here for the
Judea, but he was so cruel the Romans festival of the Passover.
Use this page to fill in
information about the
different groups at the time
of Jesus in Israel - clue: five
including the Romans...
Groups at
the time
of Jesus
Why did
Mark write
a Gospel?
Layers
The gospel according to Mark was
written as an account of Jesus’ life,
of
however it is also believed to have been
inspired by God to help Christians live
meaning
in the world today and it has many
layers of meaning
The surface level deals with what
took place at the time of Jesus and
why Mark has decided to include
this story out of all the different
The next level deals with the early things Jesus did.
church.....
What was life like in 100AD - why
did they need to write this story
down?
The deepest level deals with what
does it teach Christians living in the
world today. This is open to inter-
pretation - Liberals, Conservatives
& Fundamentalists all have their
own understanding
Print your surname here, and your
other names afterwards to ensure
that the exam board awards the
marks to the right candidate.
Here you fill in Here you fill in your
your school’s personal exam num-
exam number. ber. Take care when
writing it down be-
cause the number is
important to the exam
board when writing
In this box, the ex-
aminer will write the
Ensure you total number of
know how long marks you have
the exam lasts achieved in the
and plan your exam paper.
time accordingly.
Make sure you understand
exactly which questions from
which sections you should
Note that the quality of your
written communication will
also be marked. Take par-
ticular care to present your
thoughts and work at the
highest standard you can
There are two questions on each page
but you only need to answer one of
them. Choose either the top one or the
bottom one and remember that you must
answer parts (a), (b), (c) and (d) from the
Part (a) ques- Part (b) questions require
tions require a you to give your opinion
glossary defi- and two developed rea-
nition as your sons for it in order to get
answer.
In answers to part (c)
questions you need to
give explanations.
One way to gain maxi-
Part (c) ques-
mum marks is to give
tions include
marks for the
quality of the
written commu-
nication. The marks for each
question are shown
on the right-hand
Pay attention
side of the page.
to any text
Make sure that you
highlighted in
note how many
bold, as it will
marks a question is
alert you to
worth as this will give
important in-
you an idea of how
formation
long to spend on that
about what to
question.
include in
your answer. The statements in part
(d) questions are meant
to be controversial but
make sure you know
what the question is ask-
ing you before you start
Make sure you
refer to a story
from Mark’s gos-
pel in your part
(d) answers.
Start this part of your
answer with ‘Some Start this part of your
people might disagree answer with ‘I agree.’
with me because… ’ or ‘I disagree.’, then
and then give three give three simple rea-
simple reasons or two There are 20 marks sons why to get full
developed reasons or available for each ques-
one fully developed tion – that’s a mark a
minute!You must clearly show the examiner which question
you are answering. This is really important because if
the examiner is not sure you might not get any marks.
Don’t feel that you
have to fill the answer
space provided. Eve-
rybody’s handwriting
varies, so a long an-
swer from you may
take up as much
space as a short an-
swer from someone
else.
The amount of space
given for you to write your
answer in should give you
a clue as to how much
you should write and how
long it should take. Large
spaces are for more im-
portant questions with
more marks available
which you will have to
spend more time on.
Don’t write outside
the box as when your
answer is scanned,
anything outside this
box may not be
scanned.Discipleship
1. The call of the first disciples (1 v 14-20 & 2 v 13-17)
2. Sending out the Twelve (6 v 7-13)
3. The true family of Jesus (3 v 31-35)
4. True greatness (9 v 33-37)
5. The rich man (10 v 17-31)
6. The Parable of the Tenants (12 v 1-12)
7. A spirit cast out by Jesus (9 v 14-29)
8. The Parable of the Sower (4 v 1-20)
9. Jesus, the disciples & service (10 v 35-40 & 41-45)
10. Are the disciples really failures? (14 v 27-31, 32-42)
11. Peter denies knowing Jesus (14 v 66-72)
Do you know the nature of discipleship? How can
you be a disciple in today‘s world?
Do you know the cost of discipleship? What do you
have to give up to be a follower of Jesus?
Do you know the rewards of discipleship? What
does God give you if you follow him?
rds
Key wo
1. Disciples, followers of Jesus 8. True Greatness, the teaching of Je-
2. Levi, a tax collector who was sus that service of others is true
called to be a disciple greatness.
3. Sons of Zebedee, the brothers 9. The Commandments, the collec-
James & John whom Jesus called tion of laws given by God.
to follow him 10. The Eye of a Needle, a metaphor
4. Service, an act of help or assis- used by Jesus to show that wealth
tance makes it difficult to enter the
5. The Twelve, the twelve selected Kingdom of God.
from the disciples to be Jesus‟ 11. The Kingdom, the rule of God in
closest disciples. people‟s lives.
6. True Family, those who follow the 12. Peter‟s denial, the way Peter said
teachings of Jesus. he as not a follower of Jesus after
7. Self-sacrifice, putting other peo- the arrest of Jesus.
ple‟s needs before your own.p les
o f t h e disci
Call
Jesus chose 12 men to be his special disciples. This may have been symbolic, as the Old
Testament character Jacob, one of the Jewish patriarchs, had 12 sons. The 12 sons in turn
became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. By his choice of 12 men, Jesus may have
been showing that he was sent by God for all the Jewish people.
In Mark 1 v 15 Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee and calls out to Simon & his brother
Andrew saying “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they both
dropped their nets and followed Jesus.
This shows us that discipleship requires you to....
After calling some simple fisherman, the next person Jesus calls is a tax collector, probably
the least favourite person to a Jew (just above the Romans) so they were considered out-
casts.
This shows us that the type of people Jesus called were.....
Jesus starts by appointing the first disciples to be his close friends and helpers. He calls
them to leave their jobs to travel and work with him. This shows that the nature of disci-
pleship is to follow the master whole-heartedly. After watching and learning from Jesus
about healing people Jesus sends them out with specific instructions which are... (list what
he told them to do!)
ple ship
o s t o f disci
C
Some people are great examples of disciples - Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Oscar Romero, Maximil-
ian Kolbe and Dietrich Bonhöffer as they have followed Jesus whole-heartedly and have been self-sacrificial
towards others. Jesus taught that to be truly great you “must be the very last, and the servant of all” and
welcome all towards them. True greatness in the Christian faith comes from serving others, because in that
way the Christian is serving God.
Not everyone finds it easy - in the story of the Rich man he challenges Jesus about how he can get into
heaven.
What does Jesus tell him to do and what does Jesus mean by this?
The Christian church has been criticised in the past because it has so much Imagine a quiz show
wealth and there are many rich Christians. Christians have to decide their pri- for Christians called
orities carefully. This is a problem for them in a society where success is meas- DISCIPLE OR NO T
ured by the salary earned and the possessions you have. DISCIPLE. What
The parable of the Tenants is an allegory (symbolic story) that criticises the would a person have
Jewish leaders, showing they will oppose God (the owner of the vineyard) and to do to win it?
persecute & kill God‟s servants (prophets/Jesus). The owner then gives the
vineyard to others who were not involved in killing his son. The Jews exclusive relation-
ship with God was broken at the point they kill Jesus and God gives us all humanity a part of His kingdom.leship
Costs of discip
Parable of the Sower: Jesus teaches how Explain how the four different
a farmers scatters seed and each of the types of people described in the
four places the seed lands represent those parable may still be relevant to-
that hear the Word of God (the seed) day... [8]
and the variety of ways people respond.
James & John want to have a special place in
heaven as they thought they had earned it,
Jesus has to correct them - “whoever wants
Research the life of Maximilian Kolbe. to be the first must be slave for all. For
How did he put Jesus‟ teaching on service even the son of man did not come to be
into practice? served, but to serve, and to give his life for
many.” What does Jesus mean?
cipleship
Rewards of Dis
Make a list of the things the Jesus told his disciples to do in Mark 14 v 33 - 42 from the
time they reach Gethsemane. Tick all the parts they achieved.
Jesus took his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane and asked his 3 closest friends to stay
awake and support him and they fell asleep three times. They failed to support him through
this crisis, and yet the Christian church exists today because of their work after Jesus‟ death.
The Christians to whom Mark was writing were facing persecution in Rome. How
might this story have helped them?
Peter doesn‟t stop with falling asleep in the garden he goes ahead and fails his closest friend
by denying him three times and leaving Jesus unsupported in front of the High Priest.
Peter weeps when he remembers that Jesus had predicted this failure and he had confidently
said it would not happen.
How does Peter‟s failure encourage Christians today?
Think of some situations where Christians might be tempted to deny being a Christian.
What might they do? What should they do?qu e st ion s for practice
Quic k
Who were the sons of Zebedee? Explain why the story of the rich
What was Levi‟s job? man might cause problems for
Who were the Twelve? some Christians today. [8]
Who are Jesus‟ true family?
What is true greatness?
“Most Christians today ignore Jesus‟ teach-
Name two commandments.
ings about discipleship.” In your answer you
What is „the eye of the needle‟?
should refer to Mark‟s Gospel.
What is the kingdom?
Some people agree... [3]
What is the difference between self-
Other people might disagree... [3]
sacrifice and service?
uestion
Examination q
Be the examiner: Explain why the nature of discipleship as shown in the calling of
the first disciples is important to Christians today. [8]
Student answer: The nature of discipleship as
shown in the calling of the first disciples is im-
portant to Christians today as Jesus picked a
range of people to be his disciples. Levi was a tax
collector and they were not meant to be nice peo-
ple and another one was a zealot, a man that
hated and killed the Romans. This is showing
that anyone, no matter what their attitude is or
how they act, can be a follower of Jesus and Jesus Any other comments about the answer:
will forgive them. This gives everyone in the
world a chance to make a change as they know
someone will forgive them and they can start
again and make the right decisions.Conflict & Argument
1. Jesus heals a paralysed man
2. Disagreements about the Sabbath
3. The trouble with the law - Ritual cleanliness
4. The trouble with the law - Corban
5. Jesus predicts his Passion
6. Jesus enters the Temple
7. Who‘s in authority here?
8. A taxing question
9. Jesus‘ argument with the Sadducees about
Resurrection
10. Expensive perfume at Bethany
11. The plot to kill Jesus
ords
Key W
7. The Temple:
1. Sinners: those who did not follow all the the building in Je
where sacrifices rusalem
Jewish laws were made
8. The law: the
2. Sabbath: the day of rest on the seventh collection of law
handed down by s
day of the week (Saturday) God and collecte
the Torah d in
3. Ritual cleanliness the Jewish laws on 9. Fasting: goin
food and washing which prevented any- g without food on
days as a sign of certain
thing unclean entering the body devotion to God
10. Scribes: relig
ious law
4. Corban: a gift dedicated to God which men who made co yers, originally
meant it could not be used for anything 11. Pharisees: a re pies of the Torah
else ligious group wh
aim was to keep ose
5. Passion: the suffering of Jesus, especially the Jewish faith al
and focused on th ive
in the time leading up to his crucifixion 12. Sadducees: g e Torah
6. Palm Sunday: the Sunday before Good roup of priests w
trolled the Temple ho con-
Friday when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a and collaborated
with the Romans
donkeyg t rouble!
ausi n
Jesus c
The purpose of this topic is to
help you investigate how Jesus ran
Eric Liddell (as seen in Chariots of Fire) into conflict with the religious au-
refused to run in the 100m final of the
thorities as a result of his
Paris Olympics as it took place on a Sunday
in 1934. More recently Jonathan Edwards teaching and actions.
also refused to compete on a Sunday be-
cause of his strong Christian beliefs.
In both cases these men were in conflict
eals a
with the authorities because their faith Jesus h n
told them they should keep Sunday as a ara ly sed ma
p
day of rest.
Jesus had arguments with Pharisees on a
number of occasions because he broke the
commandment ―do not work on the Sab- Mark 2 v 1-2: Jesus is at home in Caper-
bath‖, yet he tried to explain that God did naum and crowds gather, so much so that
not want us to be crushed by his laws. some friends are unable to bring their
friend to Jesus‘ feet for healing. They
break through the roof and lower him
down on ropes.
1. How important was faith in the
healing of the paralysed man?
2. Why did this healing lead to conflict
with the teachers of the law?
3. Who has authority to forgive sins in
e n ts about your opinion?
eem
Disagr bbath The Jewish leaders saw Jesus‘ actions as
the Sa blasphemous.
Ten commandments say keep the Sabbath holy - what does this actually mean?
1. Jesus picks corn on the Sabbath with his disciples as they are hungry - he reminds
them that King David went and ate the holy bread belonging to the priests and no
one complained then. Sabbath was made for man...
2. Jesus heals a man with a shrivelled hand outside a Synagogue on the Sabbath - he
asks them is it better to do good or evil on the Sabbath. To save life or kill?
Explain what Jesus and his disciples had done wrong, according to the Pharisees
in both of the stories above.
Do you think Sunday should be treated differently from other days of the week?w
w it h the La
e
Troubl
Ritual Cleanliness: The Pharisees were strict about many things and followed all of their 613 laws which
covered every aspect of life. It told them how to prepare food and how to eat it. They were angry that
Jesus and his disciples ate food with ‗unclean hands‘. Jesus is trying to show them that it is more important
to have a heart focused on God and be ritually dirty!
Corban: Jesus was unhappy that Pharisees set up their own traditions which went against the Ten Com-
mandments, they would rather give money to the temple fund than to share it with their poor parents.
What does Jesus mean by the phrase ‗You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to
the traditions of men‘
Christians do not follow the Jewish food laws (Kosher) because of what Jesus says in Mark 7 v 9-23.
Explain why.
e s...
n g p ropheci
i
Fulfill
Jesus enters Jerusalem
Jesus predicts his Passion (suffering) You need to able to describe the events of
You need to know the three passages and the Palm Sunday and say why Jesus‘ entry might
matching statements between them. You have led to conflict with:
should also be aware that they are connected
to prophecies from the Old Testament 1. Jewish leaders
2. Roman authorities
Matching phrases/words
1. Son of Man What is the significance of Jesus‘ entry into
2. Rejected/betrayed Jerusalem?
3. Suffer 1. Fulfilling prophecies from the Old Tes-
4. Be killed tament - Micah & Zephaniah
5. Rise from death after three days 2. Riding a donkey
3. Palms & cloaks laid down
Peter tries to correct Jesus and say he will 4. Shouts of Hosanna
not die. The teaching about the suffering 5. Calling him King David
and death is very important for Christians
today as it explains the events that followed. They believed that their Messiah had come!
(as we learn in the next topic)
Jesus clears out the Temple: Jesus believed that the Temple, which was the centre of Jewish worship had
been misused. The court of the Gentiles—the only part open to non-Jews had been taken over for two main
activities; to sell animals for the sacrifices that Jewish people had to make in the temple and to change
money for the temple tax.
The fact that the Temple was used as a place to make money offended Jesus.
He quoted from the Old testament prophet Isaiah - ―my house will be called a house of prayer for all na-
tions‖ as he proceeded to turn over the tables and stop the money lenders. He said this in the court of Gen-
tiles - this message was for all people, not just the Jews and teaches Christians they should do nothing to
upset community and racial cohesionrity
Autho
The Jewish leaders by the time Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem saw him as a trouble maker and
had decided that they should get rid of him. They agreed that the best way was to trap him in
front of others into saying something that could be used to arrest him.
1. Who’s in authority here - Mark 11 v 27-33 The elders & teachers of the law approached Je-
sus in the temple and asked him who had given him authority to do all his miracles, teach and
turn over the tables. If he had answered God then they could arrest him for being mad. He
asks them a question in response which they were unable to reply.
2. A taxing question—Mark 12 v 13-17 Taxes were high and this reminded the Jews that their
country was occupied by the Romans. The money paid out had Caesar‘s head stamped on the
side. Jesus was again challenged by a Pharisee trying to trick him into saying something against
the Roman authorities. The answer ―give to Caesar what is Caesar‘s‖ tells Christians today that
they should pay their taxes and also give respect to God.
re tro uble...
Mo
Argument with Sadducees about res- Expensive perfume at Bethany (14 v 3-11)
urrection: The Sadducees who don't even be- Can you understand why Jesus‘ welcoming
lieve in the resurrection ask Jesus about life treatment of the woman in Simon‘s house
after death. Their aim is to catch Jesus out on and why this upset Judas?
the Mosaic law so as to discredit him to be a Six days before the Passover Jesus was in
false teacher. They say that according to Moses the home of Simon the leper at Bethany
if a man‘s brother dies leaving his wife then his While he reclined at table, a woman with an
brother should marry her and raise up offspring alabaster flask of pure and very costly nard
for his dead brother. Having built their case perfume entered the room
they ask Jesus whose wife will this woman be at She broke the alabaster flask and emptied it
the resurrection. Remember they don't believe over his head
in the resurrection and are wanting to trap Je- 1. What were the reactions of the disciples?
sus and accuse him to the people because of the 2. Why was Judas so angry?
parable (of the talents) he told against them. 3. Why did the woman choose to do this?
The Pharisees do believe in the Resurrection
and are listening to Jesus agree with him. When people died, their families and friends
Explain why was Jesus siding with the Phari- anointed their bodies with perfume and this
saic position, dangerous in the argument with shows that Jesus was about to suffer and die.
the Sadducees about resurrection?
The plot to kill Jesusqu e st ion s for practice
Quic k
What is the Sabbath? Explain why Jesus‟ argument with
What is „corban‟? the Sadducees about resurrection
On what day is the Jewish Sabbath? is important for Christians today.
Who were the scribes? [8]
What usually happened at the temple?
“The woman at Bethany was right to
Who are sinners?
anoint Jesus.” In your answer you should
What is ritual cleanliness?
refer to Mark‟s Gospel.
What happened on the first Palm Sunday?
Some people agree... [3]
What is the law?
Other people might disagree... [3]
Who were the Sadducees?
uestion
Examination q
Be the examiner: Explain why the story of Jesus‟ entry into Jerusalem is significant
for Christians today. [8]
Student answer: The story of Jesus entering Je-
rusalem is significant for Christians today as
when the disciples went off to get the colt all
they said was “the son of god needs it” and the
people let him take it. This show the people be-
lieved in God. While Jesus entered Jerusalem the
people treated him like some kind of royalty as
they cheered and shouted and threw palms and Any other comments about the answer:
clothes onto the floor, acting as a carpet. This
Have they explained all the key
shows that Jesus was important to them and points?
they cared for him. What could you add to this response
to get a level 4 answer?Death & Resurrection
Put the events on the timeline below (check which stories are relevant!)
The Last Supper in
Jerusalem to
celebrate the festival
of Unleavened bread
The resurrection
three days after
Jesus is pronounced
dead
What other information could you add to the line above to remember key events?
ords
Key W
1. Feast of unleavened Bread: the first
day of the Passover Festival
2. Last supper: the Last meal Jesus ate 8. High Priest: the chief Jewish leader at
with his disciples, which founded the the time of Jesus (Caiphus)
Eucharist 9. Sanhedrin: The supreme Jewish coun-
3. Passover: Jewish festival celebrating cil which found Jesus guilty of blas-
the release from Egypt phemy
4. Upper room: the place where the Last 10. Pontius Pilate: The Roman procurator
Supper took place (governor) of Judea at the time of Je-
5. Gethsemane: The place where Jesus sus
was arrested 11. Crucifixion: The Roman death penalty
6. Judas Iscariot: The disciple who be- suffered by Jesus when he was nailed
trayed Jesus to the cross
7. Blasphemy: associating oneself with 12. Golgotha: The place of the skull; the
God and language or deeds that insult place where Jesus was crucified
Godr
L as t Suppe
er &
Passov
Mark 14 v 12-16—Jesus told the disciples to go into the city and find a man carrying a
jar or water and follow him and he would take them to the upper room. Jerusalem
would have been heaving with all the Jews arriving to celebrate the Passover meal to-
gether with their families and relations. In this passage Jesus‘ authority is seen again
clearly, just as he sent them to get a colt to enter Jerusalem. The disciples find every-
thing just as Jesus had said - imagine how amazing to be alongside this man.
Need to know:
1. The preparation for Passover
2. What takes place during the supper
3. Jesus‘ warning of Peter‘s denial
sy mbols
s t Su pper—
The La
This is my body, broken for you
The Passover celebrated the night when the angel of death passed over the Egyptians and Is-
raelites. The Jews had slaughtered a lamb and put the blood on their door in a cross shape to
escape death. The wine was to remind them of the blood of the lamb and the bread that they
had to run from the Egyptians.
NEW MEANINGS: Blood - wine / body - bread
The angel of death will not affect those that take part in the communion service as they are
members of God‘s family and given eternal life.
Explain why the Last Supper is still important for Christian believers today. [8]
The blood that was to be shed by Jesus when he died meant a new covenant (binding promise)
was made by God with his people. The Israelites at the time of the Exodus were freed from
slavery, the Jews at the time of Jesus were to be freed from their slavery to the law of
Moses.
Jesus predicts Peter‘s denial and that one of his disciples will betray him later which shocks
all the disciples. Peter does not believe this will happen and protests his loyalty to Jesus.
This is my blood, shed for youunion
Comm
All Christians believe that the celebration of the last supper is an important sac-
rament. The Eucharist (thanksgiving) is the distinguishing mark of the mass for Roman
Catholics, it is celebrated, at least, each Sunday. Some Protestants also include Com-
munion in every Sunday service; others schedule it once a month.
Why do different churches have different ideas about communion?
Different interpretations of what takes place with the host and wine at
communion: Transubstation /Consubstantiation / Receptionism / Memorialism
ya l & arrest
Betra
Prayers in Gethsemane
What do Jesus‘ prayers show about Jesus and his mission and his relationship with the
Father?
Jesus prays a version of the Lord‘s Prayer and calls out ―Abba‖ (father). This shows
how he turns to his father for everything. He asks for his cup of suffering to be taken
away from him. Jesus knows that he is about to undergo a very hard time ahead.
The disciples fall asleep in the garden and leave Jesus to face his darkest time
alone. Why do you think Jesus wanted his friends to stay awake?
Jesus could have avoided crucifixion and he did not want, he went ahead to his death
willingly know that this was His father‘s plan.
Betrayed by Judas & arrested
Is betrayal by a friend the worst type of betrayal? Judas sells Jesus to the Jewish au-
thorities for 30 pieces of silver. We have seen how he was frustrated by Jesus not acting
like a powerful king in the style of King David.
Is it Judas‘ fault that he betrayed Jesus?
Some churches consider that Judas is a saint because without his betrayal the prophecies
would not have been fulfilled and no death on the cross.
The armed guards from the Temple arrive under cover of darkness arresting Jesus who goes
peacefully. The disciples run off, frightened that they will be arrested as well, in Mark‘s
version of the story, Jesus does not see them before his death. Who is the young man?&
H i g h Priest
before e
Trials s Pilat
Pontiu
Jesus, unusually, has two separate trials after his arrest:
1. Caiphus, the High Priest and the Sanhedrin
2. Pontius Pilate, the Procurator on behalf of the Roman Empire
Can you explain why was Jesus handed
Can you describe what happened in the Jewish
over to the Romans?
trial and whether it was fair?
The leading priests bind Jesus and lead him away
After Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Geth- to Pilate.
semane he is taken to stand trial before the Pilate asks the question ―Are you the King of the
Jewish Council - the Sanhedrin. It was made up Jews?‖ and Jesus replied, ―You have said it.‖
of 70 members: Pharisees, Sadducees and the Jesus again does not get pushed into answering
the question, but allows Pilate to assume his own
High Priest.
views.
Task to research: Put together a dramatic Jesus says nothing more, much to Pilate‘s sur-
account of the trial including the key points: prise.
1. Sanhedrin wanted to set Jesus up
2. False witnesses Did Pilate want Jesus to die? Remember to
include details about the practice of releas-
3. High Priest‘s questioning
ing a prisoner at Passover time.
4. Jesus‘ response claiming who He was
5. Actions towards Jesus – clothes, beating, Pilate even demands of the crowd, ―What crime
spitting has he committed?‖
‗Jesus should have defended himself to Pilate‘.
Was the trial fair?
Do you agree? Refer to Mark‘s Gospel.
Crucifixion
What happened at the Crucifixion according to Mark‘s Gospel? (15 v 21–41)
The soldiers made a man called Simon carry the wooden cross for Jesus
and they all marched to Golgotha to be crucified.
It was 9 o’clock in the morning when he was put on the cross
At 12 o'clock noon the sky went dark, it stayed dark for 3 hours
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon Jesus shouted, ―My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?‖
Mark gives a straight forward factual account of the crucifixion, it is important for Chris-
tians as the death of Jesus has always been a crucial event, he wanted to describe the
crucifixion for the benefit of people who needed to know exactly what happened. If you
were living in the 1st century it is important to be able to read about what took place.
During the crucifixion Jesus was mocked by the bystanders, who taunted him, telling him
to use his power to come down from the cross.ment
Atone
The word atonement, constructed from at and one, means:
―to be at one‖ or ―to reconcile‖.
For Christians atonement denotes the reconciliation of God and man, accomplished by
the Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It could only happen if Jesus died as an
innocent man FREE from sin.
Crucifixion was a punishment given out to the worst sinners, it would have been difficult
for some early Christians to accept that their Messiah (God‘s son) could have died in this
way. Jesus fulfils the prophecy about the Lamb of God being slaughtered and taking away
the sins of the world.
Jesus had to die so that the gap between man and God could be restored once and for all
and we would not have to sacrifice an animal to say sorry to God.
Man GOD
SIN
Resurrection: The greatest miracle of all time!
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and then his Disciples to show them that God‘s work is
not over and the prophecies are true. Until this time they had all been hiding in the Up-
per room for three days.
―The event without which there would be no gospel‖ - this means that:
1. The idea that Jesus died and then came alive is stated clearly in all the Gospels and in
other books of the NT
2. Paul in his letters makes it clear that Jesus did rise from the dead
3. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus were the great events on which the whole
Christian gospel was based
The resurrection is central to Christianity, the first Christians preached that Jesus had risen and refused
to give way under persecution and say it was not true, they were totally convinced. Many Christians today
believe, like St Paul, that Jesus did physically rise from the dead.
On the other hand some Christians do not attach much importance to the physical aspect of the resurrec-
tion, they may find it difficult to cope with the idea, and see the resurrection as a metaphor.
Different endings of Mark‘s gospel: 16 v 8 seems a very strange way to end a book called ‗The Good
News‘ as Jesus is still dead, no mention of him appearing. It is assumed that the original ending has
been lost or Mark was unable to complete his work, there is a suggestion that later some of the sto-
ries of Jesus‘ appearances after the resurrection have been added.
This means the gospel now concludes with the Commission and the Ascension.qu e st ion s for practice
Quic k
What is blasphemy? Explain why the resurrection is
Where was Jesus arrested? difficult for some Christians to ac-
Who was Judas Iscariot? cept today? [8]
Who was the Chief Jewish leader at
the time of Jesus?
„If Jesus had not been crucified, there
Who was Pontius Pilate?
would have been no Christianity.‟ In
Where did the Last Supper take place?
your answer you should refer to Mark‟s
What was the Sanhedrin?
Gospel
Where was Jesus crucified?
Some people agree... [3]
What feast is celebrated at Passover?
Other people might disagree... [3]
uestion
Examination q
Test yourself: Explain why the Crucifixion is important for Christians today [8]
Your own answer:
Have you used technical terms:
atonement, reconcile, sins, sacrifice, lamb
of God?
Point, evidence, explain?Identity of Jesus (Who is he?!)
1. Jesus is baptised
2. Peter‘s confession at Caesarea Philippi
3. The transfiguration
4. Jesus calms a storm
5. The feeding of the 5,000
6. Jesus walks on water
7. Jesus heals Legion (a mad man)
8. The raising of Jairus‘ daughter
9. Jesus - Messiah
10. Jesus - the Son of Man
11. Jesus - the Son of God
From the start of the Gospel people were asking the question ―Who is Jesus?‖ and he attempted to
show them through his teachings and actions.
ords
Key W
1. Baptism: confessing sins and being 7. Legion: A man from whom Jesus
immersed in water as a sign of cast out many demons
purification 8. Messiah: the Anointed One
1. Confession: an acknowledgement (Christ) who would bring in God‟s
or declaration of something Kingdom
2. Elijah: the Old Testament prophet 9. Moses: the Old Testament prophet
believed to return before the Mes- to whom God gave his laws
siah 10. nature miracle: a miracle in which
3. healing miracle: a miracle in Jesus shows his power over nature
which Jesus shows his power over 11. Son of Man: a title used by Jesus
sickness of himself, probably meaning he
4. Jairus: the synagogue ruler whose would suffer before bringing in
daughter was brought back to life God‟s Kingdom
by Jesus 12. Transfiguration: when Jesus‟ ap-
5. John the Baptist: the man who pearance was changed
baptised Jesus in the river Jordanm
Baptis
Initiation ceremony - welcoming
members into the church
Not long afterwards Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee and was
baptised by John in the Jordan. As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw
heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from
heaven, ‗You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.‘
What is the significance of these words? What does it teach us about Jesus?
All Christians are baptised today to show that they are members and part of the
True family. Some Christians choose to baptise babies (Roman Catholics and many
Anglicans) as they believe that the sacrament washes you free from sin and unites
you with God. Other Christian groups (Baptists, Methodists and Quakers) wait to be
baptised until they are older as they think it is important each person makes a per-
sonal commitment, this is called a believer‘s baptism and involves full immersion.
John the Baptist - dicts the arrival of a
, wr itin g some 40 0 yea rs before Jesus‘ birth, pre
The OT writer Isa iah peo-
und for the Me ssi ah ‘s arr ival. In Mark‘s Gospel many
e the gro
messenger who will prepar riv er Jo rdan were intended to call
the people
ak. His ba pti sm in the
ple come to hear John spe ssi ah . His baptism would involv
e dipping a per-
the com ing of the Me
to prepare themselves for Je ws who regularly took ritual
paths to cleanse.
s wa s fam ilia r for the
son under the water, thi
The Transfiguration
Jesus goes through a transfiguration, which means there was a supernatural change in the
way he looked. Mark describes Jesus‟ clothes dazzling white, it was something wonderful
and awesome with Jesus displaying an authority that was more than human - nothing less
than an experience of the glory of God.
Meaning of the: Moses Elijah Tent Mountain/hill
symbols
Voice from cloud White Messianic secret
was an ac-
it ma tte rs wh et her th e transfiguration of Jesus
ink
Discussion point: Do you th the disciples?
took place in the minds of
tual event or a vision that
answer you
im ag ine d th ey he ar d Go d talking to them.‖ In your
―The disciples must have [3] W hy would some disagree wit
h you? [3]
sp el. Do yo u ag ree
should refer to Mark‘s Goes:
Miracl tal illn
ess
& m e n
tu re , death
na
Jesus calms a storm: “Who is this even the wind and waves obey him?” This is Mark‟s first account of a
nature miracle. The storms were a common feature of the Sea of Galilee so fisherman would not be sur-
prised by a storm, this one must have been particularly strong. Jesus stops the storm with a few words, and it
surprises the disciples. Jesus asks them - “do you have no faith?” The Church interprets this story in terms of
the storms of life - and how Jesus guides people through them to safety.
Do you think Jesus calmed a storm? Give two reasons for your point of view [4]
(An excellent answer will give an opinion supported by two developed reasons.)
The feeding of the 5000: Another example of a nature miracle. Food is miraculously multiplied - 5 x loaves
& 2 x fish to feed 5000 people. The leftovers filled 12 baskets of bread
Symbolism from the OT - Jews wandering in the desert for 40 years. What did God give them on the
7th day every week?
Christians today have different views about this story, some say “People in the crowd saw that Jesus was will-
ing to share his food with them as they felt guilt and shared their food too,” or perhaps “Mark exaggerated the
numbers—what if there were only a few people,” others might believe that “People only really got a small
scrap of bread each,” however for many “Jesus was able to use God‟s power to perform miracles.”
Jesus walks on the Sea: water reappears in this nature miracle which takes place on the evening of the feed-
ing of the 5000. The disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, the next thing, they are amazed as they see
a ghost walking towards them. Jesus says to them „take courage! It is I. Don‟t be afraid.” Mark linked the
incident, along with Jesus‟ words of reassurance to OT pictures of God appearing to his people. God ap-
peared to Moses through the Burning Bush and used the same phrase “It is I” translated as “I am.”
Jesus heals Legion: A mad man who was possessed by hundreds of demons is healed by Jesus. Mark de-
scribes the man as an outcast who lived in the tombs on the edge of all the towns, he was too strong to be
bound by iron chains as he broke them. When Legion sees Jesus he runs to him and falls at his feet and cries
out, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” A mad man who is not allowed into the
towns knows exactly who Jesus is and calls him son of God. Some Christians would think this story is about
a man with a mental illness, not possession by demons and this can cause problems for Christians today.
Do people still believe in possession by evil spirits today?
The raising of Jairus’ daughter: Jairus runs to find Jesus, he is a leader of the synagogue, yet believes that
Jesus has the power to heal his sick child. Jesus doesn‟t rush to his house, but continues to teach other people
and heals a woman bleeding to death. A servant comes to tell them the girl is dead, this is met with the re-
sponse, “Don‟t worry, just have faith.” Jesus goes to Jairus‟ house and taking in his 3 closest disciples (Peter,
James & John) to the little girl‟s room says, “Talitha Koum!” which means „little girl, get up.‟ She gets up!
Was Jairus‟ daughter really dead? What did Jesus mean when he said she was only asleep?f J esus:
Titl e s o
, S on of God
, S on of Man
a h
Messi
Messiah (―Anointed one‖ in Hebrew, Christ is Greek word) The name familiar to all Jews.
Mark opens the Gospel giving Jesus this title - Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The 4 beliefs
were: the Messiah was to stand against God‘s enemies and the enemies of his chosen people.
All faithful Jews would be brought back to their homeland exile. Jerusalem and the Temple
would become the centre of the world. The Messiah would bring a period of perfect peace.
How does Jesus reflect the traditional Jewish ideas of a Messiah?
Son of Man: The title that Mark used particularly when Jesus was speaking about himself.
Why did he use this rather than Son of God or Messiah?
There are 3 times he uses this title and they all link him with persecution of himself or his
followers: 1) If anyone is ashamed of me, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him. 2)
Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 3) At the trial of the High Priest
when asked if he was the Christ. It tells us that Jesus had authority from God. He uses it
when walking through the cornfields: The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
Son of God: Mark uses this title at the start of the Gospel - Son of God 1 v 1. It appears at
his baptism and transfiguration and the Roman soldier announces it as Jesus is dying on the
cross. It links Jesus with God the father and gives us an understanding of the trinity. The
Parable of the Tenants refers to the owner of the vineyard‘s son being sent. This is a
very important title for Christians today.
’s c on fession
Peter -33)
(8 v 27
―Who do people say I am?‖
„Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi... “Who do you
say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Peter recognised that Jesus was the
Christ, the Messiah, when Jesus asked who people thought he was.
This passage is important is important because it gives readers information on how Jesus‟
teachings were being received at the time. John the Baptist had a reputation for his teach-
ing, while Elijah was a very important prophet in Judaism.
Account from Matthew‘s gospel
In Matthew‟s account of the same story it includes
additional information about Peter. Jesus replies, “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah... and I tell
you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (hell) will
not overcome it.
The Roman Catholic church teaches that this event marked the appointment of Peter as the first
Pope - the person who lead the Christian church after Jesus‟ ascension into heaven. The use of Pe-
ter meaning rock shows that the church would be built on Peter‟s leadership.qu e st ion s for practice
Quic k
What title does Mark start with in the Explain why some Christians have
opening verse? problems believing that miracles
Who baptised Jesus at the beginning of can take place today. [8]
Mark‟s gospel?
Who first identifies Jesus as the
„Messiah‟ according to Marks gospel?
What is meant by „transfiguration‟? “If Jesus was baptised he must have
What are the two different types of baptism been sinful.” In your answer refer to
that are practised by Christians today? Mark‟s Gospel
What is meant by the term „nature miracle‟? Some people agree... [3]
Give 2 examples of healing miracles. Other people might disagree... [3]
What three titles does Mark use he describes
Jesus?
uestion
Examination q
Test yourself: Explain why Matthew‟s account of Peter‟s confession is more impor-
tant for Roman Catholics than Mark‟s Gospel [8]
Your own answer:
Have you looked up what Matthew
says about Peter the rock in his account?
Point, evidence, explain?You can also read
