Passage Explorer
Before you read

Mark

The shortest Gospel, told at a run: Jesus as the Son of God who serves and suffers, and the disciples who struggle to follow.

See the map and timelineJump to Chapter 1

Who wrote it

Traditionally John MarkDebated

The book doesn't name its author. Early church tradition, reported in the early second century, says Mark wrote down Peter's preaching. Many scholars accept that an early Christian named Mark wrote it; others doubt the link to Peter.

Who it was for

Followers of Jesus, likely mostly Gentiles

Mark explains Jewish customs (7:3-4), translates Aramaic phrases (5:41; 15:34), and uses Latin loanwords, which suggests readers who weren't Jewish. Church tradition places the book in Rome; that is debated.

When it happens

Under Roman rule, in a time of strain

Tiberius was emperor and Pilate governed Judea during the story. The book was probably written in the 60s or 70s AD, around the time of the Jewish war with Rome, when followers of Jesus faced pressure. The date is debated.

How to read it

Gospel

A fast, spare account that moves from one scene to the next, often with the word "immediately." Watch what Jesus does more than what he says, and what the disciples fail to understand.

Map: from the Jordan to Jerusalem

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Mediterranean SeaDead SeaGALILEEJUDEADECAPOLISSAMARIA

Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, works around the Sea of Galilee, travels north to Tyre and Caesarea Philippi, then goes up through Jericho to Jerusalem.

Timeline

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  1. Jesus' ministryUsually placed around AD 27-30, in Galilee and then Jerusalem.
  2. Mark is writtenMost scholars say the 60s or around AD 70. The date is debated.
  3. The temple fallsRome destroys Jerusalem's temple in AD 70.

In order, not to scale.

Big idea

Jesus is the Son of God, and he is most fully revealed not in power but at the cross, so following him means walking the same road.

Key themes
  • Son of God
  • The Messianic secret
  • Servant and suffering
  • Discipleship
  • Faith and fear

Who’s who

Jesus

From Nazareth in Galilee. Mark opens by calling him Christ, the Son of God, and spends the rest of the book on what that means.

Simon Peter

A fisherman from Capernaum, the first disciple called and the most prominent of the twelve.

  • Parents: Jonas
  • Siblings: Andrew
  • Chapters: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16

John the Baptist

A prophet in the wilderness who calls people to repent and baptizes them in the Jordan.

  • Parents: Zacharias, Elisabeth
  • Chapters: 1, 2, 6, 8, 11

Judas Iscariot

One of the twelve, who later betrays Jesus.

  • Chapters: 3, 14

Pontius Pilate

Roman prefect of Judea from about AD 26 to 36.

  • Chapters: 15

Mary Magdalene

From Magdala on the Sea of Galilee; a follower of Jesus.

  • Chapters: 15, 16

Family links and chapters: Theographic Bible Metadata, CC BY-SA 4.0. About our sources