Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online
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Mark 9

1 - He said to them,"Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God's Kingdom come with power."
2 - After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them.
3 - His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
4 - Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 - Peter answered Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let's make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
6 - For he didn't know what to say, for they were very afraid.
7 - A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
8 - Suddenly looking around, they saw no one with them any more, except Jesus only.
9 - As they were coming down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 - They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the "rising from the dead" meant.
11 - They asked him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
12 - He said to them,"Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised?
13 - But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him."
14 - Coming to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes questioning them.
15 - Immediately all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him greeted him.
16 - He asked the scribes,"What are you asking them?"
17 - One of the multitude answered, "Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit;
18 - and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren't able."
19 - He answered him,"Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me."
20 - They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth.
21 - He asked his father,"How long has it been since this has come to him?"He said, "From childhood.
22 - Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us."
23 - Jesus said to him,"If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
24 - Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, "I believe. Help my unbelief!"
25 - When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him,"You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!"
26 - Having cried out, and convulsed greatly, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead; so much that most of them said, "He is dead."
27 - But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him up; and he arose.
28 - When he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we cast it out?"
29 - He said to them,"This kind can come out by nothing, except by prayer and fasting."
30 - They went out from there, and passed through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know it.
31 - For he was teaching his disciples, and said to them,"The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, on the third day he will rise again."
32 - But they didn't understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
33 - He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them,"What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?"
34 - But they were silent, for they had disputed one with another on the way about who was the greatest.
35 - He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them,"If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."
36 - He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 - "Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn't receive me, but him who sent me."
38 - John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone who doesn't follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn't follow us."
39 - But Jesus said,"Don't forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.
40 - For whoever is not against us is on our side.
41 - For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.
42 - Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.
43 - If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna,into the unquenchable fire,
44 - 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.'Isaiah 66:24
45 - If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna,into the fire that will never be quenched-
46 - 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.'
47 - If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into God's Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehennaof fire,
48 - 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.'Isaiah 66:24
49 - For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50 - Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
Mark Images and Notes

The Book of Mark

Mark 1:15 - And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 2:12 - And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Mark in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

St. Mark by Titian - 1560
Painting of St. Mark by Titian - 1560

Introduction to The Gospel of Mark

The Word Gospel. The second book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the second of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of Mark

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is the suffering servant who came to die for the sins of all men. He did His work and "immediately" went to the cross, so be encouraged all who are suffering because Christ suffered for you.

Purpose. The Book of Mark is the shortest of the 4 Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. and he seems to write his account of the Gospel of Christ with a sense of urgency. He mentions the word "immediately" 27 times. In Mark many times Jesus exercises actions rather than words, which would impress his Roman readers who the Book seems to be addressing. He portrays Jesus as a man of power and miracles, who could set aside the laws of nature at will. Yet this powerful Son of God was the suffering servant who would give up His life as a ransom for all mankind (Mark 10:45). The clear purpose of mark was to encourage those suffering persecution that their master suffered first, and He suffered for them.

Audience. Apparently Mark wrote his Gospel account to encourage gentile Christians in Rome who were facing the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. History is clear about the atrocious behavior of the Romans and especially the insanity of Nero. The other evidence that scholars bring up concerning mark's audience as being gentiles is the fact that Mark does not deal with Jewish Laws and he only quotes one prophecy from the Old Testament. There is also careful thought into explaining Jewish customs and idioms. (See Mark 3:7; 5:41; 7:2; 10:46; 14:36; 15:34; 9:43; 14:12; 15:42).

Authorship. The gospel of Mark does not proclaim who the author is within the document, yet the information that we know about Mark can be seen in the writer of this gospel. It is evident that the writer was Jewish, he was a Christian, and he was familiar with every day Jewish life, as well as the Jewish Scriptures. We know from the Scriptures that Mark was Jewish, and he knew the teachings of Jesus very well. He also knew the teachings of the rest of the apostles. It is also important to notice that after Peter was imprisoned he went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark (Acts 12:12-17). Also Peter mentions in his epistle "my son Mark" (1 Peter 5:13). During Paul's missionary journeys Mark became a companion of Paul and Barnabas, and he left them at Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13), after Paul had rebuked him. Many years later Mark regained the favor of Paul  (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11). Early Church tradition unanimously ascribes the second gospel to Mark as a companion of Peter and the writer of the second Gospel. One prologue to the Gospels which was written around 160 AD has this statement: "Mark� Was Peter's interpreter, and after Peter's decease wrote down this gospel in the region of Italy." Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian also attest to Mark as the author.

Location. Nothing in the Gospel of Mark indicates where it was written from. Most of the early writers who boast of Mark as the author also name Rome as the place it was written.

Date. Early Christian writers and traditions place the Gospel of Mark sometime close to the end of Peter's life, around 60-65 AD. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, while the Second Temple in Jerusalem was still standing (Mark 13:1-2). Many scholars do not believe in the miracle of predictive prophecy and argue that the Gospel of Mark was written after the fall of Jerusalem, because of the accurate details of the events that Jesus spoke about.  Mark's Gospel account seems to have been written as encouragement to the Christians who were facing the persecution of the Emperor Nero which took place in 64 AD.

Outline of the Book of Mark

The Servant Comes - Chapter 1:1-13
The Servant's Work - Chapters 1:14-13:37
The Servant's Death - Chapters 14:1-15:47
The Servant's Resurrection - Chapter 16:1-20

Jesus written in Hebrew
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Mark Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire