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New Testament For Everyone #3
Mark for Everyone
Tom Wright's eye-opening comments on the gospel and what it might mean for us are combined, passage by passage, with his own fresh and involving translation. Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Wright captures the urgency and excitement of Mark's gospel in a way few writers have.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2001
386 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Tom Wright
119 books241 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He also publishes under N.T. Wright.
He also publishes under N.T. Wright.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 12, 2021
N. T. Wright looks at Mark’s Gospel, section by section, keeping the comments always closely focused on the practical, what the content means for our everyday lives today. I appreciate Wright’s highlighting of the way Mark sandwiches one story in the middle of another story. Wright keeps in mind the shape of the whole book as it progresses toward its conclusion. Of course the big question when reading anyone’s commentary on Mark is what they think the actual ending of the book is. Wright believes there’s an ending by Mark that’s been lost along the way. The original ending was not “And they were afraid,” nor is it either of the other endings that have been added. That makes sense to me, but there’s no way we can know for sure.
April 2, 2024
First time I’ve managed to read through one of these in a fairly consistent manner. I appreciate Wright’s succinct and readable comments, which help me focus my thoughts.
March 19, 2014
Mr. Wright continues his multi-volume examination of the New Testament with this single volume on the shortest Gospel story, the book of Mark. Mr. Wright captures the breathless pace that Mark's narrative moves through very well and also encapsulates his own theories and beliefs on the world-changing message of Jesus. His commentary on Mark 15, dealing with the crucifixion of Christ, is not to be missed. However, like his volumes on Matthew and (I'm sure) other volumes in this series, it is definitely more for the layman than a biblical scholar. Still, this is a fine complement to anyone's study of the New Testament in general and Mark in particular. If you are looking to dive in a little deeper into the Gospel, start here.
April 13, 2012
I have given every one of Wright's for Everyone series I have read five stars (Luke, Romans 1-8, the Prison Epistles), they all have been excellent. Somehow this Mark one seems even more excellent. Maybe it is its appropriateness for the Lenten season through which I accidently read it. Maybe it is Wright's ability to make fresh Mark's familiar stories, and to reveal connections within the entire book and with the Old Testament that make every section insightful, almost revelatory. A wonderful book for devotion and study, perfect for Lent, and to prod the slothful (me at least) deeper into Scripture.
November 2, 2022
This is a good way to get through the gospel of Mark. Broken up into broadish sections, Wright usually starts with an anecdote of some sort which provides a path into the text, and then elaboration on some of the key ideas. Wright’s perspective is both biblical and orthodox but, refreshingly, tied to the text rather than retrofitting it with modern evangelicalism. I’ve not made many highlights but ones I did included: the fact signposts aren’t needed once one reaches the destination; the action orientation of the gospels and Pauls letters, cognizant of a looming challenge; the parables as a cartoon intended to disguise the controversial content; Mary’s unawareness of Jesus agenda in the early days; sewing unshrunk cloth onto old clothes; the need to bring the freshness of Jesus baptism to the modern church in the way it would have to the early church. No real theme there that I can tell but I think the discussion of the parables was the most satisfying, Wright recognising as I have in recent years that they are politically loaded not just clever morality tales.
August 13, 2023
The author has done his own translation of Mark and added notes on each section. The translations are clear and the commentary does a nice job of shedding light on the culture of Israel of the time. This is not a book for a reader looking for a scholarly discussion but rather an ordinary reader looking for more information about Mark. I found it to be an easy read that did not talk down to the reader.
July 23, 2023
I love the "For Everyone" series. Highly recommended for anyone who wants sound scholarship written in a very readable, engaging style.
September 5, 2016
This brief commentary is a wonderful introduction to the gospel according to Mark that helps frame the dynamic narrative going on as Jesus proclaims the kingdom and clashes with the religious and political authorities in the first century. While it doesn't get into all the depth possible this work is a great place to start in understanding why Mark is such a wonderful work and the powerful themes going on within it.
November 13, 2023
Was all set to give it 4 stars, then got to chapter 15. Wright's commentaries around the crucifixion portions is nearly sublime, and connected a number of dots for me, both to earlier portions of the Gospel text and to broader theological points.
March 21, 2011
N. T. Wright's whole series "For Everyone" is beautifully done. Essential for bible study for me!
October 11, 2018
Excellent, clear, and easy to read. Wright's translation is illuminating, his commentary accurate and helpful, and his applications are a mixed bag - 70% nuts and raisins, 20% M&M's, and 10% pebbles.
June 25, 2016
Mark 1:1-8
Along with the creation story, it's the most important story in the whole Old Testament [Exodus], and John's hearers would have known it well. (2)
Mark points in the same direction with the two biblical quotations, from Malachi and Isaiah, that open the story. One of the great promises that Israel had cherished for centuries was that when YHWH finally made the Exodus story happen all over again, setting his people free once and for all, that would be the time when he would come to live personally with his people.
In the original Exodus story God's presence lived with Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire. This time it was to be similar but different. God's Spirit would live with people, in people, becoming the air they breathe, the fire in their hearts. This is the promise they had lived on. (3)
('God's Son', in the Judaism of the day, was a title for the Messiah). (3)
The main thing Mark gets us to do in this opening passage is to sense the shock of the new thing God was doing. If you're sick, and unable to sleep much, sometimes the night seems to go on forever. But then, just when you're dozing a bit, suddenly the alarm clock goes off: it really is morning. That's the mood here. It raises the question for us too: where are we asleep today, in our churches, our communities, our personal lives? What might it take to wake us up? (3-4)
Mark 1:9-13
It happens all the time, in families, businesses, all over. Many children grow up in our world who have never had a father say to them (either in words, in looks, or in hugs), 'You are my dear child', let alone, 'I'm pleased with you.' In the Western world, even those fathers who think this in their hearts are often too tongue-tied or embarrassed to tell their children how delighted they are with them. Many, alas, go by the completely opposite route: angry voices, bitter rejection, the slamming of doors.
The whole Christian gospel could be summed up in this point: that when the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents, but it's true: God looks at us, and says, 'You are my dear, dear child; I'm delighted with you.' Try reading that sentence slowly, with your own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, both at your baptism and every day since. (4-5)
Mark tells the story in quite solemn language, echoing the Old Testament: 'This is how it happened'; 'he saw the heavens open'.
It doesn't mean that Jesus saw a little door ajar miles up in the sky. 'Heaven' in the Bible often means God's dimension behind ordinary reality. (5)
If we start the journey [of following Christ into the wilderness, like he did] imagining that our God is a bully, an angry threatening parent ready to yell at us, slam the door on us, or kick us out into the street because we haven't quite made the grade, we will fail at the first whisper of temptation. But if we remember the voice that spoke those powerful words of love we will find the way through. (6)
Mark 1:14-20
We have no idea how many generations the Zebedee family had been fishing on the sea of Galilee, but it was quite likely a lot more than four. In that country and culture, as in many countries and cultures to this day, a small family business can be handed on not only through generations but through centuries. It's safe and secure; people know what they're doing. If times are hard, the usual answer is simply to work a bit harder.
But then along came the young prophet from Nazareth, and told James and John, and their neighbors Peter and Andrew, to drop it all and follow him. And they did.
Some people, maybe some people reading this, face that call today.
Mark is hinting to his readers that the old family business of the people of God is being left behind [See Abraham's call in Genesis]. (7-8)
Mark 1:21-34
(the Bible sometimes calls these places 'cities', but we would think of them more as villages). (11)
They [demons] can still shriek, but since Calvary they no longer have authority. (13)
Mark 1:35-45
Oscar Wilde said he could resist everything except temptation. In rather the same way, some people can keep anything except a secret.
It happens at the highest social levels, too. Governments, presidents and royal families are plagued by 'leaks' of information. Sometimes they simply learn to go with the flow and arrange some 'leaks' themselves, in the vain hope that this will keep people happy, not least in the media.
But why on earth did Jesus not want anything to leak out about his having healed a leper?
And are there any times when we, today, should be silent, however much we want to speak about Jesus and what he's done for us? (13)
So Jesus told him to go through the official system. He should show himself to the priest; apart from the chief priests, who were based in Jerusalem, the priests lived all over Judaea and Galilee, acting as the religious and often scribal officials in local communities. (14)
Perhaps what Jesus was worried about, then, was news leaking out that he was doing things which seemed to challenge the authority of the Temple itself. (15)
Sometimes, in some countries and in certain situations, some Christians will know, in prayer, that it is better not to attract too much attention to themselves. This isn't cowardice; it's wisdom. But if, as in Jesus' case, word leaks out anyway, we can remain confident, especially through prayer, that this same Jesus is with us as we face the cost of being kingdom-people, bringing the news and power of Jesus' healing love to the world. (15)
Mark 2:1-12
Most people don't realize that this was probably Jesus' own house.
This opens up quite a new possibility for understanding what Jesus said to the paralyzed man. How would you feel if someone made a big hole in your roof? But Jesus looks down and says, with a rueful smile: 'All right--I forgive you!' Something in his voice, though, made them all realize this was different. This forgiveness went deeper than mere domestic disputes. Jesus was speaking with a quiet authority which went down into the paralyzed man's innermost being. Not surprisingly, those around felt uneasy. Only the priests could declare forgiveness, speaking in the name of God. (16-7)
Mark's way of telling the tale makes it a signpost. It points on... to Jesus' trial before Caiaphas in chapter 14. (17)
The key sentence, then, is the one in verse 10: 'The son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' 'The son of man,' in Jesus' language, could simply mean 'I,' or 'someone like me.' But taking 'the son of man' in Mark as a whole, Daniel 7 provides the clue to deeper meaning. There, 'one like a son of man' is the representative of God's true people. He is opposed by the forces of evil; but God vindicates him, rescues him, proves him to be in the right, and gives him AUTHORITY. In Daniel, this authority enables him to dispense God's judgment. Here, in a fascinating twist, he has authority to dispense God's forgiveness. The saying points forward to Jesus' answer to Caiaphas (14:62). (17)
Forgiveness can also, of course, change individuals. It can, as in this case, go down into the hidden roots of the personality, gently healing old, long-buried, hurts.
This story is a picture of prayer. Don't stay on the edge of the crowd. Dig through God's roof and find yourself in his presence. (18)
You will get more than you've bargained for. It's not pleasant if you're helpless on a stretcher, but you don't have many responsibilities. Once you've met the living, forgiving God in Jesus, you'll find yourself on your feet, going out into the world in the power of God's love. (18)
Mark 2:13-17
[Relate Levi to a traffic cop.]
The chances are he was working for Herod Antipas. When Antipas's father, Herod the Great, had died in 4 BC, his large kingdom had been divided between three of his sons: Archelaus got Juaea in the south; Antipas got Galilee in the north, with some bits of the Jordan valley thrown in. Philip got the part today we call the Golan Heights, extending up into Syria. And the border between Antipas's territory and Philip's was the river Jordan as it ran south from Mount Hermon into the Sea of Galilee. The last town you'd go through traveling east from Antipas's land into Philip's, or the first you'd come to going west into Galilee, was Capernaum. Just as today you often have to pay a toll for the privilege of crossing a border, or even for using an airport or a motorway, so you had to pay a toll to cross from one part of the old kingdom into another.
Plenty of people could remember when you could make the journey for free. Now you had to pay. And who got shouted at, grumbled at and sworn at because of it? Levi, son of Alphaeus.
We don't know whether he'd chosen the job. Probably it was the only one he could find...
And then one day Jesus came by. He didn't shout. He didn't swear. He didn't grumble. He did something totally unexpected. He said 'Follow me.' (20)
We shouldn't miss the deeper meaning of Jesus' call to Levi. Levi had been working for the man who thought of himself as King of the Jews. Now he was now going to work for someone else with royal aspirations. (20-21)
Mark is continuing to show how Jesus' early ministry aroused opposition at the social, cultural, political and above all religious levels. This is part of the long build-up of tension that will finally explode in Jerusalem.
The doctor must associate with the sick. Jesus' whole ministry was to bring health, not just to the physically sick, but to Israel as a whole and the world as a whole. That, however, would involve upsetting a lot of people for whom it was more comfortable to label people as 'outcasts' and ignore them from then on. (21)
Mark 2:18-22
When I was a boy there was a craze for ginger-beer plants. An uncle gave us the starter kit, including the bacteria that, by a process I never understood, produced the secret ingredient that gave the homemade brew its fizz and taste. The problem was that the stuff was so powerful, despite being non-alcoholic, that it always threatened to explode the bottles we put it in. The only safe place to keep it, we discovered, was the coal-shed, where, from time to time, we would discover shattered glass on the floor, and a trail in the coal dust where the liquid had drained away. (22)
When people didn't understand it, he gave them three images about the new and the old. Like a set of telescope lenses, each image gives a slightly different focus, but when you put them all in a row you may be able to get the picture sharp and clear.
Take them in reverse order.
[Wine skins]...
The middle image is about mending clothes... by itself it might suggest simply that you need an old piece of cloth for an old cloak, in other words, that the old is good and the new bad. But the basic point Jesus is making is that new and old don't mix. (23)
The first picture Jesus gives is of a wedding, which takes us back to the question which sparked off the discussion in the first place. Imagine going to a wedding reception where everyone sat around and looked at the food but never touched a morsel of it. What sort of a celebration would that be? The day I am writing this, the London Times newspaper has published a string of letters about people giving things up for Lent... One man has written to say that, though he got married in Lent, he did it on a Sunday so that there wouldn't be any problem about having a feast. Sunday--the day of new life, of resurrection--overrides the command to be serious, to fast. For Jesus, his own presence is, in that sense, a perpetual Sunday. As long as he's there, it's always time for a party. (24)
I think it's because weddings say something at a deep level about the goodness, the love and the lavish creativity of the God who made the world. (24)
A good deal of day-to-day Christian wisdom consists in sorting out the new from the old. (25)
Mark 2:23-28
Mark 4:1-20
Alternatively, think of a political cartoon in a newspaper. Cartoons often use animals to represent countries or politicians. A lion might stand for the UK, a bear for Russia, or an eagle for the USA. Your own country, and its neighbors, will have their regular symbols; so will many political parties. If you know the symbols, you'll understand what's going on. But if you don't know you won't get the message. Sometimes when I'm abroad I find the newspapers frustrating because I don't know the code and can't understand the cartoons. (42)
[See Isaiah 5; 40:8; 55:10-11].
The problem--and this seems to be the main reason Jesus taught in parables--is that Jesus' vision of how God was sowing His word was, as we would say today, politically incorrect. People were expecting a great moment of renewal. They believed that Israel would be rescued lock, stock and barrel; God's kingdom would explode onto the world stage in a blaze of glory. No, declares Jesus: it's more like a farmer sowing seed, much of which apparently goes to waste because the soil isn't fit for it, can't sustain it.
It isn't just a comment on the way in which people in general sometimes listen to preachers and sometimes don't...it's a...political cartoon. (43)
Some hear and forget; some are enthusiastic but short-term; some have too much else on their minds and hearts. (44)
Doesn't Jesus want everybody to get the message? Yes and no. What he is saying is such dynamite that it can't be said straightforwardly, out on the street. Any kingdom-movement was dangerous enough (if Herod, or the Roman authorities, heard about it, they'd be worried); but if word got out that Jesus' kingdom-vision was radically unlike what most people wanted and expected, the ordinary people would be furious too. It was doubly dangerous. (44)
It's a 'mystery' (verse 11)... But as with all divine revelation, you can only understand it if you believe, if you trust.
...it also challenges our own preaching of the kingdom. Is what we're saying so subversive, so unexpected, that we would be well advised to clothe it in dream language or in code? If you were to draw a cartoon instead of preaching a sermon, what would it look like? Who would you expect to be offended if they cracked the code? (44-5)
Mark 4:21-25
Along with the creation story, it's the most important story in the whole Old Testament [Exodus], and John's hearers would have known it well. (2)
Mark points in the same direction with the two biblical quotations, from Malachi and Isaiah, that open the story. One of the great promises that Israel had cherished for centuries was that when YHWH finally made the Exodus story happen all over again, setting his people free once and for all, that would be the time when he would come to live personally with his people.
In the original Exodus story God's presence lived with Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire. This time it was to be similar but different. God's Spirit would live with people, in people, becoming the air they breathe, the fire in their hearts. This is the promise they had lived on. (3)
('God's Son', in the Judaism of the day, was a title for the Messiah). (3)
The main thing Mark gets us to do in this opening passage is to sense the shock of the new thing God was doing. If you're sick, and unable to sleep much, sometimes the night seems to go on forever. But then, just when you're dozing a bit, suddenly the alarm clock goes off: it really is morning. That's the mood here. It raises the question for us too: where are we asleep today, in our churches, our communities, our personal lives? What might it take to wake us up? (3-4)
Mark 1:9-13
It happens all the time, in families, businesses, all over. Many children grow up in our world who have never had a father say to them (either in words, in looks, or in hugs), 'You are my dear child', let alone, 'I'm pleased with you.' In the Western world, even those fathers who think this in their hearts are often too tongue-tied or embarrassed to tell their children how delighted they are with them. Many, alas, go by the completely opposite route: angry voices, bitter rejection, the slamming of doors.
The whole Christian gospel could be summed up in this point: that when the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents, but it's true: God looks at us, and says, 'You are my dear, dear child; I'm delighted with you.' Try reading that sentence slowly, with your own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, both at your baptism and every day since. (4-5)
Mark tells the story in quite solemn language, echoing the Old Testament: 'This is how it happened'; 'he saw the heavens open'.
It doesn't mean that Jesus saw a little door ajar miles up in the sky. 'Heaven' in the Bible often means God's dimension behind ordinary reality. (5)
If we start the journey [of following Christ into the wilderness, like he did] imagining that our God is a bully, an angry threatening parent ready to yell at us, slam the door on us, or kick us out into the street because we haven't quite made the grade, we will fail at the first whisper of temptation. But if we remember the voice that spoke those powerful words of love we will find the way through. (6)
Mark 1:14-20
We have no idea how many generations the Zebedee family had been fishing on the sea of Galilee, but it was quite likely a lot more than four. In that country and culture, as in many countries and cultures to this day, a small family business can be handed on not only through generations but through centuries. It's safe and secure; people know what they're doing. If times are hard, the usual answer is simply to work a bit harder.
But then along came the young prophet from Nazareth, and told James and John, and their neighbors Peter and Andrew, to drop it all and follow him. And they did.
Some people, maybe some people reading this, face that call today.
Mark is hinting to his readers that the old family business of the people of God is being left behind [See Abraham's call in Genesis]. (7-8)
Mark 1:21-34
(the Bible sometimes calls these places 'cities', but we would think of them more as villages). (11)
They [demons] can still shriek, but since Calvary they no longer have authority. (13)
Mark 1:35-45
Oscar Wilde said he could resist everything except temptation. In rather the same way, some people can keep anything except a secret.
It happens at the highest social levels, too. Governments, presidents and royal families are plagued by 'leaks' of information. Sometimes they simply learn to go with the flow and arrange some 'leaks' themselves, in the vain hope that this will keep people happy, not least in the media.
But why on earth did Jesus not want anything to leak out about his having healed a leper?
And are there any times when we, today, should be silent, however much we want to speak about Jesus and what he's done for us? (13)
So Jesus told him to go through the official system. He should show himself to the priest; apart from the chief priests, who were based in Jerusalem, the priests lived all over Judaea and Galilee, acting as the religious and often scribal officials in local communities. (14)
Perhaps what Jesus was worried about, then, was news leaking out that he was doing things which seemed to challenge the authority of the Temple itself. (15)
Sometimes, in some countries and in certain situations, some Christians will know, in prayer, that it is better not to attract too much attention to themselves. This isn't cowardice; it's wisdom. But if, as in Jesus' case, word leaks out anyway, we can remain confident, especially through prayer, that this same Jesus is with us as we face the cost of being kingdom-people, bringing the news and power of Jesus' healing love to the world. (15)
Mark 2:1-12
Most people don't realize that this was probably Jesus' own house.
This opens up quite a new possibility for understanding what Jesus said to the paralyzed man. How would you feel if someone made a big hole in your roof? But Jesus looks down and says, with a rueful smile: 'All right--I forgive you!' Something in his voice, though, made them all realize this was different. This forgiveness went deeper than mere domestic disputes. Jesus was speaking with a quiet authority which went down into the paralyzed man's innermost being. Not surprisingly, those around felt uneasy. Only the priests could declare forgiveness, speaking in the name of God. (16-7)
Mark's way of telling the tale makes it a signpost. It points on... to Jesus' trial before Caiaphas in chapter 14. (17)
The key sentence, then, is the one in verse 10: 'The son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' 'The son of man,' in Jesus' language, could simply mean 'I,' or 'someone like me.' But taking 'the son of man' in Mark as a whole, Daniel 7 provides the clue to deeper meaning. There, 'one like a son of man' is the representative of God's true people. He is opposed by the forces of evil; but God vindicates him, rescues him, proves him to be in the right, and gives him AUTHORITY. In Daniel, this authority enables him to dispense God's judgment. Here, in a fascinating twist, he has authority to dispense God's forgiveness. The saying points forward to Jesus' answer to Caiaphas (14:62). (17)
Forgiveness can also, of course, change individuals. It can, as in this case, go down into the hidden roots of the personality, gently healing old, long-buried, hurts.
This story is a picture of prayer. Don't stay on the edge of the crowd. Dig through God's roof and find yourself in his presence. (18)
You will get more than you've bargained for. It's not pleasant if you're helpless on a stretcher, but you don't have many responsibilities. Once you've met the living, forgiving God in Jesus, you'll find yourself on your feet, going out into the world in the power of God's love. (18)
Mark 2:13-17
[Relate Levi to a traffic cop.]
The chances are he was working for Herod Antipas. When Antipas's father, Herod the Great, had died in 4 BC, his large kingdom had been divided between three of his sons: Archelaus got Juaea in the south; Antipas got Galilee in the north, with some bits of the Jordan valley thrown in. Philip got the part today we call the Golan Heights, extending up into Syria. And the border between Antipas's territory and Philip's was the river Jordan as it ran south from Mount Hermon into the Sea of Galilee. The last town you'd go through traveling east from Antipas's land into Philip's, or the first you'd come to going west into Galilee, was Capernaum. Just as today you often have to pay a toll for the privilege of crossing a border, or even for using an airport or a motorway, so you had to pay a toll to cross from one part of the old kingdom into another.
Plenty of people could remember when you could make the journey for free. Now you had to pay. And who got shouted at, grumbled at and sworn at because of it? Levi, son of Alphaeus.
We don't know whether he'd chosen the job. Probably it was the only one he could find...
And then one day Jesus came by. He didn't shout. He didn't swear. He didn't grumble. He did something totally unexpected. He said 'Follow me.' (20)
We shouldn't miss the deeper meaning of Jesus' call to Levi. Levi had been working for the man who thought of himself as King of the Jews. Now he was now going to work for someone else with royal aspirations. (20-21)
Mark is continuing to show how Jesus' early ministry aroused opposition at the social, cultural, political and above all religious levels. This is part of the long build-up of tension that will finally explode in Jerusalem.
The doctor must associate with the sick. Jesus' whole ministry was to bring health, not just to the physically sick, but to Israel as a whole and the world as a whole. That, however, would involve upsetting a lot of people for whom it was more comfortable to label people as 'outcasts' and ignore them from then on. (21)
Mark 2:18-22
When I was a boy there was a craze for ginger-beer plants. An uncle gave us the starter kit, including the bacteria that, by a process I never understood, produced the secret ingredient that gave the homemade brew its fizz and taste. The problem was that the stuff was so powerful, despite being non-alcoholic, that it always threatened to explode the bottles we put it in. The only safe place to keep it, we discovered, was the coal-shed, where, from time to time, we would discover shattered glass on the floor, and a trail in the coal dust where the liquid had drained away. (22)
When people didn't understand it, he gave them three images about the new and the old. Like a set of telescope lenses, each image gives a slightly different focus, but when you put them all in a row you may be able to get the picture sharp and clear.
Take them in reverse order.
[Wine skins]...
The middle image is about mending clothes... by itself it might suggest simply that you need an old piece of cloth for an old cloak, in other words, that the old is good and the new bad. But the basic point Jesus is making is that new and old don't mix. (23)
The first picture Jesus gives is of a wedding, which takes us back to the question which sparked off the discussion in the first place. Imagine going to a wedding reception where everyone sat around and looked at the food but never touched a morsel of it. What sort of a celebration would that be? The day I am writing this, the London Times newspaper has published a string of letters about people giving things up for Lent... One man has written to say that, though he got married in Lent, he did it on a Sunday so that there wouldn't be any problem about having a feast. Sunday--the day of new life, of resurrection--overrides the command to be serious, to fast. For Jesus, his own presence is, in that sense, a perpetual Sunday. As long as he's there, it's always time for a party. (24)
I think it's because weddings say something at a deep level about the goodness, the love and the lavish creativity of the God who made the world. (24)
A good deal of day-to-day Christian wisdom consists in sorting out the new from the old. (25)
Mark 2:23-28
Mark 4:1-20
Alternatively, think of a political cartoon in a newspaper. Cartoons often use animals to represent countries or politicians. A lion might stand for the UK, a bear for Russia, or an eagle for the USA. Your own country, and its neighbors, will have their regular symbols; so will many political parties. If you know the symbols, you'll understand what's going on. But if you don't know you won't get the message. Sometimes when I'm abroad I find the newspapers frustrating because I don't know the code and can't understand the cartoons. (42)
[See Isaiah 5; 40:8; 55:10-11].
The problem--and this seems to be the main reason Jesus taught in parables--is that Jesus' vision of how God was sowing His word was, as we would say today, politically incorrect. People were expecting a great moment of renewal. They believed that Israel would be rescued lock, stock and barrel; God's kingdom would explode onto the world stage in a blaze of glory. No, declares Jesus: it's more like a farmer sowing seed, much of which apparently goes to waste because the soil isn't fit for it, can't sustain it.
It isn't just a comment on the way in which people in general sometimes listen to preachers and sometimes don't...it's a...political cartoon. (43)
Some hear and forget; some are enthusiastic but short-term; some have too much else on their minds and hearts. (44)
Doesn't Jesus want everybody to get the message? Yes and no. What he is saying is such dynamite that it can't be said straightforwardly, out on the street. Any kingdom-movement was dangerous enough (if Herod, or the Roman authorities, heard about it, they'd be worried); but if word got out that Jesus' kingdom-vision was radically unlike what most people wanted and expected, the ordinary people would be furious too. It was doubly dangerous. (44)
It's a 'mystery' (verse 11)... But as with all divine revelation, you can only understand it if you believe, if you trust.
...it also challenges our own preaching of the kingdom. Is what we're saying so subversive, so unexpected, that we would be well advised to clothe it in dream language or in code? If you were to draw a cartoon instead of preaching a sermon, what would it look like? Who would you expect to be offended if they cracked the code? (44-5)
Mark 4:21-25
March 20, 2025
Good book, 4.5 stars. Some nuggets below:
Mark for Everyone
By N.T. Wright
Try to imagine a random person telling you to come and follow him. And you leave everything and do. We know that it’s Jesus and we’re not surprised by the story. But slow down and let the story surprise you (my paraphrase).
In Mark 3 Jesus makes it clear he’s starting a new family. From Wright: “How easy it is to slide back again into a sense of belonging of group identity, that comes from something other than a loyalty to Jesus. We substitute longstanding friendship, membership in the same group, tribe, family, club, part, social class or whatever it may be. But the call to be ‘around’ Jesus, to listen to him, even if ‘those outside’ think us crazy is what matters. The church in every generation and in every place, needs to remember this and act on it.” (p. 40).
Mark 4 seed parable. “The first parable here, then, is…a warning against looking down on the small beginnings, in Jesus’ Galilean ministry, of the great work that God was to do. It can function as a warning, too, against looking down on the small beginnings – a moment of vocation, two or three people meeting to pray and plan – that often, today, herald the start of some great new initiative that God has in mind.” (49).
[after discussing casting out demons in Mark 5] “At the climax of Mark’s story Jesus himself will end up naked, isolated, outside the town among the tombs, shouting incomprehensible things as he is torn apart on the cross…And that, Mark is saying, will be how the demons are dealt with. That is how healing takes place. Jesus is coming to share the plight of the people, to let the enemy do its worst to him, to take the full force of evil on himself and let the others go free” (56-57).
Mark 8 as a turning point. In v. 22-25 Jesus heals a blind man and then in v.29 Peter declares who Jesus is.
In Mark 9 the disciples can’t cast out a demon, but earlier they had been able to cast out demons. “People today often suppose that the early years of a person’s Christian pilgrimage are the difficult ones, and that as you go on in the Christ life it gets more straightforward. The opposite is frequently the case. Precisely when you learn to walk beside Jesus, you are given harder tasks, which will demand more courage, more spiritual energy. Did we suppose following Jesus was like a summer holiday?” (p. 119).
I had forgotten that John is specifically the one who says, “Master we saw people casting out spirits in your name and told them not to do it. Jesus of course allows it. NT Wright: “How easy….for people who have always worshipped and prayed within one particular tradition or style to feel that this is the ‘proper’ way.”
In Mark 10 Jesus asks James and John “What do you want me to do for you?” Contrast their response with Bartimaeus’s response to the same question.
When Judas Maccabaeus entered Jerusalem the people waved ivy and palm branches as they sung hymns of praise (see 2 Macc. 10:1-9, compare 1 Mcc. 13:51).
“Caiaphas’s question, in Greek, takes the form of a statement with a question mark at the end. “You are the Messiah?” The words are identical to what Peter said in 8:29. Now Peter is outside, about to deny he even knows Jesus; and Caiaphas, inside, asks the question with contempt, knowing already what answer he would give.” (204)
Mark for Everyone
By N.T. Wright
Try to imagine a random person telling you to come and follow him. And you leave everything and do. We know that it’s Jesus and we’re not surprised by the story. But slow down and let the story surprise you (my paraphrase).
In Mark 3 Jesus makes it clear he’s starting a new family. From Wright: “How easy it is to slide back again into a sense of belonging of group identity, that comes from something other than a loyalty to Jesus. We substitute longstanding friendship, membership in the same group, tribe, family, club, part, social class or whatever it may be. But the call to be ‘around’ Jesus, to listen to him, even if ‘those outside’ think us crazy is what matters. The church in every generation and in every place, needs to remember this and act on it.” (p. 40).
Mark 4 seed parable. “The first parable here, then, is…a warning against looking down on the small beginnings, in Jesus’ Galilean ministry, of the great work that God was to do. It can function as a warning, too, against looking down on the small beginnings – a moment of vocation, two or three people meeting to pray and plan – that often, today, herald the start of some great new initiative that God has in mind.” (49).
[after discussing casting out demons in Mark 5] “At the climax of Mark’s story Jesus himself will end up naked, isolated, outside the town among the tombs, shouting incomprehensible things as he is torn apart on the cross…And that, Mark is saying, will be how the demons are dealt with. That is how healing takes place. Jesus is coming to share the plight of the people, to let the enemy do its worst to him, to take the full force of evil on himself and let the others go free” (56-57).
Mark 8 as a turning point. In v. 22-25 Jesus heals a blind man and then in v.29 Peter declares who Jesus is.
In Mark 9 the disciples can’t cast out a demon, but earlier they had been able to cast out demons. “People today often suppose that the early years of a person’s Christian pilgrimage are the difficult ones, and that as you go on in the Christ life it gets more straightforward. The opposite is frequently the case. Precisely when you learn to walk beside Jesus, you are given harder tasks, which will demand more courage, more spiritual energy. Did we suppose following Jesus was like a summer holiday?” (p. 119).
I had forgotten that John is specifically the one who says, “Master we saw people casting out spirits in your name and told them not to do it. Jesus of course allows it. NT Wright: “How easy….for people who have always worshipped and prayed within one particular tradition or style to feel that this is the ‘proper’ way.”
In Mark 10 Jesus asks James and John “What do you want me to do for you?” Contrast their response with Bartimaeus’s response to the same question.
When Judas Maccabaeus entered Jerusalem the people waved ivy and palm branches as they sung hymns of praise (see 2 Macc. 10:1-9, compare 1 Mcc. 13:51).
“Caiaphas’s question, in Greek, takes the form of a statement with a question mark at the end. “You are the Messiah?” The words are identical to what Peter said in 8:29. Now Peter is outside, about to deny he even knows Jesus; and Caiaphas, inside, asks the question with contempt, knowing already what answer he would give.” (204)
November 25, 2019
This is a great commentary for which I had to complete a Uni assignment. I took on board many fresh insights which I'd never quite grasped before, not being a New Testament Jew. Also, some cultural pre-conceptions we build as 21st century westerners were knocked on their heads. And Tom Wright has a really engaging habit of beginning each of his commentary sections with modern analogies. His personal examples to bring meaning from the scripture are often unpredictable, which piques our interest to keep reading.
However, we were also asked to identify weaknesses of the text, and I think the main one is that not knowing what to expect, we can't rely on commentaries such as these as handy research tools. We have to take the threads of thought Wright chooses to give us, which are great, but certainly not exhaustive. It's more like getting a potluck dinner than entering a restaurant whose website has informed us exactly what's on the menu. And being limited to one man's thoughts goes hand in hand with being stuck with his preferences and personality. For example, Tom Wright is a music lover. Many of his comments are related to music, involving singing, orchestras, instruments and conductors. Fellow music lovers may find these anecdotes more appealing than the tone deaf or indifferent readers. For this reason, the commentary could more accurately be called, 'Mark for Some More than Others.'
But on the whole, it gave me some a-ha moments, points of ponder, and deeper insight. It was time well spent.
However, we were also asked to identify weaknesses of the text, and I think the main one is that not knowing what to expect, we can't rely on commentaries such as these as handy research tools. We have to take the threads of thought Wright chooses to give us, which are great, but certainly not exhaustive. It's more like getting a potluck dinner than entering a restaurant whose website has informed us exactly what's on the menu. And being limited to one man's thoughts goes hand in hand with being stuck with his preferences and personality. For example, Tom Wright is a music lover. Many of his comments are related to music, involving singing, orchestras, instruments and conductors. Fellow music lovers may find these anecdotes more appealing than the tone deaf or indifferent readers. For this reason, the commentary could more accurately be called, 'Mark for Some More than Others.'
But on the whole, it gave me some a-ha moments, points of ponder, and deeper insight. It was time well spent.
June 29, 2018
Breaks up the book of Mark and then discusses the content of the text as well as the background of the book.
This is an excellent devo book; the sections are fairly short, but have good "thinking points" that readers can ponder through out their day. I haven't personally gone through any Bible courses, though I have read the Bible a lot, so getting more of the behind the scenes "scoop" on where Mark was coming from as an author, which readers he was writing for and how they would have understood the contexts and contents was very interesting and a new perspective for me. I also think you could hand this to someone with little to no Bible knowledge and they would be able to follow along just fine, so Mr. Wright does a good job keeping true to his title of the book being "for Everyone".
Content notes: No language issues. Some of the people were known to be "of ill repute", but usually that is said with no details. Mark, the book, contains several parables, as well as a description of Christ's crucifixion, so beatings, murders, and other violence are stated as happening and minimally described in the original text with Wright going in to slightly more detail where appropriate to help readers gain perspective, but it is never graphically gory.
November 16, 2019
One thing I really like about N.T. Wright is that the guy knows how to talk to regular joe's. And he knows that all of his expertise in understanding the original context of scripture is meant for one thing: to increase faith in the world. While I don't share the same faith framework as N.T. Wright–I'm a Latter-day Saint (Mormon), after all–I still regard Mark as scripture. And I found Wright's insights really valuable. He has a good way of helping you understand what things probably meant to the people then and there, and how we might apply it to today. The book is divided up into little sections (pericopes, or literary units) and commentary is given. And it's a great format. I read a few sections each day, and finished it in a reasonable time frame. Look forward to trying it out with the other Gospels.
April 4, 2023
This is the sixth book I've read in the New Testament for Everyone series, this one focuses on the book of Mark.
Like the other books in this series it goes through the book a short passage at a time and then provides some commentary and insight into the passage. It's not a particularly deep look or a verse by verse look at the passage, but almost more of a devotional look at the passage. That's why this is what I use most days for my personal devotions since the sections are fairly small and make for a nice daily reading.
As always with a book like this some passages make for more insights than others, but in general I like NT Wright's approach to the Bible and even when some of his reflections don't really hit me I don't tend to dislike them either.
Like the other books in this series it goes through the book a short passage at a time and then provides some commentary and insight into the passage. It's not a particularly deep look or a verse by verse look at the passage, but almost more of a devotional look at the passage. That's why this is what I use most days for my personal devotions since the sections are fairly small and make for a nice daily reading.
As always with a book like this some passages make for more insights than others, but in general I like NT Wright's approach to the Bible and even when some of his reflections don't really hit me I don't tend to dislike them either.
February 7, 2018
This book was used as a lengthy bible study at my church and, I must say, I found it very engaging and interesting. Usually these kind of books are a bit dry, but this one not so. Wright makes the scripture come alive and presents his theories and interpretations clearly and right to the point. He asks the reader some very probing questions which makes the reader really think about what was just read, and these questions in a group setting served as useful prompts for discussion. I would recommend this to any adult bible study group who is looking for a thought-provoking study of one of the more mysterious books of the Bible.
August 6, 2017
Before reading this book I had a skeptic's chuckle to myself: I don't think of Mr. Wright being a "for everyone" kind of guy. I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised by how readable this book is. Every passage is translated from the Greek by Mr. Wright, and then he adds commentary or devotional material to each passage. Engaging, well-written, insightful, and charming, the commentaries are a delight to read and I came away learning much about the book of Mark and the life of Jesus, as well as a deepened respect for Mr. Wright as a theologian and writer.
July 11, 2019
Tom Wright once again demonstrates his clear thinking and vivid communication in this very easy read. He traces Mark's narrative excellently, and holds the plotline together in a way which makes sense of the big picture as well as the small incidents.
The commentary dispenses with academic detail and theological terminology, so it is really only his own interpretation that comes through, but when balanced there are many helpful insights to be gained from this, and he is always practical, looking to apply Mark's wisdom to the questions of our modern world.
The commentary dispenses with academic detail and theological terminology, so it is really only his own interpretation that comes through, but when balanced there are many helpful insights to be gained from this, and he is always practical, looking to apply Mark's wisdom to the questions of our modern world.
December 18, 2022
Really solid, enjoyable, and approachable commentary. As the name implies, it is written “for everyone” with anecdotes and a lack of citations. However, out of Wright’s years of scholarship, he does provide great details to discern the context of Mark’s telling of the gospel and vivid reflections that are compelling.
My only complaint is that I am not convinced that his position on Mark’s ending (that the end of the scroll was lost) is most likely from what I’ve engaged with. Besides that, a joy to read!
My only complaint is that I am not convinced that his position on Mark’s ending (that the end of the scroll was lost) is most likely from what I’ve engaged with. Besides that, a joy to read!
October 15, 2025
This Bible study goes beyond the standard reading comprehension questions. The questions are thought-provoking and force you to dig deeper past the surface. Whether doing this study on your own or in a group setting, you can work your way through the Gospel of Mark one chapter at a time with a profoundly insightful introspection into the teachings of Jesus. If you're reading Mark for the first time, or have read it dozens of times, this study can help you come away with new insights.
May 16, 2017
It was an excellent revenue of the gospel or Mark. I intend read it again Anyone up in biblical study will be blessed by this book carefully Mr Wright is excellent scholar
Yes I at recommend this book. For me it was very interesting and worthwhile. I by too will tell the time to read it
Yes I at recommend this book. For me it was very interesting and worthwhile. I by too will tell the time to read it
May 31, 2018
Made for a good devotional
I thought this made for a good devotional reading. Each chapter of Mark has a short commentary that resembles a short sermon. I most appreciated how the larger themes of the Gospel of Mark were taught. In the lectionary we get small snippets, so it was helpful to look at the big picture.
I thought this made for a good devotional reading. Each chapter of Mark has a short commentary that resembles a short sermon. I most appreciated how the larger themes of the Gospel of Mark were taught. In the lectionary we get small snippets, so it was helpful to look at the big picture.
July 13, 2018
Excellent Overview of Mark
This book makes an excellent devotional, with each narrative translated by the author and a short exposition of the passage. The book covers the larger themes, historical context and personal implications of Mark's gospel and is a great book for initial study.
This book makes an excellent devotional, with each narrative translated by the author and a short exposition of the passage. The book covers the larger themes, historical context and personal implications of Mark's gospel and is a great book for initial study.
June 28, 2021
Wright should be mandatory reading and studying for any pastor and any small group interested in what the New Testament says both within and through the culture around it. I use Wright as a resource in my studying to preach and he never fails to spark my ideas and thinking. Most excellent in every way--concise, thorough, thoughtful and truthtelling.
August 27, 2017
Amazing book this book was just amazing. It took me through the whole book of marks in a simple and wonderful way. It really c=got into the details and help you understand what really went on during those days.
August 11, 2018
A study and devotional book for the gospel of Mark. Divided up in many parts. Firsr the selected bible verses and then a commentary and inspirational reader mixing background info, theology and other stories about the content. A great book.
June 1, 2020
Used as an aid for a group Bible study. Unsurprisingly, Wright offers a lot of helpful historical and application insights. Wright does a good job in this series boiling down the historical context and his anecdotes and analogies are often very illuminating.
September 2, 2020
Worth the five stars! Working my way through this commentary was like reading Mark with fresh eyes. In some ways a very simple account of Jesus' ministry, but this commentary demonstrates the hidden depths of Mark's Gospel.
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