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Bible #41
ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: Mark
The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 70
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
March 19, 2025
Of the four Gospels--the books in the New Testament that tell the story of Jesus--Mark is the shortest...but it's still great reading! While there's not as much detail as in the other accounts--especially Luke's--the story remains the same: Jesus came to Earth, worked miracles, taught people, was crucified...and was raised to life again on the third day. If you've never read the Bible before, Mark is a great place to start.
August 27, 2024
I love reading the Gospels. I enjoy reading about the miracles Jesus performs, how He is loving, but honest and about the great commission at the end.
March 30, 2020
Another gospel! This one doesn't have the Christmas story in it, but rather starts with John the Baptist "preparing the way for the Lord". This time around reading Mark, I noticed many instances of Jesus' love and compassion.
"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said, 'Be clean!'" Mark 1:41
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" Mark 2:5
"'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Mark 2:17
"He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'" Mark 5:34
"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." Mark 6:34
"Jesus looked at him and loved him." Mark 10:21
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31
"...wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Mark 14:9
"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said, 'Be clean!'" Mark 1:41
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" Mark 2:5
"'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Mark 2:17
"He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'" Mark 5:34
"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." Mark 6:34
"Jesus looked at him and loved him." Mark 10:21
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31
"...wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Mark 14:9
June 21, 2018
After not picking up the Bible in many months, I'm pleased to say I've finally started the New Testament. Already, I'm enjoying the New Testament much more than the Old Testament. So far, it reflects my view on life and how we should behave towards others more closely.
The Gospel of Mark is very similar to the Gospel of Matthew in many ways, as it covers lots of the same events. I thought Mark seemed much more to the point though, and for that reason didn't leave me feeling quite as emotional as Matthew. Except for the part about Jesus' crucifixion. That did bring tears to my eyes. There was a film about Jesus that I watched a few times as a child, and that part always made me feel so sad.
Again, this covers stories of how Jesus healed others from things such as leprosy and paralysis. There is also a man possessed by demons and the drowning of pigs!
Favourite thought provoking quote:
9:43-44 - If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
MY BIBLE CHALLENGE:
In January 2015 I set myself the challenge to read the complete Bible within a year. I discovered that was an unrealistic challenge, and decided to pick up my Bible as and when I felt ready to read more of it. Here is a link to all the reviews in my Bible challenge so far:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
The Gospel of Mark is very similar to the Gospel of Matthew in many ways, as it covers lots of the same events. I thought Mark seemed much more to the point though, and for that reason didn't leave me feeling quite as emotional as Matthew. Except for the part about Jesus' crucifixion. That did bring tears to my eyes. There was a film about Jesus that I watched a few times as a child, and that part always made me feel so sad.
Again, this covers stories of how Jesus healed others from things such as leprosy and paralysis. There is also a man possessed by demons and the drowning of pigs!
Favourite thought provoking quote:
9:43-44 - If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
MY BIBLE CHALLENGE:
In January 2015 I set myself the challenge to read the complete Bible within a year. I discovered that was an unrealistic challenge, and decided to pick up my Bible as and when I felt ready to read more of it. Here is a link to all the reviews in my Bible challenge so far:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
January 21, 2015
I think that after Luke, this one is my second favorite. The introduction by Nick Cave is great (and shows how some think that Jesus is only a big softie, when he really was passionate and sharp in his speeches - pretty tough actually. The book is nicely short and to the point; I think (considered as) being the eldest of the gospels - I kind of wish we could have the Q scroll available a bit - it's perhaps the rawest and breathlessly passionate writing of them all. So, a lovely read.
March 20, 2023
In current scholarship, Mark is almost universally regarded as the earliest of the four canonical Gospels. It is a relentless story about Jesus' announcement of God's righteous kingdom and the acts that accompany this proclamation. It shows the resistance that Jesus encountered and displays the evil that Jesus confronted in many instances in demonic form. But Jesus shows that with God's power evil and demons can be defeated. Jesus also challenges religious and political structures that are harmful to human well-being.
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February 14, 2023I think I've always preferred the other Gospels to Mark -- what kind of a Gospel doesn't include a birth narrative?? -- and wondered what was uniquely valuable about Mark. If the bulk of the material also appears in Matthew or Luke, what does Mark have to offer? And why is it sandwiched between its two, completer sisters instead of coming first in order? Wouldn't it be better to get Mark over with so that we can delve into the meatier Gospels?
Wrestling with these questions while reading the book, I was able to develop some answers that satisfy me. Compared to Matthew, Mark is a breathtakingly elegant book -- much shorter, much more streamlined, less context and less attention given to plot. It feels like breathing cool, crisp air that takes you aback in its coolness and crispness. Matthew, writing (I believe) more specifically for a Jewish audience, adds the nativity account, the genealogy, and a constant attention to Jesus' reception among the Jews (so that we learn how almost every miracle and teaching was received by the crowds or the Pharisees or the disciples or some combination of those audiences). In Matthew, the literary plot of audience reaction turns into the enemies' plot to convict and execute Jesus; Mark doesn't draw together the events, from the beginning to the end of the book, so tidily -- the book is much less plot-driven. So in Mark, the teachings of Christ seem to rise and float above the narrative. Same teachings, very different effect.
The sequence of the Gospels ended up striking me an ideal ordering, because Mark comes as a sort of breather between Matthew and Luke -- the smaller, lighter read that you reach for between two epic, intense books. (And I mean that in the most approving way: there is nothing inherently more laudable about a book being "intense" rather than "light," provided each is a worthy book; each type has its value and its own literary excellences.) If Matthew and Luke are similar for certain reasons and Mark and John dissimilar for other reasons, it's both intellectually pleasing and a gift to the reader to get a sort of quatrain (ABAB) in the ordering of the Gospels.
Wrestling with these questions while reading the book, I was able to develop some answers that satisfy me. Compared to Matthew, Mark is a breathtakingly elegant book -- much shorter, much more streamlined, less context and less attention given to plot. It feels like breathing cool, crisp air that takes you aback in its coolness and crispness. Matthew, writing (I believe) more specifically for a Jewish audience, adds the nativity account, the genealogy, and a constant attention to Jesus' reception among the Jews (so that we learn how almost every miracle and teaching was received by the crowds or the Pharisees or the disciples or some combination of those audiences). In Matthew, the literary plot of audience reaction turns into the enemies' plot to convict and execute Jesus; Mark doesn't draw together the events, from the beginning to the end of the book, so tidily -- the book is much less plot-driven. So in Mark, the teachings of Christ seem to rise and float above the narrative. Same teachings, very different effect.
The sequence of the Gospels ended up striking me an ideal ordering, because Mark comes as a sort of breather between Matthew and Luke -- the smaller, lighter read that you reach for between two epic, intense books. (And I mean that in the most approving way: there is nothing inherently more laudable about a book being "intense" rather than "light," provided each is a worthy book; each type has its value and its own literary excellences.) If Matthew and Luke are similar for certain reasons and Mark and John dissimilar for other reasons, it's both intellectually pleasing and a gift to the reader to get a sort of quatrain (ABAB) in the ordering of the Gospels.
November 1, 2022
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mark 16:15 KJV
Mark 16:15 KJV
February 18, 2025
Mark is regarded as the first gospel written. His writing style is short and to the point thereby creating a sense of movement through out the book.
January 29, 2019
The same as Matthew minus details on Jesus's temping by the devil, no beatitudes, and does not mention Judas's suicide.
November 10, 2024
6/3/24 - 7/10/24 with the kids (The Message)
10/3/24 - 11/9/24 with The Bible Recap
Also currently reading with the kids. Again. Oops.
10/3/24 - 11/9/24 with The Bible Recap
Also currently reading with the kids. Again. Oops.
March 27, 2024
pretty amazing
July 8, 2017
It is difficult to rid your mind of all the ideas about Jesus that are part of our cultural baggage, but if you do you will be surprised by what you find in the original gospel.
The Jesus in Mark appears out of nowhere to be baptized by John, and then goes out to banish demons, gather followers, prophesy an imminent Armageddon and an ethics of obedience to the Jewish law. On the cross he cries out "my god, my god why have you forsaken me"
In Mark Jesus never advocates turning the other cheek, his ethics are more reminiscent of Moses than Mahatma Gandhi, there is no mention of Jesus coming from Bethlehem and no virgin birth. Mark demonstrates that early Christianity was something entirely different from the modern variety. Minding the degree of difference - what does the Jesus of Mark mean by "my god, my god why have you forsaken me?" Do the last words of Jesus mean that he is not God? That God betrayed Jesus? These are valid questions, only obscured by our prejudice that we carry from Our cultural heritage.
The Jesus in Mark appears out of nowhere to be baptized by John, and then goes out to banish demons, gather followers, prophesy an imminent Armageddon and an ethics of obedience to the Jewish law. On the cross he cries out "my god, my god why have you forsaken me"
In Mark Jesus never advocates turning the other cheek, his ethics are more reminiscent of Moses than Mahatma Gandhi, there is no mention of Jesus coming from Bethlehem and no virgin birth. Mark demonstrates that early Christianity was something entirely different from the modern variety. Minding the degree of difference - what does the Jesus of Mark mean by "my god, my god why have you forsaken me?" Do the last words of Jesus mean that he is not God? That God betrayed Jesus? These are valid questions, only obscured by our prejudice that we carry from Our cultural heritage.
February 1, 2018
4.5 Stars!
The beautiful thing about having four different view points of the gospel is that each view point delivers similar accounts in different ways.
Mark is not my favourite Gospel simply because he delivers facts very quickly and moves on. For personal preference I like detail. However if I need to just get to the nitty gritty of the Gospel, Mark is definitely the go to!
This time around the verse that really stood out was Mark 1:15 NKJV "and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.””. The statement "believe in the Gospel" lead me to read but continuously ask myself "do I believe in my heart what I am reading?" From that perspective the example and standard that Jesus set for us to follow leaped out of each chapter of Mark so in away appreciated the straight to the point approach.
Highly recommended if you want to know the key points of the Gospel because Mark was a straight to the point disciple :).
The beautiful thing about having four different view points of the gospel is that each view point delivers similar accounts in different ways.
Mark is not my favourite Gospel simply because he delivers facts very quickly and moves on. For personal preference I like detail. However if I need to just get to the nitty gritty of the Gospel, Mark is definitely the go to!
This time around the verse that really stood out was Mark 1:15 NKJV "and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.””. The statement "believe in the Gospel" lead me to read but continuously ask myself "do I believe in my heart what I am reading?" From that perspective the example and standard that Jesus set for us to follow leaped out of each chapter of Mark so in away appreciated the straight to the point approach.
Highly recommended if you want to know the key points of the Gospel because Mark was a straight to the point disciple :).
October 18, 2020
Update (10/16/20): Just finished the TPT translation of Mark, and I continue to be impressed with the readability of this translation and the excellent footnotes! The editor(s) continue to jog my mind along new lines of thinking that I had never considered in all the times I've read these texts!
Original review: Stylistically, if Luke is the J.R.R. Tolkien of Gospel writers, Mark is . . . Ernest Hemingway?
That is, Mark jumps right in without bothering to explain much and just keeps rolling along at a rapid clip. Luke sets everything up with careful precision: the era, the players, the events and context.
Take that for what it's worth. Personally, I'm more a fan of Tolkien's style than Hemingway's, but both have their place!
(It's also worth noting that Mark is generally believed to be the oldest Gospel and a key source for later writers, so in some ways that makes his the most valuable.)
Original review: Stylistically, if Luke is the J.R.R. Tolkien of Gospel writers, Mark is . . . Ernest Hemingway?
That is, Mark jumps right in without bothering to explain much and just keeps rolling along at a rapid clip. Luke sets everything up with careful precision: the era, the players, the events and context.
Take that for what it's worth. Personally, I'm more a fan of Tolkien's style than Hemingway's, but both have their place!
(It's also worth noting that Mark is generally believed to be the oldest Gospel and a key source for later writers, so in some ways that makes his the most valuable.)
September 28, 2013
I’m in a bit of a strange place with my Christian faith at the moment, so this was either a good time to read this, or a bad time. I’m not sure. Possibly bad, because I didn’t really grasp it the way I think the Pocket Canons series was intended: to appreciate the King James language as literature; I couldn’t really be bothered with all that. But probably good because, as Nick Cave argues in his introduction (I’m not sure which edition a couple of reviewers below are reviewing, but it sure ain’t this one), Christ is the foundation of Christianity. Not the church, not religion, not us pathetic, sinning, human Christians. Christ was vibrant. Christ was revolutionary. Christ was angry. Christ was passionate. Christ was compassionate. And he is my Saviour. No matter how much the church in His name, and the people in it, may let me down.
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November 13, 2014Barry Hannah is not the one I would have picked to write the intro to Mark, and Barry Hannah is the perfect soul to write the intro to Mark.
Cue Barry Hannah referencing Robert Duvall in The Apostle, maybe my favorite movie in this same vein. We are on the same page with this one.
“Mark is a book of utter realism, very uncomfortable. [Its] theme is very heavy on bafflement, misunderstanding, and grief. Even Jesus seems to misunderstand the capabilities of his chosen twelve. He constantly upbraids them and is surprised by their obtuseness. Simply, he has found the men too human— skeptical, cowardly, unimaginative, power seeking, weak. They have quit their profession to follow him, but they never intended to follow him into the precincts of death.”
Cue Barry Hannah referencing Robert Duvall in The Apostle, maybe my favorite movie in this same vein. We are on the same page with this one.
January 13, 2015
I've read bits of the bible (or a simplified version thereof) before as a child, but since I'm not religious I haven't picked it up since. As part of a university course I have been required to read this bit... and it actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There were times when I lost tack of who was being referred to because 'he' was used so many times in a row, referring to different people, but it wasn't too long winded. I am still not convinced on the whole god thing.
May 19, 2016
I definitely recommend anyone reading this to listen to John MacArthur's sermon on Mark 16:9-20, which were verses that were added to this Gospel (they were not penned by John Mark and are not in the earliest manuscripts).
Once you're finished with this Gospel, his beautifully eloquent and scholarly sermon is great for punctuation. (: John Mark's "abrupt end" no longer seems abrupt.
The Lord Jesus be praised.
Once you're finished with this Gospel, his beautifully eloquent and scholarly sermon is great for punctuation. (: John Mark's "abrupt end" no longer seems abrupt.
The Lord Jesus be praised.
September 15, 2025
Here we have the condensed story of Jesus' birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. Despite having only sixteen chapters, Mark packs a lot of miracles into Jesus' life.
Mark is John Mark, a relative or associate of Simon Peter. According to a contemporary (1st century) church historian, Papias, John Mark got his material from Simon Peter and recorded it accurately.
If you're in a hurry and want to get a quick gist of what the gospels are all about, you can read Mark in one sitting.
Mark is John Mark, a relative or associate of Simon Peter. According to a contemporary (1st century) church historian, Papias, John Mark got his material from Simon Peter and recorded it accurately.
If you're in a hurry and want to get a quick gist of what the gospels are all about, you can read Mark in one sitting.
July 8, 2024
Dale McConachie does a wonderful job narrating the Gospel of Mark. I appreciate listening to the Bible while commuting, cooking, cleaning, exercising, resting, etc.
The New American Standard Bible is one of the most accurate translations of the Scriptures. The Gospel of Mark is awesome as one can listen to the words of Jesus. This audiobook really brings the words of God to life! I highly recommend it!
The New American Standard Bible is one of the most accurate translations of the Scriptures. The Gospel of Mark is awesome as one can listen to the words of Jesus. This audiobook really brings the words of God to life! I highly recommend it!
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April 6, 2015Re-read April 5, 2015
October 21, 2015
Excellent ...
February 6, 2019
I read the gospels in chronological order, tying the four accounts together.
I read the NIV.
I read the NIV.
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August 20, 2022Continuing on my journey of reading the Bible with the gospel of Mark. Recommended by my dad to start with.
- brief summary of Jesus’s life starting with his baptism and ending with the resurrection
- Jesus tells parables, heals people and…. performs exorcisms
- yes there were a lot of evil spirits involved in this, more than I remember ever hearing mentioned in religious classes
- there’s even a part where Jesus gets an evil spirit out of a person by commanding it to possess a group of 2,000 pigs instead who then promptly commit suicide. Okay I definitely don’t remember hearing that Bible story before
- a cloud speaks to the disciples
- Jesus also predicts the second coming before the end of the disciples’ lifetime which I didn’t know happened
- he also says he’s going to give them power to cast out evil spirits out of other people
- discussion of morals such as giving your money to the poor and not desiring earthly power
- golden rule is in here too
- lots more stuff about how anything is possible if you Believe
- brief summary of Jesus’s life starting with his baptism and ending with the resurrection
- Jesus tells parables, heals people and…. performs exorcisms
- yes there were a lot of evil spirits involved in this, more than I remember ever hearing mentioned in religious classes
- there’s even a part where Jesus gets an evil spirit out of a person by commanding it to possess a group of 2,000 pigs instead who then promptly commit suicide. Okay I definitely don’t remember hearing that Bible story before
- a cloud speaks to the disciples
- Jesus also predicts the second coming before the end of the disciples’ lifetime which I didn’t know happened
- he also says he’s going to give them power to cast out evil spirits out of other people
- discussion of morals such as giving your money to the poor and not desiring earthly power
- golden rule is in here too
- lots more stuff about how anything is possible if you Believe
Read
July 31, 2020I own a print which hangs in our kitchen of a page from the beautiful illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells. It depicts the front page of the Book of Luke, and has this divine Celtic lettering that blends into animal and human figures. The colors are muted, browns and reds and yellows. I love looking at it. Every time I do, I remind myself that I've always wanted to finish reading the Gospels. I read Matthew last year, read Mark last night, and now I look forward to reading Luke and John this weekend. What is most interesting about reading the Gospels in a not-strictly religious sense is that they really do all tell the same story, with different narrative techniques and emphasis. What is amazingly human about the Gospels is the reality of this idea that one man can have his life story told by 4 of his friends who experienced it with him, and each can read so distinctly from one another, while ultimately describing the same things. A great literary treat!
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April 21, 2024-El Evangelio según San Marcos-
"Eran como las nueve de la mañana cuando lo crucificaron."
"Jesús, pues, resucitó en la madrugada del primer día de la semana."
///
Sutiles diferencias con San Mateo. Un par que me parecen significativas, sobre todo por el final cuando María Magdalena avisa del resucitar de Jesús y los discípulos no le creyeron. Hubo avisos posteriores que tampoco se consideraron. Jesús tiene que hacer presencia frente a sus discípulos para que estos crean su resurección. Entonces Jesús los regaña por su poca fé antes de mandarlos a sus misiones. Contrasta con la idílica imagen en el monte de Galilea con la que cierra San Mateo (aunque se sugiera un atisbo de duda).
Otros detalles no enlistaré, pero me quedo pensando en la posibilidad de la traducción bíblica. He encontrado en internet traducciones de una increíble potencia poética. La Biblia que yo tengo vira entre el didactismo y una belleza simple, como los pasajes que cito al inicio. No se requiere de adornos literarios, como acaso esperé encontrar, sino que con la simple imagen basta: el imaginar la luz del día, según los horarios, que se proyectaba cuando se cicatrizó la historia. La crucifixión apreciada bajo la luz de las nueve; la silueta de Jesús en los primeros vistazos del sol.
"Eran como las nueve de la mañana cuando lo crucificaron."
"Jesús, pues, resucitó en la madrugada del primer día de la semana."
///
Sutiles diferencias con San Mateo. Un par que me parecen significativas, sobre todo por el final cuando María Magdalena avisa del resucitar de Jesús y los discípulos no le creyeron. Hubo avisos posteriores que tampoco se consideraron. Jesús tiene que hacer presencia frente a sus discípulos para que estos crean su resurección. Entonces Jesús los regaña por su poca fé antes de mandarlos a sus misiones. Contrasta con la idílica imagen en el monte de Galilea con la que cierra San Mateo (aunque se sugiera un atisbo de duda).
Otros detalles no enlistaré, pero me quedo pensando en la posibilidad de la traducción bíblica. He encontrado en internet traducciones de una increíble potencia poética. La Biblia que yo tengo vira entre el didactismo y una belleza simple, como los pasajes que cito al inicio. No se requiere de adornos literarios, como acaso esperé encontrar, sino que con la simple imagen basta: el imaginar la luz del día, según los horarios, que se proyectaba cuando se cicatrizó la historia. La crucifixión apreciada bajo la luz de las nueve; la silueta de Jesús en los primeros vistazos del sol.
August 25, 2024
I read Mark again in preparation to teach my 10th grade class. I was struck by the ways Jesus slowly reveals himself as I tried to read as if for the first time. Mark definitely feels abrupt as it jumps from one anecdote to the other, but with close attention to the details and structure, I was moved by the way the Lord calls us to work for his kingdom by taking up our cross and following him, however that might look.
April 6, 2023
chicken or the egg is out mark or matthew is in.
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