The Gospel of Mark was probably the first of the Gospel accounts. The text says nothing of its authorship, though the title ascribes it to Mark. Mark is identified early in church history as the author. Mark is connected with Peter in 1 Peter 5:13, if indeed Babylon is taken to be Rome. The Apostle Paul requested Mark’s presence in Rome in 2 Timothy 4:11. Tradition is that Mark penned the Gospel sometime around 65 A.D. from Rome and that Peter had shared with him his own eyewitness accounts of the ministry of Jesus, though surely Mark heard accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry from others as well.

Mark’s account of the Gospel is a fast-paced narrative focused on Jesus’ servant ministry. “The Greek word eutheos, translated variously as straightway, immediately, anon, or forthwith, appears forty-two times in the book. This message made a natural appeal to the busy, practical Roman reader.”^[1]

As time quickly passed from Jesus’ earthly ministry, Mark’s account of the Gospel addressed the growing need for a simple collection and arrangement of Jesus’ teachings and deeds. But his writings were more than a historical narrative. Mark set out to establish an understanding of who Jesus is, thus developing an early Christology. Mark established that Jesus was both Son of God and Son of Man, the Messiah of the Jews and the Lord of the Gentiles. By emphasizing the person and ministry of Jesus in the context of service, suffering, and death, he ultimately prepared his church, and churches since, for persecution.

Indeed, this theme of the serving and suffering Savior runs through the Gospel account so that as we read it, we learn what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. “For Mark discipleship was following Jesus in suffering and mission.”[2]

So why a preaching emphasis from the Gospel of Mark on following Jesus for us now?

We live in Rome, or at least a Romanesque culture, though twenty centuries removed. Christianity is in the minority in a secular world and tolerance of Christian teaching and lifestyle is waning. What Mark needed the church in Rome to know about the serving and suffering Savior is what we need to know.

We, too, are a busy and practical people. Mark gets to the heart of the matter concisely and convincingly.

And, we need reminding of what it really means to follow Jesus, particularly in a Romanesque culture. What better way to do that than to follow Jesus’ ministry and see where He went and what He did. After all, if we are going to follow Him, we will end up where He went.

While many of us in the church would readily say that we want to be disciples of Jesus, we struggle with attitudes contrary to true discipleship, like:

Spiritual complacency. “I trusted Jesus to keep me out of hell, so just let me rock along and do my thing until I get to heaven.”

Spiritual pride. “I’m a part of the Kingdom elite; I’ll be happy to direct others in serving and pity them in suffering, but that’s not my calling!”

Spiritual gamesmanship. “We’ve got to compete for the good folk if we’re going to be the big church, or at least the important church in town.”

But none of these, or a thousand others added to them, is the attitude of a genuine disciple of Jesus.

And he (Jesus) sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42–45

The genuine disciple of Jesus follows Jesus in service and suffering.

My heart as a pastor is that I, personally, and we as a church, will be seen with Jesus, serving and suffering for the Father’s glory and the good of others. Let us Follow Jesus.

^[1] Dunnett, W. M. (2001). Exploring the New Testament (p. 19). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Brooks, James A. (1991). The New American Commentary: Mark (p. 30). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.