Excerpt from
The Beginning of the Gospel
Introducing the Gospel According to Mark
Volume I (Mark 1-8:21)
Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.
© The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced by any means, without the written permission of The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321.

Contents

Preface
I. Title and Preface, Mark 1:1
II. Prologue, the Gospel in Miniature, Mark 1:2-13
III. Part One, Jesus and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God, Mark 1:14–8:21
IV. Section I, Jesus and the First Disciples, Mark 1:14–3:6
V. Section II, Jesus and the Twelve, Mark 3:7–6:6a
VI. Section III, Jesus and the Mission of the Twelve, Mark 6:6b–8:21

Preface
"Do you still not understand?" (Mark 8:21)

The disciples were in the boat with Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee to the other shore. They had forgotten to bring bread, but they had one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. They thought Jesus was talking about their lack of bread.

While crossing, Jesus asked the disciples, "Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?" He also asked them how many baskets of fragments they gathered when he nourished five thousand with five loaves and four thousand with seven loaves. Jesus then ends his challenging questions with the resounding final question: "Do you still not understand?"

So ends the first part of the Gospel of Mark. Reflecting on the question, we should recall the title Mark gave to his Gospel: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" (1:1). Throughout the commentary, I kept Mark's title in mind. Over and over again, after each event, I repeated the title. Taking Jesus' final question to heart, I also asked, "Do we still not understand?"

I started this commentary in the summer of 1987. I first presented it in the pages of Emmanuel magazine, beginning in November 1987 and ending in July/August 1997. I wanted to introduce Mark's Gospel to people in ministry.

At the time, I was concentrating on the Gospel of Luke. Luke was my home! I lived in the Gospel of Luke, and really liked to show my home to everyone. But to understand the Gospel of Luke more deeply, I had to know one of Luke's principal sources. For a long time, I suspected that Luke knew Mark from memory. Now I am convinced. Writing his Gospel, Luke did not need a scroll of Mark's Gospel before him. After studying Mark and introducing his Gospel to others, I still live mainly in Luke, but I have found a second home. Today, Mark is my condominium!

In my teaching at Catholic theological Union and Mundelein Seminary in Chicago and at Fordham University in New York, the Gospel of Mark was always with me. Over the years, I also gave many talks and retreats on the Gospel of Mark to various groups. I wanted priests, seminarians, and other people engaged in ministry to appreciate and love the Gospel of Mark, and to ponder and contemplate its presentation of the Christian mystery. I also wanted them to share Mark's awesome sense of Christ's mission, the Christian calling, the universal Church, and its mission. Offering this commentary, my intention is the same.

For this commentary, I revised and sometimes rewrote what I published in Emmanuel. Over the years, I learned a lot while commenting on the Gospel, not only in the library, also while teaching and lecturing. All along, my teachers were my students. I suspect that Mark could also have said that.

Instead of dealing separately with the usual introductory questions—Who was Mark? Where and when did he write, and for whom? What were his sources? What was his guiding intention?—I dealt with the questions while commenting on the Gospel, particularly while introducing Mark's title and preface (1:1). Throughout this commentary, I used the revised edition of the New Testament in The New American Bible.

I am deeply grateful to Anthony Shueller, S.S.S., editor of Emmanuel and my provincial superior for his encouragement and fraternal support. I thank my classmate Paul Bernier, S.S.S., for reading the manuscript. His suggestions were invaluable. I also thank my secretary, Maryanne Macaluso, who pored over the manuscript, raised questions of clarity and punctuation. For her, reading the manuscript was an expression of her ministry.

I dedicate this commentary to my brother, Gary LaVerdiere, S.S.S., a fellow religious, who illustrated each installment of the commentary in Emmanuel. I think of him and the other members of my family whenever I recall Jesus' question: "Who are my mother and [my] brothers?"

Among Gary's religious responsibilities, he is the manager, art director, and photographer for the magazine. I keep a photograph picturing him at his desk in Cleveland in front of me in New York. With his art and religious dedication, he inspires and teaches me. I present this commentary to him as an expression of my gratitude.

Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.
August 2, 1998
Feast of St. Peter Julian Eymard,
Founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament

Title and Preface (Mark 1:1)
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" (1:1). So begins the Gospel of Mark, the first Gospel ever written. Before Mark, there were stories and clusters of stories about Jesus, and some of them must have been written, but none of those survived. When the Gospel was written, there were no precedents. Each part of the Gospel shows him as an extremely creative writer, beginning with the opening statement.

Deceptively simple, Mark's opening statement fulfills two functions. It is a title for the Gospel and a preface to the readers. As such, we can call it a prefatory title. As a title, it defines and summarizes Mark's Gospel as "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]." As a preface, it proclaims "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" to Christian readers who thought it was the end of the gospel. As a title for the Gospel and a preface to the readers, the prefatory title stands outside "the beginning of the gospel." The story itself begins with the prologue (1:2-13).

Mark's prefatory title is unique, at least among the Gospels. Matthew's Gospel has a title: "The book (biblos) of the genealogy (geneseos) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1), not only for the genealogy (Matt 1:2-17) and the prologue (1:2–2:23), but for the whole Gospel. But Matthew's title is not a preface. Both Luke and the book of Acts have a preface addressed to Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-2), but neither functions as a title.

As a title for the Gospel, the opening verse introduces the entire Gospel of Mark, In doing that, it presents the theme, the general scope, and the purpose of the Gospel. In the second century, Christians added a label, "According to Mark" (kata Markon), to distinguish it from the other Gospels. Later, the label developed into a name, "The Gospel According to Mark" (Euaggelion kata Markon).

In modern times, very few refer to the Gospel by its title. Instead, most people refer to it by its name, "The Gospel According to Mark," or a variant of it, "The Gospel of (St.) Mark," or more simply, "Mark's Gospel." Referring to the Gospel by its name draws attention to the author instead of the gospel itself. As such, it invites inquiry into the author's identity and background and other historical considerations such as when and where he wrote the Gospel and for whom. Today, with our historical consciousness we cannot escape such considerations.

With this development, Mark the author was bound to figure in any discussion of the Gospel's authority. There was no question of the authority of Jesus Christ and his gospel. But what about Mark, the author of the kata Markon? Was he reliable? What were his credentials? What were his sources? Such questions could distract us from the Gospel and its meaning.

As a preface, the opening verse allows the author to address the readers or listeners directly, as Paul does at the beginning of his letters when he greets a particular church, and as Luke does in the two prefaces to Theophilus. In the preface, the writer's own person is at the fore. It is the same for the two conclusions of John's Gospel, where a writer addresses the readers directly (John 20:30-31; 21:24-25). In the prologue and the rest of the Gospel, the author continues to address the readers and listeners but indirectly through the narrator. After the preface, the writer disappears, hidden behind the voice of the narrator.

Both as a title and a preface, Mark's opening verse, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" (1:1), is one of the most stirring statements in the New Testament. To read it well, especially aloud, is to appreciate the Gospel it both summarizes and proclaims.

Read as a title, its expressive power as a proclamation can hardly be suppressed. The Gospel was not written for itself but for the readers. Read as a preface, its defining power is very evident. The readers have to hear what the Gospel says. There is no separating the message from its proclamation. For the sake of clarity, however, we will consider Mark's opening verse first as a title for the Gospel and then as a preface to the reader.

A Title for the Gospel
Mark's opening verse is clearly a title for the Gospel. First, the statement has no verb, explicit or implied. Second, its first word in Greek, arche ("the beginning") has no article, indicating that arche is the opening word of a title. Like the title of Matthew's Gospel (Matt 1:1), the opening statement of Mark is not a sentence. Nor is the title of the book of Revelation (Rev 1:1-2).

If Mark's opening verse had a verb, such as, "Here begins the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]," the verse would point to the next verse, "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet" (1:2a). As such, it would introduce the prologue (1:2-13). Without a verb, it refers and introduces the whole of Mark's Gospel, from 1:2 to 16:8.

To understand what the title means we should return to it after each story or discourse, and especially at the end of a section. For example, after reading this closing, "The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death" (3:6) we should recall the title, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]." Then, after reading the whole Gospel of Mark, we should start to appreciate what the title means.

The Beginning (arche)
Introductory words can be very significant, and it is important not to pass over them too quickly. They invite reflection and meditation. Mark's very first word, arche ("beginning" or "the beginning"), evokes the excitement we experience at the beginning of spring, at dawn, at the birth of a child, at a baptism. Indirectly, it also evokes what precedes them, the experience of winter, the darkness of night, the birth pangs of labor, and the abandonment of a former self.

"The beginning" also summons the awesome beginnings announced or described in the Scriptures. Among these, of course, there is ultimate beginning when God first commanded the universe into existence. There is also the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Savior, and his resurrection from the dead. Such beginnings speak of the mystery of God and the divine presence in creation and history, challenging the imagination and stretching human language to its limits.

From a literary point of view, Mark's "beginning" (arche) calls to mind two other books, the book of Genesis and John's Gospel, whose first words in Greek are "in the beginning" (en arche). The similar wording, however, should not obscure the differences in meaning.

In John's Gospel, "the beginning" lies deep in the unfathomable mystery of God, before creation, before ever there was a divine disclosure: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

In Genesis, "the beginning" refers to the time of creation. It refers to the time when, at God's command, the light, the earth and sea, the various forms of life, and human life itself emerged from the formless wasteland and the darkness that covered the abyss: "In the beginning, when God created the earth and the heavens" (Gen 1:1).

In Mark, "the beginning" does not refer to the condition of divine existence before creation or to the initial moment of creation when "God said, ‘Let there be light,' and there was light" (Gen 1:3). It refers to the beginning of the gospel and the era of salvation in Jesus Christ. "The beginning" includes what Jesus did and taught, his passion and resurrection, and what his followers did and taught, and their participation in Jesus' passion and resurrection.

Mark's story of the beginning opens with a reference to Isaiah (1:2-3), and it is not over until the women run away from the tomb and say nothing to anyone (16:8). "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" ends enigmatically with the words, ephobounto gar (literally, "they were afraid for"). Mark does not say why the women were afraid. He left the answer to the readers, who live in the continuation of the gospel.

"The beginning of the gospel" continued in the early Church. While telling the story of Jesus' life and ministry with his disciples, Mark told the story of its continuation in the early Church. For Mark, Jesus of Nazareth, his disciples, and their challenges were symbolic of the Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, the early Church, and its challenges. As such, Mark's story of the gospel is just as symbolic as John's story of the Word.

Reading the Gospel, the Markan community could see themselves mirrored in the life of the disciples with all their hopes, struggles, and even their failures. At the same time, they could see Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, leading them as Jesus of Nazareth the earliest disciples in his lifetime. In his Gospel, Mark presented the disciples as a model of the Markan community. As such, Mark directs Jesus' teaching beyond the first disciples to the early Church.

Among the Synoptic writers, Mark is the only one who told the story of the early church, including its mission to the Gentiles, in and through the story of Jesus and his disciples. Matthew announced the mission of the apostolic Church among the Gentiles, but did not tell its story (Matt 28:16-20). Writing his Gospel, Luke left out passages in Mark that refer to the story of the Church after the ascension. However, he devoted the entire Book of Acts to the story of the birth and development of Church and its mission to the nations.

Today, the gospel of Jesus Christ continues in the Church as it faces new situations. Applying the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his first disciples to the early Church, Mark showed us how to apply it today, as we are beginning the Church's third millennium. The Beginning of the Gospel (tou euaggeliou) The term "the gospel" means "the good news" in Greek (to euaggelion). The term evokes great moments when someone announces the arrival of good news: a child is born; a good friend is coming to visit; a peace treaty has been signed.

In the Roman world, "good news" heralded the birth of a son, an heir, in the imperial household. In a famous inscription, it refers to the birth of Augustus, announcing that he was the savior of the world. In Luke's prologue, it announces the birth of a savior who is Christ and Lord (Luke 2:10-11).

When Mark spoke of "the beginning of the gospel," the term "gospel" already enjoyed a long Christian history in the preaching and the letters of St. Paul. The creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 summarized the gospel Paul had preached in Corinth and elsewhere (see 1 Cor 15:1). In this context, the word "gospel" announced salvation in Christ. In another early creed, the gospel was about the Son of God, "descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 1:3-4).

In Christian usage, the term resonated especially with the prophetic voice of Isaiah, who proclaimed the coming of the Lord and the return of God's people from a long exile. Isaiah's gospel message addressed the exiles in Babylon, as well as the poor and the oppressed not only in Jerusalem but in all nations (see Isa 40:1-11; 61:1-2). Isaiah spoke most eloquently to those who yearned for good news but did not expect it.

Mark surely was aware of the rich prophetic and Pauline history of the term "gospel." Mark's own use of the term added to its history. Not that Mark referred to "gospel" as a new literary form. At the time Mark wrote, the term "gospel" did not yet designate a special literary genre. As elsewhere in Mark (see 1:14, 15; 8:35; 10:29; 14:9), the gospel referred to the preaching of Jesus and its continuation in the Church.

As proclaimed by the Church, Mark even identified "the gospel" with the person of Jesus. For that, we have two sayings of Jesus. Speaking to the crowd and his disciples, Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it" (8:35). Later, speaking to the disciples, he said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel . . . " (10:29).

In early tradition, the gospel was expressed in the form of creeds (see 1 Cor 15:1-5; Rom 1:3-4). In Paul, the gospel and its implications for Christian life were expressed in the form of apostolic letters. In Mark, the gospel and its implications for Christian life were expressed in a story. Mark's story would soon be recognized as a normative telling of the gospel. Never before had the term "gospel" been so intimately related to a literary work.

The Gospel of Jesus (Iesou)
Mark summarizes Jesus' life and mission with one sentence, "Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God" (1:14). In the same summary (1:14-15), Jesus himself summarizes his gospel message: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (1:15). Jesus' proclamation of the gospel was part of "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ." But the term "gospel" also included his whole life, the life and the mission of the disciples, and their gospel concerning Jesus. Jesus and the Church are inseparable in "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

For Mark, the gospel was not a mere record of past events, but a new act of proclamation. Just as Jesus proclaimed the gospel in Galilee (1:14-15), his followers were called and sent to proclaim the gospel to all nations (see 13:9-11). The Gospel of Mark, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ," was a good example of the Church's proclamation. Mark's Gospel was meant for all nations.

In content, Mark's Gospel was a story of the gospel of Jesus and his disciples. After defending the woman that anointed him at the dinner at the home of Simon, Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her" (14:9). For Mark, the Gospel included the story of the people who came to Jesus as well.

In form, however, Mark's Gospel was an act of proclamation. It made Jesus, the one who was crucified but had been raised from the dead, present to Mark's readers and listeners. Through Mark's Gospel, the gospel proclaimed by Jesus and the Church became the gospel that was Jesus.

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" opens with the mission of John the Baptist who appeared in the desert in fulfillment of prophecy. It is in this context, as a follower of John, that the mission of Jesus was conceived, at least from a historical point of view (1:9). Ultimately, however, the mission of Jesus was conceived of the Spirit as Jesus emerged from the waters of John's baptism (1:10-11).

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" ends after Jesus' burial with the visit of women to his tomb, with a young man's proclamation of his resurrection, and with the flight of the women from the tomb, saying nothing to anyone because they were afraid (16:1-8). "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" ends with the silence of the women. This does appear to be a strange ending for a story that was announced as gospel or good news. But we have to remember that this ending is not the end of the gospel, but only the end of "the beginning of the gospel."

This is how Mark first envisioned the Gospel. From its origins in the desert to a silent flight from the tomb, it included the mission of Jesus in Galilee and its culmination in Jerusalem. It included his passion and resurrection and everything that led to it. Only later, in the second century, would others supplement Mark's original "beginning of the gospel" with brief summaries of the appearances of Jesus as risen Lord told in the Gospels of Luke and John (16:9-20). Today, this alternate ending is part of the canonical Gospel. As such, it is used in the catechesis and the liturgy of the Church.

Jesus Christ [the Son of God] (Iesou Christou [huiou theou])
Mark's Gospel is not merely "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus." If it were, we could think of it as a biographical narrative of Jesus. That biography would include his relationship to his followers and his enemies. But Mark's Gospel is "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]." As such, it is a Christological and ecclesiological narrative, and Christological and ecclesiological concerns determine its structure and development.

After the title (1:1) and the prologue (1:2-13), we can divide the Gospel into two parts. The first raises the question of the identity and mission of Jesus (1:14-8:21). Underlying this question, there is the question of the identity and mission of the Church. The first part begins with Jesus coming into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God (1:14-15) and the call of the first disciples (1:16-20). It ends with Jesus' dramatic challenge to the Twelve, "Do you still not understand?" (8:21).

The second part answers the question of Jesus' identity and mission and the underlying question of the identity and mission of the Church (8:22–16:8). The second part begins with Jesus opening the eyes of a blind man (8:22-26) and it ends with the silence of the women, "They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" (16:8).

We can entitle the first part, "Jesus and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God" (1:14-8:21). In this part, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" emphasizes the mystery of the gospel, of the person of Jesus and the kingdom of God. From the point of view of the Church, it emphasizes the breadth of the Church and its universal mission. In this first part, the major symbols are the sea (he thalassa) and the bread (ho artos) and everything associated with them.

We can entitle the second part, "Jesus and the Coming of the Kingdom of God" (8:22-16:8). In this part, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]" emphasizes the implications of the gospel, the passion and resurrection of Jesus, and coming of the Kingdom of God. From the point of view of the Church, it emphasizes the depth of commitment required to make the Church truly universal. In this second part, the major symbols are the way (he hodos), and the cup (ho poterion), and everything associated with them.

Every Gospel—and Mark is no exception—views Jesus from certain points of view. For Mark, Jesus is above all the Christ and the Son of God (1:1). The Gospel includes many other titles of Jesus, such as Teacher, Rabbi, the Nazarene, and King of the Jews. Of these various titles, two, Son of Man and Son of David, explain what it means for Jesus to be the Christ and the Son of God.

Today the title "Christ" is so closely associated with the name Jesus that it has become part of his name, and we tend to forget that it began as a title. It was not so in the first century, when Christians added Christ to the name of Jesus. Instead of calling him Jesus of Nazareth, they called him Jesus Christ (Iesous Christos). But at the same time, they continued to use Christos as a title. Doing that, they referred to Jesus as "the Christ" (ho Christos) with the definite article.

It is only here in the title (1:1) that Mark refers to Jesus with the full name, Jesus Christ. In 9:41, he refers to Jesus simply as Christ: "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ (literally "you are of Christ," Christou este), amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward." Elsewhere, when Mark refers to Jesus as "the Christ" with the article, he uses "Christ" as a title (8:29; 12:35; 13:21; 14:6; 15:32).

In Mark, therefore, the use of the name, "Jesus Christ" or "Christ," is very close to the title, "the Christ." As such, the name, "Christ," retains the Christological meaning of the title and its association with Jesus' passion and resurrection and Christian baptism (see 1 Cor 15:3-5). In Mark, the name evokes the title and vice versa.

When a New Testament writer wants to refer to Jesus Christ with his proper name, the article is not used. St. Paul, for example, frequently refers to Jesus as "Jesus Christ," "Christ Jesus," or more simply, "Christ." In these cases, the Christological meaning of "Christ" is not emphasized but assumed. In the New Testament, the titular use of Christ clings to the name, Jesus Christ.

When the same author wants to identify Jesus as the Christ, the definite article is used: Jesus is the Christ. This is the case in Peter's confession of faith, "You are the Messiah (ho Christos)" (8:29), and elsewhere in the Gospel. In these cases, the Christological meaning of "Christ" is emphasized.

Like the title, "the Christ," the title, "the Son of God," is also closely associated with Jesus (see 1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:6; 13:32; 14:61; 15:39; see also 8:38). In Jesus' interrogation before the Sanhedrin, the high priest associates the two titles: "Are you the Messiah (ho Christos), the son of the Blessed One (ho huios tou eulogetou)" (14:61). Usually, the title, "the Son of God" or its equivalent, includes the definite article (1:11; 3:11; 9:7; 12:6; 13:32; 14:61) very much like the title, "the Christ." Used as a vocative and in apposition, "Jesus, son of the Most High God," the title does not need the article (5:7).

Here in the opening verse, the Greek expression for "[the Son of God]" (huiou theou) does not have the article. Mark or a later editor associated the title with the name of Jesus Christ. At the end of the Gospel, the centurion also does not include the article when he proclaims: "Truly this man was the Son of God! (alethos houtos ho anthropos huios theou en)" (15:39). But in this case, the absence of the article may not be significant. When the noun, "Son" (huios), is followed by the genitive, "of God" (theou), it does not need the article. We could translate the centurion's proclamation as a title, "the Son of God," or as a description, "a son of God."

As a subtle writer, Mark may have intended both, from different points of view. From the point of view of the centurion, who was not a Christian, it was a description: "Truly this man was a son of God!" But from point of view of the author and the narrator, it was a title: "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

In the title of the Gospel of Mark (1:1), "Son of God," could be a Christological title. We would then translate it as "the Son of God." But its close association with the name, Jesus Christ, invites the translation, "Son of God." "Son of God" remains a title, but extremely close to the name Jesus Christ.