The Gospel of Mark contains sixteen chapters which include narrative history, sermons, and parables. This gospel is the shortest of the synoptic gospels and was written around 64 AD. The first eight chapters explore Jesus traveling north preaching and the next eight chapters tell us about Jesus' time in the city of Caesarea Philippi. The purpose of this Gospel is to show Jesus as the Messiah, sent to suffer and restore faith in humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first key theme explored in the Gospel of Mark is Jesus as the Son of Man who must suffer. There are a number of examples throughout the text where we see Jesus predicting his sufferings, death, and resurrection: 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). :45). Essentially, Jesus addresses himself as the Son of God and lets his disciples know that he did not come to earth to be served, he came to lay down his life for the good of his people. Jesus continually speaks of his death and resurrection throughout the Gospel of Mark: And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days resurrect. again (Mark 8:31). This is where we see Jesus suffering rejection from the elders, chief priests, and scribes who do not believe that He is the Son of God. Although he was rejected by the upper class, Jesus told his disciples not to be ashamed of himself or his words, or he would be ashamed of them when he rose from the dead and will return in the glory of his Father. It is obvious that Jesus had no choice regarding the suffering he would incur: the Son of Man will go as it is written about him. But woe to him who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born (Mark 14:21). Here we see that Jesus had to continue throughout his life in constant suffering until his crucifixion, because he had to give his life. The next theme we encounter in the Gospel of Mark is that Jesus is the Son of Man with all power and authority. . This theme is first presented when we see the healing power of Jesus: Now Simon's mother-in-law was sick and had a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve him (Mark 1:29-31). This shows how Jesus used his almighty power to heal Simon's mother-in-law and she in turn began to serve and follow his teachings. Not only did Jesus heal diseases, but he also helped people believed to be possessed by demons: that evening, after sunset, the people brought all the sick and demon-possessed to Jesus (Mark 1 : 32). This suggests how powerful Jesus was, as he could heal people believed to be possessed by demons. In addition to Jesus' great power, he also had great authority, this is seen when Jesus walked on the water: But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost and cried out, for they everyone saw him and were terrified. . But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mark 4:49-51). This illustrates the authority and power with which Jesus spoke as their hearts were at ease after.