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Begin Typing VigilThe most striking peculiarity of [Mark] is its descriptive character. It is not intended to give a chronological or pragmatic history of the public life of Jesus, but a picture of it. Hence the repeated descriptions of the thronging of the people to Jesus, of His teaching and healing activity, of the vain attempts of Jesus to forbid all report of His miracles, and of His ineffectual retirement into solitude (1:32, 36, 45f; 2:13; 3:7ff, 20; 4:1ff. etc.). In the case of a separate narrative the locality is specified and the situation depicted as clearly as possible, fulness of concrete details enliven the representation, Jesus' method of healing is vividly described (compare the healing of the deafmute and of the blind man, Mark 7:31-37), the separate traits of the transaction are fully accounted for, the relations explained, the emotions and gestures that accompany the acts with the impression produced, are described. Hence the predilection for accounts of demon-expulsions, where the peculiar conditions and accidents of the afflicted persons afford the richest material for such descriptive detail (compare 1:26; 5:3ff; 9:18, 20, 26).
In this Gospel we see clearly how the ministry of Jesus, beginning in the region of the sea of Galilee and making its centre in Capernaum, extended to ever-widening circles; and how His fame spread in all directions and attracted ever-increasing masses. Over against the enthusiastic populace we have the scribes and Pharisees, whose opposition which rapidly develops into deadly enmity brings into view a series of narratives chosen with design (2:1-3, 6); while the account of the final ministry of Jesus at Jerusalem places him once more in opposition to all the hostile powers and tendencies of the nation, to the high priests, the Pharisees and Sadducees, with the scribes (11:27-12:40), down to the Herodian party so frequently mentioned by Mark (3:6 ; 12:13). Again we see how a band of zealous hearers separates from among the masses who are driven to Him solely by the need of having their sick healed, who at His entry extol Him as the Messiah and after the interval of a few days impetuously demand His crucifixion (3:34; 4:10); we learn His relation to His kindred (3:26, 31ff); we hear of the ministering women who remained true to Him at the cross and even to the grave; of the unknown one who placed at His disposal the foal of an ass and a room for the Passover-feast; of the youth who followed Him stealthily to Gethsemane, of Simon of Gyrene who bore His cross, and of Joseph of Arimathea who provided His grave.
Above all we see the growth of His relation to the disciples whom He gradually calls to be His companions, and from whose circle He chooses out twelve whose names are enumerated and whose constant weakness of faith and slowness of understanding are again and again pourtrayed, until Jesus devotes Himself entirely and exclusively to their instruction. But even from these there is again separated the closer circle of His confidential friends, among whom Peter is especially prominent. His great confession evidently forms an epochmaking climax of the narrative.
It is by no means correct to say that the Gospel is only concerned with the acts of Jesus. It is certain that no discourse, with the exception of that on the second coming (chap. 13) is given solely on account of its instructive matter. We have not a statement of what Jesus taught in the synagogue, but a description of the impression produced by His method of teaching (1:21f; 6:2). Chap. 4 explains how Jesus came to teach by parables, illustrating this by examples which at the same time make the meaning of His parables clear (compare 7:14-23). In a series of sayings which the Evangelist strings together in a chain, he describes His gnomologic form of teaching (4:21-25; 8:34-9:1; 9:34-50; 11:23-25). But the Gospel is particularly rich in lively dialogue, giving us an insight into the striking way in which Jesus could answer interpellations and repel attacks. It is just because it presents the course of events so directly that he prefers the dialogue-form, making use of direct discourse, even to words of Jesus preserved in Aramaean.
This timeline combines the three Synoptic Gospels, Acts, and the five Johnannine works.