Mark’s gospel, probably written in the mid to late 60s CE, is the first Gospel account of Jesus’ resurrection but not the first account of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 is actually the oldest recorded tradition of Jesus’ resurrection. 1 Corinthians dates to the mid-50s CE, but the tradition Paul is referencing predates this letter and even Paul himself (i.e., “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received” [1 Cor 15:3a]). 

At a fundamental level, Mark’s account is no different from that which we receive in the other Gospels and Paul’s letters. Jesus of Nazareth, after his death by crucifixion, was raised from the dead on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection is the culmination of his story and proof that he is the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). The resurrection is verification that in Jesus, God has conquered the powers of sin and death, providing the Christian with hope of our own resurrection in God’s eternal kingdom free from these powers of evil. 

However, there are peculiarities in Mark’s account that set it apart from the others. To these peculiarities, we now turn. The following discussion will be made based on the assumption that Mark’s Gospel originally ended at 16:8 (the original ending to Mark’s Gospel will be discussed in a future podcast). 

First Gospel Record 

One of the most notable characteristics of Mark’s resurrection account is its brevity. Compared to the other Gospel accounts, Mark’s account is relatively void of detail. Mark’s account does not include earthquakes; it has limited interaction with God’s messenger(s), the disciples play no role, and there is no record of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. 

There are several possible explanations for Mark’s brevity. First, Mark’s Gospel, as a whole, is brief. It is a short, compact, and fast-paced account of Jesus’ life, with the word “immediately” appearing 42 times in the Gospel. Second, Mark is the first gospel written, making Mark the first person to attempt writing an expanded life of Jesus. He has nothing to work with, unlike Matthew, Luke, and John. Third, since Mark is the first Gospel, he may be working with a limited Jesus Tradition. Luke, for example, tells us that he complied sources to write his gospel (Lk 1:3). Such sources would have included written sources, such as Mark, as well as oral tradition. Mark, writing earlier than Luke, may have had a more limited supply of sources, and therefore a more limited supply of historical information. 

The Messianic Secret

The primary theme of Mark’s gospel is what has been called the “Messianic Secret Motif.” In Mark’s gospel, particularly in the first half, Jesus constantly tells others, both demons and people, not to divulge his identity (e.g., Mk 1:25, 44; 3:11–12). Scholars debate as to the reasoning for this silencing, both in the historical ministry of Jesus and within the literary context of Mark. 

However, within Mark’s Gospel, it seems that Mark highlights Jesus hiding his identity because Jesus is being presented as the suffering Messiah. Mark is most likely writing to an audience being persecuted because of their faith. Mark’s message is that their suffering should not be a surprise because they are following a Messiah who also suffered. Jesus is not a Messiah who comes with an earthly army to overthrow the Roman and Jewish authorities, but a Messiah who suffered and died to conquer the spiritual forces of sin and death. Therefore, one only understands Jesus’ identity as the Messiah in light of his suffering death. Jesus, then, hides his identity because he cannot be genuinely identified until he has died and been raised. 

What is interesting is that while Jesus instructs people not to tell others about their experiences, they don’t always follow his instructions. An example is Mark 1:40–45 when Jesus heals a leper, tells him to speak to only the priest, but he ends up telling everyone he comes across. This theme makes the ending at 16:8 ironic. Jesus, throughout the gospel, tries to hide his identity, telling people not to share their experiences, but they do not listen. But now that he has been raised and his identity can be fully understood, the women are told to go and tell the disciples, but they do not because they are afraid. 

Discipleship & Apocalyptic Worldview 

Another significant theme in Mark’s Gospel is discipleship. Discipleship, especially for Mark’s persecuted audience, is following in the footsteps of Jesus as the suffering Messiah. It means, “’If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.’” (Mk 8:34–35). 

As Jesus hides his identity as Messiah, only to be fully understood in light of his suffering death, so discipleship to Jesus as the suffering Messiah can only be understood in light of his Passion. Mark engages his readers by asking them to go on a journey to fully understand Jesus’ identity and our identity as disciples of Jesus. Throughout the gospel, we see the disciples constantly misunderstand Jesus’ identity (Mk. 8:31–33) and what it means to be his disciple (Mk 9:33–37), because both can only be understood in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

The Messianic Secret and discipleship themes also connect to Mark’s apocalyptic worldview. Mark understands the world as controlled by the powers of sin, death, and evil. For this reason, it makes sense that Jesus’ disciples struggle to correctly identify Jesus as the suffering Messiah. As residents of this broken world, they too are under the control of the powers of sin, death, and evil. So, God must break through these sinful powers to correctly identify Jesus, which he does in moments such as Jesus’ baptism (Mk 1:9–11) and the transfiguration (Mk 9:2–8). 

For these reasons, Mark emphasizes that after Jesus’ resurrection, the women are to go tell the disciples and Peter. When Jesus is facing his most crucial hour, his death, his disciples desert him, and Peter denies him (Mk 14:66–72). They fail to embody discipleship to Jesus as the suffering Messiah. They respond to Jesus’ crucifixion in a way that is in line with the powers of sin in the world rather than the power of the kingdom of God in Jesus. However, after the ultimate act of God in Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus and discipleship can be correctly identified because the powers of sin and death have been defeated. 

by Spencer Shaw

Check out the entire article series: Jesus’s Resurrection Through the Gospels