Back to the Blog - The Gospel of St. Mark - 5/24/2026

Good morning, friends. It's Pentecost Sunday, which seems like a good time to get back here on my blog. I've been away traveling, then getting caught up here at home, and had an emergency trip to Louisville because our son was in the hospital. Praise God he's home, although he needs more medical help and more prayers.

I'm studying the Gospel of St. Mark now. It follows the Gospel of St. Matthew in the order published, and precedes Luke and John. I plan to continue my study of all 4 Gospels, then The Acts of the Apostles (which I'm told was written by Luke). After that, I may work on some of St. Paul's letters, although the Book of Isiah is calling me. I take a couple of months. per book, so there's plenty of time to decide.

I'm currently studying the Gospel of St. Mark. I'm using the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, my Ignatius Study Bible, and the Ascension Press Great Adventure Note Taking Bible.

Rather than a review of content, as I posted as I studied Matthew, allow instead some comments. I do not claim to know it all. I am not a Bible scholar. What I am is a lover of the Bible, which I read in the context of my faith. I am a Catholic, and I am proud of it.

The first thought I have is how differently Mark is written in comparison to Matthew. Matthew is richer, at least in ways that appeal to my learning style. Mark's description of events is very factual. I was talking to a dear friend and told him Mark reminded me of the old TV line: "Just the facts, ma'am." He immediately replied, "Dragnet". Well, he wasn't wrong, and that's my impression. Matthew seems more steeped in Old Testament allusion and reference. while some of that is there in Mark, Matthew seemed to be quite intentional in using those references. I almost read that to mean that Matthew was trying to deliver to Old Testament believers, the Jewish people of that time, the evidence that Jesus is/was the Messiah that were awaiting.

Mark, on the other hand has some of that, but he seems, to me, to have been recoding the historical story of Jesus more so than making a case to specific people. Scholars say that Mark was actually the first gospel written, and that the Gospel of St. Mark was used by both Matthew and Luke in their compilation of the story of Jesus, the Christ. That makes perfect sense to me.

One interesting thing I've heard and read, is that Mark's gospel is thought to be the story as remembered by St. Peter. Mark was with Peter in Rome, as was Paul. This may or may not be right, but it makes perfect sense to me. If he didn't get the story from Peter, who obviously was an eyewitness, then from whom would he have gotten it? Yes, Mark spent time with Paul, but Paul came to his conversion after the earthly death and resurrection of Jesus. Peter was there. So this makes sense.

While I'm mentioning that, I know I haven't started on Luke, but in the same context as the preceding paragraph, something I have heard and read about Luke makes perfect sense to me, too. None of the other gospels, Matthew, Mark, nor John, have much detail at all about the Nativity of our Lord. But Luke gives us that whole story. Just as it makes sense to me that Mark may well be telling the story in accordance with Peter's recollection, I think it is likely that the author of Luke spent time with Mary after Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension. If not, then how did he know all that? Why is it there and not in any of the other gospels?

I've just finished up to Chapter 6 of Mark. Don't let my comparison to Luke and Matthew mislead you, The story is a beautiful one, even if just the facts. What inspired me to write this morning is simple. I read the account of Jesus feeding to 5,000.

Mk 6:41 "And taking the five loaves and two fish He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples..."

Could he possibly have better prefigured the Last Supper and institution of the Holy Eucharist? I don't think so.

Have a blessed Pentecost, friends and family. God bless us all.

p.s. Thanks much, to all who have prayed for our son, Matthew. Your prayers were and are appreciated. He's at home, but not out of the woods yet.