The Gospel of Mark Audio Commentary

Mark was a Greek speaking young man, the traveling companion of Peter. The early Christian church records that as Mark traveled with Peter to various locations, he asked permission of Peter to write down the things he heard Peter say. If this Gospel was fabricated by someone who did not write it, we would not see this artifact of this narrative.

If the Gospel narrative is true, then the writer, Mark, would be assigned as the true writer, not Peter, even though the words came from Peter. This is forensic evidence the texts are truthful.

Mark wrote the texts, but the words came from Peter. We see this illustrated in the brief manner in which Peter spoke, as he often got to the point quickly and moved on to other things that needed to be communicated. Some see the end of Mark’s Gospel at chapter sixteen as evidence that it was contrived, but just the opposite is true. Peter in dictating the contents of this Gospel to Mark, included the resurrection as he ends his testimony, all that Peter felt the reader must know.

The Gospel of Mark contains many important facts about things that Jesus said and did that the other Gospel writers did not include. One critical statement made by Peter is found in the account of Jesus teaching the Parable of the four soils. In Mark chapter 4, Peter includes a detail that the other Gospel writers do not mention—a correct understanding of the Parable of the four soils, is the key to understanding all the other Parables: “And Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” (Mark 4:13).

This Parable that Matthew also records (Mt 13:11-16), demonstrates the exclusivity of the scriptures, as only understandable by those born again by the Spirit, because, “they are spiritually discerned“(1 Cor. 2:14) and the natural man born of the earth, cannot understand the Bible in its depth.

This inclusion by Peter; that the Parable of the four soils is the key to all other Parables, is not found in the other three Gospels. This becomes forensic evidence of truthful testimony. For in every event that is seen by eyewitnesses, genuine testimony always includes a diversity of facts for that event.

This audio commentary by Rob was recorded live at Calvary Chapel during his 14 year period of service, in August of 2009. This audio commentary is interactive with the congregation, taught during an evening Bible study.