Mark's intended audience It has been traditionally held in the church that the gospel of Mark was written

of for Roman Christians who were not Jewish. - The text of the gospel shows this in these ways: - The language and customs of the Jews are explained for the readers - Jewish terms are interpreted (7:11; 7:34) - Jewish customs are explained (7:3-4; 14:12) - The direction of the mount of olives in relation to the temple is pointed out (13:3) - The old testament is quoted only once (1:2-3) - It is presumed that the readers know Pontius Pilate and his position. This is to explained as it is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. - Coins are reduced to their value in roman money (12:42) - Simon of Cyrene is said to be the father of Alexander and Rufus (25:21) - A fact of no importance in itself, but mentioned probably because Rufus was known to the Roman Christians. - Colloquial uses of Latin and Greek such as must have been particularly common in a cosmopolitan city like Rome, occur more frequently than in the other gospels. (5:9;15; 6:37; 15:39; 44)

The structure of mark's gospel A. The wilderness (1:1-15) B. Galilee (1:16-8:21) C. The way (8:22-11:11) D. Jerusalem (11:12-14:52) E. The tomb (14:53-16:20)

Job description of a disciple - A disciple is a follower of Jesus. They fully devote themselves to
his life and they fully obey his teachings. They become like the Jesus in thought, word and deed to the point where his very being is reflected in the essential quality of their being. The Master becomes the sum and substance of their lives. Only by the kind of transformation where the Master is fundamentally reflected from center to circumference in their lives can Christs disciples in turn go and make [other] disciples. Only then can they teach others to observe all that [the Master] has commanded.

Explanation of the messiahs secret - Jesus asks people to keep his identity as a secret. (Mk 1:4045) It is clear the Mark wants Jesus to be known. Why does he tell people Don't tell anyone!

Prayer of thanks to Mark

O Glorious St. Mark, Through the grace of God our Father, You became a great Evangelist, Preaching the Good News of Christ. May you help us to know Him well, So that we may faithfully live our lives as followers of Christ. Amen.

Summary of one of Marks parables In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus explains how the kingdom of god is illustrated by parables. The mustard seed is smaller than any other seed when it is sown, but it grows and becomes the biggest plant of all the herbs and has great branches that the birds can make nests in.

The topics I chose - Artistic symbol for mark and an explanation - Marks intended audience - The structure of marks gospel - A geographical profile of the region of Galilee - Job description of a disciple - An illustration to explain the term kingdom of god - Summary of one of Marks parables - Poster of the events of holy week - An artists depiction of one of the events of holy week - Prayer of thanks to Mark