GOSPEL OF MARK

SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

WHAT IS THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM?

• Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the three “Synoptic” Gospels.

• Synoptic comes from Greek, “seen together”

• John’s Gospel is NOT a Synoptic Gospel.

WHAT IS THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM?

• They are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they contain many of the same stories about Jesus, they follow a very similar sequence of events and often use similar or identical wording.

WHAT IS THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM?

• There are passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke that are EXACTLY the same.• However, the Gospels also disagree on some accounts.• Some stories appear in all three, some appear in two

of the three and others appear in only one Gospel.

•When the Gospels tell the same story, sometimes they word it exactly the same; other times, they are worded completely differently.

WHAT IS THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM?

• The Synoptic Problem is the problem of accounting for the similarities and differences between the three Synoptic Gospels.• i.e. Why are they different? What does this tell us

about the sequence of the writing? Who influenced who?

• The similarities between the Gospels are almost impossible to account for, unless the Gospels are derived from a common source.

TRIPLE TRADITION EXAMPLE:THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

Luke 22:1-2

“Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put him to death, for they were afraid of the people.”

Matthew 26:1-5

“When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”

Mark 14:1-2

“The Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

TRIPLE TRADITION EXAMPLE:THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

Luke 22:1-2

“Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put him to death, for they were afraid of the people.”

Matthew 26:1-5

“When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”

Mark 14:1-2

“The Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

TRIPLE TRADITION EXAMPLE:THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

Luke 22:1-2

“Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put him to death, for they were afraid of the people.”

Matthew 26:1-5

“When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”

Mark 14:1-2

“The Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

TRIPLE TRADITION EXAMPLE:THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

Luke 22:1-2

“Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put him to death, for they were afraid of the people.”

Matthew 26:1-5

“When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”

Mark 14:1-2

“The Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

THE FOUR-SOURCE HYPOTHESIS

1. Mark was a source for both Matthew and Luke2. Matthew and Luke also used another,

unknown source – designated as Q.3. Q provides Matthew and Luke with the

common material that doesn’t appear in Mark4. Matthew and Luke each have their own

special sources – designated as M and L.

According to this hypothesis, there are four sources for our three synoptic Gospels: Mark, Q, M and L.

THE FOUR-SOURCE HYPOTHESIS*

Mark

Matt. Luke

M L

Q

“Q”

• Unknown author• Lost to us now

• Common stories for Matthew & Luke• Mark had his own sources

• Matthew & Luke also had unique sources• M & L, respectively

SYMBOLISM

•Many early Christians illiterate• Pictures became universal symbols

•Gospel writers had a symbol• All symbols have wings: angels & heaven• Matthew: man – reason & Incarnation• Mark: lion - courage• Luke: ox - sacrifice

MARK

• Disciple of Peter• Writing in Rome• Audience: Romans & other Gentiles

• Highlights deeds, not words• Follow in the footsteps of Jesus (WWJD)

• Uniquely: begins with his baptism• Skips the nativity & childhood

MARK’S JESUS

• Son of God• “Christ” / Messiah • Son of Man: a prophecy from Daniel about the

Messiah’s title• Suffering Servant of man (Isaiah’s servant songs)• Come in glory but also suffer and sacrifice

• Human• Angry• Curses a fig tree• People do think poorly of him• Sleeps

MATTHEW

• A Jewish scribe• Connected with the apostle Matthew• Writing for his fellow Jewish Christians• Criticizes other Jewish communities• Only Gospel to mention organization & rules

• Jewish elements:• Fulfillment of the Messiah prophecies (“Son of

David”)• References to Israel & Scripture quotes

JESUS AS THE NEW MOSES

• Emphasis of Jesus as a teacher• Title of Rabbi• 5 major “books” within Matthew, each centered

on a sermon

• Jesus gives a New Law, replacing the Old Law of Moses• New Covenant of Jeremiah

LUKE

• Gentile Christian • Also wrote the Acts of the Apostles• Doctor, traveling companion of St. Paul

• St. Paul was the major evangelist to the non-Jews in early Christianity

• Audience: other Gentile Christians (Hellenistic culture)

LUKE, CONT’D

• Highlights Jerusalem as a physical center of the faith

• 2 Themes• Gospel a cause for celebration• Jesus saves Jews & Gentiles alike

• Let Jesus into our hearts so that we may be transformed

JESUS IN LUKE

• Forgiving• Dines with tax collectors & sinners• “Father, forgive them; they know not what they

do” (Lk 23:34)

• Gentleness, compassion & sensitivity• Healing love• Openness to women (praise of his mother)

• Jesus seeks out the outcasts• Lepers & Samaritans

GUESS WHO

WHAT IS Q?

• Q comes from the German word Quelle which means “Source”

• Q is an unknown, hypothetical source, that accounts for the similarities in Matthew and Luke that are not found in Mark. Also called the Double Tradition (approx. 200 verses)

WHAT IS Q?

•Most scholars believe that Q is composed MOSTLY of sayings of Jesus (also John the B.)

• Since the document is hypothetical, we don’t have the original manuscript, which means that we don’t know EXACTLY what it contained.

WHAT ABOUT M AND L?

• We know almost nothing about these sources.

• They could be single documents, or a collection of documents.

• They may have also been oral sources.

IN SUMMARY

1. The Synoptic Problem is how to explain the similarities and differences between Matthew, Mark and Luke.

2. Most scholars solve the problem by arguing that Mark was written first and used as a source by Matthew and Luke.

3. The Q Source provided Matthew and Luke with traditions that are not found in Mark.

4. Matthew and Luke each have stories that are found in no other Gospel; these must have come from a unique source for each: M (Matthew’s source) and L (Luke’s source).

GOSPEL OF MARK

WHO WROTE WHAT?

• Matthew – Apostle Matthew

• Mark – John Mark: secretary and interpreter to St Peter.

• Luke – physician, companion of St Paul.

• John – Apostle John, son of Zebedee (eyewitness).

WHEN WERE THE GOSPEL’S WRITTEN?

• Matthew – 50-67 C.E.

• Mark – 55-70 C.E.

• Luke – 75-90 C.E.

• John – 90-100 C.E.

GOSPEL OF MARK – STRUCTURE

• Chiastic Structure:

1. The Wilderness (1:1-15)2. Galilee (1:16-8:21)3. The Way (8:22-11:11)4. Jerusalem (11:12-14:52)5. The Tomb (14:53-16:20)

MAIN THEMES

1. Discipleship2. Miracle Stories3. Kingdom of God4. Parables5. Messianic Secret6. The Way (linked to identiy of Jesus and cost of

discipleship).7. Jesus the Passover lamb8. Passion and resurrection

LECTO DIVINA – DIVINE READING

• Ancient practice of monks where scripture was read and contemplated as Bibles were not common.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 1

• Select a passage from one of the Gospels in which Jesus is interacting with others.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 2

• Pause - Recall what you are doing, Engaging with the Word of God and consider what you desires from this encounter. God is present and because God is present one relies on God.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 3

• Read the Gospel passage twice so that the story and the details of the story become familiar.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 4

• Close your eyes and reconstruct the scene in your imagination.

• See what is going on and watch the men and women in the scene. What does Jesus look like? How do the others react to him? What are the people saying to one another? What emotions fill their words? Is Jesus touching someone? • As you enter into the scene, sometimes there is the

desire to be there. So a person can place yourself in the scene, perhaps as an observer, as one lining up for healing, or as one helping others to Jesus.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 5

• Some people’s imaginations are very active so they construct a movie-like scenario with a Gospel passage.

• Others will enter the scene with verbal imagination, reflecting on the scene and mulling over the actions.

• Vividness is not a criteria for the effectiveness of this kind of prayer. Engagement is and the result is a more interior knowledge of Jesus.

LECTO DIVINA – STEP 6

• As you finish this time of prayer, you should take a moment to speak person to person with Christ saying what comes from the heart.