In the Anchor Bible commentary on Mark, Laurence F. X. Brett has masterfully developed an overall analysis for the Gospel of Mark. He states with unnecessary modesty that “the suggestions presented remain precisely that – suggestions...these views are offered to advance the cause of Markan studies and not to anticipate a conclusion of them.” I later adapted his structure with some minor variations regarding the organization within the seven major sections he has identified. Below is some confirmation of his analysis.
Brett views the Gospel as divided into a prologue and two major sections, each containing three sub-sections. His divisions are largely based on geographical considerations, and he makes no attempt to discern any relationships between the six sections of the book. However, by considering the thematic emphases in each of the sections, some possible symmetries in Brett's divisions emerge. Also, it is interesting to note that Brett agrees with most other commentators in believing that Peter's great confession marks a major break in the Gospel. However, Brett sees it as beginning the second half instead of ending the first half of the book. It should be mentioned parenthetically that the divisions in Fig. 1 differ in minor details from his.
Figure 1: Overall Structure of Mark's Gospel
The Prologue (1:1-13)
Part One – The Sea of Galilee (1:14-8:21)
1. The Twelve are Called (1:14-3:19a)
2. The Power, the Kingdom and the Glory (3:19b-6:6) 3. The Twelve are Sent Out and Warned (6:7-8:21)
Part Two – Jerusalem (8:22-16:8)
4. Jesus' Death and Resurrection Foretold (8:22-11:11)
5. The Last Days (11:12-14:52)
6. Jesus' Death and Resurrection (14:53-16:8)
The following observations may be offered in support of the proposed relationships between the six sections of Fig. 1:
Sections 1 and 3
Near the beginnings of these units are quite similar ministry summaries, with elements presented in chiastic order. These summaries implicitly compare the Apostles' activities with those of Jesus:
“And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons.” (Mark 1:34a)
“And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.” (Mark 6:13)
The word “region” appears in Mark only at 1:28 and 6:55, both times referring to an area where Jesus' fame spread. As a related matter, these two sections contain half of the references in the Gospel to Christ having “compassion” (at 1:41 and 6:34). Jesus offers interpretations of Mosaic Law in 2:27 and 7:15, and Moses' commands are specifically mentioned in 1:44 and 7:10. Rare, for Mark, references to repentance appear in 1:14-15 and 6:12. Osborne notes Jesus' observation of the traditional Jewish morning (1:35) and evening (6:46) prayers. The noun “apostle” only appears in Mark in these two sections (3:16; 6:30).
In his Anchor Bible commentary, Marcus lists several verbal parallels which can be used to bolster the proposed correspondence between sections 1 and 3:
Parallel Section 1 Section 3
Healings resembling exorcisms 1:31,41-43 7:33-35
Similar summary statements 1:32-34;3:9-12 6:54-56
“As a witness to them” 1:44 6:11
A cure is proclaimed 1:45 5:20;7:36
“In his spirit” 2:8 8:12
“Scribes and pharisees” 2:16 7:1-5
Authority given to disciples 3:14-15 6:7
Exorcism as sign of authority 3:15 6:13
In addition, all three allusions to hardening of hearts in this Gospel appear in sections 1 (3:5) and 3 (6:52; 8:17-21). Healings occur when someone touches Jesus at 3:10 and 6:56, and people “beg” to be cured in 1:40 and 6:56. Numerous allusions to wilderness areas appear in these two sections (1:3-4,12,35,45; 6:31-35). Mountain settings for divine discourse are utilized in 3:13 and 6:46. Tyre and Sidon are cited as examples in 3:8 and 7:31. And lastly, Jesus participates in synagogue services in 1:21; 3:1; and 6:2.
Sections 1 and 4
Jesus talks about “good news” in 1:15; 8:35 and 10:29.
The theme of following in Jesus' footsteps appears in 1:16-20; 2:14; 8:34 and 10:21.
Followers leave their families in 1:18-20 and 10:28-29.
Perrin points out examples of irony in 1:24-25,43-45; 8:29-36.
Jesus' command over unclean spirits in 1:24,27,34; 3:11 and 9:20-25.
Jesus is said to go “into the house” only at 1:29 and 10:10.
“I have come” sayings appear at 1:38; 2:17 and 10:45.
Men come to Jesus and kneel in 1:40-45 and 10:17.
Examples of Jesus' anger are found in 1:43; 3:1-5; and 10:14.
The phrase “except one, God” appears in 2:7 and 10:18.
The only appearances of “easier” are at 2:9 and 10:25.
Son of Man sayings appear in 2:10, 28 and 8:31.
“Beyond Jordan” and “Judea” occur in 3:7-8 and 10:1.
Important events take place on mountains in 3:13 and 9:2-8.
There is also the possibly purposeful contrast in comments by two people seeking help from Jesus. The leper in Mark 1:40 says, “If you chose, you can...” while the father of the epileptic boy says, “If you are able, help...”
Sections 1 and 6
The demon's proclamation at the end of Section 1 (“You are the Son of God.”) and the high priest's question at the beginning of Section 6 (“You are the Christ the Son of the Blessed One?”) are practically identical. Other parallels, some of which may serve as possible inclusions to the whole of Mark's Gospel, include:
Parallel Section 1 Section 6
prominent mention of Peter among the apostles 1:16-18 16:7
people delay activities until the Sabbath is over 1:32 16:1
the service of women to Jesus 1:31 ch. 16
use of “redundant time stamps” 1:32 16:2
Jesus is recognized after an outcry 1:26 15:37-39
the father of two sons is named 1:20 15:21
Jesus is accused of blasphemy 2:7 14:53-65
Son of Man sayings 2:10,28 14:62
enemies (seek to) accuse (kategoreo) Jesus 3:2 15:3
enemies “plan together” to kill Jesus 3:6 15:1
Additional parallels include the irony in the fact that people disobey a command to silence in 1:44-45 while refusing to talk when told to do so in 16:7-8. Marcus notes that the slave-girl's comment in 14:67 that Peter was “with Jesus” is a possible echo of Jesus calling the disciples to “be with him” in 3:14-15.
Sections 2 and 5
The two major discourse sections in the Gospel, 4:1-34 and ch. 13, occur in the center of parts I and II, respectively, as defined in Fig. 1. Marcus states that these two passages are preoccupied with the issue of persecution, are concerned with the fate of the word, and utilize images drawn from harvest activities. Tolbert recognizes the central importance of the Parables of the Sower (ch. 4) and of the Wicked Tenants (ch. 12) to Mark's Gospel but mistakenly (in my mind) feels that they thus begin the two major divisions in the book, rather than being at the centers of both halves. Other thematic and verbal similarities are shown below:
Parallel Section 2 Section 5
scribes question Jesus' authority 3:22 11:27
kingdoms of Satan / the world 3:24 13:8
the importance of doing God's will 3:35 14:36
saying of Jesus prefaced with “hear” 4:3 12:29
Mark's only usages of the verb “to devour” 4:4 12:40
followers desert (same Greek word) 4:17 14:27
“kingdom” parables unique to Mark 4:26,30 13:34
only usages of “branch” 4:32 13:28
Mark's only designations of God as “Lord” 5:19 13:20
Jesus admits his ignorance of events 5:30 13:32
Jesus speaks in Aramaic 5:41 14:36
Jesus tells sleepers to wake up 5:41 14:37-43
Sections 3 and 6
If one considers the possibility that the long ending of Mark might be original (which is highly doubtful), then a number of verbal and thematic parallels can be cited between sections 3 and 6, the respective endings of Part One and Part Two of the Gospel. But even without this additional material, a close parallel can be noted between John the Baptist's disciples taking his body (ptoma) for tomb burial in 6:29 and Joseph doing the same with Jesus' body (ptoma) in 15:45. The only appearances of “anoint” in the gospel are at 6:13 and 16:1, and “evil” appears only at 7:21 and 15:14. Similarly, there are rare examples of Jesus' words in Aramaic being quoted and translated into Greek at 7:34 and 15:34. Herod “swears” in 6:23 as does Peter in 14:71, the only two appearances of that word in the gospel. Finally, palai in the sense of “already” is found in 6:47 and 15:44.
Sections 4 and 6
Parallel Section 4 Section 6
similar confessions as to Jesus' identity 8:29 15:39
Son of Man sayings 8:31 14:62
white clothes 9:3 16:5
actions of the apostles expressed similarly 9:6 16:7-8
Jesus revealed as the Son of God 9:7 15:39
the theme of Elijah's return 9:11 15:35-37
people “salute” Jesus 9:15 15:18
makros (“little”) 9:42 15:40
perissos (“even more”) 10:26 15:14
Jesus is flanked on his left and right 10:37-40 15:27
man/spirit cries out even more 10:48 15:14
a man leaves without his garment 10:50 14:51
contrast between the crowd “crying out” 11:9 15:13
Additional Evidence
1. Watts notes that the incident in 8:14-21 (end of Part I) “draws the preceding material to a close with many verbal reminders.”
2. There is a symmetry of sorts in the placement of the six examples of intercalation in the text (see my post titled “The Markan Sandwich”). They occur at the start and middle of sections 2 and 5, and at the beginnings of 3 and 6.
3. Two time markers in Mark's Gospel also help to confirm the proposed structure:
(a) The word “sun” occurs once each in sections 1, 2...and... 5, 6. Marcus identifies four passages in the Gospel (2:6-10; 3:20-35; 13:9-13; 14:53-65) that all relate thematically to the issue of the unpardonable sin. These are distributed among the same four symmetrically disposed sections.
(b) The word “morning” appears six times in the text, once in each of the proposed six sections of Fig. 1 (if the longer ending of Mark is accepted).
4. Anderson notes seven instance of amazement on the part of Jesus' spectators. If one excludes the dubious example of Mark 9:32, that leaves exactly one instance in each of the six major sections of the book.
5. Straddling the border between parts I and II of the whole composition are two quite similar healing accounts: that of a deaf man in 7:31-37 and that of a blind man in 8:22-26. Taken together these represent fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 35:5-6 according to Marcus. This major dividing line in the Gospel is also demonstrated by the fact that the two great proclamations regarding Jesus’ true identity come at the start of the book and the beginning of Part II.
“You are my beloved son” (Mark 1:11)
“You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29)
There is a similarly strong correspondence between the two passages in Mark in which God speaks: 1:11 and 9:7.
6. As a set of bookends for the whole Gospel, several commentators have noted that Mark 1:11 anticipates the confession of the centurion at the end of the Gospel (at 15:39): “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” This literary device is strengthened if one accepts the strong textual evidence that includes the phrase “Son of God” in Mark 1:1. (see Metzger's Textual Commentary on the New Testament)
7. Marcus sees “Danielic echoes” in three sayings found in Mark: 8:38; 13:26 and 14:62. These passages all occur in Part II of the Gospel near the start of Section 4, middle of Section 5 and start of Section 6, respectively.
8. Opposition to Jesus from the Pharisees appears almost exclusively in Part I while opposition from the chief priests is wholly in Part II. Also, the pace of the narrative slows down significantly in Part II compared to the first part of the Gospel. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)
9. Marcus offers in support of his own proposed structure (six sections plus a Prologue and Epilogue) the fact that each of the major sections is approximately the same length. Comparison of his structure with that of Fig. 1 in this regard shows roughly the same twofold variation between the longest and shortest sections (from his range of 64 to 118 verses each to a range of 79 to 152 verses for sections in Brett's proposal).
Implications of this Organization
Several major themes have been proposed for this Gospel in addition to the “Markan mystery.” Lane and others assert that Jesus' divine sonship is the major emphasis of the book. Fee and Stuart see “three strands to Jesus' public ministry”: his popularity with the multitudes, opposition from the authorities, and his deeper teachings for his closest followers. A number of scholars comment on the disproportionate space given to the Passion as indicating its central place in Mark's Gospel. Childs summarizes several other possibilities put forth but concludes that “no agreement whatever has emerged regarding the purpose for which the book was written.”
What does the additional evidence provided by the structural analyses add up to? The answer is six. I realize that statement calls for a little explanation. A review of my previous analyses of other books in the Bible demonstrated the prevalence of structural elements and phrases occurring in multiples of such “biblical” numbers as 7, 12 and 40. The Gospel of Mark exhibits this same phenomenon [As just one example, seven times Jesus is said to look around him.] but in addition is rather unusual in stressing the number six through its literary structures. Many of the long range patterns (see my post “The Ending of the Gospel of Mark”) occur in units of six and/or are associated with Greek words that occur precisely six times in the text. Six times Jesus announces, “I have come.” The overall structure of the book consists of a prologue and six major sections. And there are six (some would count more) major examples of intercalation in the text.
The symbolic significance of the number six derives either from the creation of mankind on the sixth day and/or the fact that six falls just short of achieving the perfection of seven. “The number of the beast...is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Rev. 13:18) The contrast between Jesus' perfect sonship and the imperfection of mankind, even those chosen disciples who have all the advantages of Jesus' private tutoring, is thus one of the major themes of Mark recognized by Childs and others, and is emphasized by the literary structure of the book.
This imperfection theme may also be the reason that Mark 7:20-23 groups the twelve evil things within a person into two sets: six plural nouns denoting repeated acts and six singular nouns describing types of vice. (Anderson)
Marcus points out that there are a number of places in the Synoptic tradition where Jesus describes some human beings as good; however, none of these is paralleled in Mark's account. The actual number six only occurs once in the Gospel, but its context is a telling one, coming at the center of the book and at the start of the Transfiguration story. This episode “presents a momentary unveiling of Christ's true identity for the sake of the disciples,” in Child's words. Yet even then Peter does not really know what to say in response to the vision and the Apostles react only in fear. The possibility that Mark may have employed “six” at this point (indicating the number of intervening days between events) for literary reasons is strengthened by comparing the parallel account in Luke 9:28, which reads “eight days” instead.
The appropriateness of the sudden ending to Mark's overall theme has been rehearsed by commentators many times over the years. For example: “Considered from the viewpoint of dramatic composition, the conclusion of the Gospel at 16:8 is not only perfectly appropriate but also a stroke of genius. The Gospel ends even more abruptly than it begins, on a finale of poignant grandeur.” (Bilezikian) Not everyone is persuaded by such arguments, and my own research (see “Ending of the Gospel of Mark”) is presented to deal with the possibility that a longer version of Mark's Gospel once existed.
Tellingly, the Gospel of Mark as we have it contains exactly six references to the Spirit. However, the hypothetical lost ending reconstructed in the just-mentioned proposal actually adds a seventh reference to bring it up to the number for perfection or completion in parity with the number of times “Spirit” appears in Matthew's Gospel.
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