Chapter 5 Reading Guide

Jesus, the Suffering Son of God: The Gospel According to Mark
  1. What is the Synoptic Problem? That is, what does “synoptic” mean and what’s the “problem?”
  1. What is the four-source hypothesis? Be able to discuss all four sources and their relationships to each other.
  1. How is Jesus portrayed as the messiah in Mark’s Gospel? How is this depiction similar to and different from typical first-century Jewish understandings of the messiah?
  1. How does Mark emphasize that Jesus was misunderstood?
  1. Who fully recognizes Jesus’ identity in this Gospel?
  1. How does Mark stress the need for Jesus, as the Son of God, to suffer and die? Why do the characters in the Gospel not recognize this necessity?
  1. For whom was Mark evidently writing? What clues about his audience are available in his Gospel?
  1. Explain the following terms: Son of Man, Son of God, Christ, and messiah. How would a first-century Jew make sense of Jesus as the Son of God? A first-century gentile?
  1. What is meant by the term “messianic secret”? How might it function in Mark’s gospel?
  1. 10. What is the problem with the charge of blasphemy leveled against Jesus in the Gospel of Mark? Was Jesus guilty of the charge?
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