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Themes Of The Gospel Of Mark

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By: Charmaine Warford
Winter 2015

The three central themes in the Gospel of Mark are: The Good News; Following the way; Kingdom of God.
"The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
Gospel in English derives from godspel, meaning "good news." Similarly, in the Greek in which Mark wrote, evangelion means "good tidings."
When the writer of the gospel of Mark says “The beginning of the good news”, 1. it is obvious from his opening sentence that he is writing about news he thinks will benefit people. The good news is not only that there is a God, but is about God`s action and is connected to Jesus who is the Messiah and Son of God. 2. It is about hope and fulfillment of hope. Mark alludes to Malachi and Isaiah where the mention of wilderness and exile, symbols of need and expectation. They reinforce the claim that the good news meets such hopes and expectations. In Mark 1:15 ``The time promised by God has come at last!`` he announced. ``The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!`` The call to repentance must be understood. People should repent in preparation for the coming of the Lord. In Mark 2:10 ``So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins`` The good news is that in Jesus’ ministry he will baptise with the Holy Spirit. Jesus with the Spirit faces the powers of evil. 3. The good news is about God’s action which reaches fulfilment

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