The Gospel According to Mark: Introduction

Preliminary Concern: Why bother with Bible study?
Who wrote this book?
What was Mark's purpose in writing this book?
What is the historical setting of this book?
What type of book/literature is this?
How does Mark's gospel compare with the others (Matthew, Luke, John)?
What are some key themes in this book?
How is this book structured?

Preliminary Concern: Why bother with Bible study?
One of the most important, yet neglected, disciplines of the Christian life is serious, committed, personal Bible study. While many Christians will say that the Bible is important to them, in truth the vast majority of professing believers spend at best no more than a few minutes a week reading it. The end result is ignorance regarding God's truth which, in turn, has any number of profoundly negative consequences. The Bible is God's lamp to our feet and God's light to our path (see Psalms 119:105) - which means that without it we can expect to spend a lot of time stumbling and bumbling through this life. Beyond the obvious fact that it is an act of obedience and a sign of our love for God, personal Bible study has the potential to impact us in some highly significant ways, including:

• Knowledge. "Knowledge" is "the truth or facts of life that a person acquires either through experience or thought." [ref] While creation reveals (some of) what God is like, the Bible remains the only objective source for the fullest knowledge possible regarding God and his will for us.

• Wisdom. Wisdom is the "ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding." [ref] In simplest terms, it is "skill for living." [ref] A Christian acquires this skill through personal study and application of the Scriptures.

• Understanding. To understand is "to grasp the meaning of; to grasp the reasonableness of; to have thorough or technical acquaintance with or expertness in the practice of." [ref] Knowing and applying God's counsel as found in the Bible is the only sure way to truly understand life - our purpose, our meaning, our direction.

With so much to gain, why is Bible study such a lost art? Well, for one thing, personal, committed, ongoing Bible study demands time and effort. Which means getting out of the bed a little earlier each morning and/or turning off the television a little sooner in the evening. It also means investing in resources, beginning with a good study Bible, Bible dictionary, and Bible commentary. (For some suggested titles, please see the "RESOURCES" tab on the homepage.) As one source aptly puts it:

The big problem with Bible study today is that we think it should be easier than other things we do. We study recipes for quality meals, how-to books for all kinds of things - carpentry, plumbing, automobile maintenance and so on - and read vociferously for our hobbies. Why do we think the Bible is the only subject we should not have to study?! Let me challenge you - make the Bible your hobby. At one level I do not like the analogy; the Bible must be so much more than a hobby! But at another level, what if we spent as much time and money on Bible study as we do our hobbies? What if we took the same amount we spend on golf clubs and courses or on skiing equipment and skiing trips, and put it into Bible study? Yes, encyclopedias, commentaries and other reference materials are expensive. But so is everything we do. The question is about priorities: what is important enough for our time and money? I want to encourage you to get and use the tools that enable us to bridge the gap back to Bible times and authorial intention. [italics added] [ref] (quoted verbatim)

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Who wrote this book?
John Mark ("John" is a Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious; "Mark"/"Marcus" is a Roman name meaning "larger hammer"). [ref]

Besides the early Church's testimony that Mark served as the apostle Peter's "interpreter" ("a term meaning something like 'private secretary' and aide-de-camp" [ref]), Mark had firsthand knowledge of the leaders of the early Church and the Gospel* they espoused:

• Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), a leader in the early Church.
• Mark came from a wealthy family who were among the first in Jerusalem to become Christians, and whose home served as a meeting place for believers (a house church) (Acts 12:11-13).
• He was a traveling companion of the apostle Paul during Paul's first missionary journey (c. A.D. 46–48) (Acts 12:25; 13:5).
• However, because Mark had abandoned Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13), Paul refused to take him along on the next trip (c. A.D. 49–52), a decision that created a rift between he and Barnabas. The latter took John Mark and headed in a different direction (Acts 15:36-39)..
• At some point Paul and Mark were reconciled, since Paul later speaks highly of him (Colossians 4:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24).

(*Except for some verbatim quotations, within this study "gospel" [small "g"] indicates a type of writing or genre, while "Gospel" [large "G"] refers to the message proclaimed by Jesus and, later, the Christian Church: "the 'good tidings' of the kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection, and ascension." [ref] There are four gospels that testify to the one Gospel.)

Interaction
What does it mean to be reconciled to someone? Does being reconciled mean that two people have to think and act exactly alike? Why or why not?  

Insight
Another word for reconciliation is reunion. To reunite is to make united again. Unity, however, is not the same as uniformity. Whereas uniformity demands looking and acting exactly alike, unity involves shared beliefs and values - while still leaving room for individual differences.

While we can only guess as to why John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas - Fear of danger? Dissatisfaction with the leadership? Malaria? [ref] - it is probably not too much to say that it was John Mark's and Paul's beliefs and values which led them to be reconciled. And doubtless the entire experience better prepared Mark for writing about Jesus, the one who came to reconcile us to God.

Mark was a companion of the apostle Peter and may even have been converted by him (see 1 Peter 5:13). It is  believed that Mark's gospel is based on Peter's sermons and recollections regarding Jesus, and it is obvious that Mark chose to present his material thematically rather than chronologically. Mark's gospel was held in high esteem immediately after it was written (because of Peter's authority, plus its endorsement by the Christian church at Rome), but it did fall out of favor once the longer and smoother gospels of Matthew and Luke arrived on the scene. [ref] 

Tradition tells us that John Mark went on to establish churches in Alexandria (Egypt), he was martyred, and his remains were carried to Venice and placed under the Church of St. Mark. [ref] [ref] [ref]

Insight
How we live our lives bears witness to who we are and what we believe. This was Peter's point in his first epistle. Writing to Christians who were being persecuted for their faith, Peter urged them to live good lives that would bear witness to the saving power of God. "Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world" (1 Peter 2:12).

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What was Mark's purpose in writing this book?
Mark wrote his gospel for the (Gentile) Christians living in and around Rome during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Mark sought both to encourage and to equip them by reminding them of who Jesus Christ is and what it means to follow him.

"The Gospel of Mark teaches about the person and acts of God as revealed in the words and works of his Son, Jesus Christ. In his ministry, defined as good news (gospel), Jesus as the Christ fulfills the promises of the Old Testament  concerning the Davidic Messiah-King in a unique way as the Son of God." [ref] In Mark's historical narrative we learn that Jesus: was empowered by God's Spirit; proclaimed God's good news; announced God's kingdom; called for "repentance and belief in that good news";  suffered and died to ransom us from sin; and was raised back to life. [ref]

Interaction
Who is Jesus to you: A good man? A wise teacher? Lord? Why?

Insight

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. ... While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a Cross between two thieves. ... When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. ... Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race ... I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life. (Author Unknown/Disputed [ref]) (quoted verbatim)

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What is the historical setting of this book?
The setting for Mark's gospel is the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero in Rome, beginning A.D. 65.*

Part of Rome was destroyed by fire, and it was soon reported that Nero - a madman who had slaughtered several members of his own family - had himself ordered it. In an effort to shift the blame, Nero pointed the finger at a new, unpopular religious sect - the Christians. He began a systematic persecution of the Christians in and around Rome, and it was during this period that both Paul and Peter were put to death. As one source notes: "Writing in the last two or three years of Nero's life, when the Jewish rebellion was in its early stages, when persecution of Christians was severe, and when many 'prophets' and 'deliverers' were making themselves known, the Markan evangelist puts forward Jesus as the true son of God, in whom the good news for the world truly has its beginning." [ref]  

(* The date and circumstances of writing are not absolutely certain. Most Bible scholars argue for a date of A.D. 65–70, in which case Nero's persecution would have been a major reason for Mark's writing. This seems the best guess considering all the known facts. Some scholars, however, argue for a date as early as A.D. 45–50.)

Interaction
Describe a time you were falsely accused of something. What was the outcome? What did you learn from that experience? 

Insight
William Shakespeare wrote that, "Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind." And C. S. Lewis noted how, "Suspicion often creates what it suspects." [ref] People are prone to see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Moral: Striving to live good lives will help us see the good in others (though they may or may not acknowledge it in us).

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What type of book/literature is this?
Mark's book is a gospel narrative centering on the words and works of Jesus Christ. Jesus' public ministry began in A.D. 29 and ended in A.D. 33. Mark opens his narrative by placing the Gospel within its proper historical context: Old Testament prophets => John the Baptist => Jesus. The nation of Israel had long anticipated God's Messiah and the deliverance he would offer; the "good news" was that he had finally arrived. As one source summarizes:

Since the usage and associations of the term in the Synoptics coincide with those in Isaiah, it is likely that the meaning of gospel has its roots in this message of restoration and healing for the helpless. The preaching of the "good news" is collocated with the kingdom in both the Synoptics (Mark 1:14–15; Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 16:16) and in Isaiah (Isaiah 40:9–10; 52:7) and so also with healing in both the Synoptics (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 11:5; Luke 7:22; 9:6) and in Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1; 26:19; 29:18; 35:5–6). [ref] (quoted verbatim)

Mark's is actually one of four separate but related gospels, the others having been written by Matthew, Luke and John. Because their subject (Jesus) is unique, in many ways theirs is a unique type of literature. Their basic style, however, reflects a type of biography popular at the time. These biographies of philosophers or writers (rather than generals or politicians) "were shaped over a skeleton chronology running from their birth, or entrance on the stage of public history, to their death, interrupted here and there by topical excursions." [ref] The gospel writers (or "evangelists") present us with a series of snapshots of the life and times of Jesus, culminating with his death, resurrection, and promised future return.

Mark's is "a biography charged with energy" [ref] - it emphasizes action and climaxes with Jesus' crucifixion. [ref] Mark's frequent use of the word "immediately" (40 x) "adds to the rapid flow of his narrative, which, dwelling more on Jesus' activity than on his discourses (in contrast to Matthew and Luke), shifts from scene to scene with hardly a pause." [ref] As one source puts it, it is as if Mark "rushes on in a kind of breathless attempt to make the story as vivid to others as it is to himself," [ref] the end result being what has been called "essentially a transcript from life." [ref]  Besides showing Jesus in action, Mark includes quite a number of details appropriate to an eyewitness account - "details of persons, times, numbers, and places." [ref] Although such intimate details may be unimportant in and of themselves, nonetheless they offer additional proof of authenticity since they are what an "eyewitness would have been likely to recall later when he related the mighty works and words of Jesus and the decisive reactions of those present." [ref] As one source puts it: "Mark's Gospel throbs with life and bristles with vivid details. We see with Peter's eyes and catch almost the very look and gesture of Jesus as he moved among men in his work of healing men's bodies and saving men's souls." [ref]

Interaction
Have you ever read the biography or autobiography of a famous person? What was the one thing about him or her that impressed you the most? 

Insight
Not long ago I read Billy Graham's autobiography, Just As I Am. Here is a man who has shared the Gospel with literally millions of people around the world. Here is a man who has confronted presidents and kings with their need for a personal relationship with the King of kings, Jesus Christ. If anyone has a right to boast about his accomplishments, surely it would be Billy Graham.

And yet what strikes me most about Billy Graham's life is not his accomplishments, but his humility. Ask him why God has used him so greatly and Billy Graham will tell you he has no idea. All he knows for sure is that God is in charge and he is called to be faithful.

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How does Mark's gospel compare with the others (Matthew, Luke, John)?
The center of focus for all four gospels is, of course, Jesus Christ. And so there is quite a bit of overlap in the reports of Jesus' words and works. But since each gospel writer wrote with a particular audience in mind, each writer emphasizes or highlights themes targeted to his intended audience. Along these lines, it is important to keep in mind that Mark does not aim for a precise, detailed record - "a day-to-day diary of events in chronological and orderly sequence." [ref] Because Mark's gospel is more of a patchwork of different episodes from Jesus' life and ministry, "the unity to be found is that of a mosaic or collage of individual passages that together produce a pattern." [ref]

Regarding the structure of his gospel, one source notes how Mark organized his narrative

according to a simple plan. The first eight chapters summarize the nature of Christ's public ministry by alternating stories that show his growing popularity with stories that stress the disapproval of the Jewish leaders. This first half of the book, while indicating some of the tensions created by Jesus' coming, gives the basic impression of success and general optimism. A significant shift then strikes the reader toward the end of chapter 8, particularly beginning with verse 31. At Caesarea Philippi, Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, and now for the first time Jesus reveals that as Messiah he must die. The disciples become perplexed and discouraged and their pessimism mounts as this thought is brought home to them repeatedly (Mark 9:9, 31; 10:32–34; 14:17–25). In the end they desert their master (Mark 14:50). [ref] (quoted verbatim)

When added together, the four gospel accounts present a complementary (rather than contradictory) picture of Jesus.

Matthew: "Matthew's object was to exhibit the Gospel as the fulfilment [sic] of the law and the prophecies; to connect the past with the present; to show that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews, and that in the Old Testament the New was prefigured, while in the New Testament the Old was revealed." [ref]

Mark: "Mark ... is a chronicler rather than a historian. His narrative is the record of an observer, dealing with the facts of Christ's life without reference to any dominant conception of his person or office. Christ's portrait is drawn 'in the clearness of his present energy;' not as the fulfilment [sic] of the past, as by Matthew, nor as the foundation of the future, as by John. His object is to portray Jesus in his daily life, 'in the awe-inspiring grandeur of his human personality, as a man who was also the Incarnate, the wonder-working Son of God.'" [ref]

Luke: As a physician, Luke had an eye for detail and a spirit of compassion. Among other things, Luke's gospel reflects:

• contrasts (e.g., between good and evil)
• "the freedom and universality of the Gospel"
• the prized status of women
• and the importance of prayer. [ref]

John: John's gospel "is characterized by the profuse employment of symbolism. This accords with its Hebrew fiber, and also, largely, with the nature of its subject. For not only was John a Jew, familiar with the symbolic economy and prophecy of the Old Testament, but Jesus, the central figure of his Gospel was, pre-eminently the fulfiller of the Law and of the Prophecies. Christ's own teaching, too, was largely symbolic; and John's peculiar, profound spiritual insight detected in His ordinary acts that larger meaning which belonged to them in virtue of Jesus' position as the representative of humanity; and that unity of the natural and spiritual worlds which was assumed in the utterances of our Lord in which the visible was used as the type of the invisible." [ref]

Interaction
What is your favorite painting? What do you most appreciate about it? 

Insight
The story is told of three visitors to the Grand Canyon - an artist, a pastor, and a cowboy. Each one was amazed at the sight before them.  

The artist exclaimed that the Grand Canyon would make for a beautiful painting.  

The pastor saw in the canyon an awesome example of God's creative handiwork.  

But the cowboy moaned, "Sure would be a mighty bad place to lose a cow!" [ref] (paraphrased) 

Moral: Who we are is reflected in the way we see things. Being a follower of Jesus involves seeing ourselves, our world and God in a new and exciting way.

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What are some key themes in this book?
Jesus came to save the lost and serve the least.  "In contrast with the courtesans and the leaders of Galilee who attend Herod's court, aside from his final days in Jerusalem, Jesus is found in rural, rustic and rudimentary settings and in the company of the little people." [ref] Jesus' message of forgiveness and deliverance was/is for people - all people.

• The Son of God, as evidenced by his divine activity, including healings, exorcisms, and power over nature.
• The Son of Man, a Messianic title used often by Jesus in reference to himself.
• The Redeemer who came to die on a cross for the sins of the world, seen especially in Mark's emphasis on Jesus' passion: "Mark devotes a greater proportion of space to the passion narrative than any other of the gospels."
• The Healer whose miraculous healings encouraged faith in Jesus. [ref]

Christ and the Messianic Secret. Both "Christ" (Greek) and "Messiah" (Hebrew) mean "(God's) Anointed One." In the Old Testament, God promised to send someone to deliver Israel. In time the idea of such a deliverer took on a political connotation: the people began looking for an earthly king to deliver them from Roman bondage. The people forgot that God's deliverer would also be a suffering servant. And so by the time Jesus came on the scene, there was much expectation regarding an earthly king who would use force to overthrow the Romans. This popular misconception was one reason Jesus repeatedly told others not to reveal his true identity (demons [1:23–25, 34; 3:11–12], people he healed [1:40–44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26], and the disciples [8:30; 9:9]).

Another important reason for the "Messianic secret" is that Jesus' was to be a spiritual reign and his followers would be a part of God's invisible kingdom. Jesus could become king only after he completed his mission of dying for the sins of the world. Ironically, the cross that was waiting for Jesus, popularly identified with defeat, actually served to inaugurate Jesus' rule over the hearts of all who personally identify with him. And so, knowing that the cross must come before the crown, Jesus told people to remain silent regarding his identify as God's promised deliverer. Only after the cross and his resurrection from the dead did Jesus commission his followers to take the good news to everyone everywhere.

Interaction
Describe a time (birthday, Christmas, etc.) when you totally surprised someone with a gift they really wanted.

Insight
My wife carries a backpack virtually everywhere she goes. Being the frugal person she is, she refused to buy a new backpack, even after the one she had used for several years was in real need of replacement. And so one Christmas I totally surprised her with a new bag. She loved it and used it until it was completely worn out.

The funny thing is, I had tried before to get her to trade in her old bag for a new one - without success. She absolutely refused to give up her old bag. When I gave her the new backpack as a gift, however, she could not refuse. And, as she began to use and enjoy the new bag, soon the old one was completely forgotten.

Salvation is a free gift from God. We can neither earn it nor produce it for ourselves. But like my wife with her old, worn-out backpack, our natural tendency is to hold on to what we have and make do with that. And so we tell ourselves that, when it comes to God, we have enough to get by. What we really and desperately need, as Mark reminds us, is to throw out our old bag and accept the new one Jesus offers.

Spiritual Conflict. The earth has been the scene of a great spiritual battle ever since the first human pair, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God's rightful rule over their lives (Genesis 3:15a). Since then, Satan has been doing everything within his power to prevent us human beings from seeking God. Mark's Gospel shows Jesus casting out demons (members of Satan's army), which in turn demonstrates his superiority over their master, Satan (Mark 3:27). When anyone turns to Jesus for healing and deliverance, that person is freed from Satan's control - i.e., healed both physically and spiritually.

In the final analysis, we can choose to worship either God or Satan. There is no middle ground. And who we worship determines how we worship: If we worship Satan, we will serve self. If we worship God, we will serve others in his name.

Interaction
Is all conflict bad? Why or why not?

Insight
The story is told of a heated encounter between Winston Church and Lady Astor. (Lady Astor was the first woman member of the British House of Commons).

Lady Astor: "If I were your wife, I would give you arsenic to drink."

Churchill: "And if I were your husband, I would gladly drink it." [ref] 

Conflict literally means "to strike together." Proverbs tells us that, "Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other" (Mark 27:17, CEV). Provided it results in good, conflict can be a good and healthy thing. Often conflict is God's way of getting our attention and showing us something important that we should be concerned about. For example, it may be a situation we should seek to remedy, or a bad habit we need to break.

Miracles and Salvation. In general, miracles can be defined as: "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." [ref] Miracles are not intended to prove God really exists; miracles are intended to prove God really cares. In Mark's Gospel, miracles show that Jesus came from God 1) to help the helpless, 2) to offer salvation to those who could not save themselves (everyone), and 3) to announce God's kingdom. Not even Jesus' performing miracles directly in front of them was enough to convince hardcore skeptics - they attributed the miracles to Satan (Mark 3:22). Only those who had fully committed themselves to Jesus were able to see the miracles for what they were: proofs of God's saving love. Hence the repeated connection between faith and miracles: "Your faith has made you well" (Mark 5:34; 10:52).

Interaction
Have you ever seen a miracle? Describe what happened.  

Insight
Although we may use the word "miracle" to describe an event we don't understand, a true miracle is "a special act of God that interrupts the natural course of events." [ref] As revealed in the Bible, miracles attract attention; attests to the existence of God; promote good; help confirm God's truth; and open the way for people to hear God's message. [ref]

Discipleship. A disciple is a student or learner who seeks to emulate his teacher or instructor. A disciple of Jesus is someone who seeks to live by his teachings.

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? What kind of treatment should a disciple expect? What sort of priorities should govern his or her life? The answers to these questions, important in their own right, would have taken on new and vital significance for Mark's original audience - Christians being hunted down and put to death for their faith - since they help to point out the high cost of discipleship. Mark repeatedly presents Jesus' disciples as being filled with fear and doubt, two real and natural emotions. And that seems to be Mark's point: only through belief in and commitment to Jesus can we begin thinking and acting differently from those in the world around us. Like his or her master, a disciple of Jesus rejects worldly power and status in favor of "the way of suffering and the cross through servanthood." [ref]

Interaction
Who was your favorite teacher in high school? What did he or she do that made you want to learn for yourself?

Insight
Commenting on 2 Timothy 4:13, where Paul asks Timothy to bring him a cloak, books, and the parchments, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote the following: "He is inspired, yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, yet he wants books. He has had a wider experience than most men, yet he wants books! He has been caught up into the third heaven, and has heard things which it is unlawful to utter, yet he wants books! He has written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books!" [ref]

Moral: Those who love to learn change and grow by learning, and they never outgrow their need to learn.

The Kingdom of God. The "kingdom of God" can be defined as "the sovereignty of God under which people place themselves by accepting the message of Jesus in faith and undergoing a spiritual rebirth." [ref] Jesus began his public ministry by proclaiming: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15, NASB). Thus Jesus linked together the concepts of fulfillment, God's kingdom, repentance, and personal belief in the Gospel. God's promises (regarding a Deliverer or Savior) were fulfilled with the coming of his kingdom (= rule) which could be entered into only through repentance (= turning from sin) and belief in (= commitment to) the Gospel (= good news concerning Jesus Christ).

Interaction
What image(s) come to mind when you think of the word "kingdom": King? Queen? Castle? Banquets? Battles?

Insight
A kingdom is actually an individual country, and many parallels exist between a given country and God's kingdom. [ref] Take, for instance, the United States of America:

• The U.S. is large and expansive.
• Life here is festive and abundant.
• By its very nature, the U.S. includes some people but excludes others—i.e., not everyone can be a citizen of our country.
• It is by grace alone that we are born citizens of the U.S.
• Our citizenship is very valuable. It entitles us to both privileges and responsibilities.

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How is this book structured?
Mark's Gospel is one of action. The storyline follows Jesus as he travels dusty roads and crosses stormy seas, weaving in and out of towns and villages as he makes his way from Galilee in the north (chapters 1–9) to Judea and Jerusalem in the south (chapters 10–16). Along the way we see Jesus preaching, leading a group of disciples, performing miracles, engaging in dialogue with people, defending his actions and beliefs in open debate, and finally being put on trial and crucified. [ref]

More than one-third of Mark's Gospel is devoted to the last week of Jesus' life (chapters 11–16), placing major emphasis on the events surrounding the crucifixion.

The key verse in Mark is: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45, NASB). Broadly speaking, we see that:

• Jesus the Servant is presented (1:1 - 2:12)
• Jesus the Servant is opposed (2:13 - 8:26)
• Jesus the Servant instructs (8:27 - 10:52)
• Jesus the Servant is rejected (11:1 - 15:47)
• Jesus the Servant is resurrected (16:1-20) [ref] (quoted verbatim)

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