Jesus on "Sin" & "Salvation"
in the Gospel According to Mark

  1. Create a three-columned table listing every time the GMark either reports Jesus' words or narrates actions connected with the following five topics: food, clothing, housing, money, and sex. Make your table look like the one below:
    1. The first column will contain the number indicating in what order this example appears in GMark (e.g., is it the first mention of the topic, the second, third, etc.)
    2. The second column will contain the exact Biblical citation for the example story
    3. The third column should contain a phrase that you think encapsulates the content of the story

    "Sin" & "Salvation" in GMark
    I. Jesus on Food
    # Citation Synopsis or "sound bite"
    01 Mark X:xx-xx Multiplication of the loaves
    02    
    03    
    ...    
    II. Jesus on Clothing
    01 Mark X:xx-xx "Consider the lillies of the field...."
    02    
    03    
    ...    
    III. Jesus on Housing
    01 Mark X:xx-xx "The 'Son of Man' has nowhere to lay his head ...."
    02    
    03    
    ...    
    IV. Jesus on Money
    01 Mark X:xx-xx The widow's mite
    02    
    03    
    ...    
    V. Jesus on Sex
    01 Mark X:xx-xx ??
    02    
    03    
    ...    

  2. Compare how many times GMark says that Jesus said or did something relevant to each of these five topics. Which topic or topics predominate? Do you find any of these results surprising? How so or how not?
  3. Based on the data you collected in your table, which topic seems to be the primary concern of the Markan Jesus? Does this fit with what you expected? How so or how not? What significance do you attribute to these data?
  4. The Greek word sozô means "to save" as in "to rescue; liberate; free from captivity," while the word hamartia (often translated "sin") refers to a situation where someone has "missed the mark" (e.g., not hitting the bulls eye when target shooting). Keeping in mind the definitions of these two terms, how would you characterize the Markan Jesus' view of the relationship between "sin" and "salvation"? On this basis, who can bring "salvation," and how would one recognize it?
  5. How would the popular understanding of Jesus change if more people knew what you have documented in this exercise? What significance would this have for the contemporary Christian community (e.g., lifestyle, preaching, teaching)?