While most of the passages we read in Mark this week have parallels in Matthew there are three that are unique. The first unique passage we read this week is found in Mk 13:33-37. Both Matthew and Luke have similar teachings about being ready. Matthew’s is found in chapter 24:14-15 and verse 42. Luke warns of being ready in 12:35-40. Notice how the CSB translates Luke 12:38, “If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, blessed are those servants.” The CSB has a foot note on the word ‘dawn’ that reads “Lit even in the second or third watch.” Jews and Romans divided the night into military watches. For the Jews the night was divided into three watches. The first was sunset to 10 P.M., the second was from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M. and the third was from 2 A.M. until sunrise. Luke is using the Jewish divisions of the night. These Jewish watches can be seen in the Old Testament, for the first watch see Lam. 2:19, for the middle watch see Judges 7:19, and for the morning watch see Ex. 14:24. However in Mark 13:35 the CSB reads, “Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning.” Mark is using the Roman divisions of the night. The first division or evening as Mark calls it would be from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. The second division was 9 P.M. to midnight. The third division was from midnight to 3 A.M., which Mark calls the crowing of the rooster, and the fourth division was from 3 A.M. to 6 A.M. That Mark is using the Roman divisions for time is another indication that he is writing to a Roman audience, see also Mk 6:48 where Mark refers to the fourth watch.
The second passage we read this week that is unique to Mark is in Mk. 14:51-52. The CSB translates as, “Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.” William Tyndale translated the Greek New Testament into English in 1536. It was the first English translation from the Greek, and he was burned at the stake for making the translation. His version did not have verse numbers but part of what we know as verse 51 reads, “clothed in lynnen upon the bare and the younge man caught him/and he lefte his lynnen/and fled from them naked.” We can understand why Matthew, Mark, and John didn’t mention this but why does Mark include it? Luke tells us in Acts 12:12 that Mark’s mother, Mary, had a large house in Jerusalem, and that the early disciples met there. Early church tradition claimed that the Last Supper was held at her house. This has led to the speculation in church tradition that the young man was Mark, the writer of the Gospel. Many modern commentators also argue for Mark being the young man. The linen garment that was left would probably indicate he came from a family of means. But truthfully, we can’t know for certain. Daniel Akin the President of Southeastern Seminary made an interesting comment on this story, he wrote, “So again, as it was in the garden of Eden, our nakedness is exposed as we desert the God who loves us and has graced us so abundantly with His kindness and good gifts.”
The last unique information is found in Mk 15:21 where Mark records that Simon of Cyrene is the father of Alexander and Rufus. Obviously, Mark’s readers knew who they were. It’s highly probably that Rufus is mentioned in Rom. 16:13. If that identification is correct that would be an additional indication that Mark is writing to the Roman Church.
The second passage we read this week that is unique to Mark is in Mk. 14:51-52. The CSB translates as, “Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.” William Tyndale translated the Greek New Testament into English in 1536. It was the first English translation from the Greek, and he was burned at the stake for making the translation. His version did not have verse numbers but part of what we know as verse 51 reads, “clothed in lynnen upon the bare and the younge man caught him/and he lefte his lynnen/and fled from them naked.” We can understand why Matthew, Mark, and John didn’t mention this but why does Mark include it? Luke tells us in Acts 12:12 that Mark’s mother, Mary, had a large house in Jerusalem, and that the early disciples met there. Early church tradition claimed that the Last Supper was held at her house. This has led to the speculation in church tradition that the young man was Mark, the writer of the Gospel. Many modern commentators also argue for Mark being the young man. The linen garment that was left would probably indicate he came from a family of means. But truthfully, we can’t know for certain. Daniel Akin the President of Southeastern Seminary made an interesting comment on this story, he wrote, “So again, as it was in the garden of Eden, our nakedness is exposed as we desert the God who loves us and has graced us so abundantly with His kindness and good gifts.”
The last unique information is found in Mk 15:21 where Mark records that Simon of Cyrene is the father of Alexander and Rufus. Obviously, Mark’s readers knew who they were. It’s highly probably that Rufus is mentioned in Rom. 16:13. If that identification is correct that would be an additional indication that Mark is writing to the Roman Church.
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