As our church begins going through Mark’s Gospel, I wanted to recommend a few resources to either read alongside of Mark or to help provide overview and background. Here’s a short list of some books, articles, and videos to go along with a study of the book.
General
- Video overview of Mark’s Gospel by The Bible Project. These are always excellent to watch for a broad overview and outline of any book of the Bible.
- ESV Scripture Journal: Mark. These Scripture journals include a page for journaling alongside of the text of Mark.
- “Introduction to Mark” at thegospelcoalition.org. This online course provides a number of helpful resources for studying the book of Mark.
Articles
- “Introduction to Mark” at esv.org
- “Is Mark’s Gospel ‘theological’? These 7 Themes Affirm It Is” by Jeremy Bouma at zondervanacademic.com
- “Mark: the Gospel of the Servant-Messiah” by Mark L. Strauss at bibleproject.com;
- “How Mark’s Use of the OT Contributes to His Christology” by Tavis Bohlinger at academic.logos.com
- “Unique Discipleship to A Unique Master: Discipleship in the Gospel According to Mark” by Michael J. Wilkins
- “Jesus Christ, the Son of Man” an essay by Fred Zaspel at thegospelcoalition.org.
Books
- King’s Cross by Tim Keller. This book looks at the life of Christ through Mark’s gospel.
- A Theology of Mark’s Gospel by David Garland. This more academic book walks through the major themes and contributions of Mark’s Gospel.
- The Wonder Working God (on the miracles of Jesus) and The Storytelling God (on the parables of Jesus) by Jared Wilson. Though not specific to Mark, these two short books are great reads alongside of the gospels as they help you see the glory of Jesus in his miracles and parables.
- The Cross from a Distance: Atonement in Mark’s Gospel by Peter Bolt. A more academic read but this book from the New Studies in Biblical Theology series highlights how Mark’s gospel subtly and explicit leads us to the cross through the entire narrative.
- Surprised by Jesus: Subversive Grace in the Four Gospels by Dane Ortlund. Though this book covers all four of the gospels and how each provides a slightly unique portrayal or focus on Jesus, it does have a section on Mark.
Commentaries
- Exalting Jesus in Mark by Daniel Akin. A readable commentary with primarily overview of sections rather than in-depth exposition.
- Mark (NIV Application Commentary) by David Garland. A readable commentary that provides explanation of the text followed by application.
- The Gospel According to Mark by James Edwards. A more in-depth commentary but still not overly academic.