St Mark's Gospel: The Final Days and Resurrection

Mark 14:12–26 describes the Last Supper on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover meal. Two disciples prepare the room; Jesus and the Twelve eat together. Jesus declares that one of those eating with him will betray him — each disciple asks "Surely not I?"

At the meal, Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples saying: "Take it; this is my body." He takes the cup, gives thanks, and passes it, saying: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." He states he will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God. They sing a hymn and go to the Mount of Olives.

Contrasting views on the meaning of these words:

Interpretation	What it holds	Tradition
Transubstantiation	Bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ at consecration; the substance changes while the appearance remains	Roman Catholic; some Anglican
Real presence / Consubstantiation	Christ is truly present "in, with and under" the bread and wine, which remain bread and wine	Lutheran
Spiritual presence	Christ is spiritually present when believers gather and share; no physical change in the elements	Reformed / Calvinist
Memorial	The Supper is an act of remembrance — "Do this in memory of me" (Luke/Paul; Mark does not include this phrase)	Baptist; many evangelical traditions

For the 12-mark question: the AQA specification explicitly requires students to know "differing beliefs about the meaning of Jesus' words and actions at the Last Supper." Name at least two contrasting interpretations with the traditions that hold them.

Gethsemane (14:32–42): Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the garden of Gethsemane. He is "deeply distressed and troubled" and says "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." He prays: "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." The disciples fall asleep three times despite Jesus' request to watch. This passage is significant for showing Jesus' genuine human anguish — not an impassive divine figure.

The arrest (14:43–52): Judas arrives with a crowd armed with swords and clubs from the chief priests, teachers, and elders. Judas signals Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is seized. One bystander draws a sword and cuts off a servant's ear. Jesus rebukes the manner of his arrest: "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs?" The disciples flee. A young man following Jesus runs away naked, leaving his linen cloth behind. (Some scholars identify this young man as Mark himself — this is a traditional but unverifiable claim.)

(Extra context — the identification of the young man at 14:51–52 with the evangelist Mark is a traditional view not required by the AQA specification.)

Trial before the Jewish authorities (14:53, 57–65): Jesus is brought before the high priest, chief priests, elders, and teachers of the law. False witnesses give contradictory testimony. The high priest asks directly: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus answers: "I am… and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tears his clothes and declares blasphemy — the assembly condemns Jesus to death. He is mocked and struck.

The "I am" answer is significant: it is the most unambiguous self-declaration in Mark, using the phrase that echoes God's self-identification in Exodus ("I am who I am"). Jesus quotes Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1 in one breath, claiming divine authority and future vindication.

Trial before Pilate (15:1–15): The Jewish leaders hand Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate asks: "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus replies: "You have said so." Pilate finds no basis for charges and offers to release a prisoner as a Passover custom — offering Barabbas (a murderer and insurrectionist) or Jesus. The crowd, stirred by the chief priests, demands Barabbas. Pilate asks: "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the King of the Jews?" They shout "Crucify him!" Pilate has Jesus flogged and hands him over to be crucified.

Key figure	Role in the trial
High priest	Interrogates Jesus; declares blasphemy
False witnesses	Misquote Jesus about the Temple
Pilate	Finds no guilt but yields to crowd pressure
Barabbas	Released instead of Jesus
The crowd	Stirred to demand crucifixion

Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus' cross (15:21) — Mark names his sons Rufus and Alexander, suggesting they were known to Mark's community. Jesus is crucified at Golgotha ("Place of the Skull"). He is offered wine mixed with myrrh (a mild anaesthetic) but refuses. The soldiers divide his clothes by casting lots, fulfilling Psalm 22:18.

The inscription above the cross reads "The King of the Jews." Two criminals are crucified alongside him. Passers-by mock him: "Come down from the cross!" The chief priests and teachers of the law mock: "He saved others; he cannot save himself!" Even the two criminals join in.

At the sixth hour (noon) darkness covers the whole land until the ninth hour (3pm). At the ninth hour Jesus cries out in Aramaic: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") — the opening of Psalm 22. Some bystanders mishear "Eloi" as "Elijah." A bystander offers Jesus a sponge soaked in wine vinegar. Jesus lets out a loud cry and dies. The curtain of the Temple tears from top to bottom.

A Roman centurion standing opposite declares: "Surely this man was the Son of God." This is deeply significant in Mark — a Gentile Roman soldier is the first human to confess Jesus' true identity clearly.

Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Council who was "waiting for the Kingdom of God," asks Pilate for the body. Pilate confirms the death with the centurion and releases the body. Joseph wraps it in linen and lays it in a rock-cut tomb, rolling a stone across the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observe where he is laid.

The empty tomb (16:1–8): On the first day of the week, three women — Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — bring spices to anoint Jesus' body. They wonder who will roll away the stone, but find it already rolled back. Inside the tomb they see a young man dressed in white who tells them: "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, he is going ahead of you into Galilee." The women flee "trembling and bewildered" and "said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid."

Mark's Gospel ends here at 16:8 in the earliest manuscripts — an abrupt, open ending.

Different explanations for the empty tomb:

Explanation	Details
Physical resurrection	God raised Jesus bodily from death; the tomb was genuinely empty because he rose. Held by orthodox Christians across traditions.
Spiritual resurrection	Jesus was raised in a transformed, spiritual body, not a resuscitated corpse. Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 15 speaks of a "spiritual body."
Stolen body	Disciples stole the body and fabricated the resurrection. The chief priests spread this account according to Matthew 28:11–15.
Wrong tomb	The women went to the wrong tomb in the pre-dawn dark. The young man said "see the place where they laid him" — but they were looking in the wrong place.
Hallucination / grief vision	The resurrection appearances were grief-induced visions, not physical events.

Differing beliefs about the significance of Jesus' death:

Atonement theory	What it holds
Substitutionary atonement	Jesus died in place of sinful humanity, taking the punishment humans deserved; God's justice is satisfied
Moral influence theory	Jesus' death demonstrates the depth of God's love, inspiring humans to repent and change
Christus Victor	Through death and resurrection, Jesus defeats the powers of sin, death, and the devil
Ransom theory	Jesus' life is given as a ransom (10:45) — paying the cost to free humanity from sin's enslaving power

A key significance question asks students to evaluate the authority of St Mark's Gospel in relation to secular sources.

Arguments for the authority of Mark's Gospel:

• Traditionally identified as Peter's testimony (Papias, c.130 CE, describes Mark as "Peter's interpreter").
• The earliest Gospel — written c.65–70 CE, within living memory of the events.
• Contains embarrassing details unlikely to be invented (disciples falling asleep, Peter's denial, the cry of dereliction) — these suggest historical authenticity.
• For Christians, it is part of the inspired, authoritative canon of Scripture.

Challenges from secular/historical-critical sources:

• Mark was written 35–40 years after Jesus' death — a significant gap in oral transmission.
• Anonymous authorship: the attribution to "Mark" comes from 2nd-century tradition, not from the text itself.
• Archaeological and Roman historical sources (Josephus, Tacitus) confirm Jesus existed and was crucified but do not confirm miraculous or resurrection accounts.
• The gospel contains theological shaping — events are arranged and narrated with clear theological purpose, not as neutral history.

Contrasting views on authority:

• Conservative Christian: The Gospel is divinely inspired; its theological shaping does not undermine historical reliability.
• Liberal/historical-critical: The Gospel is a theological document of great value, but must be read critically as a faith document, not a modern historical record.
• Secular/atheist: The Gospel's accounts of miracles and resurrection have no historical corroboration and reflect the beliefs of early Christians rather than reportable events.

1. Saying Mark includes the words "Do this in remembrance of me"

This phrase is in Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24–25 — not in Mark's account of the Last Supper. Mark 14:22–24 contains the words of institution but not this command. Do not add details from other Gospels to Mark.

2. Confusing the two cries at the cross

Jesus' desolation cry ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") comes at the ninth hour after three hours of darkness. A different "loud cry" accompanies his death (15:37) — this is not the same event. The desolation cry is the verbatim quotation of Psalm 22:1.

3. Claiming the centurion became a Christian

Mark 15:39 records only his declaration — "Surely this man was the Son of God." Whether he believed in the full Christian sense is not stated. Describe the declaration precisely.

4. Treating 16:8 as incomplete through error

The abrupt ending of Mark at 16:8 is deliberate in the earliest manuscripts. Later scribes added verses 9–20. The question of why Mark ends here is a theological and historical one — avoid describing it as an accident or scribal loss.

5. Listing atonement theories without explaining them

Naming substitutionary atonement scores one mark. Explaining what it means — and how it connects to Mark 10:45 ("ransom for many") — is what reaches the explanation level required for 4 and 6-mark answers.