The Bible Year

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 30, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 59.

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Assignment for December 3 to 9

December 3: Mark 1, 2.

December 4: Mark 3 to 5.

December 5: Mark 6 to 8.

December 6: Mark 9 to 11.

December 7: Mark 12 to 14.

December 8: Mark 15, 16.

December 9: 1 Timothy.

The Gospel According to Mark

“Mark, whose Hebrew name was John, a Jew by birth, was the nephew of Barnabas, Paul's traveling companion, and the son of Mary, a pious woman of Jerusalem, at whose house the apostles and early Christians often assembled. He wrote the Gospel bearing his name, probably at Rome, and in the Greek language

about A. D. 64 or 65, under the immediate direction of the apostle Peter, whose intimate friendship he seems to have enjoyed, and chiefly for the use of the Roman converts.

“The special aspect of our Lord's life and labors presented by Mark is that of Christ the friend of man; hence he records chiefly the actions of our Lord rather than his discourses. There is no attempt to give a continuous narrative, but rather a succession of facts and events, delineated with more or less minuteness, and described with graphic power. The contents of this Gospel are very similar to those of Matthew and Luke, nevertheless it has its own distinctive peculiarities. It does not seek to contend with Jewish prejudices, nor does it refer much to the Jewish people, or to the Mosaic law, or to the prophetical writings; but it dwells with vivid completeness on the miracles and doings of our Lord which incontestably prove his divinity. The Gospel of Mark lays claim to be a thoroughly independent and original composition, and neither an abridgment nor a compilation from other sources. Two miracles are recorded not to be found in the writings of the other evangelists, and many important matters are presented or discussed which tend to give a clearer conception of the nature and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The style of Mark's Gospel is vigorous, abrupt, pictorial, and graphic; the present is often used for the past, and persons are introduced as speakers. In diction it approaches nearer to Matthew than to Luke. . . .

“Note especially the prominence given to the human personality of our Lord, both as regards actions, emotions, and physical needs; the miracles of the deaf stammerer and the blind man at Bethsaida healed, recorded only by Mark; the preponderance of the records of miracles generally over those of parables and discourses; and the fulness of the prediction concerning the second advent.”—Dr. J. Anderson.

The First Epistle to Timothy

“This epistle was written by Paul to Timothy, his own son in the faith, about A. D. 64. He was especially beloved by the apostle, and when quite a youth became his companion in travel. The parentage of Timothy is recorded, as well as the careful instruction he had at an early age in the Word of God. His father was a Greek, his mother (Eunice) was a believing Jewess, who, together with his grandmother Lois, are specially mentioned as having unfeigned faith. It is supposed that Timothy's conversion to the gospel of Christ took place on the occasion of Paul's first visit to Lystra; and that, on the apostle's second visit, Timothy, being well reported of by the brethren, was chosen to be the companion and assistant of Paul in his missionary labors. It was during the sojourn of Timothy at Ephesus, for the purpose of regulating the discipline of the church established in that city, that the apostle wrote him this epistle, the special object of which was to instruct Timothy in the proper choice of office bearers in the church, to caution him against false teachers, to urge upon him in his preaching to give due prominence to practical matters of religion, and generally to stimulate the young evangelist to a full and faithful discharge of all his ministerial duties. . . .

“The style of this epistle is earnest, practical, easy, and flowing, just what would naturally proceed from a loving, true-hearted man to his son in the faith, for whom he felt so much affection, and to whom he delegated so responsible a trust. Note especially the prediction of the apostasy of the latter times, the qualifications of bishops and deacons given with so much minuteness of detail, and the earnest exhortations to ministerial faithfulness.”—“Searching the Scriptures,” pp. 166, 167.