I can’t say I have a favorite book of the Bible. At any given time it’s whatever book I am studying (although I think 2 Corinthians still fits the bill). And while all Scripture is from God, what I love about the Gospels is that I get to meet Jesus, the brilliant, wise, loving, enigmatic Son of God in the flesh. The Four Gospels have been preached through in churches more than any other book or section of Scripture.
As well, J. C. Ryle wrote an accessible and popular series on the Gospels: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Douglas Sean O’Donnell—a pastor-theologian and the senior vice president of Bible editorial at Crossway—follows in the same spirit with his series ESV Expository Reflections on the Gospels. As he writes, “The writing style is homiletic (in the best sense!), seeking to be carefully structured, exegetically deep, highly applicable, deeply personable and engagingly humorous, and rhetorically excellent” (15). I agree with most of this (more on that later), and based on this volume on Mark’s Gospel this whole series is a must-have.
In his preface to Mark, O’Donnell lays out some foundational views to Mark’s Gospel. John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37) wrote the Gospel and likely had Peter as his source. It is likely that he wrote his Gospel near the end of Peter’s life (AD 64–68) and before the destruction of the Temple (AD 70). He might have written his Gospel from Rome, and he likely wrote to believers to “(1) to remind them of what they were to believe about Jesus, (2) to instruct them in Jesus’ teachings, (3) to urge them to share those stories about who Jesus is and what he has done for others, and (4) to encourage them to persevere through persecution” (18).
He wanted his readers to understand Jesus’ teaching on the destruction of the temple and his second coming (cue Mark’s “Let the reader understand” at 13:14), as well as understanding that Jesus is the Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Man. Jesus’ mission was to conquer the power of evil by going to the cross. He wanted his readers (both past and future) to understand what it meant to follow this Jesus. When we arise and follow the son we also must pick up our cross and sacrifice for others and share this good news with the world.
Is this just another commentary? No, in fact most commentaries aren’t very interesting for laypeople. And I understand. Most are very detailed, many are pedantic, they take different views of important matters but at the same time they all say the same thing. In this volume, O’Donnell divides Mark into 47 chapters (or homilies—each was a sermon preached at Westminster Presbyterian Church).
O’Donnell is exegetical (see his insightful “Ten Steps for Mastering Parable Interpretation and Finding Meaning in Life” in his chapter on Mark 11:27–12:12, pp. 345–351), and instead of teaching verse-by-verse he helps you focus on the main parts of each section, always being careful to lead you to a few points of application.
Outline of the Gospel of Mark
- 1:1–15—Introduction to the Gospel: John the Baptist and Jesus
- 1:16–3:6—Jesus in Galilee: Ministry and Controversy
- 3:7–6:6—Jesus in Galilee: Jesus Teaches and Shows His Power
- 6:7–8:26—Jesus in Galilee: Jesus’ Acts Yield a Confession
- 8:27–10:52—Jesus Heads to Jerusalem and Prepares His Disciples for the Coming Suffering
- 11:1–16:8—In Jerusalem Jesus Meets Controversy and Rejection, Leading to His Death and Resurrection
O’Donnell is careful not to throw in many details just for the sake of information. The information he gives you is meant to help you understand Jesus, and it fits within the theme of the section O’Donnell is covering. To understand the shame and dishonor of Levi the Jew working as a taxman under Rome, O’Donnell writes,
They went against everything it meant to be a good Jew. This is why ‘the Mishnah prohibits even receiving alms from a tax collector at his office since the money was presumed to have been gained illegally (m. B. Qam. 10.1);’ this is why, when a tax collector ‘entered a house, all that was in it became unclean (m. Ṭehar. 7:6).’ Moreover, ‘he was disqualified as a judge or a witness in a court session, was excommunicated from the synagogue, and in the eyes of the community his disgrace extended to his family.’” (70)
Yet of all people in the world the Son of God comes to Levi and breathes life into his dead bones. Similar to how Jesus will say to the dead Lazarus, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43), and Lazarus steps out of the tomb alive, Jesus calls Levi, a man “dead in [his] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), to follow him, and in doing so, Levi “rises to new life” (71). It is important to remember that “conversion to Christ is a resurrection from the dead” (71).
O’Donnell is personable. He compares the disciples boat trip over the small Sea of Galilee with a time he thought he was going to die as a kid fighting a wave in Lake Michigan. He shares his joys, worries, and fears and points us to Christ through all of them.
The Spoiled Milks
While this is a matter of personal taste, I usually did not enjoy O’Donnell’s humorous bits throughout the book.
- His questions at the beginning of the above section (Mark 2:13–22, p. 67) were enjoyable. However, other small comments spread through out chapters just seemed hokey.
- In the section on Mark 2:23–3:6, Jesus walks through a field where his disciples pluck heads of grain because they are hungry. It is another conflict story featuring “question and answer time with Jesus.” (80). Being reprimanded over eating heads of grain is weird, so O’Donnell asks, “But why do the Pharisees think the disciples are breaking the Sabbath command by partaking in the original breakfast of champions?” (81).
- In the chapter on Mark 13 we are encouraged to remember that “the eternal reward outweighs the temporary troubles” (407). We must first face troubles and tribulations, “But there is a crown soon! Labor pains now; delivery date forthcoming. Breathe in; breathe out” (407).
- Or how the disciples being knocked down by the winds in 6:45–52 was like having “wrestler Andre the Giant lying on them for a three-second count—‘One, two, . . .’” before Jesus comes walking by and rescues them (190–91).
These comments don’t flood the book, but in my eyes this cheapens the quality of the expositions. This is similar to David Garland’s excellent Mark commentary in the NIVAC series. When Jesus asks “Who do you say that I am?” Garland writes, “Peter moves to the head of the class by giving the answer that makes sense of all that they have witnessed: “You are the Christ” (8:29).”
When this is my only real complaint, this isn’t so bad in view of all the good qualities I’ve listed.
Recommended?
I enjoyed O’Donnell’s thoroughness through Mark’s Gospel. He has taken great care to present Mark’s message carefully in an engaging style. He offers clever introductions that flow well into the text and is clear at connecting it to his sermon conclusions. This is a great commentary to use to better understand Mark if you don’t want to use a technical commentary but you want something above a few steps above the typical devotional.
Lagniappe
- Series: ESV Expository Reflections on the Gospels
- Author: Douglas Sean O’Donnell
- Hardcover: 584 pages
- Publisher: Crossway (March 19, 2024)
- Read the Introduction + Chapter 1
Buy it from Amazon or Crossway!
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Crossway. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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