“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

The Gospel of St. Mark, the second book of the New Testament, is one of the four canonical gospels and the three synoptic gospels. It was traditionally thought to be a summary of Matthew, which accounts for its place as the second gospel in the Bible, but most contemporary scholars now regard it as the earliest of the gospels. Many experts reject the tradition which ascribes it to Mark the Evangelist, the companion of Peter, and regard it as the work of an unknown author working with various sources including collections of miracle stories, controversy stories, parables, and a passion narrative.

This shortest of all New Testament gospels is likely the first to have been written, yet it often tells of Jesus’ ministry in more detail than either Matthew or Luke. It recounts what Jesus did in a vivid style, where one incident follows directly upon another.

In this almost breathless narrative, Mark stresses Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God now breaking into human life as good news and Jesus himself as the gospel of God. Mark tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to his death and burial and the discovery of the empty tomb. It portrays Jesus as a heroic man of action, an exorcist, healer and miracle worker. Jesus is also the son of God, adopted by God at his baptism, but he keeps his identity secret, concealing it in parables so that even the disciples fail to understand. All this is in keeping with prophecy, which foretold the fate of the messiah as Suffering Servant. The gospel ends, in its original version, with a promise to meet again in Galilee, the discovery of the empty tomb, and an unheeded instruction to spread the good news of the resurrection.

‘The Gospel of St. Mark’ is presented here in stunning E-book format specially designed for digital reading. It includes five different versions, commentary by Matthew Henry and an inspirational image gallery showcasing art inspired by the gospel over the ages. There are also links to free complete audio recordings of different versions of ‘The Gospel of St. Matthew.’

The King James Version

Douay-Rheims Version

The American Standard Version

Bible in Basic English Version

Webster Bible Version

The Matthew Henry Commentary

Image gallery

Links to free complete audio recordings of 'Mark.'