Mark

Mark 1:7-13

What Did Jesus Do After Encountering John The Baptist?

After Jesus’ baptism, He spent some time with the disciples and then went into the desert. John the Apostle’s account of the baptism of Jesus is not a focus on chronological events. Instead, it is focusing on the ministerial aspect of Christ’s mission. John focuses on the issue of baptism and the commission of Christ and the blessing of the Father. Mark simply states that Jesus went into the wilderness after His baptism. Each account is about the same thing, but each addresses the issue in a very different manner and extracts different information from the events. Mark is more succinct and mentions several more events than John, but there is no contradiction because there is no conflict in what is said. A particular event may not be mentioned in one gospel or the other, but neither gospel denies what the other says or describes a scenario where the events reported in the other gospel could not have also happened.

Mark 2:26 & 1 SAM. 21:1

Was Abiathar Or Ahimelech The High Priest?

Mark 2:26 And 1 Samuel 21:1

Jesus claims that Abiathar was a high priest when citing a story where 1 Samuel lists Ahimelech as a priest. Is this a contradiction? Let’s take a look:

Ahimelech As High Priest: 1 Samuel 21:1, “Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech, the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, ‘Why are you alone and no one with you?'”

Abiathar As The High Priest: Mark 2:26, “how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”

Which account is correct? Is Abiathar the high priest, or is Ahimelech the high priest? One possibility is that Jesus is referring to a different person since he says ‘high priest’ in Mark 2:26, but it does not say “high priest” in 1 Sam. 21:1. It only says ‘priest.’ The term “high priest” occurs 78 times in the Bible, 58 in the NT, 20 in the OT. Of the books relevant to our discussion about Abiathar and Ahimelech as priests, the term “high priest” does not occur in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, or 1 Chronicles. But it does occur in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

It is possible that they were not both the high priest and are different in position. I believe it is important that Jesus refers to Abiathar as the high priest in Mark 2:26, but Ahimelech is called the priest in 1 Sam. 21:1.

The Son Of…

It is interesting to note that Ahimelech is the son of Abiathar, but it is also said that Abiathar is the son of Ahimelech.

2 Samuel 8:17, “Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary.”
1 Samuel 23:6, “Now it came about, when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.”

So, there may be a copyist error, but I did not find any support for that. Therefore, it appears that both men shared each other’s names. The father and the son were both known by the same two names: Ahimelech and Abiathar. Consider the following quote.

“The most probable opinion seems to be, that both father and son had two names, the father being also called Abiathar; and this appears almost certain from 2 Sa. 8:17; 1 Ch. 18:16, where Ahimelech seems evidently termed Abiathar, while Abiathar is called Ahimelech or Abimelech. (Compare 1 Ki. 2:26, 27.) 1 Sa. 22:20–22; 23:6, 9. 2 Sa. 8:17; 15:24, 29, 35; 20:25. 1 Ki. 1:7; 2:22, 26, 27; 4:4. which is not lawful. Ex. 29:32, 33. Le. 24:5–9.”

Blayney, B., Thomas Scott, and R.A. Torrey with Canne, John, Browne. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, n.d.

There are biblical accounts of the same person having different names. In Exodus 2:18, Moses’ father-in-law is named Reuel; in Exodus 3:1, it is Jethro. In Matthew 1:9, Uzziah is the father of Jotham. But in 1 Chronicles 3:12, his name is Azariah. And Jotham’s father was known as Azariah in 2 Kings 15:7 and Uzziah in 2 Kings 15:32.1

Conclusion: Ahimelech Is A Priest, But Abiathar Was High Priest

Since Jesus mentions Abiathar as the “high priest” in Mark 2:26, but Ahimelech is mentioned as the “priest” in 1 Samuel 21:1, it is possible that they were different priests. On the other hand, in second Samuel 8:17, Ahimelech is the son of Abiathar, but in 1 Samuel 23:6, Abiathar is the son of Ahimelech. I did not find any evidence of a copyist error. Therefore, it is possible that both men shared each other’s names. In other words, both men had two names as appears to be the case in 2 Sam. 8:17 where Ahimelech is the son of Abiathar, but in 1 Sam. 23:6, Abiathar is the son of Ahimelech. This is supported by the fact that Moses’ father-in-law is called Reuel in Ex. 2:18, yet in Exodus 3:1, it is Jethro. Uzziah is the father of Jotham in Matt. 1:9. But in 1 Chronicles 3:12, his name is Azariah. Also, Jotham’s father was known as Azariah in 2 Kings 15:7 and Uzziah in 2 Kings 15:32.

Mark 15:25

At What Hour Was Jesus Crucified?

The answer is easy when you realize that there were two different time systems being used.

The Third Hour, Mark 15: 25, “And it was the third hour when they crucified Him.”

The Sixth Hour, John 19:14-15, “Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 15 They, therefore, cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.'”

Most probably, John was using the Roman measurement of time when dealing with the crucifixion. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, for the most part, used the Hebrew system of measuring a day: from sundown to sunup. The Roman system was from midnight to midnight. “John wrote his gospel in Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and therefore in regard to the civil day, he would be likely to employ the Roman reckoning.

Mark 15:34

What Are The Last Words Of Jesus?

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion seem to provide different statements as the last words of Jesus from the cross. What was the last thing Jesus said? And is this a contradiction between the gospels?

(Matthew 27:46) – “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have Your forsaken Me?'”

(Mark 15:34) – “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'”

(Luke 23:46) – “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last.”

(John 19:30) – “When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.”

A simple arrangement of the various gospel texts on the Crucifixion Chronology page shows that the last thing Jesus said was “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” (Luke 23:46) which also states that He breathed his last after saying that. These were the last words of Jesus. The other gospels do not actually claim that any of Jesus’ statements were his final words, so there is no contradiction here.

Mark 16:9-20

Is The Ending Of Mark Really Scripture?

There is a dispute over Mark 16:9-20 and whether or not it should be included in the New Testament. It is found in many old manuscripts but is omitted in two of the earliest complete copies of the Bible, known as the Vaticanus (350 AD) and Sinaiticus (375 AD). Additionally, there is another ending to Mark in some old manuscripts that is substituted for 9-20. The alternate ending reads as follows:

“And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”

Some scholars have asserted that the ending is in a different style than the rest of the gospel and that it contains 16-22 “non-Marcan” words used in a “non-Marcan” sense. It seems to suggest that Jesus appeared in a different form (v. 12), which could be problematic since Jesus rose in the same body He died in (John 2:19-21). Also, Mark 16:16 can be interpreted to mean that baptism is part of salvation. It isn’t, as is testified by verses that teach justification by faith Rom. 5:1; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9, etc.). Whichever the case, the dispute is not settled and may never be.

I am not here trying to undermine the authority of God’s word nor state that Mark 16:9-20 is not authentic. But, the fact remains that these 12 verses are under dispute, and it is necessary to spotlight this issue when dealing with the historic reliability and inspiration of the New Testament manuscripts.

The Text Of Mark 16:9-20

“Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 And when they heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. 12 And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 And they went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either. 14 And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 “And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed,” (NASB).