Although the Gospel of Mark became one of the main sources for the writings of Matthew and Luke, it, too, was based on older source materials. One of these, according to a well authenticated tradition, was an oral source. Papias, an early church father writing about 140 A.D., tells us that Mark obtained much of the material for his gospel from stories related to him by Peter, one of Jesus' disciples. This statement by Papias has been accepted as reliable by most New Testament scholars, for it very reasonably explains the contents found in the first half of Mark. This portion of the gospel consists of a series of relatively independent stories assembled without reference to the particular time and place of each occurrence or the chronological order of the events. The particular sequence in which the stories are recorded is evidently due to Mark's arrangement of them. The second half of this gospel contains a fairly detailed account of the day-to-day happenings that occurred in or near the city of Jerusalem during the brief period that preceded the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark begins with a brief account of the work of John the Baptist, who is referred to as the forerunner of the coming Messiah. During these days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. Following Jesus' baptism, the Spirit of God rested upon Jesus, and from that time forward Jesus dedicated his life to the work of preparing people for the coming of God's kingdom. His public ministry was preceded by a period of temptation in the wilderness. Soon after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus appeared in Galilee, preaching the gospel and saying "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" After choosing his disciples, he began a vigorous program of evangelism by preaching to the people and healing the sick who were brought to him.
