Page 74 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

10
people gathered around him. In short, the Markian account maintains that Jesus preached a
considerable amount of sermons. Implicitly, Mark demonstrates that preaching was the “primary

11
emphasis of his ministry” in Jesus’ public life.
In addition, Mark also retains the record of Jesus’ calling of his twelve disciples.

He writes, “He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to

him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out

to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons” (Mk. 3:13-15). By this

statement, one can deduce that Jesus appoints and trains future preachers peripatetically to

continue his preaching ministry. By being with Jesus, the disciples learned the ministry of the

Word from Jesus, the very Word of God himself. Jesus was a preaching model for them;

subsequently, they learned Jesus’ emphasis on the preaching ministry of the Word. To be with

the Lord was the source of their inspiration and authority. Furthermore, Jesus trained his

disciples to preach by involving them in the praxis of a preaching ministry; this is evidenced by

12
Mark’s report that Jesus sent them out to preach. From this survey of Mark’s witness on Jesus
then, it is clear that Jesus was a preacher and a trainer of preachers, placing the ministry of the

Word at the center of his ministry.

9 Mark 11 and 12.

10
For examples, Mark 2:1-12 says that when Jesus was at a house in Capernaum with full
of people, he was speaking the word to them. He also preached at seashore. (Mk. 2:13-17)

11
Old, Reading and Preaching, 113.
12 Mk. 6:7-13.