Mark study section
Mark word studies
A handful of Greek words carry the theology of Mark. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.
Key words
εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion): “Gospel, Good News”
Usage: Mark 1:1, 14-15; 8:35; 10:29
Meaning: Good news, glad tidings, originally the announcement of a victory or a royal accession.
Theological Significance: Mark calls his whole book “the gospel of Jesus Christ,” the good news that God’s kingdom has come in the crucified and risen King. It is a message to be believed and proclaimed to the whole world (Mark 1:15; 16:15; Romans 1:16).
εὐθύς (euthys): “Immediately, At Once”
Usage: Mark 1:10, 12, 18, 20, 21; and over forty times
Meaning: Immediately, straightway, at once. Mark’s signature adverb, driving the narrative forward.
Theological Significance: The relentless “immediately” conveys the urgency of the gospel and the tireless activity of the Servant. The kingdom has broken in, and it calls for an immediate response of repentance and faith (Mark 1:15).
ἐξουσία (exousia): “Authority”
Usage: Mark 1:22, 27; 2:10; 11:28
Meaning: Authority, right, power to act. The crowds marvel that Jesus teaches and acts with authority.
Theological Significance: Jesus wields an authority that belongs to God (over demons, disease, sin, and the Sabbath) revealing His divine identity. This authority is fully His as the risen Lord to whom all is given (Mark 2:10; Matthew 28:18).
διακονέω (diakoneō): “To Serve”
Usage: Mark 1:31; 10:43-45
Meaning: To serve, minister to, wait upon. The word behind “servant” and “deacon.”
Theological Significance: Jesus defines His mission and true greatness in terms of service: He “came not to be served but to serve.” His followers are called to the same self-giving servanthood, following their Master (Mark 10:43-45; Philippians 2:5-7).
λύτρον (lytron): “Ransom”
Usage: Mark 10:45
Meaning: A ransom, the price paid to redeem or set free a captive or slave.
Theological Significance: Jesus gives His life “as a ransom for many,” the price that redeems His people from bondage to sin and death. This one word encapsulates the saving purpose of the cross (Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
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