Mark Through Old Testament Eyes

Mark Through Old Testament Eyes by Andrew T. Le Peau


This new series by Kregel Academic called Through Old Testament Eyes is a quite unique commentary design.  This volume by Andrew T. Le Peau, former longtime associate publisher for InterVarsity Press, on Mark's Gospel is a welcome addition to the many good commentaries on Mark.  The contribution that Andrew's commentary makes to many valuable resources is his running commentary on how the individual verses and larger units of Mark cohere with the story of Israel in the Old Testament Scriptures.  Not just outlining the historical and geographical markers that coincide with the ministry of Jesus, but how the OT shapes Mark's entire narrative.

In the interaction with Jesus and Jairus' daughter in Mark 5, we Jesus responding to the ruler of the synagogue saying, "Do nor fear, only believe."  Le Peau writes, "The exhortation to not be afraid is often associated with the them of the Divine Warrior, that God will fight for Israel ...the Old Testament emphasis on God as Divine Warrior is that Israel is to rely on God instead of their own devices." (111)  This kind of interaction with the larger themes of the OT and fear are not what I would have thought of, but the application of this concept and its truth are true for this story and for God's people today.  

Further, there are certain echoes of OT stories that come in Mark's gospel that Andrew brings to the reader's attention.  In Mark 6:40, at the verse which states, "So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties," at the feeding of 500, Andrew notes, "This arrangement connect Jesus to the New Exodus, being reminiscent of how Moses organized the people of Israel and delegated responsibilites (Ex. 18:20-22)." (123)  The focus on patterns or ways in which Israel was gathered and how the crowds gathered in Jesus' ministry reflect not only Jesus as prophet but also point to his kingship, that he would rule people with justice, not wanting those in his midst to go hungry but have enough to eat to sustain their lives.  The echoes of Moses here reiterate the truth that Jesus is part of a story that started well before his incarnation on Earth and will continue well after his ascension.

The gray sections in the book are for areas in which Andrew wants to go deeper with theological and cultural issues that arise in the text.  Concerning divorce and remarriage, Andrew seeks to bridge the gap between the Mosaic injunctions and the teaching of Jesus.  He writes, "...if a man essentially abandoned his wife by not providing "her food, clothing, and marital rights...she is to go free" (Ex. 21:10-11).  The purpose of this was to protect women and children from poverty and starvation.  In that society, women had very few options for survival if they weren't married." (177)  This kind of cultural and biblical analysis, even mentioning that we build a case for divorce and remarriage not just on one verse, gives us confidence when we go to apply the Bible to specific issues.

I really enjoyed reading this book and know that it will be a most useful tool when studying Mark again.

Thanks to Kregel Academic for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.