Explain How And Why Luke May Have Edited Mark’s Gospel
Explain how and why it is possible that Luke edited Mark’s Gospel.
There are a number of compelling arguments for believing that Luke revised Mark’s Gospel. Because the book of Luke was written after the book of Mark, it is likely that Luke drew on Mark as a source for his writings. Although the books of Luke and Mark are not identical, there are many similarities between them in terms of both the language employed and the content of the books. This in some ways shows that Luke may have authored the book of Luke in response to Mark’s gospel.
During a meal at the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, Jesus was anointed by an unidentified lady, according to Mark 14:3-9. The woman anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume that she had purchased. In accordance with the New International Version, this perfume was manufactured entirely of nard and was contained in an alabaster jar. Some of the guests who were in the house were perplexed as to why she was wearing such a costly perfume. They contended that this perfume may be sold for a high price and the proceeds distributed to the destitute. Jesus, on the other hand, defended the woman. He told her that she had done an excellent job and that the impoverished would continue to exist even if he was not present to see them. He went on to explain to the crowd that the anointing of his body was done in preparation for his burial, and that the deed performed by the woman would be related over and over again when he was teaching the gospel to the people (New International Version).
The account in Luke 7:36-50 tells of a sinful woman who came to a Pharisee’s house where Jesus had been invited to dinner and sobbed at his feet before beginning to wipe her tears on his feet with her hair. Jesus then rebuked her for her actions. She kissed them and put perfume into an alabaster vase, which she placed on their shoulders. The Pharisee thought to himself that if he were a prophet, he would have recognized this woman as a sinner and informed her of her status. When Jesus spoke to the Pharisee, he addressed him by his given name, Simon (New International Version). As a result, the account in Luke 7:36-50 has been modified to remove the anonymous woman who appeared in Mark, while she is described in Luke as a sinner. Although the man in Mark was not identified as a Pharisee in the same way that the man in Luke was, they both go by the name of Simon.
The first reason Luke would have modified the story is to ensure that it was consistent with the message he was trying to portray. Despite the fact that the two stories were similar, the sentiments they conveyed were quite different. The purpose of the first was to show a prophetic insight that Jesus is the anointed king who would suffer and die, whereas the purpose of the second was to pass a message of forgiveness, as described in Luke (Muddiman 170). The second reason that Luke may have modified Mark’s account is that the women’s roles were shown differently in the two stories. He intertwined the stories of women with Jesus’ ministry, and he demonstrated via his stories how Jesus valued women.
The passage in Mark 3:31-35 describes how Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers were standing outside the house. They dispatched someone to contact Jesus. As soon as he heard his name mentioned, Jesus immediately inquired about his mother and brothers. When he looked around at the individuals sitting around him, he realized that they were his mother and his brothers. He went on to say that his mother and brothers are the ones who carry out God’s will in their lives (New International Version). According to Luke 8:19-21, however, Jesus’ mother and brothers were unable to come close to him because of the large number of people who had gathered to see him after they had arrived. Asked about his mother and brother who were waiting outside to meet Him, Jesus responded by saying that they were the people who take God’s message and put it into action by doing what it says (New International Version).
For the reason that he did not want to depict a poor image of Jesus’ family in his Gospel, Luke would have revised Mark’s Gospel to make it more palatable to his audience. In Mark, Jesus underlined that his family consisted of those who were seated with him, a point that was overlooked by Luke. Another reason why Luke would have altered Mark’s gospel is to avoid portraying women in a poor light, which he did not want to do in his Gospel because he portrayed them as being an integral part of Jesus’ mission and as such, he held them in high regard.
