The reasons for writing Mark are catechetical instruction; liturgical use in religious functions; to cover up Jesus' failure to proclaim himself the Messiah; reduce political offensiveness towards the Roman authorities; and, finally, encourage persecuted Christians to understand that Jesus also suffered and died. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Providing catechetical instruction to new converts as a reason for writing the Gospel of Mark - doesn't hold up because Mark didn't provide much of Jesus' teaching in his gospel. The outline and discussion of our text say many things, but the teaching is not suggested throughout the Book. Therefore it is clearer that Mark was more informative than instructive. Regarding the gospel of Mark written for liturgical use in religious services. This comes from the word liturgy which means a form of public worship; ritual. There are accommodation difficulties regarding Mark's style, smoothness, and symmetry that do not support a liturgical document. Another objection I have to this is that a lot of writing was not the norm for teaching during the second century because the religion was regularly practiced in synagogues and temples so a written gospel was probably not what they used. Jesus didn't boast. However, those who think that Mark is writing to cover up his failure to proclaim himself the Messiah are missing the point. Jesus says, “I am not come to judge the world, but to save the world” KJV John 12:47. It wasn't something he kept secret, however, his ability to work miracles wasn't hidden, or something he seemed ashamed of. There seems to be an explanation for all this in the fact that He did not want to be invaded by the pressure of people who wanted to get closer to Him to have similar miracles happen to them. The attenuation of political offensiveness was due to the “messianic secret” spoken of by some who thought that Mark was writing to hide that Jesus did not proclaim himself the Messiah. This is not probable, because people knew Jesus from other testimonies of what was already preached orally at that time. The political feeling at the time was Hellenistic, and Rome really didn't care one way or the other about Jesus, so there would be no need to reduce political stressors on Jesus. Encouraging persecuted Christians is another possible reason for write the Gospel of Mark. This is a double-edged sword because at the time believing in Christ could cost you your life, so it is understandable why such a view might be considered. However, I object because people who believed in Christ already knew the risks to their faithfulness. Furthermore, the Apostles preached much of what Jesus had experienced in a monotonous way and included that they too would probably suffer a similar fate, so such an explanation in written form would not be necessary. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay I believe the reason for the Book of Mark is that stated in 2 Tim 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” Some have also written that the Gospel of Mark was a transcript of what Peter was an eyewitness to, which was told to “John Mark” to tell us what Peter saw of Jesus so we could believe.