The Genealogy (i. I-17) shows the Davidic descent of the Mes siah through Joseph, whose legal heir He became when Joseph recognized Mary as his wife: the story of the Virgin Birth (i. 18-25) proves him David's Lord as well as son. The Infancy narratives (ii. 1-23) show prophecy fulfilled and the early history of Moses the First Deliverer of Israel repeated in that of the Sec ond. With the account of Messiah's Call and Preparation (iii. i iv. 16) the editor reaches the point at which two of his Gospel records began, Mark and Q. He conflates their accounts, and adds an explanation of a Christian difficulty in regard to the baptism of Christ (iii. 14, 15). It is in the long section which relates the Pub lic Ministry of Christ in Galilee (iv. 57) that the editor is able to employ most freely his method of grouping. The section falls into separate chapters, each concerned with a different aspect of the Ministry. In the first of these the delivery of the New Law of the Kingdom of Heaven is described (v.–vii.). This discourse, known to us as the Sermon on the Mount, seems to represent in the main the conflation of two separate discourses, one from Q, which also appears in Luke vi. 2o-49, and another from his Jerusalem source, which contrasted Christian and Phari saic righteousness (roughly v. 17–vi. 18). Having given an ac count of Christ's words, the editor proceeds to give an account of his Messianic works (viii.–ix. 34) by collecting together nine typical miracles. These fall into three groups of three (the evangelist is fond of numerical arrangements), and by separating the groups, first by the story of some unworthy applicants for discipleship, then by the story of the call of the despised tax collector to be a disciple, he prepares the way for his next chapter, which describes the Mission of the Twelve and their Instructions (ix. 35–xi. r). The "charge" which is here given is built up out
of two missionary charges which were recorded in Mark and Q respectively (the Q charge appears in Luke x. 2f as delivered to the Seventy) with the addition of material drawn from other sources and contexts (e.g., Mark's Apocalyptic discourse). Then comes a section describing Christ's Controversies with his oppo nents (xi. 2–xii. 50), followed, since Christ's use of parabolic teaching was explained as due to Jewish unbelief, by a collec tion of Parables of the Kingdom (xiii. 1-53). The story of the Rejection at Nazareth as an epitome of the history of the Galilean Ministry forms an apt conclusion (xiii. 53-58).
After this point the editor is unable to make so much use of the method of grouping and follows the order of the Marcan narrative, continuing however to build up discourses as before.
The Period of Wanderings (xiv. i–xvi. 2o) which begins with the story of the dangerous interest of Herod Antipas in the new prophet, closes with the Great Confession as the account of the Galilean ministry closes with the Great Rejection. "From that time" the Preaching of the Cross takes the place of the Gospel of the Kingdom (see iv. 17 and xvi. 21). The Marcan story of the journey to Jerusalem, the Trial and Crucifixion is followed very closely. The evangelist takes advantage of an incident in Mark to construct a long discourse giving the Christian law as to Offences in the community (xviii.). Similarly he expands three verses of Mark into the long Denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees (xxiii.), and doubles the length of the Apocalyptic dis course in Mark by the addition of illustrative parables (xxiv., xxv.). But in regard to the events he can only add some legendary details to Mark's narrative.
Mark's Gospel, to-day, contains no account of any Resurrection appearances of Christ, and it is suggested that the "lost ending" has been preserved, in part, by Matthew. Matthew's narrative however at this point suggests that his copy of Mark ended as abruptly as does our present text and that he had no detailed tradition to draw upon to complete his story.