Up to Date (Gospel of Mark)

Catching Up on the Latest Biblical Commentaries (2019-2024)

I’m running a series called “Up to Date,” where I do a sweeping survey of recent commentaries. In 2020, I published a little book called The New Testament Commentary Guide: A Brief Handbook for Students and Pastors (Lexham Press, 2020). I’m proud of my “little orange book,” but a resource like this gets outdated. If you are looking for commentary classics and “best picks” I suggest picking up my book. In this Substack series though, I will be looking at what has been published in the last five years (2019-2024).

Important Recent Gospel of Mark Commentaries (2019-2024)

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I’m embarrassed to say I have not spent much time in this commentary, though I expect it is excellent and deeply insightful. The Wisdom Commentary series if focused especially on feminist criticism, but is attention generally speaking to social and political power dynamics, which certainly come into play in the gospels. Furthermore, Carter has distinguished himself as an expert in the area of empire-studies.

The Story of God series is shaping up nicely, and this is one of the gems of the series. Gombis is known for his work on Paul (esp Ephesians), but his long and illustrious teaching and writing career has given him strengths as a generalist. I have spent ample time in this, it is vintage Gombis, and should serve as a faithful companion for a Bible study or sermon series. Be prepared to be challenged!

Spencer is one of my favorite Gospels scholars and a very, very gifted writer.

Here is my official endorsement:

Spencer, widely known and respected for his scholarship on Luke, brings his expertise in the Synoptic tradition to this excellent guide to understanding the Gospel of Mark. Truth be told, academic commentaries aren’t known for being page-turners, but Spencer defies these expectations with his engaging and witty writing style. When I teach or preach on Mark, this will be one of the first resources I consult.

Okay, this is not a traditional “commentary,” but A.-J. Levine has been doing an excellent job providing resources on the Gospels that help Christians better understand our Scriptures and avoid anti-semitic and Anti-Judaism bias.