I say all of that so you don’t think I’m writing this post to hate on the Gospel of John. I know a lot of people these days make fun of how often beginner Bible studies go through the Gospel of John, or how many evangelicals would say it’s their favorite book. I’m not doing that here. I might even be willing to say that John is my favorite New Testament book; at the very least, it’s in the top three.

A few decades ago—I’d guess the 60’s—everyone started handing out the Gospel of John to their non-believing friends.¹ It was extremely helpful. Most people in America back then had a religious background. Most young people had been to church back when they were children, regardless of whether or not their parents were saved. The Gospel of John worked extremely well because—besides the fact that the Holy Spirit was moving—the way it presented the message of Jesus was appealing and clear to the demographic to whom it was being presented.

It’s Been Forty Years

The 60’s came and went. The eighteen year-olds who received those Gospel of John booklets have had kids; many of their kids had kids. The religious and cultural landscape in the West has shifted dramatically. Most people, even Barrack Obama (to a degree), would agree that America is no longer a Christian nation.² Additionally, the internet age has caused everyone to expect everything to happen immediately.

Perhaps we should reconsider which book of the Bible we give people as an evangelism tool. I’m not saying it’s bad to give people a Gospel of John. I’m just asking if we could hand them something that might better meet them where they are.

The Problem

The Gospel of John is extremely intricate. It’s filled with beautiful details and nuances. The arguments are complicated and brilliant. It is extremely Jewish in style, but it was clearly written to be readable to a fairly sophisticated, philosophy-loving, Greek audience. The trouble is that the thinkers of the 60’s have all but vanished. Sure, we still have some deep thinkers. For the most part, though, people don’t think deeply enough to get the most out of John without working really hard… and hardly anyone in America these days likes working hard.

Enter Mark

Mark was written to a primarily Roman audience. I mentioned how people today expect everything to happen immediately. It’s worth noting that the Gospel of Mark uses the word “immediately” (in the esv) thirty-five times. That’s an awful lot. Mark is a short Gospel (sixteen chapters) written to a fairly impatient audience. He comes right out and states that Jesus is the Son of God in the first verse, and then he jumps straight into Jesus’ ministry.

Just an Idea

This is really just me thinking out loud. It’s possible for someone to get saved if you hand them a copy of Leviticus. Still, though, we want to be as clear and culturally relevant as we can when we present the message of Jesus to people. I’m thinking that giving people the Gospel of Mark instead of John as an evangelism tool might be a little more effective. What do you guys think? What book do you think we should (generally) suggest to new believers and unbelievers? Post a comment.

Jesus Christ is the only way that we can know God;¹¹ we couldn’t get to God because He’s holy,¹² so He became like us.¹³ Jesus is the perfect prophet who reveals God to us fully,¹⁴ the perfect priest who offers Himself as a sacrifice for our sins and intercedes on our behalf,¹⁵ and the perfect King who rules and reigns over all of creation.¹⁶ He offers forgiveness of sins¹⁷, salvation from hell¹⁸, freedom from sin,¹⁹ and a restored relationship with God²⁰ to those who will believe that He is the only way to ever have any of those things.²¹

If you want to learn more about Jesus, I’d suggest you try reading the Gospel of Mark. It’s a short book and really good for getting started. Additionally, I write a lot about Jesus on this blog.

[[20]]Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 1:5; Colossians 1:22John 14:6; Acts 4:12[[21]]