The Gospel of Mark Comes Alive with Actor Max McLean

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According to Guinness World Records, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time.  With over 5 billion copies sold and distributed, it presents the truths of God.  The Bible continues to be read and embraced by people around the world.  God’s truths are timeless and His guidance is desperately needed in the truthless times in which we live. 

Scroll down to watch enjoy the theatrical telling of the Gospel of Mark by Max McLean, the founder and artistic director of Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA).  FPA was founded to glorify God with theatrical performances by presenting God’s Word and His teachings to a broad and diverse theater audience.

Why the Book of Mark?

Each of the four Gospels offers a distinct presentation of Jesus–His Person, His words and His works.  The books of Luke and John focus on the Person of Jesus, His humanity and His divinity respectively.  The Book of Matthew focuses on Jesus’ mission.  It tells of Jesus revealing Himself to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Mat 15:24) as their coming Messiah (Mat 16:20).

The Book of Mark is unique and it is intriguing.  While it also reveals much about Jesus as a man, and the Son of God and on a mission, it focuses greatly on Jesus’ works as the willing servant of God and man (Mark 10:45) and as our suffering Saviour (Mark 8:31).

This book is filled with action. It focuses on what Jesus did and it is a quick and fun read. It’s no surprise that Max chose to bring this Gospel account to life on stage.  Reading the Book of Mark is almost like reading a film script.  The book describes events, places and people, and it tells of Jesus’ mighty and miraculous works in conquering demons, disease and death.  Mark fully illustrates the Lord’s mission by His works, fully reveals His humble humanity by His service and glorifies Him by His faithful surrender to His Father’s will.

The Book of Mark Comes to Life

As you watch and listen to Max bring the words of this Gospel to life, note how the Gospel writer used the present tense and how many of the questions seem to be addressed directly to the readers. The Gospel of Mark paints a beautiful picture of Jesus as a servant who came to minister and to give His life.

Mark 10:45  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Mark reveals the Lord service in three ways.  1) His surrendered service to the will of His Father.  2) His suffering service at the hands of men.  And 3) His sacrificial service in redeeming mankind.

Read Through the Book of Mark

All sixteen chapters from Mark are performed and spoken by actor Max McLean.  It has long been Max’s desire to bring the Bible and biblical teachings to the stage as a way to proclaim the gospel and to reach the secular world.

After watching these videos we encourage you to learn more about the stage productions of Fellowship of Performing Arts that include theatrical performances of C.S. Lewis’s books, “The Screwtape Letters” and “The Great Divorce,” and Max McLean’s portrayal of Lewis in “The Most Reluctant Convert.” Max’s newest production, “Martin Luther on Trial,” takes theatre audiences into a fictitious courtroom with the Devil as the accuser of Christianity’s Great Reformer.

Be sure to tell your friends about these theater productions.  Christians will delight in the ever-popular stories of C.S. Lewis and history buffs, as well as Christians, will find the stories of Lewis and Martin Luther both entertaining and educational.

Watch and listen now as Max McLean presents the Gospel of Mark.

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2. Jesus forgave a paralytic of his sins. Then Jesus healed the man. Jesus was questioned about fasting and keeping the Sabbath. He proclaimed, “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.”

4. Jesus taught many parables, including one about a seed sower. When Jesus was alone with His disciples, He explained everything to them. In the boat Jesus calmed a great storm.

6. Jesus sent the twelve out to preach. Herod executed John the Baptist. Jesus fed 5,000 men. Jesus came to the disciples walking on the sea and they were frightened.

8. Jesus fed 4,000 people and healed a blind man. Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus told them that he must be killed and rise again.

10. Jesus was questioned about divorce. Jesus told a rich man to sell everything and come follow Him. Jesus said, “The first must be last.” He healed Bartimaeus.

12. Jesus told a parable about a son of a vinedresser’s son who was killed. The Pharisees questioned Jesus about the law. Jesus commanded, “love God and love your neighbour.”

14.  Jesus ate a passover meal with his disciples. He prayed, in agony, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied Him.

16.  The women went to the tomb and were greeted by a man in white, who said, “He has risen!” Jesus appeared to the disciples and commissioned them to “go and preach the gospel.”

About Max McLean

Founder and artistic director of Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA), Max McLean is a NY City-based producer of live theater from a Christian worldview. Max conceived, adapted, produced and starred in The Screwtape Letters, a play based on the book by Oxford scholar, author and fantasy writer C.S. Lewis. His stage adaptation of Lewis’ The Great Divorce launched its national tour in late 2013, and Max brings C.S. Lewis to life through his portrayal of him in The Most Reluctant Convert.  Max's most recent production, Martin Luther on Trial, debuted in 2016.  As the narrator of The Listener's Bible in three translations (NIV, ESV, and KJV) Max has received four Audie Award nominations from the Audio Publisher’s Association. For more information about Max McLean and FPA, visit Fellowship for Performing Arts. For locations of theatrical performances near you, click here.

The Vision of FPA

When asked in an interview, "How do you seek to bring glory to God through performance art?"  Max McLean explained: "At the root of Christianity is the admission that this world is not what it ought to be, and at the heart of being a Christian is the confession that I am part of the problem. Our vision is to select literature from the Bible and the treasury of Christian history that helps us to see our predicament, and move us toward a more humble understanding of ourselves and a closer relationship with God. For the theater, our vision is to select stories that explore how and why consequential choices are made, and to produce those stories in a manner that engages diverse audiences." ¹

Watch Preview of stage productions by the Fellowship for Performing Arts

Martin Luther

On Trial

C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters

¹ http://www.challies.com/interviews/an-interview-with-max-mclean 
Videos posted with permission from Max McLean,Fellowship for Performing Arts