In interpreting the Gospels of Mark, it is important to take into account various elements of the historical, theological and literary context. Mark seeks to appeal to his audience by delivering messages that the audience can relate to. Mark 6:30-44 is an example of a miraculous story with a message that can touch many people. There appears to be a direct correlation between other gospels and stories throughout the Old and New Testaments (NRSV, 1989). Mark is the shortest Gospel and is generally considered the oldest. It is also considered a source for Matthew and Luke. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is the savior and healer in many passages (Koester, 1990). The Gospels emphasize his miraculous methods and his ability to accomplish wonderful things. Nothing in the Gospel identifies the author by name, since the label “according to Mark” was added after the passages were composed (Koester, 1990). Many biblical commentaries consider Mark to be Peter's interpreter. While Mark, Peter's interpreter, wrote down what the Lord said and the actions he performed, the stories were not composed in any particular order. Mark wrote the Gospels in Rome. This was suggested by Papias and by Latin borrowings (Achtmeier, 1996). The Gospel of Mark has a narrow geographical and theological structure. The geographical aspect presents the movement from Galilee to Jerusalem. The first half of the Gospel describes the activities of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem” (NRSV, 1989). The Galilee is the northernmost region of the Land of Israel (Achtmeier, 1996). Galilee was geographically distant from Jerusalem and was the seat of the palace, temple, archives, and scribes of Judea. The community included a large number of Jews. They are God's authoritative revelation, and the heart of...... middle of paper ...... that Jesus made (Elwell, 1989). With the elements of historical, theological and literary context, it is easy to see and engage with the Gospels of Mark and the underlying messages. Works cited by Helmut Koester. Ancient Christian Gospels. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1990. James L. Mays, ed. Harper's Bible Commentary. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988. New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985. New Bible in Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Paul J. Achtmeier, ed., HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. Raymond E. Brown, et al., Eds. The biblical commentary of the new Jerome. Endglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990. The Catholic Study Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Walter A. Elwell, ed. Evangelical commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House 1989.