Some small collections of aphoristic sayings can be found in Mark's gospel – as, for example, in the defence of Jesus against the charge of the Pharisees concerning fasting (Mk 2:19–22), in the sayings following the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower (Mk 4:21–5), and, mixed with other types of sayings, in the warnings against temptations (Mk 9:42–50). It has often been noted that the sayings in Markan collections are arranged quite artificially and that in Mk 9:42–50 the scheme of compilation seems largely dependent on catchword connections. Even if greater scope is given to the evangelist's role in forming the collections, none of those groupings portrays a structure which resembles that of the aphoristic collections of the double tradition.

There is, however, one collection of sayings in Mark which comes closer to this structure. This is found in Mk 8:34b–38, which is part of a slightly larger section on discipleship (Mk 8:34–9:1). The differences between this collection of sayings and those of the double tradition are as telling as the similarities, so that neither must be neglected in the consideration of this collection.

1. ἲ τις έλι ὀπίϭω μ ἀκλῑν ἀπαρνηϭάϭω ἑατὸν καὶ ἀρὰτω τὸν ϭταρὸν αὐτῦ καὶ ἀκλίτω μι.

2. ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν έλη τὴν ψχὴν αὐτ ϭῶϭαι ἀπλέϭι αὐτήν• ὃς δ' ἂν ἀπλέϭι τὴν ψχὴν αὐτ ἀνκν ἐμ καὶ τῦ ὐαγγλί ϭώϭι αὐτήν.

3. τί γὰρ ὠλῖ ἂνρωπν κρδῆϭαι τὸν κόϭμν ὅλν καὶ ζημιωῆναι τὴν ψχὴν αὐτῦ; τί γὰρ δῑ ἂνρωπς ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψχῆς αὐτ

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