The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four canonical Gospels about Jesus.
In standard modern editions of the New Testament, Mark contains 16 chapters and about 11,300 Greek words, making it substantially shorter than Matthew, Luke, or John. It begins with John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism rather than a birth narrative.
Mark is also commonly regarded by modern scholars as the earliest written canonical Gospel. Matthew and Luke appear to have used Mark as one of their sources, along with other material. Mark’s narrative moves quickly, often using vivid transitions and emphasizing Jesus’ actions, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection.
A common mix-up is confusing the shortest Gospel with the shortest verse in the Bible. Mark is the shortest Gospel by length, while “Jesus wept” is the famously brief verse in John 11:35.