The Beginning

Unlike the other gospels in the New Testament, the Gospel of Mark begins quite suddenly. Mark lacks an elaborate birth narrative. Mark doesn’t contain a genealogical preamble. Nor does Mark waste time with poetic descriptions of Jesus. Mark instead gets straight to the point asking us to respond to a simple question: Who is Jesus? (Mark 8:29) In that way, Mark never intended his gospel to be a historical exploration of the life of an Ancient Near Eastern rabbi, but instead an intimate confrontation with a living person. Indeed, Mark believes that Jesus is alive and that he is confronting us, even now, with his presence in our lives, and inviting us to follow him. I. The setting (v. 2-3) II. The herald (v. 4-8) III. The baptism (v. 9-11)