Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching Mark

Top Highlights

“Entrance to the Kingdom of God, or eternal life, or salvation, so far from being easy, demands our best obedience and all we have. Yet all we can do is not enough to achieve the life we seek. Such life and wholeness is possible only for God, and we can receive it only as gift.” (Page 185)

“The Galilean ministry, dominated by the question of the identity of Jesus (e.g., ‘Who then is this?’ 4:41), occupies the first half of the Gospel (1:16–8:21).” (Page 2)

“To measure greatness by lowly service is apparently as characteristic of Jesus as it is alien to the world in every age. Jesus does not despise the desire to be first, but his definition of greatness stands the world’s ordering of priorities on its head and radically challenges a fundamental human assumption about achievement.” (Pages 169–170)

“Divorce is grounded in law, but marriage is grounded in creation. Rightly understood, this shift marks a fundamental victory over legalism and moves the discussion into the area of gift and grace, which is more demanding but also more free.” (Page 176)

“Jesus first publicly confronted and defeated the powers of evil in the place of worship of the people of God. The scribes (v. 22) belonged there; the unclean spirit did not. In this unit Jesus is set over against both.” (Page 50)