Mark for Everyone

The New Testament for Everyone Series (18 vols.) provides a series of guides to the books of the New Testament. N.T. Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to furnish them with his own fresh translation of the entire text.

Throughout the series, Wright’s own translation is combined with a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanation and interpretation, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today.

Top Highlights

“The whole Christian gospel could be summed up in this point: that when the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ.” (Page 4)

“God’s kingdom is not simply a matter of power, but also of overflowing love, and the two here go inextricably together.” (Page 79)

“By stopping the entire process, even just for a short but deeply symbolic moment, Jesus was saying, more powerfully than any words could express: the Temple is under God’s judgment. Its reason for existing is being taken away.” (Page 152)

“Following Jesus is, more or less, Mark’s definition of what being a Christian means; and Jesus is not leading us on a pleasant afternoon hike, but on a walk into danger and risk. Or did we suppose that the kingdom of God would mean merely a few minor adjustments in our ordinary lives?” (Page 112)

“By the way he’s told the story, though, Mark makes it clear that the fig tree is a dramatic acted parable, indicating the meaning of what Jesus was going to do in the Temple.” (Pages 150–151)