Mark’s Gospel was written in Rome, the political centre of the ancient world. Its author was a follower of ‘the Way’ and likely an eyewitness of the ministry of Jesus. The Good News according to Mark relies on the recollections of the apostle Peter and was the pioneering prototype of the New Testament Gospels.
In this accessible guide to the shortest and oldest of the Gospels in the New Testament, Patrick Whitworth explores some of the key texts and themes of the Gospel of Mark. From the outset, Marks Gospel proclaims Jesus as the Messiah (Christ) and Son of God and centres on Jesus’s announcement of God’s kingdom. It is this kingdom that is at the heart of Jesus’s ministry and passion and entrances Mark. Breath-taking in style, vivid in content, powerful in concept, the Gospel of Mark makes known Jesus of Galilee in a way which is ever fresh and ever challenging to the ways of the world and self-centred human life; and calls for a response of repentance, conversion and faith.
Reading Mark’s Gospel is a powerful and thrilling way for us to better get to know Jesus for ourselves. Patrick’s account of it brings us an invaluable new interpretation, set in the historical context which he knows so well, and with his prayerful and inspiring insight and authority, it is an indispensable guide to that life-transforming good news.
The Revd Canon Gerald Osborne
