THE JESUS MARK KNEW

Mark’s is a gospel of action. Of the Four Gospels, his includes the least teaching. Jesus is constantly on the move from place to place preaching and healing, preaching and healing. Jesus symbolizes the breaking in of the Big Picture into this world, and He does it much more than He talks about it. We have to look at Jesus’ actions, and how His action rearranges relationships—with self-image, with others, with God.

Jesus doesn’t do all these good deeds for a reward, to achieve “a higher place in Heaven.” In general, you can see all rewards and punishments are inherent, now, today—but today becomes forever. All healings are not primarily about medical cures, which just prompt us to say “Wow! Jesus must really be God!” I am not denying that Jesus could and undoubtedly did physical healing. It still happens, and I have seen it, but the healings and exorcisms in Mark’s Gospel are primarily to make statements about power, abuse, relationships, class, addiction, money, the state of women and the poor, and the connections between soul and body—the exact same issues that we face today.