How Baptism and the Eucharist Shaped Early Christian Understandings of Jesus Long before the Gospel writers put pen to papyrus, the earliest Christians participated in the powerful rituals of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which fundamentally shaped their understanding of God, Christ, and the world in which they lived. In this volume, a respected biblical scholar and teacher explores how cultural anthropology and ritual studies elucidate ancient texts. Charles Bobertz offers a liturgical reading of the Gospel of Mark, arguing that the Gospel is a narrative interpretation of early Christian ritual. This fresh, responsible, and creative proposal will benefit scholars, professors, and students. Its ecclesial and pastoral ramifications will also be of interest to church leaders and pastors.

Dr. Bailey’s commentary on the Gospel of Mark is a powerful account of the life of Christ which will allow you to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of His sacrificial love, His divine power, and His saving grace. Seeing the intense focus of Christ to only do the will of His Father will inspire, encourage, and enable you to press on to hit the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark, addressed to an early Christian community perplexed by failure and suffering, presents Jesus as suffering Messiah and Son of God. Recognizing that failure and suffering continue to perplex Christians today, world-renowned New Testament scholar and theologian Francis Moloney marries the rich contributions of traditional historical scholarship with the contemporary approach to the Gospels as narrative. Now in paperback, this commentary combines the highest-level scholarship with pastoral sensitivity. It offers an accessible and thoughtful reading of Mark's narrative to bring the Gospel's story to life for contemporary readers.

Mark gives us the most human picture of Jesus, describing him simply as 'the carpenter', and speaks most about Jesus' feelings and emotions. This book builds on the infectious enthusiasm of Mark, adding wonder to the stories behind the text.

The Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus making impossible demands on his disciples. They must follow him even if it costs them their lives. And, unsurprisingly, this proves to be impossible for them to do. They fail drastically in Mark’s narrative and run from the scene as Jesus is arrested. Peter had been determined to stay by him unto death, but even he was not able to admit to knowing Jesus at that crucial moment. The strange thing is that Jesus made it clear that it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God without this sort of radical discipleship. In this narrative study of salvation in the Gospel of Mark, this conundrum is studied closely with surprising results. An investigation of various socio-historical aspects of Mark’s background elucidate the connection that Mark makes between the death of Jesus and the following of the disciples. And a study of Mark’s narrative as a whole shows that Mark provides hope for those without courage to follow. If they continue to look and listen carefully, the mystery will be unveiled to them.

This commentary series is established on the presupposition that the theological character of the New Testament documents calls for exegesis that is sensitive to theological themes as well as to the details of the historical, linguistic, and textual context. Such thorough exegetical work lies at the heart of these volumes, which contain detailed verse-by-verse commentary preceded by general comments on each section and subsection of the text. An important aim of the NIGTC authors is to interact with the wealth of significant New Testament research published in recent articles and monographs. In this connection the authors make their own scholarly contributions to the ongoing study of the biblical text.

"Who is This? Even the Wind and the Waves Obey Him!" (Mark 4:41) Who is Jesus? What did he come to accomplish? And what difference does it make in the way I live my life? You will find the answers to these and other questions in this homiletical commentary by expository preacher and Bible college professor Steven Crane. The Gospel of Mark is the gospel about the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a fast-paced, action-packed book--as is this scholarly, yet highly readable commentary. Readers will gain a new appreciation for the content, the organization, and the often-overlooked writing techniques incorporated by Mark into his narrative, and will be invited to apply Scripture in their personal lives. As you read, you will investigate the true nature of Jesus Christ. While some today try to deny Christ's divinity, explain away his miracles, or discredit the authority of the Word of God--Crane handles these attacks and gives credence to the time-held truths regarding the Son of Man and the inspiration of Scripture. This volume, written in sermonic form, provides clear explanations regarding even the most difficult of Bible passages and includes study questions at the end of each chapter that are suitable for either personal or group use. Readers who have discounted the importance of Mark will be compelled to look at it with fresh eyes and will gain a new appreciation for our second Gospel. As you study, be ready to allow God to work in your life and Marvel with Mark at the person and purpose of Jesus.