The Gospel of Mark: The Person and Purpose of Jesus

From the outset of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is immediately presented as the world-changing King, the Messiah. The entire first half of the gospel focuses on the revelation of the person of Jesus, until he asks Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter rightly confesses that Jesus is the Christ, but how quickly Peter’s right confession turns into rank confusion as he demands that Jesus avoid the cross. Like Peter, we may get our confession of Jesus’ identity right but remain confused about his work. The second half of Mark’s gospel clarifies that Jesus, as the Son of Man, came to seek and save the lost through his death as suffering servant. Finally, the gospel narrative closes with another confession as the centurion stands before the cross saying, “Surely this man is the Son of God.” Our hope is that God will use this gospel to bring conviction to our confession and clarity to our confusion so that we might more faithfully align with his purposes for the world.