Portraits of the Incarnation (Mark)

The Gospels share a common purpose: to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son and our Savior. They are not intended to be full biographies, but portraits of the incarnation, of the divine Word manifested in the flesh. Mark's Gospel has been called his "Sketchbook" (Helen Tenney). Mark prefers a soft-lead pencil to the canvas and finely chiseled brushes used by others. He uses bold, declarative strokes that command our attention: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God..." Mark's assertion that the man Jesus is God's son is sudden and unexpected. He supports this jarring assertion by appealing to the prophetic promises of major and minor prophets in the OT, and Jesus' own demonstration of his incarnation in power...