Mark 1:1-15

And the Spirit immediately drove him [Jesus] out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. - Mark 1:12-13

There are several things that are going on in these opening verses of Mark’s Gospel that stand out for me. The first is that Mark doesn’t begin with birth narrative like Luke and Matthew do or a prologue like in John’s Gospel. Mark cuts to the quick by simply telling us that this is, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Another thing about Mark is that he uses the word “immediately” a lot, as in, “And the Spirit immediately drove him [Jesus] into the wilderness.” Mark wants to get the gospel out quickly. Why? Because Jesus, according to Mark is coming soon, and he has to tell as many people as he can in a short amount of time.

The third thing in these 15 verses of Mark that stands out for me is the language the Mark uses concerning Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Mark doesn’t exactly use the words “led by the Spirit” into the wilderness. In Mark, it is much more forceful than this. Jesus is “driven by the Spirit” out into the wilderness. This is not any gentle nudge but an immediate shove by the Spirit into the wilderness. And Mark, wanting to tell the story as quickly and efficiently as possible, doesn’t go into any details about Jesus’ temptation that we see in Matthew and Luke.

Finally, the remaining detail that I’d like to point out is something that appears at the end of Mark’s Gospel. That detail is when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan river, as Jesus was coming out of the water, the heavens were “torn apart.” This is no gentle dove descending, serene scene, mere opening up of heaven, but an almost violent rending of heaven. The Greek is “schizoid” in Mark. Much later in Mark, when Jesus gave out a loud cry and breathed his last, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Mk. 15:37-38). The same word, “schizoid” is used here as well.

As we read Scripture, the small details add up and become a big deal in telling the story of God and God’s people. It’s helpful to know, as in the case of the Gospel of Mark, that the biblical writers have an agenda, and each to a specific audience of readers.

Let us pray: O God, you reveal yourself to us in many ways, including in Scripture. Inspire us by your Word, as we grow deeper in our faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.