Unlike the other gospels in the New Testament, the Gospel of Mark begins quite suddenly.
Mark lacks an elaborate birth narrative. Mark doesn’t contain a genealogical preamble. Nor
does Mark waste time with poetic descriptions of Jesus. Mark instead gets straight to the point
asking us to respond to a simple question: Who is Jesus? (Mark 8:29) In that way, Mark never
intended his gospel to be a historical exploration of the life of an Ancient Near Eastern rabbi,
but instead an intimate confrontation with a living person. Indeed, Mark believes that Jesus is
alive and that he is confronting us, even now, with his presence in our lives, and inviting us to
follow him.
I. The setting (v. 2-3)
II. The herald (v. 4-8)
III. The baptism (v. 9-11)