The Gospel of Mark - Good News Now

“Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.”
– Mark 7:36

Much about the Gospel of Mark gives the impression that the Mark was in a hurry as he wrote the words.  He wanted to get the story out into the world and so the entire book seems to rush along and things happen “immediately” again and again.
 
In addition to Mark’s rapid pace this Gospel also continually portrays Jesus as wanting to keep with status as the Messiah secret.  Throughout Mark’s gospel, Jesus will urge his disciples to not tell anyone about his miracles or other messianic signs.  At first this behavior seems so odd, but as you read through Mark’s Gospel and arrive at it the ending it becomes clear that Jesus wanted to keep his status secret because he knew that his ultimate mission was to journey to the cross.

Taking these two aspects together, Mark’s Gospel invites us to consider the immediate importance of Christ’s death on the cross.  Jesus’ death took place thousands of years ago and yet it is still Good News for us today. It is Good News that does NOT need to be kept secret but needs to be shared with the world today.