Mark 1: Buckle Up!

Of all the gospels, Mark's is the most fast-paced.  Jesus appears on the scene in chapter 1, and is preaching 15 verses into this book.  Mark repeatedly uses the breathless phrasing of "immediately" or "at once" in his transitions between stories.  If you're looking for a story with a lot of "get up and go," Mark is the gospel for you!

Just in the first chapter alone, we encounter:

• John the Baptist's prophetic ministry along the Jordan.
• Jesus being baptized.
• The temptation of Christ in the wilderness.
• John the Baptist's arrest.
• The initiation of Jesus' public ministry.
• The calling of the first four disciples (Peter, Andrew, James and John) to be fishers of men.
• Jesus teaching in the synagogues.
• Jesus casting out a demon.
• Jesus healing the sick.
• Jesus launching a preaching tour of Galilee.
• Jesus cleansing a leper.

By the end of the first chapter of Mark, the crowds around Jesus are already so thick that He has to stay out in the country rather than go in towns.  About the only thing we haven't seen yet is criticism and opposition!