The Cross from a Distance: Atonement in Mark's Gospel

"They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha. . . . And they crucified him. . . . Some women were watching from a distance." (Mark 15:22, 24, 40).

At the climax of Mark's Gospel, Jesus of Nazareth is put to death on a Roman cross. The text tells us that, in that lonely hour, a group of women were watching the crucifixion "from a distance." In a sense, they are given a stance toward the cross that we can share.

In this exploration of Mark's Gospel, Peter G. Bolt looks at why the cross is so prominent in the narrative, asks what contribution Mark's teaching can make to our understanding of the atonement, and shows how this teaching can inform, correct and enrich our own preaching of the gospel in the contemporary world. He helps us to stand in wonder before the God who has come close to us in the cross of Jesus Christ and to live in hope for the better things to come.