Mark (The IVP New Testament Commentary | IVPNTC)

Top Highlights

“Jesus’ preaching and teaching were not inspirational in the typical sense of that word. He did not dispense hopeful thoughts. His sermons and teachings were expositions of power. They were confrontational, and when he spoke, something happened.” (Page 47)

“The verb remember becomes an important term from this point on in Mark’s Gospel” (Page 219)

“Furthermore, Jesus did not invite the four fishermen to follow him. The words ‘come, follow me’ are in the imperative mood. It was a command, and the four men reacted as though they had been issued orders by a superior officer.” (Page 44)

“How could it be God’s will for the Messiah to die? Peter and presumably the other disciples were clinging to the idea that a dead messiah was of no earthly good at all. To deny oneself is to accept God’s point of view about life, which has implications not just for the Son of Man, but for everyone who is drawn to him.” (Page 163)

“The plain implication of this simple statement is that there was nothing wrong with the fig tree. The fig tree, then, is a sign or symbol of something else, and Mark’s intercalation points to the temple.” (Page 216)