Allegiance, Opposition, and Misunderstanding

The central aim of the Gospel of Mark is to introduce the reader to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this book, MacDonald examines not just what the Gospel writer says, but also how he says it. When the Gospel of Mark is examined as a complete work, and the motifs of allegiance, opposition, and misunderstand are traced through the narrative, Mark is seen to be a rather sophisticated literary work. The Gospel writer is not simply a compiler of tradition, but one who shaped his narrative for specific rhetorical aims, namely, that his audience–both ancient and modern–would recognize Jesus as the Son of God and respond to him with allegiance.