IV.

Contents

The Gospel tells the story of the adult Jesus from the time of his baptism by John the Baptist to his crucifixion and the angel's report of his resurrection. The opening scenes, set in Judea, portray the activity of John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism, and his temptation by Satan in the wilderness. The scene then shifts (1:14) to Galilee, and for the bulk of the Gospel the reader is taken to various locales in the north, notably in the vicinity of the Lake of Galilee, where Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God and heals the sick. Jesus then travels south (10:1) to the region of Judea, and from Mark 11:11 through the end of the Gospel the scenes are set in and around Jerusalem, where Jesus is arrested, crucified, and buried. When some women from among his followers go to the tomb to care for the body, they discover that the tomb is empty. An angel commands them to tell the disciples, but they speak to no one because they are afraid.

Thus, the Gospel begins and ends in Judea, but a large segment of the intervening activity is located in Galilee. The importance of Galilee is further indicated by a twice-spoken prophecy that after his resurrection Jesus will go to Galilee, and that Galilee will be the locale in which the disciples will see him (14:28, 16:7).