Commentary on the Gospel of
Mark’s gospel leaves an impression of breathless haste; it is like a child telling a story. Many sentences begin with “and”; he often uses phrases like “straight away,” “and immediately”; he uses the ‘historic present’ (Jesus says to them, not said), which gives a feeling of urgency. The Old Testament took thousands of years to unfold, but the New Testament unfolded in just a couple of years. There is the urgency about the whole gospel that makes it quite clear it is not just for reading; it is for living.
