The Gospel of Mark is written from God’s perspective. The narrator knows how Scripture relates to events, what Jesus is thinking, what the disciples do or do not understand, and what the religious leaders suspect. He hears the voice from heaven addressed to Jesus alone; he knows about the conversation at Jesus’ trial where none of the disciples is present. The narrator, in other words, knows more than any of the characters could know. This is at least partly what Christians have meant in categorizing the books of the Bible as the inspired Word of God—the work claims an authority and truthfulness beyond ordinary texts.
In his commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Donald H. Juel provides a history of interpretation of the Gospel of Mark, the key issues in the Gospel, and exegetical and interpretive analysis.
