First, since this is the first set of thoughts on Mark, I want to lay out a few foundational thoughts. Much more than the other gospels, Mark doesn't beat around the bush. He skips the birth of Christ and jumps right into the baptism and ministry. Mark is somewhat non-stop. One theory behind this is that Mark recorded the memories of Peter.
In the first chapter, Mark describes a Jesus who jumps right into controversy. He starts with a simple message to fishermen (rather than the religious elite) and then goes into the synagogue (where the religious elite thought he should have started) and spoke "as one who has authority" (much more than religious elite). He then breaks the law by healing lepers, and throws it into the face of the religious elite by then following the law and having the leper present himself to the religious elite. Scattered throughout this narrative Jesus repeatedly orders demons not to tell people who he is.
It's a whirlwind of a narrative. It's almost a shame to tackle all of it in one sitting. But here it goes:
Jesus was not what people expected the Messiah to be. He doesn't go out of his way to fit the model of the religious elite. Rather, he flaunts the ways in which he does not match norms.
I fear Christians today might miss Jesus if he showed up today as well. In what ways would he flaunt modern religious expectations if he walked among us today? I would be more surprised if I was not surprised by his actions than if he met expectations.
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