cacious.
At the same time, the character of Mark's gospel makes clear that his audience was Gentiles. Jewish customs are explained, and Aramaic expressions are translated into Greek. However, the use of "and," "immediately," and the historical present both lend vividness and indicate an author for whom Greek was a second language. Throughout this vivid narrative Mark emphasizes the actions of Jesus over doctrine, illustrating and explaining the strange vision of Ezekiel in chapters 1 and 10. In these visions Ezekiel saw angels with four faces: lion, ox or angel, man, and eagle. These faces correspond to the four gospels. Matthew presents the Messiah as the King of Jews. Luke presents the Messiah as the Son of Man. John presents the Messiah as God made flesh.
Mark, the second gospel, presents the Messiah as the servant sent by God. As the ox serves man and the angel serves God, so Jesus is shown as serving both man (through His miracles) and God (through His obedient death on the cross.) The key question to Gentiles living in the Roman world intimately acquainted with slavery is simply whether this new god can get the job done. Why should they convert to or remain faithful to a God if He cannot do what is needed: save from sin. Thus, like a slave, Jesus has no genealogy, nor even a childhood, but begins the work "immediately."
Something the student of the gospels, especially Mark's, must keep in mind is the necessity of the servant of God and man to work miracles. Daniel-Rops notes:
The spiritual atmosphere in which Jesus lived and taught was quite different from our own. For at least two centuries we have grown up in an atmosphere of rationalism;. . . it was not so in the ancient world. The Greek rationalist philosophers did not exclude divine intervention on earth (403).
Perhaps the most overt manifestation of "the gods" or supernatural power in Jesus' day was demonic oppression and possession of a person. If Gu...