Mark 1

Mark opens with no genealogy or birth story but with the gospel’s “beginning”: John the Baptist preparing the way in the wilderness, and Jesus coming to be baptized, where the Spirit descends and the Father declares Him His beloved Son. After being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus begins preaching in Galilee, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” He calls His first disciples, and immediately displays His authority — teaching in the synagogue as one with authority, casting out an unclean spirit, healing Peter’s mother-in-law and many others, and cleansing a leper — so that His fame spreads rapidly.