Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 8:27-38

Abstract

Mark 8:27–38 is a fulcrum in the Gospel of Mark. Prior to this point, Mark has presented a positive and inviting picture of the present and coming Realm of God. On the road to Caesarea Philippi, Mark reveals that the forces of the old age—including the Roman Empire—will resist the coming of the Realm by causing Jesus and the Markan community to suffer. A purpose of the passage is to help the congregation understand the meaning of their suffering and to endure it.