The Gospel according to Mark is a story of action – not a series of discourses. It was addressed, in the first place, to a people facing persecution; and to every generation of hearers and readers it issues an invitation to reflect on the identity and destiny of Jesus. In Mark’s view one can only understand the full identity of Jesus in the light of suffering and death: until Jesus fulfills his true destiny on the cross, his full identity remains hidden. Because of who he is, Mark insists, Jesus is destined to suffer. Is that also true of the people for whom Mark wrote? Is it true for believers in every succeeding generation? In Mark, the reader encounters a pastor patiently building up the faith of the community, helping people to see that the story of their own suffering, like the story of Jesus’ suffering, is a chronicle of salvation that was waiting to be told, one that rested within the prophecies of Jesus and the providence of God.