This story is a gospel (wonderful news) account, commonly called the Gospel According to Mark, and is part of the Christian Scripture tradition known as the Holy Bible — God’s message to all people.  The Bible is a very ancient collection of sacred documents. 

It is historically divided into two main sections: the Old Testament, originally written mostly in Hebrew, and the New Testament, originally written in Greek.  The Old Testament was written centuries before Jesus Christ came to earth.  The New testament is written to show how Jesus answers and fulfills the hopes and promises of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Mark is one of four gospel writers in Scripture, taking his place with Matthew, Luke and John at the beginning of the New Testament.  The gospels tell the good news of Jesus, offering a brief history of His life and good works.  Each gospel writer introduces Jesus as the Messiah, the specially anointed Son of God who came to live and die, and rise again, for our sakes.

In every chapter and verse, the Bible invites us to see the world as it truly is, all masks removed, and with all our modern pretenses laid aside.  Mark’s account of Jesus is no exception.  The ancient Greek document is reproduced here in English, so that you may see and hear for yourself some of the things Jesus Christ actually said and did.