Good News for All Nations

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul argues from predicament to solution. The Gospel he proclaims is the “ power of God for salvation .” Due to sin, two forces are at work in the world – Righteousness and Wrath . In his Son, God has provided salvation, a way of escape from the impossible situation in which all men find themselves, and one that is available to all men on the same basis - “ from the faith of Jesus Christ .” And this “ Good News ” was promised beforehand in the Hebrew scriptures.

The present literary unit in Chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel of Mark includes five stories that highlight the authority of Jesus as the “ Son of Man .” Moreover, shows the growing conflicts between him and the religious authorities from Jerusalem, especially over issues of ritual purity and Sabbath regulations. There are parallels between the present story and the preceding one about the cleansing of the leper.