At first sight the Gospel of Mark is a simple account of the ministry of Jesus with lots of stories, plenty of action, a large amount of human interest, and some very straight and searching questions, mostly from Jesus himself.

Yet underlying the Gospel is the cross and the cost of discipleship, focusing the question of who Jesus was, and how people should respond to him. Donald English's exposition picks up Mark's focus on faith as a risky, total commitment to Christ, and on its mysteries - pre-eminently, why some people believe, and others do not, even to the point of opposition.