A couple years ago, I started writing through Mark. At least that’s what I said I was going to do. When I look back, there are 39 posts in the series, which wandered and then eventually faded away in May.

There was a new grandson that year (Happy Birthday today, Ben), and a big research project, and other activities I don’t remember at the moment, that may not be worth recalling.

In the meantime, Mark is still a gospel, in the Bible, still telling a story about Jesus to those who are interested. To those who have ears to hear.

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I remembered this project as I started looking at the texts for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. (The gospel readings for Epiphany this year are from Mark.)

Jesus calls a few of the disciples to follow him, they head to the nearby town of Capernaum, a couple days later Jesus teaches in the synagogue, and “and they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” One translation says the “they” is “the people”. “The people were amazed.”

But I’m looking at the flow of the story. Without the section headings, without the verse numbers, Mark says that that Jesus called the disciples who then followed him to town, who then were amazed at his teaching. Why? Because he was teaching as if he had the authority to teach. Not because he was flashy, not because he was loud, not because he was demeaning, not because he had the crowds.

The crowds didn’t give him authority. Jesus wasn’t talking people into thinking he knew something. He understood the teaching from the inside out. And that was compelling.

Along with the crowds, the disciples themselves were drawn to and drawn by this authority.