This Guide reads the Gospel of Mark as a 1st-century CE story about Jesus, for his followers, and against tyranny or the abusive use of power.
First, the book shows students how the Gospel uses the form of a traditional laudatory biography (a ''Life'') to reshape the memory of the shame-ridden trials and suffering of Jesus. Such a biography portrayed Jesus'' descent (as a son of God), his deeds, and his heroic death, dispelling any notion that the teacher Jesus was a charlatan or huckster.
Second, Smith demonstrates how the Gospel devotes a great deal of space to Jesus'' training of his disciples - as he calls, commissions, and corrects them in preparation for the difficult moments of their journey.
Third, Smith highlights the Gospel''s special characterizations of Jesus - as a prophetic envoy, a man of authority, and a philosophical hero - contrasting Jesus'' use of power with the abusive use of power by Rome''s representatives (Herod Antipas and Pilate).