In this careful analysis of Mark's Gospel, Robert Moses shows that Jesus, the Son of God, becomes one of the poor, lowly offering himself to others and suffering the death of a slave. Jesus calls his followers to take on similar postures of sacrificial self-giving and humility as they care for one another in the community of disciples. Moses' volume provides a welcome overview of Mark's Gospel in light of Jesus' identification with the poor.
— Ruth Anne Reese, Asbury Theological Seminary
In this original, compelling, and highly accessible study, Robert Moses brings our attention to Mark’s fundamental identification of Jesus with the poor and marginalized and to the ways this theme, once recognized in its fullness, opens to fresh readings of key episodes in the Gospel. Through careful narrative analysis, superbly attentive both to historical context and to the history of reception, Moses illumines a pervasive sub-structure in the narrative, i.e., Jesus’ radicalization of the biblical injunction to care for the poor. Accustomed readings of key episodes from parable to miracle, to healing narrative, and finally to the cleansing of the Temple and the way it is framed by the cursing of the fig tree—all now are seen to proclaim and enact the Scriptural mandate of care for the poor, the outsider, and the marginalized. Moses offers a nuanced, coherent, and prophetic new reading of Mark for our times.
— Alexandra Brown, Washington and Lee University
Robert Moses has written an analysis of Jesus in Mark that is nothing less than compelling. He brings together the deft accuracy and learning of a gifted scholar, in a clear, accessible analysis, that nevertheless presses through the boundary that so much scholarship fails to breach. The Jesus he uncovers in Mark is a Jesus who challenges our widespread culture of avarice—who summons us to a life of trust and dependency in a way that reveals the true nature of our discipleship. One would wish that this work was less clear and well-argued. But there is no escape from Moses's penetrating exposition. A deeply impressive reading of Mark and a deeply challenging call to confront our own materialism. Moses's book is quite superb.
— Douglas A. Campbell, Duke Divinity School
While countless books have been written on discipleship in the Gospel of Mark, Robert Moses’s book deserves attention as it provides critical insights into early Christian understanding of Jesus’s poverty as essential to his identity and mission, and thus also essential to discipleship. This volume is an innovative interpretation of the Gospel of Mark and a valuable resource for necessary, complex conversations about the true meaning of discipleship.
— Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology