ABSTRACT
Mark presents Jesus' ministry in two parts. The first part describes an itinerant ministry in and around Galilee. The other part concerns the last week of his life ('the passion') in and around Jerusalem. This chapter presents Jesus as a man 'mighty in word and deed'. But the incident at Caesarea Philippi (8:27–30) seems to be a turning point. It is not devoid of miracles, the emphasis is on Jesus' suffering. The majority view is that Mark intended to show that there can be no glory without the cross. The burden of Mark's Gospel is to show that even with his mighty power and superior wisdom, Jesus could only accomplish his work through suffering. Jesus knew that he was the Messiah and Son of God, but did not openly proclaim it, either for fear of creating sedition or of encouraging the wrong sort of faith.
