Catholic Bible Study Augustine Institute

As the study comes to the end, we pause to reflect on some questions that have arisen during our journey through Mark's Gospel.

Those mocking Jesus at the foot of the Cross are silenced when he utters a single sentence. As Jesus breathes his last and the Temple veil is torn, Mark records the words uttered by the Roman centurion, words which signal that God's people will finally see, hear and understand.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus's hour finally arrives—the hour of betrayal and suffering, but also the hour of salvation and glory. Christ the King will be falsely accused, mocked, and tortured, but he will ascend the throne of the Cross and draw the whole world into his reign of love.

The Temple in Jerusalem was God's glorious dwelling with his chosen people, but it was only a house made by human hands. Jesus proclaims a new Temple, not made with hands, that surpasses the stone building in Jerusalem. Jesus gives himself to us and to dwell in our hearts, anticipating the day that we will dwell with him in Heaven.

As the final week before his Passion begins, Jesus has stern warnings for those who would oppose God by rejecting his beloved Son. Will we also reject his words, or will we heed the call to be faithful by rendering unto God the things that are God's?

As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, three times he predicts his approaching Passion. In response to the disciples' rejection of his words, Jesus works to heal their understanding both of his kingship and of the true nature of Christian discipleship.