Mark was apparently more impressed by the mighty works that Jesus performed than by the content of Jesus' teaching. More than half of Mark's gospel is devoted to giving an account of the remarkable deeds that Jesus performed. Many of these deeds dealt with healing the sick. For example, Mark tells of the healing of Simon's mother-in-law, who was afflicted with a severe fever. A paralytic who was lowered through a hole in the roof was healed and made to walk again. A man with a withered hand was made whole when he encountered Jesus in a synagogue. Unclean spirits were driven out of the Gerasene demoniacs. Jairus' daughter, who was at the point of death, was made well again. A woman suffering from a hemorrhage was healed, and a boy who was possessed by an unclean spirit since early childhood was restored to health in the presence of his father. In addition to these miracles of healing, Mark reports such incidents as the stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the feeding of the five thousand, the cursing of the fig tree, and other significant events. Most of the miracle stories furnish the occasion for discourses on various themes. For example, the parable of the sower is related together with the interpretation that Jesus made concerning it. Although Jesus made considerable use of parables in his teaching, Mark does not relate very many of them.
As Jesus continued his work in the cities and villages of Galilee, many of the common people gladly heard him. But Jesus' plain-spoken messages aroused opposition on the part of Jewish elders and rulers, some of whom took issue with what Jesus was saying and sought to entrap him with clever arguments. Mark reports several of these clashes between Jesus and members of the Pharisee and Sadducee sects. In connection with these encounters, Jesus expressed some of his most important teachings. Following the opposition to his work that developed in the region of Galilee, he journeyed with his disciples into the northwest sections of the country, where Tyre and Sidon were located. Returning to Galilee, they passed through Caesarea Philippi, where the disciples raised the question of Jesus' Messiahship. Jesus revealed to them that he was the Messiah but told them to say nothing concerning this revelation. After a brief return to his home country, he announced to his disciples that he was going to carry his mission to the Jewish headquarters in the city of Jerusalem. When he told them what would likely happen to him at the hands of the chief priests and rulers of the nation, the disciples were shocked, for they did not believe that such violent harm could possibly happen to the Messiah. They were still hopeful that the time was at hand when Jesus and his followers would enter the promised kingdom.
