Unlike the Gospels of Luke and John, Mark’s Gospel never explicitly reveals any authorial intent. In A Ransom for Many, John Lee and Daniel Brueske identify Mark 10:45 as the heart of Mark’s Gospel. This single verse is the pivot point of Mark’s structure, themes, and message. Mark 10:45 is the key that unlocks the Gospel’s unique focus on true discipleship. Learn how Jesus’s faithfulness is both a summons and pattern for all who carry their cross and follow him.
John Lee and Daniel Brueske’s A Ransom for Many puts a spotlight on Mark 10:45, where Jesus says he will give his life as a ransom for many. All interpreters know this verse is important, but Lee and Brueske convincingly show that it is the key to understanding both the purpose and setting of the Gospel of Mark. I found this study profound and compelling.
—Craig A. Evans, Houston Christian University
Lee and Brueske show how Mark 10:45 is the key to reading and unlocking the purpose of Mark’s Gospel. It is also key for understanding who Jesus is and what he has done, and it is the mainspring for why disciples must follow Christ’s example of radical self-giving service. This well-written book will be a prized resource for reading, teaching, and preaching Mark’s Gospel.
—David E. Garland, Baylor University
Lee and Brueske mine the riches of God's Word by considering the inner-biblical connections and significance of the so-called ‘ransom statement’ of Mark 10:45. The authors help readers appreciate the importance of Jesus's death in Mark, and the integrated structure of the Gospel.
—Brandon D. Crowe, Westminster Theological Seminary
I love this introduction to Mark. It is thorough and thoughtful and through the lens of Mark 10:45. Lee and Brueske carefully walk through introductory material and then do the necessary work to establish Mark 10:45 as a key text for Mark’s work as a whole.
—Patrick Schreiner, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
John J. R. Lee is professor of New Testament at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Christological Rereading of the Shema (Deut 6.4) in Mark's Gospel.
Daniel Brueske is adjunct professor of New Testament at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.