Week 1: Introduction — The Beginning of the Gospel

1.Keller opens by noting that Mark's Gospel begins with the declaration "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" — a politically charged claim in the Roman world, where Caesar was hailed as son of god and bearer of gospel (good news). Why does it matter that Mark's opening words would have sounded like a direct challenge to Caesar's authority? What does this suggest about the kind of king Jesus is from the very first verse?

2.Keller argues that the story of Jesus is simultaneously cosmic, historical, and personal. What does he mean by each of those three dimensions?

3.Keller describes Mark's Gospel as the fastest-moving of the four, characterized by the word "immediately" recurring throughout. What does that sense of urgency and momentum suggest about the kind of storyteller Mark is, and the kind of Jesus he's portraying?

4.Before reading this book, what was your mental image of Jesus — a teacher, a moral example, a miracle-worker, something else? What are you hoping to have challenged or confirmed by reading *Jesus the King*?

5.Keller structures the book in two parts: "The King" and "The Cross." Why do you think he chose that particular division? What does it suggest about how the Gospel of Mark is itself organized?

6.Keller is known for reaching skeptical, secular audiences as well as committed believers. What kind of reader do you think you are coming into this study — skeptical, curious, convinced, or somewhere in between? How might that posture shape how you receive what Keller argues?