"Follow Me." The Invitation in Mark

One of Jesus of Nazareth's most famous invitations is ""Follow me."" McKaughan attempts to cut through centuries of intervening theories and explanations, and to come as close as possible to experiencing an encounter with Jesus, at least through the eyes of a disciple like Peter, or his companion John Mark. The Gospel writer treats his subject matter with practical realism: Jesus' invitation to join the kingdom of God, the human need to repent, the human craving to be healed, the way a claim Jesus makes sometimes jars the disciples, or the way they find themselves filled with fear in the midst of one of Jesus' acts of power. Jesus encourages his disciples to follow him long before their knowledge can match their action. They may wonder why Jesus is abrasive with various religious leaders.
But the realism that underlies everything else in the book is Jesus' compassion for human suffering, his readiness to heal, his forgiveness of sins, his desire to proclaim the love of God, and the way he puts that love into practice. The person of Jesus, the cluster of values that he embodies, presents a moral depth of character that can free us even today and challenge us to envision the persons we can yet become.

""Follow Me offers a direct, engaging reading of the Gospel of Mark. It is informed by sound scholarship, but it focuses mostly on the story itself. We get a paragraph-by-paragraph guide to the earliest written account of Jesus that invites its readers to join Jesus on the way. McKaughan succeeds admirably in his intent to give his readers a chance to meet Jesus in his element.""
--Ted Grimsrud, Senior Professor of Peace Theology, Eastern Mennonite University

""McKaughan delivers a lucid account of the life of Jesus according to Mark. His judicious style retains the open-endedness of Mark, allowing questions to linger and keeping the narrative suspenseful. In so doing, McKaughan masterfully captures (or recaptures) some of the original drama of a story that has become all too familiar. Combining critical scholarship with good storytelling, McKaughan has offered a fresh and insightful encounter with Jesus that will benefit students and laypeople alike.""
--Aaron Friesen, Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, Faith Center, Eugene

""The best teachers don't lecture at us; they make us think. Larry McKaughan is an excellent teacher! Follow Me is not so much a commentary on the Gospel of Mark as an opportunity to consider the questions it raises and wrestle with how to answer them, so as to see Jesus for ourselves.""
--Beth Bilynskyj, Adjunct Instructor of Philosophy and Humanities, New Hope Christian College


Larry S. McKaughan is a retired psychologist and freelance writer. With a PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois, he taught a wide range of undergraduate psychology courses at several small colleges. He founded a nonprofit research institute, ISHAR, and led it for a number of years to pursue his interest in setting out an experimental study of human freedom. He was a commercial set-net salmon fisherman for eleven summers in Alaska.