5 notable things about what Jesus did in mark.

I once heard someone make the suggestion that if you don’t know where to begin reading the Bible, or if you want a good idea about who Jesus is, you could start by going through the Gospels and only reading “the red text” — the words Jesus literally spoke out loud.

I’ve never actually read only the red text, but the idea stuck with me. And as I attempt to model my life after Jesus, I want to match not just my words to His but my actions too. What did He do? How did He do it? One day, I had the idea to look for that information by reading only “the black text.”

Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, so I started there. I read the New Living Translation because Jesus’ words are written in red, and I like that translation. And I intentionally skipped the red text so I could pay more attention to how Jesus spoke.

These are five things I noticed about what Jesus did, rather than what He said, and some thoughts about each of them.

ONE. Jesus encountered (and cast out) demons.

We don’t talk a lot about demons. In general, but also in church. In my experience, it’s more common to hear references to the “demonic,” which makes it sound like evil is more of a concept than an entity — like it just kind of exists, making it easier to brush off or ignore. (Or I think so, at least.)

But scripture calls out — and Jesus casts out — actual demons. Not just the activity of it, but the actual thing of it. It’s not insubstantial.

Jesus encounters, speaks to, commands, and casts out demons. And not on the rare occasion. Which makes me wonder what’s happening that my eyes cannot see or that my language is misidentifying.

The other thing that stuck out to me about Jesus’ encounters with demons happened in Mark 9, when a demon-possessed boy was brought to Jesus. Before Jesus said or did anything, the demon — upon seeing Jesus — reacted.

The mere presence of Jesus caused a reaction. Who He is shakes things up.

So obviously, I’m now thinking about how, if I carry the presence of Jesus, what happens when I walk into a room?

TWO. it feels different to Jesus when we touch Him in faith.

One of the first things I noticed was how much it’s stated that Jesus looked at people. He is constantly seeing and looking at people. The part where He looked at the rich young ruler and felt love for him in Mark 10 got me.

But also? Jesus looks for the woman with the issue of blood who touches His robe and is healed in Mark 5. What gets me about that is how that woman thought, “This is my moment” — but it was a moment for Jesus too. It stopped Him in His tracks. He felt power go out, and He looked for the one who did it. He drew her into His presence. And He called her “Daughter.”

When we reach for Jesus in faith, it’s not just a thing for us. It’s a thing for Him too.

THREE. Jesus walked.

Sometimes scripture says Jesus “went.” But a surprising number of times it notes that Jesus “walked” wherever He was going.

It seems kind of silly, but I keep thinking about that detail. About the pace of it.

It wasn’t just that Jesus went somewhere — He walked. A slower pace. With one foot in front of the other. Not running. Not in a hurry.

And it kind of feels like a reminder that we can too.

FOUR. it always happened just as Jesus had said.

You see it right away, in Mark 1. Jesus taught with authority, and the people were amazed. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!”

And then in Mark 4, when Jesus calmed the storm, His disciples were terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

In Mark 11, Jesus gives His disciples instructions about going to get Him a donkey that He would ride into Jerusalem. He described what would happen, what they were to do and say, and then it unfolded exactly that way.

In Mark 14, Jesus gives His disciples instructions about how to prepare for the Passover meal. Again, He describes the situation for them. And when they went, they “found everything just as Jesus had said.”

The list could go on, but I think that by only focusing on the black text, I kept noticing not what Jesus said but how powerful it was — and how whatever He spoke actually happened. Down to the detail. It never turned out different from what He said.

FIVE. Jesus did not respond to accusations about what He did.

One thing I noticed that didn’t make the cut for this list was how Jesus was always answering, responding, and replying to questions — even when people were trying to trick Him. Jesus didn’t refuse to answer.

Until He was arrested and accused.

I’ve noticed before that when Jesus was arrested, He stayed silent a lot. ...Except when He didn’t.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t read the red text and therefore wasn’t distracted by what He said, but I noticed that whenever Jesus was questioned about the accusations people made against Him, He remained silent.

Jesus didn’t respond to, explain, or defend Himself against accusations regarding what He did or said He would do.

But when they questioned His identity — the Messiah, Son of the Blessed One, king of the Jews — Jesus spoke up. He made it clear who He was.

And I just keep thinking about how much I can get caught up in what I say or do. I feel the need to defend myself when someone accuses me of something. But the more important thing is who I really am, and I don’t speak up about that enough.