Mark uses a number of techniques to help get his message of the Gospel across. One of the simplest, yet most disarming and effective is the use of questions. The 16 chapters of his Gospel contain no less than 114 questions. In whatever context, questions engage a listener and sow seeds of thought. The intriguing thing about Mark's questions is that in the story 77 of them are left unanswered. This forces the reader to work to come up with answers of their own to the questions. And it also shows Mark's confidence in the reader's ability to work out implications on their own. He leaves us with questions, but also plenty of resources with which to work.
It is also curious how often questions come in pairs:
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?" 1.24
"What is this? A new teaching with authority?" 1.27
"What does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 2.7
While we are still absorbing the first question, a second question is placed that develops or sharpens the first. Again, that much more engaging.
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Neat observation about the double questions, Doug. A bit akin to the couplet tradition of proverbs and psalms, I suppose. I would imagine the Holy Spirit is still asking us questions and I will try to be more attentive to keeping my ears open for any twinned questions that come into my mind from now on.
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