The gospels were written to help us to come to know Jesus. As St. Mark tells the story you would think that the case was closed right from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In chapter one the heavenly voice says, “You are my beloved Son” and the unclean spirit names Jesus “the holy one of God.” In chapter three the unclean spirits go further and shout to Jesus, “You are the Son of God.” But the first human being to recognize who Jesus truly is the the centurion seeing the manner of his death on the cross: “Clearly this man was the Son of God.” The way St. Mark tells the story, we only truly come to know Jesus in light of the cross.
