Eduard Schweizer produces an elegant commentary whose use of the Good News for Modern Man translation suggests casual reading even as Schweizer himself moves effortlessly (and moves his reader effortlessly) through the deeper academic discussion of the text. He keeps the scholarship in view while delivering a devotional content meant to get at how the early church used Mark's gospel. For example, in his comments on the episode in which the paralyltic is lowered to Jesus from a hole in the roof (and especially the conflict with the Pharisees which it evoked), Schweizer writes, "The church directed attention to this conflict in order to accentuate the emphasis inherent in the ancient story: All of Jesus' healings are symbols of a much more profound authority and of the forgiveness of sins which restores men to fellowship with God" (60). Schweizer is committed to form criticism, and assumes a perspective to the text that may set conservative readers on edge. Nevertheless, this is an edifying commentary and best read with a highlighter and a journal nearby. ( )