Here is the news: According to reliable sources, the long-awaited king of Israel, the Messiah, has finally arrived. He has come wielding the authority of God himself to heal the sick and make the blind see, to still the raging storm and to plunder Satan's house.

In a bizarre twist, however, sources also say that this Messiah speaks repeatedly of his impending death and humiliation. Could this refer to the growing opposition of the religious authorities? And if he is indeed rejected and killed, where will this leave the kingdom of God he is claiming to bring?

For full details, see News of the Hour, ten eye-opening studies in the gospel of Mark.