This book represents the culmination of a project begun some fifteen years ago during my Masters of Divinity program at Princeton Theological Seminary. There, in my final semester, I enjoyed the privilege of participating in a doctoral seminar on Mark's gospel led by Professor Joel Marcus. My seminar paper for that course addressed the topic of the disciples' incomprehension.

Nearly a decade after finishing at Princeton I enrolled in the doctoral studies program at Duke, still convinced there was more work to be done on the topic of the Markan disciples. By God's providence – or sheer good fortune – Professor Marcus joined the faculty at Duke just in time to supervise my dissertation. In the meantime he had completed his Anchor Bible commentary on Mark 1–8, which along with his earlier writings proved invaluable for my grounding of discipleship in the soil of apocalyptic thought.

The abnormally lengthy gestation period of this work has benefited from the cumulative wisdom of innumerable friends and colleagues, terms that apply equally to those I name here. To begin with, my gratitude to Professor Marcus simply could not be more profound. His example of rigorous scholarship and his free-flowing red ink have strengthened my work immeasurably; his profound kindness, persistent encouragement, and refreshing good humor have strengthened my soul even more. My thanks go also to Richard B. Hays, E. P. Sanders, and James L. Crenshaw – the other members of my dissertation committee whose careful reading and constructive feedback have contributed significantly to this work.