Part 7 of Jesus in Action: The Gospel Message of Mark – As much as we value unity and inclusion, there is something about Jesus that excludes and separates.  He is a controversial figure.  He makes outrageous claims that require us to decide what we think of him–is he a lunatic to be pitied, a liar to be rejected, or the Lord to be obeyed?  Our passage this morning demonstrates how this divide unfolds as it shows us two groups: “insiders” and “outsiders.”  To which to do you belong?