Mark: Trust and Dominion

Gary North

Trust is the main economic theme of the Gospel of Mark. The book's title is Trust and Dominion.

Trust is fundamental to every relationship, beginning with marriage. Without mutual trust, the division of labor breaks down. Everyone gets poorer.

To trust someone is to become dependent on that person. To get your work done, you depend on the word of someone else to complete part of the overall task. You transfer authority to him. This is basic to the division of labor. The more you depend on someone, the more you must trust him.

Jesus called on Israelites to trust Him. But most of those who trusted Him initially did so because they saw Him as a political messiah. They really trusted politics. He knew this, and He separated Himself from them.

Others saw Him as a source of free food. This was also related to their trust in politics. Bread and circuses were the foundation of the politics of Rome even at this early date. Jesus refused to be categorized as a political deliverer.

Chapters include these: Trust and Costs; Pricing and Demand; Calling vs. Occupation; The Rich Get Richer, and So Do the Poor; Sufficient Resources; The Feeding of the Multitudes: A Joint Venture; The Service Principle; Hundredfold Inheritance; Rendering Unto Caesar; and Holy Wastefulness.

Trust and Dominion