One of the main characteristics of Mark's gospel is its length. Marco is much shorter than Matteo and Luca, but what he lacks in quantity he makes up for in quality. The author of Mark does not slow down the Gospel story and makes sure that only important and relevant details are included. When Mark is compared to Matthew and Luke, it becomes obvious to see what Mark eliminated. The author's omission of the birth, lineage, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus denotes careful planning and purpose in Mark's gospel. At the beginning of Mark the author does not include Jesus' genealogy or his birth story as Matthew and Luke do. Instead the gospel begins with John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. Interestingly, unlike Matthew and Luke, the author of Mark also does not mention or allude to Jesus' earthly father, Joseph. An example of Joseph's intentional omission is when Jesus is rejected in Nazareth. In Matthew, Joseph is alluded to when people ask, “Is not this the carpenter's son?” (English Standard Version, Matt. 13.55a). On the contrary, in Mark the people ask: “Isn't this the carpenter…” (Mark 6.3a). Compared to Matthew, it is the author of Mark who provides the basic outline or “essentials” of Jesus' biography. Considering this and the fact that Mark was the first written gospel, it should come as no surprise that the gospels of Matthew and Luke they borrow and expand Marco. However, this does not mean that one should only read Mark because the “indispensables” are all that is needed to be a follower of Christ. Matthew and Luke contain important material that Mark does not include. They also tell from a different perspective and with a different purpose. On the other hand, this also doesn't mean that reading Luke and Matthew will reveal everything you need to know about Mark, Mark simply includes details and words that Matthew and Luke do