Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: One of my favorite songs from 10 years ago, Devotion, refers to this verse in the bridge that exhorts us to follow Jesus: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. The …
Read: Jesus begins to speak clearly about the suffering He must experience, the rejection from the leaders, and His crucifixion. Mark doesn’t provide a lot of details, just concise statements, but I suspect there were more details in the discussion between Jesus and the disciples, words that astonished them and shook them up. Peter had …
Read: In a few words, Mark records a pivotal conversation for the world: “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” I’m trying to get my mind around how the Gospel of Mark is organized. When we zoom out to get a big picture of …
Continue reading “Mark: Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah”
Read: Mark includes this brief narrative about healing a blind man at Bethsaida. “Some people” brought the man to Jesus and begged Him to restore his sight. Mark doesn’t let us know if these people are family or friends, but obviously they knew Jesus could heal him, so they tracked him down. As with the …
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Read: It’s so easy to make fun of the disciples, their apparent ignorance, lack of insight and understanding, poor education, etc. Well, at least that’s my first reaction: The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the …
Continue reading “Mark: The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod”
Read: Another large crowd gathers to hear the amazing teaching from Jesus. It seems that people are predisposed to gathering to hear words of wisdom or to be challenged to improve or simply to learn about something. Our quest for knowledge is wired into our DNA, some more than others, but all have a desire …
Read: Jesus continues to minister in the region, around the Decapolis, some 25 miles away, when some people brought a man who was deaf and mute to be healed. Their request is simple, “…they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.” In this case, Jesus is more interactive with the man. After he took …
Read: In this passage, Mark tells us that Jesus has relocated to the vicinity of Tyre, the bustling metropolis of His time, about 30 miles from Capernaum — a significant distance to walk, to find some rest and perhaps focus on teaching His disciples. For perspective, our daughter and husband live about 21 miles from …
Read: The Pharisees and some teachers of the law…again. This time, the approach is simple, pick a rule that surely everyone knows: you must wash ceremonially before eating! Most of the words in this passage are in red letters in my Bible, the words of Jesus. Mark explains the idea of washing before eating in …
Read: The balance of chapter 6 reads like a quick synopsis of the disciples first ministry experience. The details about John the Baptist seem like more of an important side note than a part of the story. Another interesting nuance is in verse 30 where Mark refers to the disciples as apostles. In Mark 3:14, …
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