Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: I’m no expert on the end times. Most of what I read about eschatology is filled with dire warnings of destruction, of bomb shelter building and preparation with rants of the end is near! Like many theological debates, I suppose I’m required to declare a position on cessation of Spiritual Gift, dispensationalism, premillennialism, postmillennialism, etc. …
Read: As I began to read this section, I simply had to stop and ponder what it must have been like to have a private discussion with Jesus: And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Four of the disciples had …
Read: As I began to process chapter 13, The Olivet Discourse, I simply had to stop and observe the first few verses through the eyes of the disciples, with a bent toward the current state of so many churches in this country. As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, …
Read: John Mark and Luke include this short narrative about giving offering for the temple, the massive enterprise, the centerpiece of Jewish culture at that time. It’s a brief look into life around the temple, but we have a few extra adjectives to describe the event that I found interesting: Jesus sat down opposite the …
Read: As we finish chapter 11 today, we see Jesus and his disciples return to Jerusalem. As Jesus enters the temple courts, various religious leaders approach Him with malcontent on their minds: …while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By …
Read: Yesterday we read the bookends to this story as a way of understanding their meaning. Today we’ll look at Jesus direct actions in the temple courts and try to process the entire scene, so many details in just a few verses! Prior to this chapter, we’ve read several times where Jesus performs a miracle …
Read: The cursing of the fig tree cannot be extracted from the surrounding text; otherwise, we simply walk away confused. There are two sections, bookends if you will, that encapsulate Jesus’s actions in the temple (see the next post). While difficult to appreciate by itself, I hope we can venture into this place and walk …
Read: As we turn the page from chapter 10 to 11, the story shifts dramatically. The words of prophecy and prediction begin to come into focus as we move into Passion Week. John Mark carefully weaves the narrative for us as he guides us along his perspective of these challenging, and ultimately most important days. …
Read: Today we’ll read the familiar story of another bold person that is miraculously healed by Jesus. This is the last healing recorded by John Mark as he is about to shift gears and focus on the final days of Jesus’s earthly ministry. Passover is coming–the HUGE festival that attracts thousands of faithful followers as …
Continue reading “Mark: Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight”
Read: The way John Mark collected these stories, Jesus just told the disciples He would be arrested, tortured, crucified, and rise again — then two of His closest disciples ask about being seated on his left and right. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in …