Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Are you a church club member? Wear the t-shirt, have the bumper sticker, know the lingo, the logo, the mission statement and tagline? Is any of that important or useful for building up the kingdom? Those rhetorical questions have a rather obvious answer, I get that, yet many times we see people walk into …
Continue reading “Mark: The Church Club — Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us”
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 …
Continue reading “Mark: Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida”
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: 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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Read: “…He was amazed by their lack of faith.” Just after Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back to life, he is back in his hometown, the place where people knew him best. The Sabbath rolls around and Jesus enters the synagogue and begins to preach. Mark provides these remarkable observations from Jesus’ relatives, neighbors, etc.: Isn’t …
Read: Dear Dad, I’m so thankful for the herd of pigs you trusted me with, an amazing, extravagant gift for which I am truly thankful. I just wanted to let you know that, because the strangest thing happened this morning, something you’re going to find hard to believe. Some guy named Jesus came through town …
Continue reading “Mark: Vile Man Rid of Legion, Business Ruined”
Read: As the Pharisees began to plot against Jesus, the crowds are overflowing. Mark quickly lists the 12 disciples, then focuses on accusations about Jesus’ motivation. In my mind, this quickly gets ugly. Jesus has some strong words for those who are completely confused. At the same time, we are challenged to consider the sin …
Read: John Mark wastes no time in getting into the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The NIV Study Bible notes summarizes his perspective like this: Mark’s Gospel emphasizes more what Jesus did than what he said. Mark moves quickly from one episode in Jesus’ life and ministry to another. No joke! In the first 13 …