Listen! Mark 4:1-20 and Mark 4:26-34 In Chapter 4 of Mark’s Gospel we see a shift in emphasis as Jesus begins his teaching ministry. Verses 2 and 33 of the chapter tell us that Jesus taught in parables regularly. When Jesus taught in parables he used the everyday things that people were familiar with to tell his stories so that they were grounded in day to day reality – farming, shepherding, fishing, family, losing and Read more…
A divided kingdom cannot stand Mark 3:20-30 This chapter began in the Synagogue, moved to the lake, then to the mountain and now Jesus returns home. Here his ministry is denied by both family and the Jerusalem authorities. Each tries to explain away what they see and hear, deciding Jesus must be working for Satan. Jesus responds– a house that is divided will collapse. If he were working for demonic forces, why would he be Read more…
Which is lawful, to do good or to do evil? Mark 2:23-3:8 As we read this story, we sense a storm brewing. Jesus and his disciples are being watched, and not with a benevolent interest. It is here that we see the plot to kill Jesus start. To understand what is happening it helps to remember the context. The Jewish homeland is occupied and controlled by Rome and Jewish identity is threatened. The concept of Read more…
How can the guest of the bridegroom fast? Mark 2:18-22 The disagreement with the Pharisees that we saw yesterday is continuing today! The Pharisees concentrated on trying to live in a holy way. They did this by focusing on following rules, because they thought this would bring them closer to God. I wonder if this is how we have sometimes seen the Christian faith. As a bunch of rules, a list of ‘do nots’. Now Read more…
It’s not the healthy who need a doctor Mark 2:13-17 We’ve already seen Jesus call people to follow him. But this one is different. It’s to Levi, a tax collector. Tax collectors were despised. Some tax collectors like Levi were Jewish and yet they were working for the oppressive, ruling Romans. They would often over-charge to keep money for themselves. They were also seen as unclean because they were with non-Jews and handling their coins. Read more…
Why are you thinking these things? Mark 2:1-12 There is so much that we could say about this passage. We could talk about the fact that Jesus shows that he is able to forgive sins – something that only God can do. We could talk about how Jesus separates out forgiveness from physical healing pointing out that disability is not caused by sin or lifestyle choices. We could talk about the fact that many disabled Read more…
I am willing. Be Clean Mark 1:40-45 Many years ago, I was talking with a woman whose family had been going through a particularly difficult time with one crisis after another. She asked what she’d done wrong that had caused God to let this happen. This inherent belief that our problems are caused by our own doing is something that was true in Jesus’s time. Leprosy in particular was seen as a sin, it was Read more…
Come follow me Mark 1:16-20 Jesus is eager to get on with his mission – and he knows he needs some people to work with him. Why did Jesus want them to follow him? He obviously had a purpose for their lives, and we see through the rest of Mark1 that they went on to share in the work of Jesus and to reach others with the Good News of the kingdom. Here we’ve got Read more…
The Time Has Come Mark 1:14-15 Try as I might I just cannot sum up what the Good News is, apart from it being about Jesus. It’s meaning cannot be put into a sentence …it will never fit on a bumper sticker or into an easy answer. Throughout the Gospel you will see that Jesus never actually dictates the meaning of the Good News – he simply, yet profoundly offers it to those he meets Read more…
Introduction Mark 1 verse 1 For anyone new to the Bible, there is no better place to start to read about Jesus than the Gospel of Mark. Here we have an eyewitness account of his life that includes his teaching, activities and journey from life in Galilee to the cross in Jerusalem. Mark writes the story of Jesus in everyday language that is full of action and bound to keep the reader engaged. Unlike the Read more…