When we last saw Jesus, we saw His interactions with two groups of disciples (those of the Pharisees and those of John) and with the Pharisees themselves regarding true freedom in Christ and the celebration of the Sabbath.
After Jesus finished the conversation with the Pharisees, Jesus and the disc…
When we last saw Jesus, we saw His call to Levi Matthew which led to a discussion with the Pharisees regarding His true mission – to seek and save the lost.
After Jesus finished the conversation with the Pharisees, the next encounter Jesus has is with the disciples of the Pharisees and the discip…
When we last saw Jesus, we saw His healing of the paralytic man in response to the faith of the man’s four friends.
After Jesus finished teaching in the house, He walked outside Capernaum’s city gates and took the road that led down to the seashore. On the way out of the city, Jesus (and the larg…
When we last saw Jesus, we saw the deep, visceral compassion Jesus had for a leper who came to him for help – someone no one else wanted to help.
After Jesus had spent some time out in the countryside, He once again returned to Capernaum. The news of His arrival did not take long. Soon the house …
When we last saw Jesus, we learned that the source of His power came from the time He spent with His Father regardless of how much sleep He had or had not gotten the night before. He gave us the example to rise early and spend both quality and quantity time with God so that we can meet the challenge…
When we last saw Jesus, He had been in the synagogue on the Sabbath and had released a man from demon possession during the worship service. Truly, what better way to worship than to see someone released from the clutches of Satan!
After the Sabbath worship service, Jesus walked next door to Pete…
After Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him full-time, His next stop was Capernaum. Their stay extended over a Sabbath, so Jesus and His followers went to the synagogue, where Jesus was given the opportunity to speak.
At some point during the teaching, a man with an unclean spir…
In the second half of Mark 1, Jesus begins to officially create the small team of men whom He will groom to grow the church after His resurrection. As Jesus walked on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, somewhere between Bethsaida and Capernaum, He paused and watched four men at work in their …
My goal for this series in the gospel of Mark is to gain deeper, and hopefully new, insights into the heart of Jesus. I want to be transformed by beholding Him (2 Corinthians 3:18). I invite you to join me in this journey. Let’s start with Mark 1:1-15, and together, let’s learn more about Jesus!
We’re starting a new series this week on the Gospel of Mark. After our series on The Power of the Word, I want next to explore the Word Himself. What better place to do that than in the Gospels? You may be asking, “Why Mark?”
The Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark. This is not the same J…
The morning sun hit his face, and he began to stir. Slowly he opened his eyes, recognized his surroundings, and swore. He was still alive, and he had to face another day. Why wouldn’t the God of heaven just let him die in his sleep? He was half dead already any way.
He rolled up his sleeping pall…
He stood at his bed chamber’s window looking out over the darkened city. Although he was covered in sweat, he was chilly. He mindlessly reached for his robe and continued to stare into the night. It had happened again. It had been years since the last time, but the dread was the same. This time, how…
The cart wheels squeaked rhythmically as he traveled. His thoughts ran through his head in time with the cadence. His heart raced with excitement. Each step took him closer to his destination. In his mind’s eye, he could see the two armies gathered in the Valley of Elah. The army of God lined up on …
The dust settled and all became deathly quiet. The men in the circle put down the rocks they had been holding. There was no need to throw them. The man in the middle of the circle was finally dead. He watched as each man came toward him, picked up his respective cloak, and then turned and walked bac…
She stood by her front window watching as the last stragglers returned. She heard their voices and their laughter as they passed by her house. She remembered the days from long past when she was one of those women. That was before. This was now. She wiped her wet face and turned from the window. She…
It had been an incredibly long day. Jesus had spent most of the day teaching the people, telling one parable after another. He was tired, the group was tired, and he could see that even Jesus was tired. He hadn’t been so thankful for sunset in a long time. As the last rays of the sun disappeared on …
He stood in the stood in his palace window looking down at the angry crowd. He heard someone shout, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” (1 Samuel 10:5) Someone yelled, “Take away the ark!” Soon the entire crowd was chanting, “Take away the ark! Take…
He stood in the doorway of the bed chamber experiencing the worst crisis in his life. He felt trapped and helpless. He had been a leader in Capernaum’s synagogue for many years. He had counseled with families in similar crises, and when speaking with them, the words had come so easily. Now he was fa…
The water felt cool in her hand as it dripped from the cloth. She desperately wished that her brother’s forehead felt as cool. She felt the fear well up in her heart as the tears streamed down her face. She pressed the cloth to his forehead and prayed.
She heard the door slowly open and soon felt…
He had served at family gatherings for many years, but this wedding was the largest event he had ever been a part of. He had been up early and home late six days a week for the past month. The list of things to take care of seemed endless. The master’s steward was determined that the youngest daught…