Text: Mark: 8:1-38 This passage initiates a major shift in Mark’s gospel. The word ‘Christ’ has not appeared since the Gospel’s opening verses. So, in this passage Jesus discloses more and more about His identity and describes what it means to be a disciple. He indicates that there are two sides to discipleship: the cross-bearing,[…]
Text: Mark 7: 1-37 In this passage, we encounter Jesus debating with the Pharisees over what defiles a person before God. The Pharisees were basing their knowledge on the “tradition of elders” (v.3); “many other traditions” (v4); and “the traditions of men” (v. 8). So, the passage clearly points out that the religion of the[…]
Text: Mark 6: 1-56 The context of the passage as Mark presents it to us is the opposition shown to Jesus and also the expectation that His disciples would find that some of the hearers would refuse to hear their message (vv. 3-6, 11). However, Mark’s emphasis in the same passage is that Jesus still[…]
As we study this chapter, we encounter several miracles Jesus performed as He ministered in various places around Capernaum. We see Him casting out demons, healing a dreadful disease, and raising a young girl from the dead. In all these miracles, Mark reminds us that we must realise we need Jesus. We must see ourselves[…]
Text: Mark 4: 1-41 The five parables in this passage are about how we hear the Gospel (vv. 1-34). When Jesus says twice in this passage “he who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He is calling for more than mental reception. He is calling for active heeding, for penetration leading to transformation. To[…]
Text: Mark 3: 1-35 Today’s passage begins a second parallel theme, answering the question: is everyone who receives a miraculous physical healing in God’s family? What about the many who crowd around Jesus? As Mark shows in this chapter the answer to all these questions is ‘no.’ Note how Jesus looked at those who did[…]
Text: Mark 2:1 -28 In the first seventeen verses of this passage, Mark demonstrates to us two major themes. In the story of the paralytic and the calling of Levi, Mark points out that the greatest need in one’s life is spiritual and the only place where one will find help is in Jesus Christ.[…]
This week reminds us about the East African revival which began after the discovery that missionary Christianity had no serious effects of transformation upon the believers. There was quantity not quality. I do hope that during this week we are going to experience revival, affirmations and declarations that Jesus is truly our Lord and savior.[…]
Text: Mark 1: 21-45 These verses begin the long list of miracles which Mark’s gospel contains. The casting out of demons in Capernaum and the healing stories are intended to teach us more about Jesus than about the miracles. We learn, in the first place, from these verses, that it is useless to have a[…]
Text: Mark 1: 1-20 The Gospel according to St. Mark opens by telling us that the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, requires repentance. The first words of both John the Baptist (v. 4) and Jesus Christ make that demand very clear (v. 15). By quoting Isaiah 40:3 and[…]