Looking at Luke 1, I find it interesting that we have one person being blessed by a removal of shame, and another one being blessed with what would (at least initially) have been considered shame. Elizabeth was considered barren. Women who couldn’t bear children dealt with ridicule and disgrace (see Hannah in 1 Samuel). Zechariah... Continue Reading →
The Power of Love
As we conclude the Gospel of Mark (chapters 14-16), we get an expanded picture of the great love of God. In his commentary on Mark, Rodney Cooper share a story of a young man and woman. As they were leaving the restaurant, you could see that the woman had a full body brace as he... Continue Reading →
False Beauty…
Look at how magnificent the temple was in Jerusalem. It was awe inspiring! Yet inside it was ugly and dead. When Jesus came, the people cared more about the temple and the laws than they did about the God who resided in the temple, and the laws that He put into place. In fact, when... Continue Reading →
The Offering…
Mark 12 has a lot to say about offerings: the evil farmers; taxes; the most important Commandment; the religious leaders; and the the widow’s offering. Twice Jesus takes aim at the religious leaders who are far from God. He starts on them with the parable of the evil farmers (which they understood to be about... Continue Reading →
For All Nations
When Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple, He exclaimed, “Mark 11:17 NIV “Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.' ” There are a couple of important points we want to make about this.... Continue Reading →
Authority and Power!
Just because you have the authority to do something doesn’t mean that you have the strength in and of yourself to complete it. The gym may give you authority to lift as much weight as you can, but that doesn’t mean you have the strength to actually lift it. A store gives you the authority... Continue Reading →
Rituals or a Right Heart?
In Mark 7, the Pharisees complain because Jesus’ disciples don’t follow the rituals the religious leaders had put into place. These rituals were probably thought up in order to make sure that they didn’t break any of God’s laws. What was done out of reverence for God at one point is now being done out... Continue Reading →
Two by Two
Why would Jesus send the disciples out two by two in Mark chapter six? Wouldn’t it be more effective for Him to send them out individually? If He did that, He could reach twice the population at the same time? Let's see what the Bible has to say about this? “Two are better than one,... Continue Reading →
Love for the Outcasts…
The three stories in Mark 5 deal with Jesus interacting with different kinds out outcasts — people whom He shouldn’t have been in contact with . These three people were: a man with the unclean spirits who was (more than likely) a naked Gentile who was beaten and bloodied; a Jewish woman who had been... Continue Reading →
The Priority of Humanity
“In this chapter, Jesus tells us what is truly important. We see the heart of the Servant as he states what his priorities are and what ours should be: people over rules; intimacy over familiarity, God’s family over earthly families.” Rodney Cooper “Holman New Testament Commentary: Mark” p. 47 Mark Chapter three starts with a... Continue Reading →
Along the Multicolored Road 