Mark 14:22-52 There are many stories which are reiterated multiple times throughout the Bible. The story of the exodus is actually told more than any other. As Jesus experienced his last night on Earth, he did it while celebrating the exodus meal of the Passover. Jesus shockingly took a meal which had been repeated for well over a thousand years and transformed it. His first change was to make the...  Read More

Mark 14:1-21 What are the things which you value above everything else? If there was a fire in your house and you could only grab one thing, what would you take with you? The things we value will very much determine the way we live. As Jesus heads towards his death the disciples reveal something they value more than him. They value money over Jesus in being indignant toward the woman who poured th...  Read More

Mark 13:14-37 Christ is returning! We need to embrace this truth and live in light of it. Jesus instructs his disciples about his return to, "Be on guard! Be alert!...Watch!" The urgency of these commands comes from the reality Jesus is coming back. Nearly every generation has thought Jesus would return during their time, and though every previous generation has been wrong, one will be right. So, ...  Read More

Mark 12:38-13:13 Looks can be deceiving. Jesus’ teachings in Mark 12-13 point out this truth. Jesus first looks at the religious leaders. They look so impressive with their robes and their societal positions, but Jesus says they are headed to punishment. What looks impressive from the outside, ends up not being so. Second, Jesus points out people who are placing their offerings in the temple treas...  Read More

Mark 12:18-37 You have been reading about twenty verses a day and hopefully taking your time to meditate on those verses. One of the values of slowing down while you read is noticing the details of Scripture. As Jesus asked and responded to a series of questions in Mark 12, he revealed the importance of even the minutiae of Scripture. In his response to the question of the Sadducees, Jesus quotes ...  Read More

Mark 11:27-12:17 How much do you value truth? How much are you willing to change your life to conform to the demands of truth? The religious leaders reveal multiple times they are more concerned about keeping the status quo than they are about knowing and walking in the truth. They ask Jesus questions but do not really care about the answers and other times only do it to “catch him in his words” o...  Read More

Mark 11:1-26 C.S. Lewis wrote that Jesus is either a liar, lord, or lunatic. Often people want to think that Jesus was simply a good man and a great moral teacher, but the words of Jesus do not leave us with those options. We have to take seriously the claims Jesus made about himself. As Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, it was clear to the crowds that he was proclaiming himself kin...  Read More

Mark 10:32-52 So often we miss what God is doing. We are so busy and consumed by our own agendas that we miss the larger, more beautiful work that God is performing. In Mark 10:32-52, Jesus heads toward Jerusalem and announces that he is walking into his arrest, condemnation, abuse, and death. The disciples seem to completely miss the meaning of his words. They, like us, are so consumed by their t...  Read More

Mark 10:13-31 Who are the most important people in our society? Younger people might think of social media influencers while older people might think of business moguls or politicians. Yet Jesus wants us to understand the value of every person. Jesus is confronted by two extremes of the ancient social significance scale in Mark 10. First, he is brought a series of little children. Kids can be elev...  Read More

Mark 9:30-10:12 Who is the greatest person you have ever met? Is it a celebrity, a financial guru, a powerful CEO? The way we conceive of greatness, especially as a culture, is profoundly different from Jesus’ view. This is why Jesus came to earth not only as Lord, savior, and king, but also as a teacher. He came as a teacher because we are prone to embrace lies rather than truth.Mark 9 describes ...  Read More

Mark 9:1-29 Jesus came to Earth with power. Despite looking physically like any other Jewish man, he continually demonstrated his unparalleled power. He performed miracles, he revealed supreme knowledge and wisdom, and he asserted his control over creation. In Mark 9, his power was revealed in the transfiguration as he became "dazzling white." Then his power was again shown when he cast a demon ou...  Read More

Mark 8:11-38It is so easy to miss the point. You can hear a sermon and walk away failing to grasp what it is all about. Or maybe you feel like that after reading the Bible. Many people who experienced Jesus in the flesh missed the point. The Pharisees were so fixated on trying to trick Jesus with theological riddles that they failed to come to grips with who he was. The disciples were often so fix...  Read More