Mark
Signs of the End Times
One day as Jesus was going out to the Temple, which was built on top of Mount Moriah, His disciples commented on how beautiful it was (v. 1). Josephus in his writings tells us how it was built of beautiful white marble stones that were 40 feet long, 12 feet high, and 18 feet …
Jesus Begins to Pick His Staff
Mark opens this gospel by explaining how John the Baptist was divinely appointed by God to prepare the way for Jesus as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Mal. 3:1 & Isa. 40:3). John was a rugged prophet from the wilderness and a fearless preacher. Large crowds were com …
Jesus Declares All Foods Clean
In this passage Jesus was attacking a system that put rules and regulations before the claim of human need (vv. 8-13). The commandment of God was that the claim of human love should come first; the commandment of the scribes was that the claim of legal rules and regulations shou …
Three Disciples Question About The Transfiguration
On the way down from the mountaintop experience, Jesus commands these three disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen “till the Son of Man be risen from the dead†(v. 9). It would not really be understood until after the resurrection, which would be proof that J …
The Parable of The Mustard Seed
In Palestine, a grain of mustard seed was a symbol for the smallest possible thing. (vv. 30-32) Actually it was not the smallest seed known. Palestinian mustard seed is about the size of our petunia seed. However, this tiny seed when it is planted in the ground becomes a tree that …
Jesus Heals a Hurting Woman
We find one of the rulers of the synagogue shoving his way through the crowd to get to Jesus. This man had a high position of authority whose duty it was to be in charge of the service. In spite of his position as a leading person in the community, he humbled himself and fell at J …
Is it Lawful For a Man to Divorce His Wife?
These verses in Mark give us the teaching of our Lord on the subject of divorce. Jesus had left Galilee and crossed over into Judea on the east side of the Jordan River (v. 1). As crowds gathered around Him to hear Him teach, a group of Pharisees asked Him a very controversial qu …
The Death of John the Baptist
Herod,, along with many others wondered who Jesus really was (vv. 14-18). Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee. He was the son of Herod the Great and had inherited part of the kingdom from his father. Herod the Great was the king who was responsible for the massacre of the children …
Jesus Teaches in Parables
In our passage today we look at three parables of Jesus, and each parable contains a paradox about God’s Kingdom. A paradox is simply a statement or idea that appears to be contradictory. A Lamp (4:21-23) – Even though God’s kingdom came to our world concealed, God wan …
The Disciples Are Helpless & Ineffective
A great multitude of people surrounds Jesus who have been disputing with the scribes (vv. 14-16). When they see Jesus they are amazed and come running to greet Him. This is a very touching scene as you see a father watch his boy being torn apart by evil forces and he begs Jesus fo …