Mark
“You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.”
The Jews were required to obey 613 precepts in the Law; 365 negative precepts and 248 positive ones. One of their favorite exercises was discussing which of these divine commandments was the greatest. Here we find a scribe asking Jesus which commandment is the most important (v. …
Jesus Faces Opposition From Both Friend And Foe
In the midst of a very busy schedule, we find Jesus facing opposition from both friend and foe. News had reached His relatives in Nazareth (twenty-five miles away) that Jesus was out of His mind and doing crazy things so they came to try to talk some sense into Him. His own brothers …
We Must Not be Found Sleeping
The keyword in this passage is “Watch†(v. 37). Jesus compares His going away as to a man who takes a long journey and leaves his servants to watch over things while he is gone (vv. 33-34). Jesus has left the earth to go to His Father and left His disciples with the …
Judas Arranges For Jesus Betrayal
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests to arrange for Jesus’ betrayal and struck up a bargain for thirty pieces of silver (vv. 10-11). Perhaps you are wondering how he could do such a terrible thing. Very likely Judas expected Jesus to start a political rebellion and over …
Jesus Feeds 4000 With 7 Baskets Leftover
Jesus and His disciples again move back to the east side of the Sea of Galilee and are surrounded by a large crowd with nothing to eat (vv. 1-5). As usual the Lord saw a need and He wanted to supply the need. From the wording here it would seem that the disciples had soon forgotten …
Jesus is Brought Before The Sanhedrin
Jesus was led off to the high priest and all the other leaders (v. 53). Peter followed at a distance and sat down beside a fire with the guards (v. 54). Jesus knew what it was like to be falsely accused (vv 55-59). The Sanhedrin had seventy-one members which included the Sadducee …
Jesus Explained The Parable of The Sower
Jesus explained the parables to those who stayed around after the meeting and really wanted to know the truth. His explanation of the sowing of the seed is compared to giving out the Word of God and the different type of soil is compared to the varying degrees of responses to hea …
Jesus is Nailed to The Cross
Calvary is at the crossroads of history and eternity. Actually the pathway of the cross began in eternity. The book of Revelation says that Jesus was “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world†(Rev. 13:8). Someone has said, “The cross was no ambulance sen …
Whose Wife Shall She Be in The Resurrection?
After Jesus had silenced the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees try their hand at trapping Him. It has been said that the Pharisees were the ritualists, the Herodians the politicians, and the Sadducees the rationalists. This is the only time in Mark’s gospel that the Sad …
Barabbas is Released
Pontius Pilate hits on a brilliant idea which he thought would get him out of this no- win situation. He knew that Jesus was innocent, but he was on the hot seat between the Jewish leaders and what he knew to be the prisoner’s innocence. Every year it was customary for him to release …