Jesus explained that he was “on the way” to Jerusalem where he would be arrested, tried, and executed per the plan of God – Mark 10:32-34.
Once again, Mark stresses that Jesus is “on the way” as he continues his journey to Jerusalem and his inevitable death. This same theme occurs several times in Mark, beginning with John the Baptist who “prepared the way before the Lord.” Jesus was the suffering servant of Yahweh who was on the road from the wilderness to Golgotha.
Continue readingTo follow Jesus is to surrender one’s entire life to him, and to walk wherever he leads with no questions asked – Mark 10:17-31.
One day, a young rich man approached Jesus to ask what he should do to inherit everlasting life. Here, the reader is confronted with the cost of discipleship. In the version in Matthew, the man is labeled “young.” In Luke, he is a “ruler,” presumably, of the local synagogue. And his haste to ask this question points to his sincerity.
Continue readingOpponents questioned Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he used the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom – Mark 10:1-16.
In Mark and Matthew, Jesus was confronted by religious opponents about the issue of divorce, but this was done to trap him with his own words. They did not intend to solicit an all-encompassing ruling on divorce from him. In Mark, the incident is another in a series of confrontations between Jesus and the religious establishment associated with the Temple.
Continue readingTo be his disciple means to pursue self-sacrificial service for others, and especially so to the weak and insignificant.
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained to the disciples what it meant to be the Messiah, and not for the first time, for in the city of David, he would face his final confrontation with the Temple authorities and death at the hands of the Romans. Was not that city the appointed place where the prophets were killed, and the Messiah himself must suffer rejection and death?
Continue readingUnbelief hindered the disciples from exorcising a dumb and deaf spirit – Mark 9:14-29.
When Peter, James, and John saw the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mount, the rest of the disciples were ministering nearby. But whenever they ministered when Jesus was absent, they quickly found themselves in trouble. And this time, as soon as the crowd saw him returning from the mountain, they flocked to him for healing and deliverance.
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