From Within
You are what you eat. This saying comes from a French lawyer who lived in 1826, who said, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Eventually, it became common in English in the 1930s when Victor Lindlahr published a book called "You Are What You Eat: how to win and keep health with diet." Simply, you eat bad food. You will have bad health. Today many people talk about diets. People are willingly or
Judge the Quick and the Dead
We love the story of Jesus' incarnation. We love the story of him being placed in the manager. We love the story of him at the temple at a young age. We love the story of Christ and the cross. However, many Christians struggle with Christ as the judge. We don't want people to interfere with our lives. We are happy to take encouragement but not criticism. "God is Love." The Bible verse people love to quote, to live by.
Wash Your Hands
The structure of Mark is fascinating. One commentator explains that for Mark, "Placing stories together like bricks in a row with little if any editorial cement is not unusual in Mark." The last time Mark mentioned the Pharisees were in Mark 3:6, "The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him." A massive cliffhanger, and then Mark turns quickly to the sea of Galilee voyages. Mark has not mentioned the Pharisees in
Come again
When we minimize the work of Christ to his death and resurrection, we neglect many aspects of the work of Christ. One of these aspects truly affects the life of a believer. If Christ has done everything for us, then why would it matter how we live? One aspect of the Christian life is that Christ is coming back. We live in the age between the two advents, one of his humiliation, and the second Christ returns with all of
True Christ
Who do you say that Jesus is? The predominate question that needs to be answered. This question is constantly before us as we read the gospel of Mark. Many answers have been given, Son of God (Mark 1:1, 3:11), Beloved Son (1:11), Holy one of God (1:24), a blasphemer (2:7), sabbath breaker (3:6), out of his mind (3:21), son of the most high God (5:7), just a carpenter (6:3), Elijah or Prophet (6:15), John the Baptist raised from the dead
The right hand of the Father.
Christ has not only sat down, but he sat down at the right hand of God. This position shows his exaltation for God has exalted him and bestowed on the name above all names (Phil 2:9). Christ came in the form of a servant in his humiliation, but he is no longer in that estate but is now exalted far above all things. We need to realize the beauty that Christ is in heaven, seated and on the right hand
Gentle Shepherd
We go from a banquet of people of nobility, military leaders, and other men of status at King Herod's perverse birthday party. We go from the palace to a side of a hill. I am sure Herod had many exotic foods and expensive wine. However, we see Mark explain that Jesus feeds the crowd of 5,000 men. He does not have an exquisite menu but simply bread and fish. Yet, the contrast is that Christ is the shepherd who cares
He Sat Down
Christ has ascended into heaven, and he sat down. Every hour at ten minutes to the hour, my watch will tell me to stand up if it has not recorded me standing for a minute in the previous hour. When sitting at a desk, working at a screen, or reading, we stand up and walk around to have a short break. However, to be seated means to be finished, no more work is to be done. Like sitting down after
