Mark 4:10-12 Parables are one of the most popular aspects of Jesus' teaching. Even today, people would use the terminology of "Good Samaritan" even if they had no concept of Jesus teaching or the context in which this parable is told. Even as Christians, we know parables well, the prodigal son, the friend at midnight, the wise or foolish builder. However, most of the time, when we know things well, we remember them wrong. This happens all the time with songs

Last week we saw the relationship between the crowds and the disciples and Jesus. Both groups follow Jesus in different ways. Today we look at a passage about two other groups and how they explain Jesus' actions. Today we see how Jesus' family treats him, and the Scribes understand how he has the authority to cast out demons. The scene is set at Jesus' house in Capernaum. The crowd has gathered again, so much that Jesus and his disciples are

Mark 3:7-19 The previous verse spoke of the plot to have Jesus destroyed. For Mark, the movement of a place is often the movement of the narrative. Jesus has shown his authority in his teaching and his healing. The conflict has arisen in the Pharisees, and now Mark shows us some other groups and how they respond to Jesus. Just as the pharisee's respond to Jesus differently than his disciples, the crowd also follows Christ and has different reactions. As Mark

Mark 2:23- 3:6 Six-hundred and thirteen, this is the number of laws that are found in the Old Testament. Three-hundred and sixty-five of them speak of what you are not to do, and two-hundred fourth eight is what you are to do. A good Jew would want to be able to obey all of these laws. They would ensure that they would uphold the law in all aspects of their life. However, they became servants of the Law not the giver

Mark 2:18-22 The conflict is rising between the religious leaders and Jesus. We have noted several times this rising tension, which continues to grow throughout Mark's Gospel. The tension will finally be felt at the end of Mark when Jesus is crucified on a cross. However, we notice even in the early chapters they sought to destroy him (Mark 3:6). Mark chapter two shows this tension builds, with the question of who can forgive sins? (Mark 2:7) or Why does he

Mark 1:40-2:17 Mark's gospel moves at a rapid pace, in which we see how various people respond to Jesus. Last week we saw the chaos ensue and crowds surround him, even after finding a quiet place to pray. Today's passage is back to the chaos and crowds. We will see how three men on the outside of society came to Jesus and their different reactions. We also see the seed of tension, which continues to grow throughout the gospel. I. Leaper (1:40-45) The

Mark 1:35-39 When you have small children, there are not many moments of rest. They wake up; you are then up. From that moment, your day is filled with needs, questions, discipline, encouragement, and a wide array of tasks. Even when they might be resting, you still have to prepare for the next stint in the race, clean their clothes, etc. There is always a need before you. The child is dependent upon the parent. They might be left for a

Within this section Mark is showing the beginning of Jesus earthly ministry as it is set within the region of Galilee (Mark 1:14-39). This passage Jesus goes into Capernaum, which is located on the north west side of the sea of Galilee, located in small territory of in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali (Matt 4:13). Luke explains that Jesus was rejected at Nazareth and then moved to Capernaum (Luke 4:16-31). Matthew explains that Capernaum becomes his hometown (Matt 4:13,

Mark continues to move at a fast pace. The first impression that Mark presents of Christ after the temptation in the wilderness is that of Christ as the preacher. The Next section is really one big section from Mark 1:14-39, beginning with Christ preaching and Galilee and ending with him preaching in Galilee. Marks Gospel is really one of geography, beginning in Galilee and ending in Jerusalem with the hinge in Mark 8:29, Peter’s confession. Mark arranges the gospel not

Mark 1:9-13 Mark's gospel is noticeably shorter than the other Gospels. It is 22% shorter than John, 38% shorter than Matthew, and 42% shorter than Luke. This is notable in the fast pace Mark jumps into the gospel, beginning with Jesus' ministry. Jesus is baptized in verse 9 of Mark. However, Matthew is still in genealogy and only at Hezekiah. Luke is only beginning to tell of the announcement of the pregnancy of John the Baptist. And John is talking about