Last night a small group of us gathered at a friend's house for a bit of a farewell celebration. Our buddy JT Burns was leaving the state of California and heading home for new adventures and possibilities. So there we were, a small group of us huddled around an outside fire pit, drinking beer and eating chips and marshmallows and just enjoying our friend Jon. Then at one point, Nate suggested we share some fun [...]
And s we witness the death of Jesus... which has a profound effect on the world around Him... not only on the Roman centurion who was stationed nearby... but even on the physical aspects of the temple as the curtain is ripped from top to bottom. Join me as i look at Mark 15 from verse 33 to 47 and share some thoughts on these things: [For links to the whole [...]
Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate and doesn't seem to be particularly interested in defending his case [we could learn a LOT there, right?] and perhaps gives us a glimpse of the idea that following Him may often entail swimming against the current we find ourselves in. Join me as I continue on with Mark 15 from verse 1 to 15: [For the next passage in Mark and a reflection on Jesus' [...]
Wow. Boom. Things just got real people. Having just witnessed Simon Peter's 'Life or Death' declaration of absolute faithfulness to Jesus at the Last Supper, we now have this follow up story where Peter is denying Jesus left, right and centre... until suddenly, the piercing sound of a rooster is heard... Join me as i work through Mark 14.66-72: [For the next passage which sees Jesus standing before Pontius Pilate, click [...]
Continuing our journey with Mark as we head towards the end of Jesus' life as He heads for the garden where He will be arrested and then later tried. i take some time to look at what He does or maybe more importantly what He doesn't do - what He says and what He doesn't say, to see where we can learn how we can and should respond in similiar flavoured circumstances:. Join me [...]
This story might be a whole lot more profound than we normally pay attention to. Jesus having a last meal with His disciples who He has grown to know and really love after three years of spending time with them. But during the meal He indicates to them that one of them is going to betray Him. So to put it another way He points out the fact that He has an enemy sitting at the [...]
Jesus cranks things up a notch by talking about end times and the importance of being watchful in this passage from Mark 13.14-37. [For the next vlog in the Mark series on Jesus and perfume and creating space for the interruption, click here]
Finishing off my video blogs of the Gospel of Mark as i work through the last four chapters with thoughts and insights from each passage as I go: All men will hate me? Mark 13.1-13 Be ready, be very ready Mark 13.14-37 Jesus, perfume and space for the interruption Mark 14.1-11 Having your enemies round for some pizza Mark 14.12-26 why DID Jesus keep them around? Mark 14.27-42 Jesus heads to the garden and gets arrested [...]
How do you put a positive spin on the words, "All men will hate you because of Me"? Especially when they come from the mouth of Jesus [which makes them a little bit harder to ignore or explain away]. Perhaps that is why Mark 13.1-13 is not a particularly popular passage for those who don't specifically preach continuously through the Bible? The rest of it is End of the World stuff which generally is good [...]
So we are continuing through Mark and this is a bit of a dejavu passage as Jesus repeats a miracle He has done before [feeding the crowd] but this time with a slightly smaller crowd and the disciples are still struggling to get it. To add to his frustrations his good friends the Pharisees pitch up demanding a sign leading into a deep sigh of frustration and him actually climbing back into the boat and [...]