Tag Archive | Jesus

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/5) Mark 9:30-50

Feb5

A 5-day per week study.

February 5– Reading Mark 9:30-50

Read and believe in Jesus.

And He said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  Mark 9:35

.

The Gospel according to Mark 9:30-50.

Jesus and all his disciples are together again when Jesus heals the boy with the unclean spirit. This demon had been tormenting him with violent and murderous assaults, and the nine disciples alone could do nothing to help.  But Jesus released him and encouraged the father’s small belief.  Afterwards, Jesus told the disciples that this kind of spirit would come out only through totally concentrated, selfless prayer.

.

Vss. 30-32.

Jesus leads His disciples (a few elated by the incident on the Mount, and the rest subdued by their inability to help the boy) back through Galilee.  He didn’t want anyone to know He was there, because He had more to teach them. His time with them was growing short. He is heading more and more towards Jerusalem and His death.

For the second time, as they walked along, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.  And when He is killed, after three days He will rise.”

This is very understandable to us, 2000 years AFTER the fact, but to the Twelve who believed Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, this was nonsense.  Die?  No, their Messiah was to establish the Kingdom, defeat the Romans, and rule from Jerusalem!  They did not understand! And it seems they especially did not grasp what Jesus said about resurrection.

But after Jesus’ rebuke of Peter the last time He told them about His death, they were afraid to ask about it now.

.

Vss. 33-37.

As they walked, some of the disciples were arguing about another topic.  Again, it was related to the soon and hoped-for setting up of the Kingdom by their Messiah. When they were once again in Capernaum and safely ensconced in Peter’s home, Jesus quizzed them about it.

“What were you discussing on the way?”  (Wow, is there nothing that Jesus did not know about them??)

Again, they were silent, which was foolish because He already knew.  They had been arguing over who was the greatest.  Surely Peter was a contender, but the brothers, James and John, were also in the inner circle.  Did any of the other nine think they should be on top, too?

Jesus must have been so discouraged with them.  Hadn’t they learned anything about Him? Had they ever seen Him elevating Himself above everyone else?  Hadn’t they observed the Messiah as meek and lowly?  Sure, He taught the scriptures with authority! Sure, he commanded sickness and legions of demons, and they instantly obeyed Him. But had He asked any followers to bow to Him?

“If ANYONE would be first, he must be LAST of all … servant of all.

Then Jesus picked up a child (Peter’s niece or nephew?) and held him in His arms, smiling and perhaps tickling him.  And looking up to His men, He said, “Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me, receives not Me (only) but Him who sent Me.”

Jesus would say more on this, but John interrupted Him.

.

Vss. 38-41.

“Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”  (Oh man, was John ever looking for a pat on the head and an “atta boy!”  He thought they had done well.  NOPE.  Also, was this a “dig” on the nine disciples who were UNABLE to cast out that demon?)

Jesus said, “Do NOT stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of Me.  For the one who is not AGAINST us is FOR us.  For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”

Huh?  John (or any of them) said nothing to this rebuke.  Truly, Jesus had a lot more to teach them!)

.

Vss. 42-50.

Again looking to the little one on His lap, Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

 

Okay, they understood that. But then, Jesus said,

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”

What??

“And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.”

The disciples must have been stunned!

“AND, if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.  (See Isaiah 66:24)

What were they to make of this?  Surely self-mutilation was NOT what Jesus was teaching.  But sin is serious, whether it involves doing, going, or seeing.  They were to be brutal in eliminating it from their lives.  (Paul would later write, “Present our bodies as a living SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable to God. Do NOT be conformed to this world, but be transformed…  (See Romans 12:1-2)

 

Jesus continued, also thinking of sacrifice, “For everyone will be salted with fire.”

They all would be purified with suffering and persecution – not just Him – like the OT sacrifices that were often accompanied with salt.  Suffering?  Self-denial?  Sacrifice?  What kind of Kingdom was Jesus bringing?

“Salt is GOOD.  Have salt in YOURSELVES. And be at peace with one another.”   

Salt is a good preservative. Let the words of Christ enter and dwell in them (and us), cleansing, cauterising.  Then they will make a difference in the world … for Christ.

And, for goodness sake, STOP ARGUING among yourselves!

 

 

 

 

.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/4) Mark 9:14-29

Feb4

A 5-day per week study.

February 4– Reading Mark 9:14-29

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And Jesus said, ‘All things are possible for the one who believes.’”  Mark 9:23

.

The Gospel according to Mark 9:14-29

Jesus and the “inner three” disciples have come down from Mount Hermon, where Jesus had been transfigured.  Those disciples had been stunned by the vision of Jesus in all his Heavenly glory, talking to Moses and Elijah.  When Peter tried to say something smart, the mighty voice of God broke through, saying He was very pleased with His Son … and told Peter (and us) to listen to HIM.

The atmosphere was quiet as they hiked down the mountain. Jesus had told them not to tell anyone about this incident until AFTER he’d been raised from the dead.  Not knowing how to respond to THAT, they thought of seeing Elijah and asked whether the prophet was yet to come.  Jesus told them yes, and no, so it was still as clear as mud to them.

.

Vss. 14-18.

Reaching the end of their hike down, Jesus and the three saw a great crowd and some scribes clustered around the other nine disciples.

.

(NOTE: After a “mountaintop” spiritually uplifting experience with the Lord, always be prepared to face problems in “the valley.”)

.

“What’s going on here?”  Jesus demanded, His “mama bear” hackles rising at the possibility of His own being threatened.  And looking right at the learned scribes, Jesus added, “What are you arguing about with them?

But it was a man of the town who spoke up.  “Teacher, I brought my son to You for he has a spirit that makes him mute.  And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.  So I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they were not able.”

(This is surprising when you think of the things the disciples did on their two-by-two training mission several months back, specifically casting out demons. (See Mark 6:13)

Jesus’ exasperation at the unbelief is shown by his questions, “O faithless generation, how long am I to BE with you?  How long am I to BEAR with you?”

.

(NOTE:  So just who was Jesus so upset with?  Them all!  The father, for sure, the nine disciples, the unbelieving scribes who were probably gloating over the disciples’ failure, the crowd, and, yes, with unbelieving Israel in general.  Faith, belief in Jesus, was key to His entire mission on earth!)

.

Vss. 19-27

“Bring him to Me,”  Jesus said to the father, and the child was brought.  Instantly, on seeing Jesus, the spirit convulsed the boy. He fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.”

“How long has this been happening to Him?  Jesus asked.

“From childhood,” the father said.  “And it has often cast him into the fire and into water to destroy him. But … if you can do anything … have compassion on us and help us!”

.

(NOTE: The man said, “If you CAN.”  Compare this with others who brought their sick to Jesus, and asked, “If you WILL, have mercy on —.” or “If you WILL, you can heal me.”  Probably, since the other disciples were unable to help his son, the father’s hope had begun to waver. He had started to doubt that healing was possible – much like we do sometimes.)

.

Jesus picked up on that word, “can.”  And seeing the man’s faith wavering like a “bruised reed,” Jesus did not break it, but strengthened it.

“‘If you can,'” Jesus quoted the man, then added, “All things are possible for the one who BELIEVES.”

“I believe!!  Help my unbelief!”  the man cried out.

Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again!”

After crying aloud and convulsing the boy terribly, it came out.  But the boy lay still as a corpse.  “He’s dead!” some said.

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up.  And he arose.  (Does this mean…..?)

.

(NOTE:  Jesus often healed those in a crowd without requiring faith.  He has the power.  He can do that.  But sometimes – maybe looking at the man as one who would eventually believe unto salvation – Jesus tested and strengthened his faith.  Or maybe, Jesus glanced at the nine disciples when He said, “All things are possible for the one who believes.”)

.

Vss. 28-29.

Later, in the house where they were staying, the disciples asked Jesus why THEY couldn’t cast out the unclean spirit?

“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer,”  Jesus told them.

  • (NOTE: Both Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29b leave out the phrase, “and fasting,” in some versions.)
  • 1)  Perhaps the nine disciples had been overconfident because of past experience. Perhaps they had trusted in their own words and had neglected to draw on the power of the Spirit.
  • 2)  Matthew 17:18-20 says their faith was lacking.   
  • 3)  Some demons are more powerful and obstinate, more resistant to being cast out. (See Matthew 12:43-45)   

 

 

 

 

.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/3) Mark 9:2-13

Feb3

A 5-day per week study.

February 3– Reading Mark 9:2-13

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became radiant, intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them.  And there appeared … Elijah with Moses … talking with Jesus.”  Mark 9:2-4

.

The Gospel according to Mark 9:2-13.

Jesus and the disciples have been north of Israel, in the area of Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus gives them the hard teaching about His suffering, death, and resurrection (though they seem not to have heard the last word).

And he taught them (and the crowd) that they too would suffer and possibly lose their lives if they desired to follow Him.  Sobering words!

Then Jesus said that some of them WOULD NOT see death until they saw “the kingdom of God come with power.”  What did that mean?   (Pentecost?  Or what was about to happen to His inner three disciples on the mountain?)

.

Vss. 2-3.

Six days after that amazing statement, Jesus and his men climbed Mount Hermon. Jesus left nine disciples waiting in a lower place and took Peter, James, and John higher up the mountain. Then, to their utter amazement, terror, and fascination …. Jesus was “transfigured” before them.

What does that mean?

He was “transformed” (partially) from the Jewish man in a homespun robe, into the true Eternal One clothed with the heavenly glory He shared with His Father from Eternity past.  This was “the true Light that had come into the world.” It was radiant. Intensely white. No human could have bleached His clothes to shine so brilliantly.

.

(I’ve always pictured this scene like some modern-day superhero, pulling his human shirt open to allow his true character to be seen.  But THIS glory, which emanated from the Lord Jesus, was shining through His robes.  HE WAS the Light.)

(The promise to true believers is that we will one day be “transformed” into the “likeness of Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

,

Vss. 4-8.

This vision of Jesus would have been enough, but the disciples also saw the living Elijah and Moses talking with Him.  (Luke 9:31 says they were talking to Jesus about His upcoming death.) 

.

(How did the disciples recognize Elijah and Moses? God revealed it to them, just as we will recognize the souls of Bible characters, family members, and even the babies we’ve lost, when we get to heaven.)

(It’s interesting that Moses and Elijah represent the whole Old Testament: The Law and The Prophets, both of which pointed to Jesus and His work of redemption, from Genesis 3:15 onwards. These two will be seen again during the final days of earth, according to Revelation 11:5-6.)

.

Peter, ever with an open mouth and an opinion, spoke to Jesus, even though he didn’t know what he was saying.

“Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

(I’m sure we’ve all said similar nonsense in our nervousness!)

But God Almighty, the Father of Eternity, interruped Peter’s feeble words by surrounding the three holy ones in the Shekinah Cloud of His Presence.  And speaking aloud,

“This is my beloved Son, LISTEN to HIM.”

(Matthew tells us that when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces (which is the typical response of a mere human in the presence of God. (See Isaiah 6:5, Rev. 1:17)

The next thing they knew, Jesus, in his everyday clothes, was touching them, helping them up. It was once again a mountain place, and not the halls of Heaven.

.

Vss. 9-13.

As they returned down to the other disciples, Jesus commanded them TO TELL NO ONE what they had seen (and that included the other nine) UNTIL He had risen from the dead.

Peter, James, and John kept this amazing incident to themselves (who would even believe them anyway?) but still questioned Jesus’s words about the resurrection.

(Hadn’t they heard his prediction that he would DIE… and be resurrected?  They, like we, sometimes only hear what we WANT to hear, and they wanted to hear about Jesus setting up His Kingdom here and now.)

.

Also on the climb down, the disciples asked Jesus about Elijah. “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”

This had been a conversation before, and indeed, the Jews from Jerusalem had even asked John the Baptist if HE was Elijah.  Jesus told the three that “Elijah HAS come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it was written of him.”  ***

(NOTE: *** John’s murder “typically” fulfilled the fate that was intended for the OT Elijah, although it had not been “actually” prophesied. The vile, murderous Queen Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2), but God had other things for Elijah to do.  However, when the vile, murderous Queen Herodias vowed to kill John the Baptist, her equally evil husband, Herod, killed the prophet.)

‘

Luke 1:17 does say that John the Baptist came, “in the Spirit and Power of Elijah,” if they would accept that.  

 

 

 

 

 

.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/30) Mark 8:1-21

Jan30

A 5-day per week study.

January 30 – Reading Mark 8:1-21.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And He said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?'”  Mark 8:21

.

The Gospel according to Mark 8:1-21.

Jesus and the disciples are perhaps still in the Decapolis region on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. (See your Bible map.) It’s a mostly Gentile area. It looks as if Jesus has been traveling around, and a crowd of people has been following Him. He’s probably done a lot of healing and hopefully some teaching as well.

It’s a seasonally dry area with barren soil and dried grass (not like the green grassland where Jesus fed the 5,000, see Mark 6:39).  And Jesus has compassion for this crowd. (Those who had come a long distance probably had food to begin with, but now it was all gone.)

.

Vss. 1-10.

As in the other crowd-feeding, Jesus asked His disciples what food they had. They were discouraged to find but seven loaves (rolls) and a few small fish. 

(Now, WHY didn’t they remember the miracle Jesus had done not so long ago and EXPECT Him to do likewise?  Did they so easily forget that astonishing miracle??)

After Jesus gave thanks to His heavenly Father and distributed the food in an orderly manner, there were seven LARGE baskets of pieces left over.  These were not lunchbox-sized baskets as before, but BUSHEL baskets.  A whole lot more bread and fish than they began with. 

THEN Jesus sent away the crowd, their bellies now full and their strength renewed.  He and the disciples got into a boat and sailed straight across Galilee to the area of Dalmanutha (near Magadan or Magdala).

.

Vss. 11-13.

They’d hardly stepped off the boat when some Pharisees came and began once again to argue with Jesus.  They wanted “a sign from heaven” to prove that He was the Messiah that He claimed to be.  Yes, Jesus had done tons of miracles (signs),  but they wanted something else, something supernatural from on high.  (An astronomical sign? God’s audible voice? What?)

Jesus knew they weren’t struggling to BELIEVE.  No, they were TESTING Him, to find a fault that they could run back to Jerusalem with.

Sighing deeply, Jesus said, “No sign will be given to this generation!”

With that, Jesus led the men back into the boat, and they went north to Bethsaida.

.

Vss. 14-21.

On the long sail to Bethsaida, the disciples realized they had once again forgotten to bring the bread. (What IS the matter with them???)

With that on their minds, Jesus’ words confuse them. He said, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Huh? 

Truly, the disciples had their minds on physical things, while Jesus was thinking of spiritual truths.

(This is so often my own case. I tend to ponder and worry over earthly problems, while Jesus wants me to “set my mind on things above.” Colossians 3:2)

The disciples were thinking about bread to eat. Jesus was thinking about leaven to avoid. 

So…. what WAS Jesus talking about?  He was thinking about the acid conversation He’d just had with the Pharisees. Their stubborn hearts questioned His mission and denied the good news of the Kingdom He was bringing.  They were like leaven spreading in a lump of dough. Not the good everyday bread, but that of Passover, symbolically His body, free from sin. 

Trying to elevate their thoughts, Jesus fired eight questions at them.

  1. Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?
  2. Do you not yet perceive or understand?
  3. Are your hearts hardened?
  4. Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?
  5. And do you not remember?
  6. When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?  Twelve.
  7. And the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?  Seven.
  8. Do you not yet understand?

Did they?  Do we?

The “leaven” of the Pharisees was their false teaching and their hypocritical behavior. The “leaven” of Herod was his immoral, corrupt conduct. 

How to beware of these?  Keep ourselves buried in God’s Word and the teaching of our Lord Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/29) Mark 7:24-37

Jan29

A 5-day per week study.

January 29 – Reading Mark 7:24-37.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden.” Mark 7:24b

After the open confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes about the washing of hands, Jesus gave a simple explanation to the people and further details to His disciples in private about what actually defiled a person.

Then he left the city.  He even left Israel, walking far up the coast into what is today Lebanon.  Jesus probably wanted quiet time to rest and further prepare His disciples.  He did not plan any ministry there.

But our Lord always responds to faith.

.

Vss. 24-30. (with verses from Matthew 15:22-25)

Jesus barely had time to take a breath when a Canaanite woman approached Him, crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.“

(NOTE: “Son of David” was a Messianic title, so she definitely had heard about Jesus.) 

Jesus did not answer or pay any attention to her, but she kept up her crying. 

The disciples asked Jesus to “Send her away!“

Finally, Jesus spoke, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and knelt at His feet. “Lord, help me.“

“Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus said, not unkindly.

“Yes, Lord,” she said. “Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

This unusual conversation was Jesus testing the Gentile woman’s faith, seeing it grow with each statement she made. 

Yes, it was Jesus’ responsibility to offer God’s blessings of redemption and salvation to the Jews first.  Yes, the Gentiles would be offered salvation later as well. (Jesus commanded the disciples to go and preach to all the world after His Resurrection.)  

And Jesus did not use the word for “dogs” that the Jews used in a derisive way towards Gentiles. He used the word for children’s “pets” or “puppies.”

Jesus answered her persistence, “For this statement, you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.”

‘”O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” (Matthew)

She went home and found the child lying in bed, the demon gone!

.

Vss. 31-37.

“Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.”

If you have a Bible Map, you will see that Jesus did have some time alone with his disciples, though it might have been while walking, hiking, or camping out.  Jesus first went from Tyre to Sidon (about 20 miles north).  From there, He went east through the low mountains and crossed the Jordan River.  Then he went south along the eastern shore of Galilee down to the area of Decapolis (Ten Cities). 

It was in this “Greek/Gentile” area that the demoniac (remember the man with a legion of demons Jesus cast into the pigs?) went and told everyone about how Jesus delivered and saved him.

And the people brought to Jesus a man who was both deaf and a mute, begging Him to lay His hands on him and heal him.

Jesus took the man aside privately (hoping to avoid crowds?).  Using His own kind of sign language to show the man what He was going to do, Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears, and after wetting his fingers with spit, touched his tongue. 

Jesus said, “Be opened!” (in Aramaic) and instantly the man could hear and speak. 

Jesus told them NOT to tell anyone about the healing. (yeah, right!)  This also was Gentile territory, and He’d healed another Gentile. But Jesus’ intention was not to have a public ministry among them. 

.

(NOTE: Chapter 8 says Jesus once again has a great crowd gathered around him. It’s here that He again multiplies bread and fish to feed 4,000.  This may have been while they were still in Decapolis, after the deaf-mute man was healed.)

.

I am so thankful that Jesus lovingly healed these two Gentiles, since it showed that His heart was for “us” too.  Our time would come, and it did.  Praise God.

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/26) Mark 6:30-44

Jan26

A 5-day per week study.

January 26 – Reading Mark 6:30-44.

Read and believe in Jesus.

(Jesus) had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” MARK 6:34

The Gospel according to Mark 6:30-44

The Twelve had just returned from their mission journeys. They were excited and wanted to tell Jesus all about it, but the crowd in Capernaum was growing. The message spread, “The ‘Teacher’ is back!”  Some wanted to hear more of his teaching. Most needed to be healed.

But Jesus knew the disciples needed time to decompress from the excitement of ministry. He also wanted quiet time to evaluate their experience and encourage them.

Again, Mark writes a “sandwich.”  This section begins with “…they had no leisure even to eat,” and ends with everybody having eaten their fill and the disciples collecting 12 baskets (lunchbox size) of scraps, one for each of them to ‘chow down.’

(Watch for these in Mark’s Gospel.)

.

Vss. 31-34.

Jesus said, ”Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while,” and they got into a boat and headed across the Sea of Galilee.

When the boat left, many people observed it, and the able-bodied decided to “run around to the other side and get there ahead of them.” (This was about 4-5 miles on foot.)  Their timing was perfect.  The crowd (probably the younger and more fit) had begun to arrive just as Jesus stepped off the boat.

.

Were the disciples disappointed that their time with the Master been preempted?  Perhaps they had been able to talk on the boat trip, as they slowly made their way, with little or no wind. 

Was Jesus upset or even angry? Nope.

.

As the verse at the top says, when Jesus saw the bedraggled but excited people, He had compassion on them.  He saw them as sheep without a shepherd.  And HE was “the good shepherd.”

.

Vss. 34b.

“Jesus taught them many things.” 

Did He use their eagerness or the surroundings to tell parables? 

Or did He teach them simple truths of the Kingdom, as in the Sermon on the Mount?

Did He call to their remembrance how God had been faithful to them in the Wilderness, that other “desolate” place?

.

Vss. 35-38.

The day waned, and Jesus knew the people were getting hungry.

The disciples saw it too.  Or maybe it was THEIR OWN STOMACHS that were growling. 

“This is a desolate place,” they reminded Jesus, “and the hour is late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

.

(I can imagine Jesus smiling as He looked around at the crowd. He would teach His disciples a bit about “living by faith.” It would be needed later as they journeyed around the world with the Gospel.)

.

“YOU give them something to eat,” Jesus said calmly to His disciples.

They must have stared at Him. “Shall WE go and BUY two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat???

.

(NOTE: 200 denarii would be 200 days’ wages for a laborer at that time. For a fast-food worker in California today, that would be about $4,000.)

.

“How many loaves do you have?  Go and see,” Jesus told them.  They returned shortly with the little boy mentioned in John’s account. (See John 6:9.)  They now had five barley loaves (rolls) and two fish (think sardines).

.

Vss. 39-44.

Jesus told the disciples to have all the people sit down in groups of 50 and 100 for an orderly distribution.  They probably still did not understand what Jesus was going to do.  Nevertheless, they obeyed.  Soon, 10,000-15,000 people (including women and children) were seated, with aisles between all the groups. 

Goodness!  Could you even see the people in the back groups???

.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked to heaven, and said a blessing.  Then He began breaking the loaves and giving them to the disciples to distribute.  Nest he divided the two fish and gave them to the disciples in the same way.

AND they ALL ate and were satisfied!  All those thousands of hungry people ate to their fill!

AND … there were twelve baskets full of broken pieces and fish LEFT OVER!!

.

How did that happen?  Jesus, of course.

“Give us this day, our daily bread,” Jesus taught us to pray.

“He shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory.”

Ravens brought bread to the prophet Elijah during a drought and famine.

“Do not be anxious, saying, … ‘What shall we eat?’ … for your heavenly Father knows you need it.”
.

They may not have been alone, but Jesus DID teach the Twelve a few lessons they would need when they went out to minister in His Name: compassion, trust and obedience, finding opportunities, order, prayer, and abundance repaid.

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/23) Mark 6:13-29

Jan23

A 5-day per week study.

January 23 – Reading Mark 6:13-29.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.” Mark 6:29a

.

The Gospel according to Mark 6:(12)-(30) – one extra verse on either end of today’s reading.

I stretched the regular amount of verses to show something that Mark often does.  He sandwiches something between two incidents or facts. (Jairus’s daughter/woman with issue of blood/ Jairus’s daughter, etc.)  If you follow these, it helps the flow of the “story” he is painting of Jesus and His men.

  • Verses 12/13 – “So they (the Twelve) went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”
  • Verse 30 – “The apostles (sent ones) returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.”

Let’s see what happened between them.

.

Vss. 14-15.

When King Herod (ruler of Galilee), heard of all the healings and exorcisms that Jesus and His disciples were performing in the towns under his administration, he told his servants, “This is John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him!“  (Matthew 14:2)  And, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”  

John had rebuked Herod severely and openly for his unlawful marriage to Herodias.  Not only had Herod Antipas taken her from his brother Philip’s marriage (adultery) to marry her himself, but Herodias was also his niece (incest).  Herodias hated John for his accusations and schemed to have him killed. 

.

Vss. 16-20.

Herod had finally arrested John and put him in prison, probably at Machaerus, his hilltop palace-fortress near the north end of the Dead Sea.  Weirdly, Herod liked to debate with John.  He also feared the prophet, knowing he was a righteous and holy man, so he kept him safe from Herodias’s evil machinations.

But she was more devious.

.

Vss, 21-28.

A BIRTHDAY PARTY!! 

To celebrate another of his years, King Herod held a grand birthday banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.  Everyone ate and drank to their fill – especially Herod.  To impress his guests, he called for Herodias’ sexually enticing daughter to dance for them.  She came into the hall on silent slippers, bowed to the king, and began to dance.

The gauzy veils and skimpy, flowing skirts, her sinuous movements, and alluring eyes mesmerized the guests and the king.  The men shouted their approval, and when the dance was over, the king beckoned for her.  When she stood before him, and he said, “Ask me for anything you wish, and I will give it to you.  Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

The men shouted their approval once more and waited.  

Salome (her name) bowed and, with graceful steps, approached her mother at another table.  A few minutes later, she returned to the king with these instructions.

“I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

The banquet hall was dead silent. No one had expected that, including the king. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes were wide. He did not want to and was even afraid to kill the holy man.  He was sorry for his vow. But he looked around at the men, his guests, all eager to see if he would keep his oath, and he caved.

He ordered a servant to tell the executioner to behead John and bring back his head … on a platter. Then the party went on, even though everyone waited tensely to see what would happen.  Eventually, there was a ruckus at the door, and the big executioner walked into the banquet hall.  He carried a silver platter with the bloody and gruesome head of John resting on it, his long Nazarite hair hanging over one edge.  

He bowed and gave it to Salome. (Did she flinch, grimace, or scream?  Or did she already have her mother’s mindset?)  She brought the platter to her mother, and then to her unlawful stepfather, King Herod. (A vision for future nightmares!)

(Herodias reminds me of the wicked Queen Jezebel, who lusted for the head of the prophet, Elijah. after he killed all her prophets of Baal.)

.

Vss. 29-30.

John’s disciples retrieved their teacher’s body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

At the same time, the Twelve returned – joyful and exhilarated – and told Jesus all that they had done. They told Him about some who had repented at their message.  They told Him how they’d cast out many demons, and had anointed the sick with oil, and they were healed.  

I know Jesus was happy to hear them, but He said,  “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”  So they got into a boat and sailed across the Sea to a quiet place by themselves.

Jesus knew they needed rest and privacy.  And he would also tell them of John.  He would explain how discipleship wasn’t all victories and miracles.  There was a cost to proclaiming the Good News.

It might even mean their lives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/22) Mark 6:1-12.

Jan22

 A five-day-per-week study

January 22 – Reading Mark 6:1-12

Read and believe in Jesus. 

“And Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:6

.

The Gospel according to Mark 6:1-12.

After raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, to keep the crowds from growing even larger and pressing Him so He couldn’t teach or minister, Jesus took His disciples 50 miles SW to His hometown of Nazareth. It was small and of little importance, and most of the crowds would not follow Him there.

.

Vss. 1-6.

On the Sabbath, they went into the local synagogue, and Jesus began to teach. Many who heard Him were “astonished.”

In the synagogue in Capernaum, the people who heard Jesus were also “astonished” at his teaching.  To them, “he taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.”  (See Mark 1:22)

Not so in Jesus’ hometown.  Notice the questions that came from the people of Nazareth after their astonishment at His teaching….

  • Where did this man get these things?
  • What is the wisdom given to Him?
  • How are such mighty works done by His hands?
  • Is not this the carpenter?
  • The son of Mary? *
  • The brother to James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? **
  • The brother to his sisters?
  • “And they took offense at Him.”

Unbelief, pure and simple.  

And Jesus acknowledged it.  He told them, “A prophet is not without honor … except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household.”

Jesus could do no miracles there except that He laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

How sad. This town missed out on the huge blessings of Kingdom teaching and miracles … just because they would not accept Jesus for His claims (and Mary’s) 

So, Jesus went about among other villages teaching.

 

*Note: Calling Jesus the ‘son of Mary’ was degrading. Usually, a man was named after his father. (Simon, son of Jonah, James & John, the sons of Zebedee). With this title, they were saying they knew Jesus was conceived by a woman who was not married.)

**Note: Of Jesus’ brothers, James and Judas (Jude) did finally believe in Him and were saved.  James became the leader of the Jerusalem church and wrote the book of James. Judas also wrote the book of Jude and ministered in Galilee.  But now?  Now these brothers teased Him about his “visions of grandeur.”

.

Vss. 7-12.

Away from Nazareth with its unbelief and Capernaum with its massive crowds, Jesus began another teaching exercise for the ‘Twelve.” He would send them out in pairs into the towns and villages in the area. And He gave them authority over unclean spirits. (Jesus had all authority, to give to whom He would).

There were requirements for their experience that would prepare them for later missionary work, when they would take the Gospel throughout the known world.

  • They were to take nothing except a staff – used for walking and protection against criminals and wild animals.
  • They were to take no food, no normal traveling sack, and no money. (This would be a faith-builder.)
  • They were to wear sandals, but only one tunic, so they could identify with the common people. (Those with comparative wealth would wear two tunics.)
  • They were to remain in the first house they approached that welcomed them for the duration of their stay. (Even if the neighbor had better accommodations or yummier food!)
  • If any home or town would not receive them, they were to “shake off the dust from their feet” as they left. This would show that the people had rejected Jesus and the gospel, and that they were rejected by the Lord.

.

It’s interesting that Jesus chose the pairs of men to send out to different communities.

Don’t you wonder who made up those six teams?   Did the two sets of brothers go together, or did Jesus choose a fisherman with a scholar?  Did He send the tax collector out with the Roman-hating Zealot?  Who was sent with Judas Iscariot?

Jesus knew their hearts.  They each would be learning from the other and adjusting to circumstances every day.

.

And so these men went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 

Did Jesus do the same, or did He go to a quiet place and spend days fasting and praying to His father for them, and for His own gruesome mission?

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/14) Mark 4:1-20

Jan14

A 5-day per week study.

January 14 – Reading Mark 4:1-20.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables…”  Mark 4:10-11

 

The Gospel according to Mark 4:1-20.

Vss.1-2

Up to this point, the crowds around Jesus have been coming for healing.  And Jesus healed them of every kind of disease, and cast out many kinds of unclean spirits. They have crowded and crushed around Him, and in His compassion, He met all their physical needs.

Now, when the great crowd came, Jesus began TO TEACH them. He got into that boat a little way out in the water and sat down. The people settled along the beach and up on the rising land. Eventually, they quieted, and Jesus began to teach them (many things) in parables, or object lessons.

Object lessons make some things clear to the listeners, but perplex others who have no interest. This was Jesus’ plan.

.

Vss. 3-9

Jesus tells the very familiar parable of the Sower. This would have been a common sight in Galilee: farmers with a sack slung over a shoulder, sowing grain in wide, sweeping motions.  The people settled back to listen.

But it seems the lesson to be learned was about the soil, the makeup of the earth where the seeds landed.

The parable portrayed Jesus as the sower, sowing the “good news” of the Kingdom of God. His listeners were the different kinds of soils.

  1. Some seeds fell along the hard-packed pathway, where hundreds of feet wore a shortcut through the field. The seeds simply sat there until the birds noticed the treat and came to eat them.
  2. Some seeds fell on rocky ground – possibly the edges of the field where the plow had overturned the soil and left it in hard clumps.  The seeds sprouted and sprang up.  But they couldn’t send their roots deep into the soil where moisture was, and so soon shriveled in the hot sun.
  3. Some seeds fell where weeds and thorns grew, perhaps on the corners of the fields where the plow did not reach.  They sprouted and grew, but so did the stronger, established, and much more aggressive weeds. Eventually, the weeds overpowered the seedlings, drawing all the moisture and light. The weak plants yielded no grain.

The people listening had seen these scenarios many times in the countryside.  Perhaps some even nodded in appreciation at Jesus’s agricultural knowledge. They were ready for the final kind of soil.

     4.  Other seeds fell on good soil. These grew up and yielded 30x, 60x, and even 100x the amount of seed sown.  (All of these yields were HUGE amounts. Grain in that area usually produced only 8x or 10x.

Then Jesus says to his huge audience, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

.

(Maybe some responded in their hearts, “I have ears, I heard Him well enough, what’s the big deal?  How come He didn’t do any miracles?)

(And maybe others left quietly, thinking about Jesus’s words, grasping a bit of their meaning, and decided to return and hear more.)

.

Vss 10-12.

Later, when Jesus was alone with them (perhaps even that evening), the twelve asked the meaning of the parables.  Jesus gave them what seems like a very chilling answer.

“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that (and here He paraphrases Isaiah 6:9-10), ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'”

.

The “mystery” of the parables is revealed to those who believe in Jesus, who may have heard John the Baptist point to Him and proclaim Him as the Lamb of God, or simply recognized His miracles as proof of His Messiahship. In all cases, it was the work of the Holy Spirit that caused saving faith.  (This is why blasphemy of Him is so deadly.)

.

Vss. 13-20.

Then Jesus explained the parable of the “sower” to the disciples.  

  1. Seeds sown on the path are like people who hear the word, but immediately Satan comes and takes it away.
  2. Seeds sown on rocky ground are the ones who hear the Word, it sounds “good,” and they receive it with joy. They endure for a while, but since their belief lacks substance, when persecution or tribulation comes, they immediately fall away.
  3. Seeds sown among the weeds are those who HEAR the word, but the cares of the world, or the deceitfulness of riches, or the desires for other things, choke the Word (become more important), and it proves unfruitful. 
  4. Seeds that are sown on good soil are the ones who HEAR the Word, AND ACCEPT it, and BEAR FRUIT, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.

.

Jesus will teach in many more parables, and sometimes He will have to explain some to His disciples. But the people who came only for healing or to see the miracles Jesus did went away without understanding.

.

“Lord, open my eyes and ears to Your truths!”

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/13) Mark 3:20-35

Jan13

A 5-day per week study.

January 13 – Reading Mark 3:20-35.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:35

 

The Gospel According to Mark 3:20-35. 

Two groups responded to what Jesus was doing in Galilee: His family and some scribes (Pharisees) who came from Jerusalem.  Seeing Jesus “spending Himself” on the needs of the crowds, one group said He was crazy; the other said He was demon-possessed.  Let’s look at the first group first.

.

Vss. 20, 31-35. Family.

After Jesus went up to a secluded spot on the mountain and chose His twelve special disciples to train for ministry, He went “home.”  This meant that He went back to Capernaum to Peter’s house, where He was staying. (See Mark 2:1)  

As soon as he got there, the crowds began gathering and maybe even accosting Him again, pressing in and seeking healing from their many health issues, and deliverance from foul spirits.   Before Jesus went up into the mountain, Mark says the crowd was about to “crush” Him. They pressed Jesus so much to heal them that He didn’t even have time to eat.

We might wonder why Jesus didn’t tell them to “back up” or “get in line,” or even “come back at two o’clock, after I have lunch.”  But Jesus didn’t.  He continued to meet the crowd’s needs, hour after hour.  In Mark 6:34, it says Jesus had compassion on the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  (The religious leaders of the day certainly were not “shepherding” them.)

Somehow, Jesus’ family (mom, sisters, and brothers) heard how hard and long He had been ministering to the crowds, some from as far away as Lebanon and the other side of the Jordan River. His family couldn’t understand this and came to “rescue” Jesus by force if needed.  They thought he was “out of His mind.”

  • (Note: Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:13-14a, “if we are ‘beside ourselves,’ it is for God, if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ constrains/controls us … that those who live, might no longer live for themselves but for Him, who for their sake died and was raised.”  
  • This was Paul’s dedication to others. And Jesus’s.  Self-sacrificing LOVE.

.

Vss. 31-35.

Jesus was finally inside Peter’s house.  There were still crowds around the house and even inside.  (Remember when the four men had to let down their paralysed friend through the roof?)  

A message from his family, who were outside, came to Jesus.  They wanted Him to come out.  They probably wanted him to go with them, to get some “peace and quiet,” a meal perhaps, to rest, and “catch His breath.” 

Jesus said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?  HERE are my mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.“

Do you think Mary was “hurt” to hear this, or was this another truth that she “pondered in her heart”?  Did it anger His half-siblings?  They teased Jesus about His ministry until after His death and resurrection, when at least two of them became believers (James and Jude). 

The verses don’t say, but it’s probably true that Jesus’ earthly family eventually went away, not understanding.  One day, they would.

.

Vss. 22-30.  The scribes/Pharisees.

More religious leaders came from Jerusalem to check out Jesus. (Perhaps the local leaders sent for them after Jesus healed and cast out a demon on the Sabbath Day.)  These scribes, sometimes called lawyers, were mostly Pharisees, although a few were Sadducees. 

These ultra-religious men observed Jesus casting out unclean spirits. Did they envy this power? They knew that only a prophet sent from God could have such authority.  And yet they said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul (Satan), and by the Prince of the demons, He casts out the demons.”  

Did they think about what they were saying?  WHY would Satan cast out his own demons???

Jesus caught that too and said, “How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided … he can’t stand and is coming to an end.”

Then Jesus – in a parable of sorts – tells them that HE is the only one who has power over Satan and his minions.  “No one can enter a strong man’s house (Satan’s domain) and plunder his goods (cast out demons), unless he (Jesus Himself) first binds the strong men.  Then he can plunder as he wishes.”

Then Jesus turns to these scribes, who knew the Law and the Prophets in detail, and proclaimed a very chilling statement.  (Which has sent terror into the hearts of people even today.)

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, BUT whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit NEVER HAS FORGIVENESS, but is guilty of AN ETERNAL SIN.”

Why is this so?

Because, in deliberately slandering the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit who points to the lordship and the redemption of Jesus Christ, they completely forfeit any possibility of present or future forgiveness of sins.  There is NO OTHER WAY.

Serious stuff.