Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After spending the past seven days in the Gospel of Mark, we have finally reached the moment we’ve all been waiting for. But wait, there are only eight verses?  Some of your Bibles might have a note stating that the earliest manuscripts do not include verses 9-20. […]

Mark’s Gospel does not record what happened on Saturday during Holy Week. It was the Jewish Sabbath, so no one could do anything.  Try to put yourself in the disciples’ shoes. They couldn’t get close to the tomb where Jesus was buried. Their secret hiding place in the Garden of Gethsemane had been discovered. Maybe […]

Early on Friday morning of Holy Week, after being dragged around all night, falsely accused, beaten, and convicted by the high priest, Jesus was handed over to Pilate, the Roman governor, under false charges. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews, and Jesus responded, “You have said so” (Mark 15:2, ESV).   […]

Mark documented the events of that Thursday evening, the night Jesus was betrayed. Jesus sent his disciples into the city to arrange the Passover meal. They were told to find a man carrying a jar of water and follow him to the place where they would stay for the evening. This mirrors the story of […]

On Wednesday of Holy Week, Mark shows us how several storylines begin to intersect. The construction of this narrative is significant. It starts and ends with the religious leaders plotting to kill Jesus, but it focuses on a genuine act of worship by an unnamed woman. Her story has been preserved for thousands of years […]

On Tuesday morning, as they were heading back into the city, the disciples saw that the fig tree Jesus had cursed had withered and died. Jesus’ response to them was very cryptic. Was he teaching his disciples how to move mountains? Or is there a deeper meaning?  The lesson of the fig tree is a […]

Mark specifically records that Jesus returned to the temple the next morning after the Triumphal Entry. As he traveled along, he was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance, full of leaves. It looked good from far away, but when he got closer, he noticed that it had no fruit. The next line […]

Dear Fellow Christ Followers,  I want to invite you to walk with me on a journey with Jesus during His final week. In the daily blog posts that follow, we will be exploring the Gospel according to Matthew as we reflect on the events leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.  […]

Mark’s Gospel opens at a rapid pace. One of his favorite words is “Immediately.” There is no birth narrative. No genealogy. No temptation in the wilderness. No turning water into wine. Jesus is introduced at his baptism, and immediately afterward, he begins calling his disciples. The first half of the book has Jesus instructing his […]