One of the things Mark wants us to see in the first chapter of his gospel has to do with the kingdom authority Jesus possesses. The people of Rome knew all about kingdom power in the sense of “might makes right,” but Mark shows them something radically different in Jesus. With his quote of IsaiahContinue reading “Kingdom Authority”
Category Archives: Mark
Not Even Close!
The ecosystem Mark constructs in chapter one of his gospel is . . . well, it’s overwhelming. While chapters weren’t part of original text (they came later), nonetheless, what the Spirit guided Mark to include in the portion of his gospel we refer to as the first chapter is nothing short of amazing. If youContinue reading “Not Even Close!”
A Rebel And The Prince Of Peace
Rome didn’t crucify thieves. Crucifixion was reserved for crimes against the state. It was their way of saying, Mess with us and this is what will happen. From the state’s point of view (not necessarily Pilate’s), Jesus was crucified because He was perceived to be an enemy of Rome. He was a king, and as such, potentially a threat to themContinue reading “A Rebel And The Prince Of Peace”
Breaking Open The Jar
It was “very expensive perfume” (Mark 14:3). Her critics said it was worth more than a year’s wages (v. 5). Perhaps in their anger they were exaggerating as people have been known to do when objecting to something, so let’s put it at a year’s wages. I found some perfume online from Bloomingdale’s that isContinue reading “Breaking Open The Jar”
Water Is Thicker Than Blood
Family is important. It is how God brings us into the world. It is the incubator where we are raised and nurtured. It is responsible for so much of who we are and what we become. Furthermore, we’ve all seen how communities can crumble in the absence of strong families. And yet . . .Continue reading “Water Is Thicker Than Blood”
Virtual Faith
An important thing to keep in mind about virtual reality is that it is virtual. That doesn’t make it bad, uninteresting, or less fun, but it does mean that it’s not to be confused with something that is real. If you think about it from a historical perspective, virtual reality (in one form or another)Continue reading “Virtual Faith”
Toasters And Traditions
Not long after we were married, Janice noticed that I unplugged the toaster immediately after I was done using it. It was a routine I really wasn’t aware of, and at the time I was unable to come up with a reason for why I did it. My wife is the kind of person toContinue reading “Toasters And Traditions”
The Joy That Jesus Brings
It’s an understatement to that the Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t know what to make of Jesus. They didn’t come anywhere close to seeing Him for what He was. He wasn’t Someone who had come tweak their system a bit here and there—He called for a radical revisioning of things (Mark 2:21-22 and the Sermon onContinue reading “The Joy That Jesus Brings”
Perception Isn’t Always Reality
What if God had a Twitter account? That would be pretty interesting, wouldn’t it? If God was on Twitter, I think there are a few things we could predict with reasonable certainty. The first things is that just about everyone would be “following Him” in the Twitter sense and all of His tweets would goContinue reading “Perception Isn’t Always Reality”
Lord Of The Tombs
He was someone’s son, someone’s nephew, someone’s cousin, perhaps someone’s husband, and maybe someone’s father. And everything they knew to do for him had been done—even though it must have been incredibly painful to put your someone you love in chains and have him under constant guard. Still, his condition left them no choice. Others had toContinue reading “Lord Of The Tombs”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 