Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Who Trust In Riches
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Don’t Be Shushed
Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be […]
#HandWritingTheWord : The Unnoticed Miracles
In the book of Mark, we read about how Jesus fed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, a task impossible with man alone (Mark 6:30-44). Following this passage we come to Jesus walking on the sea and the reaction of His disciples. Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, the boat was in […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Shake It Off
And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Jesus Rejected
Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Measured To You
Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Mark 4:24-25 NKJV) Do you have measuring cups in your kitchen? I’m sure you do, and I’m sure you know that measuring cups come in different sizes. I have some in my kitchen as small as 1/8 cups and I […]
#HandWritingTheWord : Questioning Jesus
While reading the second chapter of Mark, I noticed a certain behavior of the scribes and the Pharisees. They questioned Jesus repeatedly. Secretly, in their hearts, the scribes questioned His authority: When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:5-7 NKJV) The scribes and Pharisees question His followers: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many […]
#HandWritingTheWord: Jesus Cleanses the Leper
Click here for more on #HandWritingTheWord. Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself […]
#HandWritingTheWord : For This Purpose
Click here for more on #HandWritingTheWord. As I wrote through the first chapter of Mark the first thing that caught my attention was the use of the word immediately. It is used 8 times in the chapter. The second thing to cautch my attention was this verse: But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” ~ Mark 1:38 In the previous verse (Mark 1:37) we are told that everyone was looking for Him, which to me implies that the […]