Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Mark”
Mark 11:1 Until now, Mark has described Jesus’ activities outside Jerusalem. It’s a few days before Easter week and a new phase of Jesus’ ministry is beginning that will end with Jesus dying on the cross. Jerusalem is an ancient city that existed before Israel came to the land of Canaan. Abraham meets Melchizedek who lives in Salem (Genesis 14:18). …
Mark 10:46 When Luke describes the same event, he writes that this happened when Jesus “was on his way out of Jericho” (Luke 18:35), not into Jericho. Which of them is right? It is very possible that both are right, since archaeological excavations show that there were actually two Jericho’s; an older and a newer Roman one. So Bartimaeus may …
Mark 10:37 Even though Jesus has repeatedly told his disciples that he will suffer and die in Jerusalem, James and John believe that Jesus will now become the new king in Jerusalem and re-establish Israel as a secular nation, thus asking to be given prominent positions in Jesus’ new government. Mark 10:38 The “cup” that Jesus would drink was God’s …
Mark 10:32 Jesus knew that he would die in Jerusalem, yet he courageously and unceasingly continued his mission, even “going ahead” (Mark 14:1). Even if the disciples did not understand Jesus’ mission 100%, they understood that something big was going on. They also knew that there were many who wanted to kill Jesus and so they were afraid as they …
Mark 10:17 The man is eager and respectful and comes to Jesus to find out what he must do to inherit eternal life. In the same way, we should come to Jesus to learn about the kingdom of God. However, the man shows that he believes that eternal life is something that can be earned by “doing” something, which is …
Mark 10:13 The laying on of hands was a common way of communicating something from God to the person concerned. It is the desire of every believing parent that God will bless their children and it is also the duty of every believing parent to bring their children before God and to teach them to live a Christian life. “Train …
Mark 10:2 Shortly before the time of Jesus, there were two influential rabbis who each had a different interpretation of the Torah (the Pentateuch); Rabbi Hillel, who had a more permissive interpretation, and Rabbi Shammai, who usually had a more strict interpretation. Since Deuteronomy 24:1 states that it is permissible for a man to divorce his wife if he comes …
Mark 9:42 This statement is a typical “hyperbole”, an “exaggerated simile intended to create an unexpected reaction in the audience”. Hyperboles were common in Jesus’ time and were very useful when Jesus wanted to shock the audience in order to create a reflection. A hyperbole is not meant to be interpreted literally, but in this case the parable is intended …
Mark 9:38 The disciples had recently failed to drive the evil spirit out of the boy and now they seem annoyed that someone else, who was not in the company of Jesus, has succeeded in doing so. This anonymous disciple may have been one of John the Baptist’s disciples, or one of the 70 Jesus had sent out earlier (Luke …
Mark 9:34 The disciples believed that Jesus, as the Messiah, would become king and re-establish Israel as a mighty nation. Presumably, they are now discussing who will have what role in Jesus’ new government. Mark 9:35 When a Jewish rabbi would teach his disciples, he would sit down while the listeners had to stand up. Now when Jesus sits down …