Reading: Mark 8:22-38 Context: How does the gradual healing of the blind man parallel the disciples’ gradually developing understanding? Throughout the journey of discipleship, the disciples see what Jesus does, but they don’t always understand it at the time. Indeed, they will often misunderstand what He does, and it will take gradual learning to understand […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 14: The Great Confession“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV) There is a word that gets worn smooth with use, until it barely means anything at all. Hope. We say it lightly — […]
Read More KMCD 17: Hope, The Fellowship and the KingsmanReading: Mark 5:21-43 Context: What social barriers does the bleeding woman overcome to reach Jesus, and why is this significant? This scripture does not indicate the social barrier, but we can infer the following: she has a disease, which doesn’t make her socially acceptable for starters. The nature of the disease, apparently, would make her […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 9: Faith and HealingReading: Mark 4:1-34 Context: Why does Jesus begin teaching in parables at this stage of His ministry? At this stage, the ministry of Jesus is drawing a big crowd. That crowd includes a spectrum of folks when it comes to their interest in Jesus. He has amazed many who are keen to see what He […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 7: Parables of the KingdomReading: Mark 3:7-35 Context: Why does Jesus need a boat ready and choose twelve specific apostles at this point in His ministry? The boat was to avoid being crushed by the swelling crowd. Jesus needed a place to go for safety’s sake. There may be a correlation between the size of the popularity He was […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 6: Kingdom CommunityReading: Mark 2:13-3:6 Context: Why would eating with “tax collectors and sinners” be particularly offensive to the Pharisees? As holy people and the standard-bearers of righteousness, the Pharisees had a clear insight into who was acceptable and who was unacceptable. A bit like the issue of the clean and the unclean. So the Pharisees knew […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 5: Conflict with Religious AuthoritiesReading: Mark 1:35-2:12 Context: Why does Jesus withdraw to solitary places for prayer, especially after successful ministry times? Jesus withdrawal is about knowing when to be in the crowd and when to be alone with God. It’s a breathing pattern. He breathes in the quality time with the Father to receive all there is to […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 4: Ministry and SolitudeReading: Mark 1:16-34 Context: What does the immediate response of the fishermen tell us about Jesus’ authority and their recognition of it? Is this a recognition by the men of the authority of Jesus? Did they respond to a command or an invitation? The fishermen’s immediate response speaks more to the appeal of Jesus than […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 3: The Call to DiscipleshipReading: Mark 1:1-15 Context: Why was John the Baptist’s ministry of preparation necessary before Jesus began His public work? There’s the importance of fulfilling prophecy – a crucial element in terms of ensuring we know that what’s going on has been spoken by God well in advance. Then there’s the nature of what John the […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 2: The Forerunner’s PreparationReading: Complete overview of Mark’s Gospel (skim through all 16 chapters) Context: What do you know about the author Mark and the circumstances surrounding this Gospel’s composition? Mark’s Gospel is traditionally attributed to John Mark, a close associate of the apostle Peter, who served as Mark’s primary source for the Gospel content. Early church tradition […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 1: Introduction and Overview
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