Archive for May 2021

1 Samuel 17-18, Psalm 102, Mark 12:1-12, 2 Corinthians 7 Mark 12:1-12: And people think parables are all nice and sweet, sugary and gentle! This parable would have certainly rocked their world. The image of a “vineyard” would have been familiar to Jesus’ hearers. Essentially, it represented God’s people as God’s “vineyard.” Jesus is saying…

1 Samuel 15-16, Psalm 101, Mark 11:27-33, 2 Corinthians 6 Mark 11:27-33: It is easy to use inquisitorial questions to attempt to gain moral superiority over another person. Hide behind the question a sense of wrongdoing on the part of the one being questioned, sneak that assumption unvoiced behind the question, and fire away and watch the results…

1 Samuel 14, Psalm 100, Mark 11:12-26, 2 Corinthians 5 Mark 11:12-26: We come now to one of the most discussed and most misunderstood accounts in the life of Jesus: the cursing of the fig tree. Why does he do it? What is the point? Jesus is pronouncing judgment on fake legalistic religion that denies…

1 Samuel 11-13, Psalm 99, Mark 11:1-11, 2 Corinthians 4 Mark 11:1-11: The triumphal entry—celebrated the world over in churches—but what does it mean? In these first eleven verses, we begin to get a sense of it. Jesus is coming as a king to Jerusalem, as the King, but he is not the king (the Messiah) that many…

1 Samuel 9-10, Psalm 98, Mark 10:35-52, 2 Corinthians 3 Mark 10:35-52: Two of the disciples try to cut to the head of the line by asking Jesus directly to share in his glory. To sit at his right and his left—the honored positions—in glory. When they ask him, the way they ask exposes their presumption. We want…

1 Samuel 6-8, Psalm 97, Mark 10:17-34, 2 Corinthians 2 Mark 10:17-34: A rich man—all in a rush with business—runs up to Jesus and asks Jesus the question of all questions. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The rich man gets right to the bottom line. What’s the most important question here, let’s cut to the…

1 Samuel 3-5, Psalm 96, Mark 10:1-16, 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 Mark 10:1-16: As was Jesus’ custom, when he saw a crowd he taught them (10:1). So many times when we see a crowd, our desire is for them to be entertained or motivated or inspired. But Jesus was a teacher and a preacher. And as such, when he…

1 Samuel 1-2, Psalm 95, Mark 9:33-50, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 Mark 9:33-50: In this astonishing and famous section of Mark’s Gospel, it is important to picture Jesus—as it were—holding one of these “little ones” in his arms as he discourses about trials and tribulations of what we would call “church politics.” To begin with, the disciples are having…