Jay Smith

The part of today's readings that stood out to me: "44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he ...

I thought similar things. I think we have to walk the thin line of God's abounding, unending, unconditional grace and the reality that there are pretty clearly defined moments of Judgment for rejectio...

There are times in my faith where I ask the question of where God is, not in response to human suffering but instead because of the blatant rejection of God's expectations for love and justice by Chri...

I often have read this passage through a harsher lens than I believe it was intended to be. I think I have read this passage as if God is keeping the soil from being ready for the word. Like, God has...

A few things. #1 thank you for your patience in the podcast production. With Holy Week and a few huge meetings at the foundation that Jimmy and Travis are working hard to make happen, we are behind o...

This was my response on the podcast. I felt the pain of Jesus' heart and all that he was soon to endure.

I have historically, subconsciously connected the GOSPEL must be preached to all nations to an end times expectation. That as long as their are unreached peoples, Jesus will not come back. As I again...

The temple would have truly been awe inspiring and the disciples response to seeing the stones is still shared by so many who go see the western/wailing wall. The inevitable destruction of the temple ...

The wild ride that is the Disciples. Mark is very clear on the way the disciples both know and receive and use Jesus's authority, yet time and time again they are hard of heart and don't really get wh...

i think I get stuck in the larger message of what is or isn't left from the mosaic code of purity. Kind of like the disciples I can hear Jesus saying that I am missing it. I found this quote from a co...

Came across a neat reminder in some of my studies that I had not recognized yet. The parentheticals, (that is, a gift of God) were used by Mark to help bring context to the gentile readers. So that th...

The disciples sarcastically respond to Jesus, "should we go and buy bread for 8 months of wages (200 coins) and give it to them to eat?" They knew they didn't have the means to pay for their feeding, ...

Partly because the series we are in but also because of the way it somewhat contrasts from the rest of Mark so far — after being freed by Jesus the man wants to follow Jesus, but instead Jesus te...

@jimmy this was so well done. Thanks Shelley

Shelley this is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for your attention to detail and your thorough work. Wow.

Jesus is moving forward with an authority that is immediately noticed by the spiritual beings around Him, yet so many are ignorant OR even accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub....

A few reflections on today's readings. We gave more in-depth insight in this week's podcast. I encourage you to listen if you're interested in digging a bit deeper. The scene from yesterday's readings...

I was just going to post that I connected with the same language. Grief and anger being tethered here is a great insight into the heart of Jesus.

Two thoughts from the Pillar Commentary on Mark that I thought were great. It is clear that one of the things that the Kingdom of God is defined as, in the life of Jesus, is an upside down understandi...

@judidoerr I think this is quite the insight as well. I know there are some traditions that speak to their broader families but I don't have any of that off the top of my head.

The connection between sinfulness and healing is something I think we actually still have tucked away in a deeper recess of our hearts/brains. Are there ever times where you assume someone's plight is...

1:35 Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer.  I’ve been trying to set my year up for ove...

As I reflect upon the baptism of Jesus I was struck by Mark's active language in regard to the heavens being torn/splitting apart/open (NET, NRSV, ESV). "And just as he was coming up out of the water...

A few things of note for me from today's reading (Week 1 Day 1, Mark 1.1-8). The wilderness continues to be a prominent place in the story of God's redemption. A place of repentance and refinement. H...

Mark starts with a declaration about what this gospel is all about. The good news of Jesus Christ.