Mark Bruno

There's so much packed into this summary of John's ministry: "the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness" -- after centuries of silence, God now speaks to His people; God's wo...

Once again the Life Application Bible provides an understanding of scripture that I had not thought of…the question raised was “why was John raised out in the desert?”…the answer was” Prophets used th...

What extraordinary words Zechariah uses to describe his son, a son he would most likely never see grown. John, the prophet who would go before the Lord to prepare his way to give “knowledge and salvat...

Gosh, that's a great question. Am I trying to patch up relationships that just need something new? Am I just leaking out of old, cracked skins in the way I respond to people and the world when really ...

Posted by: @siteadmin No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse. 17 And no one pours new wine into old win...

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...

Jay--you, Jimmy, and Travis do remarkable well with weekly podcasts. I know that can't be easy! Thanks for all your hard work. These passages challenge me so deeply, but I love your point that we are...

@shelley-johnson I’m the same, Shelley!! I think the word pursue feels a lot more engaged, and it makes me think of God’s continual pursuit of us, as well… maybe it’s just because it’s a new word, but...

I enjoy reading these pages in a different translation. The subtle difference in word choice opens new understandings. Like 6:33. "Seek first the kingdom" is what I've memorized. But hearing it as "pu...

Posted by: @travisbruno3 How might we engage in wrestling without rebellion? This is part of the wrestling. 😉

@jimmy Man that is a lot to take in, but I do think it makes a lot of sense... I like the idea of wrestling vs. rebellion... I think about how we get sort of taken aback by some of these laws because ...

The Gospel of Matthew opens with a great list of names. Maybe because of all the ‘begats’ in the book of Numbers, we see a genealogy like this and skip to verse 17 where the hard-to-pronounce names ar...

You know, this part of the text always sticks out to me:  “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” They re...

I counted 5 women… is that right Vickie?!! I get lost real quick In genealogies, but it does help me, especially when I notice names I can remember from back in the day! @Bill Parks, makes me real tha...

At some point it came to me that if God put those names in there I should read each one. Interesting people, Rahab, the harlot, David the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. And it is Jesus geneal...

Genealogies are not the most interesting reading in the Bible but now that you have did any names stand out to you? Did you recognize any names from the Old Testament? How many women are mentioned? I...

@okiebull13 @jimmy I've also considered the element of "Jesus taking on our sins" as part of the cross... and the idea that in a moment, Jesus experienced separation from God. Jesus feeling the physic...

@okiebull13 I don't know. I think the idea may be more that it looks like God has rejected Jesus (his suffering, death, rejection by everyone may seem to be also a rejection by God), but Psalm 22, the...

“My God my God, why have you forsaken me” My mind has always thought that Jesus was crying out to God because of the physical pain Jesus experienced. The commentary I read raised the point that the s...

“Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:36‬ ‭NIV‬...

Jimmy thanks for all this. I had never caught or thought of what the word "brought" meant here. I just visualized it like he was walking carrying his cross, but I think this makes sense that they were...

They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”) brought: The Greek word for 'brought' (pherō) can mean 'carry' or 'bring.' In Mark it is often used when peop...

I think the only positive thing I get from this section is considering why Simon of Cyrene is mentioned so specifically... We remember the context of Mark's writing as it was intended for his faith co...

Scourging This is from the article "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ", written by William D. Edwards, MD, Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv, and Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI, and published in the Journal of the ...

Gonna say, this is great discussion and I love being able to "listen" and learn from so many of you all. I'm grateful for this format and God bless you all!

@travisbruno3 Travis, I'm sorry. I edited my previous comment above. It now addresses a bit of your question. And you are asking BIG questions. lol. Acts chapters 2, 4, and 6 make it clear that eating...

@travisbruno3 you asked: How does our sacrament of communion, feeling so ancient and established, come from these verses? What do you mean? If you mean 'how did the memory of this meal become somet...

@jimmy Like, when I look at these verses in Mark (and also checked the other Gospels to see, as well), I don't necessarily see instructions for what we do for communion today... Obviously it's related...

Some further thoughts I couldn't compose in the moment on the podcast about the woman anointing Jesus... The beauty that she gets it... Of all Jesus's closest people and those most devoted and desper...

Because Communion is so much a part of our worship we don’t often give it a second thought but how new would have this idea of sharing Jesus body and blood be to the disciples? This is the new covenan...

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

Reading this I feel all the emotions! (I am a pretty emotional person myself). Jesus- the desperation for a different plan, the frustration of his friends falling asleep, the hurried and maybe anger h...

I honestly don’t know. His role had to take place which makes me feel a little sorry for him. No one wants that role in history. I wonder if it’s a situation like Pharaoh, where God hardened his heart...

@mark you wrote: The priests are plotting Jesus’ death, and Jesus is not stressed and anxious, but is relaxing at a friends house. Isn't it fascinating, all the different directions the texts of the G...

This seems like a good time to thank Jay, Jimmy, and Travis for working hard to lead us all through this study. God bless each of you for your commitment!

I know this part of the story is coming, but it still gets me every time.

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...

An interesting thing I read in the NET notes, refers to how persecution will play out in Jewish contexts (councils & synagogues) and Gentile contexts (governors & kings)… And he then says the ...

One thing that certainly helps me process this chapter is to first consider it as it was originally experienced (as disciples and others with Jesus) and second as it was later read/shared from Mark's ...

@travisbruno3 Yes. The lower level/style of stone is what remains of the Herodian retaining wall and the upper levels are the walls to the current Haram Esh-Sharif where the Dome of the Rock stands. T...

@travisbruno3 Here's an example of the size of some of the Herodian stones. That's one stone where she is standing. Attachment : 2015-03-17 05.10.10.jpg Behind her are the arches to the "Tripl...

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 ...

In these episodes, Jay Smith, Travis Bruno, and Jimmy Doyle discuss Mark 13.

So is Jesus, in a way, pointing out a hiccup in their beliefs that is similar to the kind of trapping the experts have been doing? It just feels like he is able to walk circles around them with this r...

I am just so encouraged by this interaction. In contrast to the other challenging questions, this expert seems to be drifting closer to the truth in Jesus… He is not far from the kingdom of God!

Paul, my husband, was quite taken back when he heard this verse for the first time at a funeral. Like your father, he believed we would be man and wife forever. My husband and I had long discussions o...

@paulmoore405 I have a sense/hope that love will be deeper in the reality to come than we can know in this present reality, not less.

I feel the drama in this encounter and these questions. Things are really starting to get ugly (this is how I feel about it). My Bible notes say that in this passage that no matter what Jesus said in ...

I. Don't. Know. 😩 I've been reading a lot about prayer and doing a lot of praying, and not all prayers get answered. Prayers are not meant to be wish lists. Prayers are invitations into the wo...

This is a tough one. Whenever this passage has been talked about, I usually come away feeling discouraged because of all the good things I have prayed for that haven’t come about… Did I just not belie...

I really do appreciate all the description both from Jimmy and from Travis, it helped me really contemplate more on this moment. Not to take away from anything anyone else has already commented, and o...

Thank you for the visuals yesterday, so good! @Travis Bruno I also appreciated what you wrote so much. This is such a defining moment, wow. I hadn't thought of it like that. I know Jesus was doing eve...

It cannot be expressed enough how dangerous what Jesus did in the Temple was...except that we know it ultimately gets him killed. There is a long tradition among the Hebrew prophets, as well as some c...

Posted by: @silverfx23 when I read this I wonder how much in common with the dad who loves his kids sooo much, but still has to go to the garage or take a walk alone, and then comes back inside and h...

Hmmm…is this the 100% human Jesus or the 100% God that gets angry…I am not sure it makes a difference as they were a “den of thieves and robbers” within God’s house…but hmmm

Man... reading through this (and peeking into tomorrows portion) again, I'm getting a new picture that is much darker and sort of chilling. This is my interpretation, anyway: Then Jesus entered Jerus...

"Riding on a Donkey" Jesus is likely intentionally choosing to fulfill biblical Messianic expectations by riding a donkey; and as is typical, Mark weaves passages from the Hebrew scriptures into his n...

Jesus ascends from Jericho to Bethany ("House of Ananas" or "House of the Poor") and Bethpage (g "House of Figs") on the east side of the Mount of Olives and then to Jerusalem and the Temple. The Jour...

Thank you Jimmy for the pictorial input…what strikes me is at both ends of the trek to Jerusalem is first the Jordon Valley…geologically speaking it looks like the Dead Sea may have flooded the entire...

Once again Jesus has to explain the upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God to his disciples. Then, with the healing of Bartimaeus, the chapter ends with the last healing miracle in the Gospel of Mar...

They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of them, and they were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was goi...

They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of them, and they were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was goi...

Am I the rich young ruler or am I a disciple? Am I willing to be last or do I strive to still be first? Jesus looked at them and said, “with man it is impossible, but not with God. For ALL things are...

“Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and ...

In telling the rich young man to 'go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,' Jesus was not telling him to do something that Jesus himself had not done (and continues to do). When encouraging/cha...

...the man looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. In the world, we assume that wealth brings happiness. However, the reality may be the opposite. Many New Testament passages have h...

Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. The idea of 'treasure in heaven' was a well-known concept in Judaism. It essentia...

Okay so... this is a difficult passage (including v10-12 in Tuesday's reading). I think/hope what we shared in the podcast can help when we deal with this one. Just one other thing I wanted to say, th...

As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him  Until now, I had the feeling that Jesus words to the young man were a rebuke but as I slow down and read, he looked at him with love. Who or what do ...

Something that just stood out to me, is that this young man approaches Jesus much like others in previous chapters who have had great need for healing: running up and falling to his knees. Maybe this ...

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...

Posted by: @vltaylor1136 We love the Lord but we want things our way and it scares us when God presents himself to us or asks us to follow him, where ever that leads. And yet, Peter perseveres to spr...

When I think of any of the Apostles, I am reminded of the Maundy Thursday Service we have done that captured the thoughts of each Apostle at the Last Super…in Peter’s Soliloquie, he is portrayed as on...

Mark 8:27-9:8, give us an interesting view of Peter. Peter, who first says “You are the Christ”. To Peter, who doesn’t want to hear that Jesus must suffer and die. To Peter who is terrified at the tra...

@travisbruno3 I think that's a good take. Take the pressure and expectation off of ourselves to never be frustrated, to never groan in the struggles of this life. But also encourage us to keep going.

@jimmy Which means it's okay to moan and groan about things sometimes... @jralphsmith said it well on Sunday, and I am processing it to mean that unless we are contending for something we shouldn't co...

I never realized how often Jesus gets in boats. 😅 And in the last couple of chapters bread has been central -- feeding 5000, Syrophoenician woman, and now the feeding of the 4000. The Gentile ...

"He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed because of their unbelief." So, this isn't a reflection of Jesus' limited power as...

The podcast helps remind me there are many ways we could read this -- it's a hard passage to know anything for sure. I just keep reminding myself to read this passage through the lens of the whole Bib...

Am I correct to think that Tyre and Sidon were not the hub of Jewish culture? Would this conversation happen within hearing distance of not only Jews but Gentiles as well? Although sounding harsh to u...

@siteadmin I do struggle with this passage. It rubs against my view of Jesus love and mercy toward the least of these and welcoming all. The result was mercy. But why did Jesus equate her to a dog?

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...

@jralphsmith A note on that word "corban." This is from the Hebrew qorban, it literally means "brought near" (qarob in Hebrew is "near"). It was a vowed gift to God made to the priests in the sanctuar...

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...

Jesus' Locations and Journeys in Mark Here's a map of Jesus' locations and journeys in Mark chapter 7. Jesus begins (based on Mark 6) in Gennesaret on the north side of the Sea of Galilee, travels to...

@shelley-johnson Shelley, I like your idea, Jesus having fun with them. Pastor Nick Harris, the best Bible teacher I ever sat under, often reminded us that Jesus had a sense of humor. Now I can see Hi...

If I'm reading Mark correctly, only Jesus walks on water in his gospel, not Peter. So, is this the same walking on water incident? It doesn't read as though it is. 🤷 Second thought, when I hav...

@8ill8ook Bill we had a kink in our system and your comment today was made on the Thursday post. I'm copying it here: Getting to feel like I’m seeing more in this reading than ever before. But tv sur...

I envision Herod’s response to John the Baptist as how the world accepts the words of God. That is many will hear the word and many will like what it says at first but when the world is asked to chang...

@mbbruno Jimmy, should I get the “extra virgin olive oil”? Maybe that would help. 😉 When Jesus came He believed that John had been “raised”, leading me to question if resurrections were a part of t...

@jimmy What does pseudepigraphal mean? And I guess I need to make some focaccia bread! Thank you for the extra insight on their “perspective of olive oil.” I didn’t realize it would make a difference,...

They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with ˻olive˼ oil and healed them. Mark 6:13 Though the Greek does not specifically say the oil was from olives (it simply says 'oil'), it is li...

Posted by: @okiebull13 My commentary stated that it was very much the norm for mourners to cry out loudly…and that it was a disgrace to the family of the deceased if it did not happen This might sou...

My commentary stated that it was very much the norm for mourners to cry out loudly…and that it was a disgrace to the family of the deceased if it did not happen…and yes, people made mourning a “job” a...

As we read through the Old Testament last year, it was my second time to do so and I found myself reading about the tribes being established and found myself drawn to Wikipedia to get maps and try to ...

Pigs… You mentioned this and when Jimmy mentioned it to me on the Podcast, it made so much sense to me in a new way! I’ve always been puzzled by Jesus’s willingness to send the 2,000 pigs to die—but w...

@jimmy Hahaha, you are crazy… BUT - what a moment/shift in this whole story! Mark is telling it like this is the beginning of the good news flowing into all the world… and I feel like this makes it s...

This week's readings are from Mark chapter 5. A complete list of this week's readings can be found here. Today's Reading Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve y...

Can I just say how much I love this story!?!?!

Shelley, I just confessed this morning I don’t have much if a natural bent toward research, but I am so grateful for all who do and share with the rest of us. Your post about the Decapolis is so help...