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"The world has run off after Him." They had no idea... 😅

@siteadmin It is really really interesting to think more about those plotting against him... to think about what it may have felt like living with the constant reality of the Roman occupation. What le...

I am loving the most recent chapters in John…so rich in Christian teachings…Jesus is so clear in who he is…what he is called to do…and what therefore we are to be/do as devoted followers of Jesus Chri...

So beautiful. The Lord is my shepherd. I know His voice. He is my door and the One who lays down His life for me. And. There are many in His flock!!!!! 🐑🐑

Oh, the plays on words. And the subtle references to the way they thought back in those days. Love it! John tucks so much into a few lines. Such as, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin,...

@shelley-johnson Yes!!

Verse 41, "because of their joy." I love so much that Luke qualified their amazement, their "I can't believe this" moment so that we understand the source is JOY!! Not fear. Not unbelief. But joy
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This is definitely one of those hard sections where I'm not sure where the line is for the application of the parable... and even still, what is the lesson here? It seems like it's generally about bei...

Just sort of realizing how interesting a lesson this is on hospitality... One one hand, how wonderful a transformation, once Jesus reached out, to see Zacchaeus totally flip is lifestyle and commit to...

I am just curious, any idea how long the apostles were out traveling and doing their work?!

Amber, I actually had the same question. I also wondered if the “dust your shoes” had ever been used before. Is this a common practice that would have been recognizable to other people or was this som...

@siteadmin that's so good. I really don't think I'd ever heard that before--Jesus being John's disciple. Isn't there a verse in John where John the Baptist says the Messiah is here among us? That make...

It's interesting how Luke describes the choosing of the Twelve from among the larger following of Jesus. It helps me remember that Jesus had many disciples--even early in His ministry.

The story of Jesus is different in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Why would there be such a difference in the story of Jesus? Do scholars have a timeline for the birth of Jesus, the flee to Egypt an...

Posted by: @siteadmin 6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.” The irony... 😫

Peter 😭😭😭 But redemption is coming.

@sailing-bum Thanks, Mark!

It's late. They just had a big meal and wine. Then walked a mile through the Kidron Valley to get to the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, James, and John just couldn't stay awake. Every time they closed t...

Todays reading is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible for me…yes an emotional passage…as a teen, I grew up in the time of the rock star opera “Jesus Christ Super Star”…I would regularly li...

Upon. Loser look at the map and scale in the life application bible this morning, I see a little itsy bitsy decimal in front of the one🤪🤪

So in todays reading using the Life Application Bible that has a map of the walled city of Jerusalem and the surrounding area and I was startled to learn the following…I have always been familiar with...

Since our body is the “temple”, it requires constant cleaning. A “physical” cleanse works with a diet of specific foods. A “spiritual” cleanse, for me, is to strengthen my self-control, and be more ...

My Bible commentary suggests this was the second cleansing of the temple by Jesus. What are thoughts about Jesus cleansing the temple twice?

There is a lot to unpack this week in our reading. Come along with me and let’s have some great discussion and unpack what Jesus is trying to tell us.

Jesus is really appealing to our innate sense of fairness to help us grasp that grace is not bound by fairness. Grace redeems the moment Christ is received. Period. And for that we rejoice!! 🎉

 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.  Thank you Jesus for bringing something greater than the temple. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that dwells in each of us ...

"Let the dead bury their own dead." Interesting part of the verse that I never paid attention to before. It perplexes me now. I'll have to catch up on the podcasts, maybe you guys referenced that.

Happy Easter to all of you who are in this journey through scripture with me.

@travisbruno3 yes!! Here's to pursuing God!

@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...

@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 ...

Yes, there are 5 women mentioned in the genealogy 😊

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...

@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...

Do we know anything about Pilate after this? His wife had a dream about Jesus and warned him not to get involved and in yesterday’s text is says that he knew that Jesus wasn’t guilty of anything but t...

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...

@jimmy I have no words for how horrific this practice is. 😫 Regardless of who receives it.

@siteadmin yes…The NIV study Bible did mention that it was the gospel of John that called out Judas…and the commentary indicated that the event pushed Judas over the edge to betray Jesus

The commentary I read related to todays reading, indicated that the primary objector to the “waste” of the expensive perfume was Judas. It goes on to remind us the Judas was the treasurer and keeper ...

Upon further examination, it appears the woman is Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus.

@siteadmin I’m trying to picture this scene. The priests are plotting Jesus’ death, and Jesus is not stressed and anxious, but is relaxing at a friends house. Then, God spoke to a woman and told her...

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 ...

@jimmy the visuals really help me to understand how shocking this would have been to the disciples to hear that these massive stones and buildings would be destroyed.

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...

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 think it is interesting that the one specific thing that is mentioned about praying is that we are to start with forgiving others. I think it must be a way to prepare our hearts for meeting/talking ...

Okay so... what kind of prayer does Jesus mean here? What was prayer to Jews and these disciples during this time? Just "talking to God" as we say it? Or something else?

I'm looking at the miracles of Jesus now in a slightly different way. Was he dealing with a culture who seemed to bind physical infirmities directly with spiritual deficiencies? I think Jimmy referred...

@paulmoore405 sometimes I feel like saying, "help my unbelief".

“…But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.” Is this referring to John the Baptist?

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...

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...

I find myself identifying with Peter very much in how he is portrayed here. Very human. He takes Jesus aside and gives Him a "talking to" then later offers to build Him Moses and Elijah a shelter eve...

Are there other places in scripture besides this one with the blind man that it takes Jesus a couple of attempts to fully heal someone? It’s interesting to me that it takes him a couple tries when we ...

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 ...

This reading of Mark continues to raise questions for me. I got to wondering, what would have happened if the disciples had not awakened Jesus?

@siteadmin As much as I'd like to help, I'm afraid technology has pretty much passed me by since the early days of podcasting. You guys have great discussions and the podcast is presented expertly! B...

First of all, the most recent podcast that focused on verses in chapter 3 was excellent. Several verses really reminded me of statements Jesus made that (for me) need clarification and context in ter...

There is a lot to unpack this week with Chapters 3-4. I look forward to unpacking these verses with all of you.

I love Jay’s comment of the question, do we accept or reject (judge) certain people, because, in our opinion, their “lifestyle” is contrary to our faith teachings? (Sounds like the current conversat...

This was great!! Thank you for the additional thoughts and teaching on this.

So I went and read some of Leviticus… and I’ve read it before, but it’s so wild all that someone like this man has to go through to “be clean”. Yet, Jesus touches him and he’s immediately clean! I fee...

Jimmy, could you talk about the word in verse 41 that is translated ‘pity’ as in Jesus was moved with pity. It is also translated as ‘indignation’ in the above translation. There seems to be a signifi...

41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him,  “I will; be clean.” (ESV) 41 Jesus was indignant. 1:41 Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compass...

Enjoying reading together and all the comments. Thank you all. Jay I too was struck by the language of the heavens being torn apart as God’s spirit descended on Jesus. Value of this slow reading, seei...

I had the same thought of how quickly the men just dropped everything and followed him. It’s interesting that in other books it didn’t seem as sudden, so it makes more sense with the way Mark writes t...

The commentary for versus 1:16-19 states that the disciples did not always answer Jesus’s calling the first time. Peter, James and John didn’t answer Jesus’s calling until the 3rd time. Luke 5:1-11 ...

I love how action packed the Gospel of Mark is with rapid fire comments. In my ESV bible the word "Immediately" is used 4 times in today's verses and in verse 28, Mark uses the words "at once". It app...

Sometimes it’s like I’m always in the “wilderness”. It feels like that what “the world” is. No matter where we are, or where God leads us, Satan is tempting as the Spirit is guiding.

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...

Something that stuck out to me and I went back and didn’t see anymore info. on it is that the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. Why?! I guess in my quick reads or maybe it’s elsewhere in scr...

@amberhocker I just mentioned that too!! (In a reply to Jays earlier comment) Why do you think it was the spirit? 👀

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...

So, it would seem Mark intentionally chose these phrases that had been used to describe Augustus to open his gospel. His statement, I imagine, would've ruffled a few Roman feathers. But it would've al...

Here we go…looking forward to this year in the gospels…in my reading today from the intro to Mark in my study Bible, I learned that Mark was the first Gospel written and that the other 3 gospels used ...

The Word is living, always having something new to say to us. The translation of 1:39 was new to me. Jesus was indignant vs. had compassion on the leper. Looking forward to this look at the Gospels. G...

I’m so glad to share this Gospel journey with you all! I love how Mark jumps right in and takes off introducing us to Jesus by what God says about him and by what Jesus does.

What do you think they would have thought of John’s statement about baptism with water vs the Holy Spirit? What was the “Holy Spirit” to Jews of this day? I know what it means for me (especially becau...

@vltaylor1136 I am really looking forward to walking through these personal stories with you and our community! I am praying to not only encounter the person of Jesus in a fresh way, but also to enco...

Welcome to the Gospels in a Year. I am glad you are on this journey with me.

I look forward to the journey with all of you through the Gospels. Happy New Year.

Onboard with this!

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