Archive for month: November, 2022

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 6:14-29.  Let’s go!

Mark 6:14-16 (NIV)
14  King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
15  Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”
16  But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
 
On verses 14-16: King Herod hears about the movement that Jesus is leading.  While others think Jesus is the second coming of the prophet Elijah, and others a modern day prophet, King Herod can’t help but think that Jesus is actually John the Baptist raised from the dead.  Why?  It’s because King Herod was haunted by indescribable guilt, shame and regret for killing John the Baptist.  Herod feared that God was now coming back to get him.  What can we learn from this?  We can try to hide from our sins, but the guilt, shame and distress of what we have done will ultimately catch up to us and will kill us, unless we have a right view of who Jesus is. 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 6:1-6.  Let’s go!

Mark 6:1-6 (NIV)
1  Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
2  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!
3  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4  Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”
5  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6  And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
 
On verses 1-6:  Normally when a celebrity returns to their hometown, they receive an especially warm and passionate welcome.  But not in Jesus’ case.  Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth, and rather than being hailed as a hero people respond to Jesus with contempt and unbelief. 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 5:35-43.  Let’s go!

Mark 5:35 (NIV)
35  While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”
 
On verse 35:  For everyone else in Jairus’ home, death meant the end, nothing more that can be done.  But for Jesus, when someone dies, that’s when his work is only just beginning.

Mark 5:36-37 (NIV)
36  Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37  He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
 
On verses 36-37:  Here Jesus models this important truth:  Who you let you in and who you keep out is crucial to your destiny.  That is, who you choose to listen to and who choose you ignore will determine your direction in life.  More on this in just a bit.  First look at verses 38-40.