A rich, deep faith often flourishes among those who suffer. In the exercise of true religion, that faith becomes particularly alive and vibrant. Many of you have experienced this. Today’s…
What do you do when you are in over your head and it is because of your bad decisions? In today's passage we look at two situations. The disciples are…
Why is faith a challenge? Because we are creatures of time and space. We do not see what we hope for. Furthermore, our sinful nature tempts us to reject the…
The passage before us is the well-known parable of the sower. Many of you are probably familiar with its content, perhaps even with its explanation. The passage breaks down into…
In Mark 3:20–35, we see that Jesus’ family thinks he has lost his mind (v. 21); the teachers of the law think he is possessed by a demon (a liar…
In today’s passage, we witness another double-sided message from Jesus, actions that both bless and challenge us. The topic is again Jesus’ authority. Today’s passage picks up after the report…
We look at two things today. First, keeping the Sabbath is one of God’s commands, and like all of God’s commands it will challenge us. But, also like all of…
Are there aspects of Jesus’ message that perhaps you struggle to accept because they seem to challenge your sense of what you think God wants? Perhaps his teachings seem to…
There are four miracle events in this passage. During or after all four of these miracles, Jesus either commands silence about himself or the event, or he conceals himself form…
Jesus appears, proclaiming the good news of salvation. Jesus provides our promised salvation. Jesus calls us to submit to his reign. We are all called to follow Jesus and to…