Posts that reference the Gospel of Mark

Throw the Cloak Aside

Mark 10 tells the story of the healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus. In verse 50, there's a detail worth noticing.

Throwing aside his cloak, [Bartimaeus] jumped up and came to Jesus.

That cloak was his bedroll and his blanket. It was his sole earthly possession. It was essential to his life as beggar.

But he threw it aside.

He was about to have an encounter with Jesus, the Christ, and he knew nothing in his life would ever be the same.

He called Jesus by the same intimate, personal name Mary Magdalene used on Resurrection Morning. He knew the One he was talking to.

And he asked for healing.

That's the choice.

Keep the cloak, and all it represents

Or receive restoration.

My Sunday school kids and I looked at Mark 4:35-41, in which Jesus calms a storm on the sea of Galilee. While we would expect townies and landlubbers like say, Matthew or Judas, to be freaked out by a storm on the water, four of the thirteen men on the boat were experienced fishermen. They had been through storms before, but this one was enough to worry them. This was a huge storm. Some suggested it was a waterspout- a tornado on water.

Here are some of my own storm takeaways from the lesson-

1. Storms are going to blow up suddenly and without warning.
2. They may be the kind I’m used to dealing with, (like the fishermen were used to storms) or they may be something completely foreign (like the townies were experiencing)

Then I had some difficult questions-

1. How long do I try to handle things on my own, not wanting to ‘bother’ Jesus? Until it becomes a life-or-death situation?

2. How quick am I to accuse Jesus of not caring? (v. 38)

3. Why I am so fearful? How is it that I have no faith? (v. 40)

The key to the whole story is the statement Jesus makes in v.35 “Let us cross over to the other side.” He didn’t say ‘let’s try’ or ‘I hope we make it’. He was completely sure of His mission, and confident that God would see Him through until the completion of it.

I get fearful and lose faith because a.) I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going, so… b.) I’m not so sure God is going to bring me through it.

What storm takeaways do you have from the storms in your life?

Want more? 4 Lessons Learned in a Storm

A Break

By Paula Wiseman

And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. Mark 6:31

Occasionally, the well runs dry.

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed it's harder to get my posts written. I'm not studying like I should. Scenes in my current project are more difficult to lay out. I'm sleeping fewer hours and wrangling more with headaches. Slowly it dawned on me, I need a break.

So over the next couple of weeks as we transition from school to summer, I'm going to take a blogging break. Now if you don't have a photographic memory, you may not notice. I'll have some encore posts on my regular blogging days so there will still be content for you. Then that first full week of June, I'll be back, renewed and refreshed.

Thank you for understanding.

Do you need a break? What keeps you from taking one?

Study Tip: Time Markers

By Paula Wiseman

clock Your computer probably has a little clock down in the bottom right hand corner, and even if it doesn't, your operating system had an internal clock which timestamps everything. Timing and event sequences are important markers when studying a passage of Scripture, especially narrative books like Kings and Chronicles or the Gospels. There are several types of time markers.

1. Straightforward – "And He was there in the wilderness forty day…" Mark 1:13
No interpretation necessary. The verse tells you exactly when or how long.

2. Relative – "Now when Jesus had crossed over again…" Mark 5:21
These relate events to each other and help us see how they fit together to form a big picture. Look for phrases like "after these things"

3. Nonspecific – "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them…" Mark 2:20
These are used many times in parables or prophecies.

Determining the type of time marker is not nearly as important as recognizing them and using them to deepen your understanding of a Scripture passage. I even mark them in the margin of my Bible with a little clock symbol.

What have you learned from observing time markers in your study?

Recognize. Run. Reach.

By Paula Wiseman

One of my favorite things is meeting with my Wednesday morning Bible study group. We've been looking at Mark, and at the tail end of chapter 6, there's this section that seems nondescript after the miracles of feeding 5,000 and walking on water.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

Just a vague account of some nonspecific healing miracles Jesus did, right? But here's what I learned from that little section.

The people recognized Jesus.

Do I recognize Him? Do I hear Him in the encouragement of my friends or the prayers of my children? Do I see Him in my routine as well as in those unexpected 'appointments'?

The people ran to Him.

Do I run to Him? Do I carry others to Him?

The people were eager to receive from Him. They reached for Him.

Do I even bother to ask?

Sometimes there are powerful lessons in the most unexpected places.

Old MacDonald

By Paula Wiseman

"Old MacDonald had a bratwurst…"

Yep, you read that right. Not a farm. A bratwurst. My four-year-old.

The other day when she belted that one out from the backseat, it was tempting to correct her, but how do I know what Old MacDonald had? I don't even know the guy. I know a song and I have some preconceptions, but that's about it.

Jesus' disciples made the same kind of mistake one day. In Mark 9:38, John says, "We saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name and we forbade him because he does not follow us."

You sang it wrong. It's "farm", not "bratwurst".

Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me." Then He says, "Whoever gives you a cup of water in My name, will by no means lose his reward."

Farm or bratwurst, it's still the same song.

The other group was busy doing kingdom work. They weren't doing it exactly like John's group was, but that didn't make them wrong. The key is "in Jesus' name". It appears three times in just four verses. "In His name" means with His blessing, His seal of approval, as if He were doing it Himself. Dramatic, miraculous works or quiet, humble service – done in His name, it glorifies Him and it doesn't go unnoticed.

It isn't about farm or bratwurst. The question is- are you singing?