A Time to Be Quiet | Mark 9:5–6

“Peter exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.” (Mark 9:5–6 NLT)   Sometimes the words just hang in the ai…

Go Away? | Mark 5:15–17

“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd …

Only So Much We Can Do | Mark 5:3–4

“This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.” (Mark 5:3–4 NLT)   Mark 5 tells the story…

Nothing to Fear | Mark 5:2

“When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him.” (Mark 5:2 NLT)   One of the most memorable stories in the Gospel of Mark is Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. Over the next few days, we’re going …

An Unlikely Choice | Mark 16:9–11

“After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she …

Preparing for Attack | Mark 4:3–4

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.” (Mark 4:3–4 NLT)   “Pick on someone your own size.” It’s a noble thought, but saying it usually doesn’t work. Bullies don’t become bullies by pi…

Who Is He? | Mark 9:7

“Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’” (Mark 9:7 NLT)   Two thousand years ago, Jesus put this question to the Pharisees: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?” (Matthew 22:42 NLT). Some of history’s greate…

Another Chance | Mark 16:7

“Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” (Mark 16:7 NLT)   Except for Judas Iscariot, no one failed harder during the events of Jesus’ crucifixion than Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ clos…

Your Will Be Done | Mark 14:36

“‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’” (Mark 14:36 NLT)   Mark 14 describes what may be the darkest night of the soul in human history. Jesus was “deeply troubled and distressed” …

The Soil of the Heart | Mark 4:8

“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mark 4:8 NLT)   The Bible has a lot to say about the human heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says it’s “the most deceitful of all things, and de…