Is it possible that Jesus enhances the gift by allowing Bartimaeus agency in choosing it? At first it seems almost strange for a proven healer to ask a blind man what he wants, and yet that is the conversation between Jesus and Bartimaeus. We explore this story and some others wi ...Show more
Mark 9 - Only by prayer
A lot happens for the disciples once Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah. It is fascinating to connect this conversation Jesus has with his disciples with the story of the Transfiguration which happens soon afterwards. The preceding healing of a blind man is the only recorded ...Show more
Mark 7 - Eat the scraps
In an encounter that sounds provocative we learn some deep truths about the Mission of Christ. We can't fully understand why Jesus responded to the Syrophoenician woman as he did, but her response teaches us as well as His disciples. She understood the vast power of God (thus her ...Show more
Mark 5 - Send us into those pigs
The strong emphasis on the authority of Jesus continues through a number of stories. We briefly discuss Jesus calming the storm at the end of Mark 4, and then spend some time examining the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. The second half of this chapter tells of a woman healed and ...Show more
Mark 4 - How will you understand?
Mark 4 presents a number of seed stories, and we go looking at even more. It is interesting to see how useful the agricultural analogy of seeds are for Jesus and other biblical writers. We explore a few examples growing out of this chapter, and end up somewhat sympathetic to the ...Show more