Dan Wuthrich
Passage: Mark 4:1-20 By the time of our passage, Jesus has been ministering in the region of Galilee for over a year with no better than a mixed reception. The Jewish religious leaders rejected him outright and sought to have him killed. The crowds flocked around him but appeared more interested in what he could […]
Passage: Mark 3:31-35 What is required to us to be considered part of God’s family? What did Jesus say was the defining characteristic of one of his brothers or sisters? We might think that it is faith, but that is not what Jesus said. Jesus, clearly and directly equates obedience to God as the defining […]
Passage: Mark 3:20-30 When we step away from our familiarity with this passage, we should be absolutely shocked! The incarnate Son of God ― the one who came to give his life in place of sinners so that they may know and be with the God who made them for all eternity ― that loving […]
Passage: Mark 3:7-19 Returning to our study in the Gospel of Mark this morning, we come to a text that sets up an interesting contrast. Now 18 months into Jesus’ earthly ministry, he has alienated the Jewish religious leaders to the point that unthinkable alliances are created with the sole purpose of destroying him. At […]
Passage: Mark 3:1-6 Confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders has been escalating in Mark’s account for some time now. The most recent interaction occurred over the disciples’ practices on the Sabbath, and it is the continuing issue of Sabbath observation that we look at today. Early in this gospel, Jesus had a showdown […]
Passage: Mark 2:23-28 After a couple of weeks away for Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, we return to our study in the Gospel of Mark with the first of two accounts depicting direct confrontation with the Pharisees over the meaning and practice of Sabbath. In this morning’s passage, the complaint is lodged against Jesus’ disciples. […]
Passage: Mark 2:18-22 As we have mentioned for the last couple of weeks, this portion of Mark’s gospel records the escalating tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders, especially the Pharisees and their scribes. This morning’s passage sheds light on the heart of the controversy: with the coming of Messiah, dead ritual and formality […]
Passage: Mark 2:13-17 Last week, we saw the start of what would be ongoing and increasing hostility of Jewish religious leaders to Jesus. The trend continues in this morning’s passage which records the call of Levi and the party he threw for Jesus and his friends. Contemporary religious sensibilities argued that a truly spiritual man […]
Passage: Mark 2:1-12 A major shift in Jesus’ ministry takes place in our text for this morning. Beginning with the healing of the paralytic, Mark records five consecutive events which show the increasing escalation of opposition to Jesus from the Jewish religious leaders. In the first confrontation, Jesus has been presented with a paralytic by […]
Passage: Mark 1:40-45 A significant part of Jesus’ earthly ministry involved healing. The gospels record 26 separate and distinct healings performed by Jesus; everything from blindness to paralysis; from bleeding to a severed ear; from demon possession to death. But Jesus’ primary ministry was not healing: it was preaching the good news of the kingdom […]