Tag: Mark

Clean (Mark 1:21-45)

One of the big themes in the Gospels is that Jesus comes to make us “clean.”  The idea of cleanness arises out of the Old Testament Law.  The Law distinguishes between Blessing and curse Life and death Sin and righteousness Law keepers and law breakers Holy and profane Clean and Unclean There is a relationship… Continue reading Clean (Mark 1:21-45)

The call of the kingdom (Mark 1:14-20)

We now begin to see what it means for Jesus to preach about the Kingdom and call people to repentance with a series of examples. – It means calling people to follow him and leave behind other priorities (1:16-20 and 2:13-17) – It means calling evil spirits out of people. Captives are set free (1:21-28)… Continue reading The call of the kingdom (Mark 1:14-20)

Why did Jesus get baptised? (Mark 1:6-13)

Mark’s Gospel is shorter than the others with a greater sense of immediacy and urgency. The focus appears to be much mor eon the narrative and so we don’t tend to get the extended conversatinos and teaching we find in Matthew and John. So, when Mark takes a bit of time to flesh out a… Continue reading Why did Jesus get baptised? (Mark 1:6-13)

A voice crying in the wilderness (Mark 1:1-8)

Each of the Gospels start a little differently. Matthew and Luke both begin with Jesus’ birth and the nativity story but whilst Luke takes us to the specific day with shepherds and angels, Matthew focuses on the arrival of the wisemen.  Luke talks about Gabriel’s appearance to Mary but Matthew focuses on Joseph.  John begins… Continue reading A voice crying in the wilderness (Mark 1:1-8)

How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

It is possible to work through the Gospel in one of a few ways. This might include  Picking up a number of themes and tracing them through the Gospel as a series of sermons on The Kingdom of God, The Son of Man, Suffering and the Cross etc. A longer and detailed series might have… Continue reading How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

Some big themes in Mark’s Gospel

Kingdom The theme of God’s kingdom is significant to all of the Gospels but particularly stands out in Matthew and Mark. Matthew refers to it as The Kingdom of Heaven, this links to a Jewus reluctance to even speak out God’s name so that other words are used in place of “God” or “YHWH.” Heaven… Continue reading Some big themes in Mark’s Gospel

The nature and purpose of Mark’s Gospel

It is worth thinking a little bit more about the nature and purpose of the book by considering its style and structure as well as comparing it to other examples of literature both ancient and moder. This will help us consider how we should approach it in terms of preaching and teaching. One recent obsession… Continue reading The nature and purpose of Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s Gospel – a bit of background

Over the next couple of months I’m going to be working through Mark’s Gospel here. This coincides with a teaching series that our church are doing on the book but I also hope that the resources will be helpful to others seeking to read or teach through the book. Often it is impossible to cover… Continue reading Mark’s Gospel – a bit of background

Tales of the Kingdom -new publication

My introduction to teaching and preaching on Mark’s Gospel is now available on the Publications page. Tales of the Kingdom – Teaching and Preaching Mark’s Gospel Mark’s Gospel is foundational to our understanding of what the good news is about Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. This is in many respects a stripped back account… Continue reading Tales of the Kingdom -new publication