“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 ESV). A Jewish scribe came to Jesus
“Have you not read this Scripture…?” (Mark 12:10 ESV). Jesus questioned whether the religious leaders and teachers had read a particular Scripture from Psalm 118 concerning the stone the builders rejected. Even as they rejected Jesus, His question pointed them to the biblical prophecy which predicted their rejection. Shouldn’t biblical evidence have changed their view
“And whenever you stand praying…” (Mark 11:25 ESV). In Christ’s teaching on prayer, He assumed that the disciples would stand to pray. I’ve never done an exhaustive study on the body positions of those praying in the Bible, but I can think of several other prayer postures mentioned, like Moses bowing (Ex.34:8), or Daniel kneeling
‘And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”’ (Mark 10:51 ESV). Have you ever hesitated to ask God for something specific, thinking He already knows your need? Yet, throughout Scripture, we see God inviting His people
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:15 ESV). People were bringing their children to Jesus to be blessed by Him. But the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus noticed, He became indignant and told them to let the little children come
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts” (Leviticus 23:2 ESV). The Lord instituted seven feasts for Israel. These feasts were to remind Israel of God’s provision and to prepare them for the
‘Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”’ (Mark 9:24 ESV). This was the confession of a father who desperately wanted to believe, but still had doubts. This doesn’t sound like the greatest of confessions, yet Jesus healed the man’s son nonetheless. Jesus still answers the prayers of
“Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:25 ESV). Jesus healed many that were blind with a single word or touch, yet in this case, the blind man received a second touch. He saw light without focus on
‘And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”’ (Mark 7:37 ESV). The crowds that followed Jesus as He passed through the Decapolis (“Ten Cities”) were “astonished beyond measure” at Him. These cities were founded by Greek colonists and were given
“Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (Mark 7:14-15 ESV). Jesus explained that sin begins with an attitude of the heart before it becomes a behavior. Focusing on