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Mark
102 posts
The Bible versus tradition—Jesus, the heart and the stomach (Mark 7:1-23)
The Bible versus tradition—Jesus, the heart and the stomach (Mark 7:1-23). Prepared for my graduate-level Mark class when…
Tale of two banquets, treading on waves—Mark 6:23-56
The grisly banquet of Herod Antipas contrasts starkly with the immediately following banquet of Jesus. (The lesson picks…
Rocky and the Thunderboys
When Jesus assigns his three closest disciples the names Rocky (Simon now called Petros, the rock) and Thunderboys…
Any Hope for Peter? Following Jesus in Mark 8:27-38
Peter messes up big-time before he becomes a fisher of people. Is there any hope for him? (Or…
Letdown: How do you let somebody down through a roof?
You can’t do that very easily through most kinds of roofs, but it would work in ancient Galilee.…
The Temple’s destruction
“Not one stone on another” (Mark 13:2) may contain an element of hyperbole, but the destruction of the…
Wash your hands before you eat! But for different reasons than in Mark 7 …
In Mark 7:1-15, some people strict about ritual hygiene challenge Jesus because some of his disciples didn’t wash…
No Gentiles here!
In Mark 11:17, Jesus reminds hearers that Scripture welcomed all peoples to God’s house. In Acts 21, some…
Why did Jesus curse a fig tree when it wasn’t yet the season for figs? (Mark 11:13-14)
You can eat paggîm (brebas), but you might not like them! (What Jesus PREFIGures when there aren’t any…