Why People Abandon Jesus

Judas betrayed, the disciples fled, the people accused, and Peter denied. After all Jesus had done for this world, the world abandoned Him. Mark 14:43-72 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.44 Now the betrayer had

A Passover Table in the Presence of His Enemies

Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover and to institute the Lord’s Supper. The head of the table not only recalled the Passover sacrifice, but He showed them that He was the true Passover sacrifice. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5). Mark

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Providing the people with signs of the times, Jesus prepared them for coming persecution. Jesus taught on the coming end times, not to increase our anxiety in the future, but to increase our activity in the present. Mark 13:1-23 13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and

Giving Much Doesn’t Require Having Much

The rich and distinguished people in Jesus’ day believed that their worldly affluence provided them with divine acceptance. When Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering, He revealed that the heart of giving is more important than the amount of giving. Mark 12:35-44 35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the

The Two Most Important Tasks in Life

Out of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament, some religious leaders wanted to know which one that Jesus thought was the most important. Not only did Jesus provide His top two commandments, but He summarized them all and gave His followers a simple direction for all of life. Mark 12:28-34 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard

Is There Marriage in Heaven?

People wanted to know what Jesus believed about the status of marriage in heaven. Jesus emphasized that what we receive in heaven will be greater than what we take with us to heaven. Mark 12:18-27 18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying,19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if

In God We Trust

Trying to trap Jesus in His words, His enemies collaborated in an attempt to force Him to choose a side between God and government. Jesus’ response teaches us what our commitment to both should be. Mark 12:13-17 13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came

Jesus Came to Turn Over Tables

As soon as Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He intentionally targeted the religious community. Followers of Jesus must continually evaluate if we are fulfilling the call He has placed upon us. Mark 11:1-25 11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to

Surrendered for Service

As Jesus attempted to prepare His disciples for His death, their priorities were severely misaligned with His. Jesus came to serve, and we should seek to give our lives away as well. Mark 10:32-52 “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

What God Has Joined Together

Jesus was questioned regarding the nature of marriage and the opportunity for divorce. When an eternal God puts something together, it should last forever. Let Nothing Separate By determining what issues are worthy of divorce, many people attempt to discover a way out of their marriage. Due to the stubborn nature of people, God provided a civil manner through divorce