Mark #38: Truth Triumphs Over Traps (Mark 12:13-34)

This Sunday we’ll be reading Mark 12:13-34 as we continue our study through that gospel.

We don’t know if this is the next day, or exactly when this fits into the time-line…but after Jesus has had his initial confrontation with the leaders of the temple, we then have this section where the religious elite try to corner Jesus again, seeking to trap him with questions.  We’re going to look at all two of those traps…and we’re going to think about how Jesus evades them…and we’re going to consider some important truths that get revealed as he dodges those snares.

The first section deals with their question about paying taxes, and if God fearing Jewish people are betraying God by paying taxes to a heathen authority.  Jesus’ answer is brilliant, and it makes a very important point about loyalty and commitment.  What does his answer say to you?  What is the most important thing, from Jesus’ perspective (based on his answer)?

In the second section, the religious “scholars” pose an elaborate “theological” question, trying to get him to side with one camp or another, hoping to stir up division based on his answer.  What is the first thing Jesus points out to these guys?  What is it that the so called scholars of his day were mistaken about in their question?  What does v27 reveal to us about God’s mission priority?

The third encounter Jesus has doesn’t appear to be a trap…rather, it’s a moment of agreement. This is a famous passage, where Jesus employs some real reductionism in his response.  Does anything jump out about what Jesus provides as an answer to this possibly complex question?  What do you take away from his response? What does it say to you, if anything, that we have this moment of agreement between Jesus one one whose company have been identified as Jesus’ enemies all through this gospel? Who in your life might be someone who “isn’t far from the Kingdom of Heaven”?

Click here for a pdf version of the PowerPoint slideshow for this teaching.

Mark #36: Whose Authority? (Mark 11:27-33)

This Sunday we’ll be reading Mark 11:27-33.

Jesus’ actions in the temple in the first part of the chapter has attracted all the wrong attention. He gets confronted in the temple area by the highest ruling authorities in Israel at the time. It’s like a congressional hearing…it was that serious.

What do you think they were asking when they asked Jesus their question? How might any answer he gave get him in trouble?

When Jesus turns the tables, he’s not really avoiding their question – he’s actually offering an answer. How would their opinion of John the Baptist have reflected on Jesus’ ministry?

When you think about authority – what do you think of? If the Sanhedrin represented authority in Israel, how did their approach to authority differ from Jesus? How do you understand Jesus’ authority, and how does it impact your life?

These and other questions will be the direction of our study this Sunday – hope to see you there!

Click here for a pdf version of the PowerPoint slideshow.

Mark #35: The New Temple (Mark 11:12-25)

Hey everyone – I’m glad to be back from my sabbatical, and thank you all for being so supportive of this time for me. We’ve had some great teachings in my absence – and I’m excited about continuing our exploration of Mark together! Our text for this Sunday will be Mark 11:12-25 – the account of Jesus cursing a fig tree and then throwing out the sellers of sacrificial animals and money changers from the temple in Jerusalem.

All the gospels have an account of Jesus’ activity in the temple – some accounts are conflated with Jesus’ triumphal entry, and John throws the thing at the beginning of his gospel – but all of them see this as an important event.

The question that confronts us is why? Why did Jesus do this? Why pick on a poor fig tree when it wasn’t even the time for figs yet? Why run off animals and knock over tables? What was Jesus trying to tell them, and us by doing these things?

That’s what we’ll be examining in our teaching this Sunday. Why do you think Jesus did these two things? Are they related? What can we learn about our lives and purpose as 21st century Christians from these events?

Hope to see you Sunday!

Click here for a pdf version of this messages slideshow.

Mark #30: It's A TRAP! (Mark 10:1-12)

I agree with Admiral Akbar.

We’ll be reading Mark 10:1-12 this Sunday. This is not a passage I have any interest in covering again in detail. I’ve already taught on it three times before – so if you’re interested in hearing my take on this particular passage, you can hear it online on our archived Mark teachings.

What I want to do this Sunday is consider how Mark sets this incident up. In v2 he makes it very clear that the subject matter which is brought up for discussion is a trap. What do you think the danger would be for weighing in on this topic? What was the reason John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed?

What can we learn from the way Jesus deals with this culturally and politically sensitive topic? There is a difference between the way Jesus speaks in public and the things he says in private to his disciples. How can we apply this to the way we hold our convictions before a watching (and listening) world?

What are some issues that our culture and society try to engage the church concerning? Read 2 Cor 5:18-20. What is our mission as the church? How might these secondary issues the church sometimes gets embroiled in interfere with our mission as Paul states it?

This will be a challenging passage to study together, but we might be taking it in unexpected directions…not for you, of course, since you’re reading this!

Click here for a pdf version of the PowerPoint slides.

Mark #29: A Different Kind of Greatness (Mark 9:30-50)

The Pumpkin that the Peanuts character Linus waited for one sad Halloween night and an Ancient Macedonian conqueror named Alex both had something in common with Mohamed Ali. Know what it is?

They had the title great bestowed on them. As the 2016 Republican campaign slogan testifies to, the human race seems to have a fascination with “greatness”.  The question is, how do we define greatness.

Our text this Sunday will be considering that subject as it’s overall theme. We’ll be reading Mark 9:30-50.

As the section begins, Jesus predicts his death at the hands of his enemies. The disciples didn’t get it…I don’t think we would have either. How does the description of Jesus’ fate contradict our general notions of how we achieve greatness?

An argument ensues among the disciples about who exactly will be the greatest among their ranks. Jesus first makes a statement that sounds like the old guy from Karate Kid – “to be first you must be last and serve everyone”. How do you understand Jesus’ description of greatness? He goes on to use a child as an illustration of his point. Why a child, do you suppose? Children did not carry any influence in the ancient world, so what do you imagine Jesus’ purpose in identifying himself with the stature of a child (v37)?

John complains about someone doing miracles in Jesus’ name without officially belonging to their group. What might have been some of John’s motives for this? How would you reword Jesus’ statement of correction in v40.

The final section of this chapter has some troubling words. We need to keep in mind the context, that of how we carry ourselves and how we treat others when it comes to identifying the “sin” Jesus warns about. Jesus employs hyperbole by talking about millstone necklaces and cutting off limbs to emphasize just how important this subject is.  He mentions hands, feet and eyes. What might those be symbolic of as it concerns how we live?

The word Jesus uses for divine judgement (hell) is Gehenna. Jesus is the only one who ever uses this image. Gehenna was a valley outside of Jerusalem deeply associated with some of Israel’s worst apostasy, where children were sacrificed to pagan gods. In may have become a garbage dump by Jesus’ day. Rabbinical tradition began to associate Gehenna with final judgement. Jesus does a curious thing of tying this imagery with Isa 66:24 which is typically interpreted as a warning about Israel’s destruction for apostasy. Given the theme of greatness and it’s application to relationships, service and acceptance, what might be a possible application of Jesus’ warning?

This will be a thought provoking section of Scripture – hope you can make it on Sunday!

Mark #28: Lessons From Failure (Mark 9:14-29)

I’ve never been super athletic, I mean, I was the art geek after all. Don’t get me wrong, I really like sports, I’m just not naturally gifted at any particular sport like other people I’ve known. I remember one time when I was going to a private Christian school in 7th grade and they were desperate for players on the basketball team so I was volunteered to play.

I cannot play basketball…you should know that at the outset.

I’ll be honest, it felt pretty cool to wear the team uniform  as my mom dropped me off at the rival school’s gymnasium. For the briefest of moments I forgot that I knew nothing about playing basketball apart from shooting a game of horse with kids in the neighborhood. My school team was so beggared for players, they recruited a kid whom they had never seen play and who had never once practiced with them.

During the warm-up our team formed two lines on either side of the free throw lane to do simple lay-ups. One line would start, the player charging at the basket and deftly launching off the floor to lay the ball gently to the backboard and  into the net. The next line would take the ball from the opposite side. Done properly it is a smooth and almost graceful approach to taking a shot.

When my turn came, I noticed that the rival school’s cheerleaders had gathered behind the backboard of our goal. My 7th grade brain imagined them all noticing how adroitly I would handle the ball. I imagined them all turning their heads my way in slow motion and admiring my basketballish skills. This made my hands start to sweat.

The ball was tossed to me and I awkwardly tried to dribble on my way to the goal. As I reached the point of no return, where I needed to lift off my left foot and raise the ball with my right hand, the ball came squirting out of my sweat-soaked palms and flew full force right at the heads of the flock of cheerleaders.

There were screams and one girl was bent over while others were patting her back.

They were all looking at me, but admiration is not how I’d describe their expressions.

That’s kind of how I imagine Jesus’ disciples feeling in the text we’ll be reading this Sunday, Mark 9:14-29.

It’s clear from this text that as Christ’s followers, we don’t always represent him well. Sometimes things go badly and we fall flat – but that’s okay. As we’ll see in our passage, there are lessons to be learned in failure.

As you read the story, put yourself into each of the character’s sandals. What do you imagine the religious experts are thinking? What do you think the crowd of people were thinking about the disciples ineffectual ministry? What conclusions might they be drawing about Jesus?

When Jesus gets the scoop on what’s happening, the father of the afflicted boy asks Jesus to help if he is able. Jesus teases a rebuke back at him. What do you think Jesus is wanting to correct in that exchange? What might it mean that “anything is possible if a person believes”? What does “believe” mean to you?

When we look at the end result, Jesus was not hampered nor deterred in any way by the failure of his disciples. What can we learn from that as it touches our own walk with Christ?

How do you imagine prayer being an effective aspect of spiritual battles? What do you understand prayer to be?

This will be some interesting stuff to analyze this Sunday – hope to see you there!

Click here to view of a pdf version of the PowerPoint slides from this teaching.

Mark #27: A View of Glory (Mark 9:1-13)

Living in Florida you don’t get much of a chance to view things from a high place since our topography shares the attributes of a pancake. I can remember times in my life when I have had the opportunity to climb to a high place and get a transcendent view of my surroundings. There’s nothing quite like it, everything takes on an exceptional look; puzzling landmarks suddenly take on a different shape and begin to make sense.

In the Gospel of Mark, we are climbing to a high point in the narrative, a plateau from which we can more clearly see the surrounding landscape and mark out the path on which we’re traveling.

We’ll be reading Mark 9:1-13, the account of the transfiguration event.

It’s likely that this event takes place on Mt Hermon since Caesarea Philippi is located at it’s base and our last section took place there. Jesus only took three of his disciples up the mountain, why do you think that was?

What significance do you see in Jesus’ appearance changing? Read Exodus 24:15-16 as well as Exodus 34:29. What implication, if any, do you find in the similarities of Moses’ experience and the transfiguration of Jesus? How do you think Jewish people, familiar with Moses’ story, would have understood this?

Why do you think Moses and Elijah were present in this event? What do you find significant in the words spoken by the Father from the cloud?

Right after this amazing phenomena, Jesus once again forecasts his death, which really confuses Pete, Jimmy and Jack. Obviously, Jesus is wanting them, and us to know the pathway to glory. How do you understand that for your own journey of following Jesus?

I think this is a really intriguing section of text to explore – hope to see you Sunday!

Click here for a pdf version of the PowerPoint slides for this teaching.

Mark #26: The Crucial Question (Mark 8:27-38)

This Sunday we’ll be reaching the center point of Mark’s gospel as we read chapter 8 verses 27-38.

All through Mark’s gospel people have speculated about his identity. The narrative begins with the writer stating plainly that Jesus is the Messiah. Apart from the narrator, the only others who have identified Jesus as Messiah have been demons.

In chapter eight, this all changes. We are at a turning point in the story which will lead us on through to the dramatic end. Like an artist pulling away a drape to reveal his sculpture, Jesus makes himself known to his disciples in this passage. It all begins with a crucial question: “Who do you say that I am?”.

What do you believe Peter had in mind when he confessed his belief that Jesus is the Messiah? The Jewish people expected Messiah would be a divinely anointed king. If you accept that Jesus is the Messiah – the True King – what does that mean to your everyday life?

Jesus goes on to describe how it is that he will do his work as Messiah and it earns him a rebuke from Peter. Why do you think Peter balked at the idea of the Divine King suffering, being rejected and ultimately killed? Why do you think Jesus called Peter “Satan”?

The final irony comes when Jesus makes it clear that sacrificial love will not just be his path, but also the path of all who follow him. How is Jesus’ command to “turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follow me” find relevance in your life? What do you think it means to take up a cross to follow Jesus?

This will, no doubt, be a challenging study.

Click here to view a pdf version of the powerpoint slides for this study.

Mark #25: Checking For Blind Spots (Mark 8:1-26)

Video Link

That video actually had me at first…then I couldn’t stop laughing. I was looking for videos of people who could see after getting cataract surgery and came across this. It’s apropos for our text this week in our study of Mark – we’ll be reading ch 8:1-26.

Blindness, or maybe we could say blind spots are a running theme through this section. Blindness to solutions; intentional, spiritual blindness; presumptuous blindness as well as physical blindness – it all finds its way into the first 26 verses of chapter 8.

V 1-9 describe a nearly identical miracle to the feeding of the 5,000 in chapter 6. This one happens, most likely, in the Decapolis among gentiles. In light of that, what does this miracle tell us about God’s intent for the gospel?

Our first bit of blindness isn’t called as such, but the disciples certainly seem to have trouble seeing what Jesus intends to do. Why do you think they respond the way they do? What do they see when Jesus explains his heart and makes his request? What do you think Jesus wanted them to see?

We get another round of attacks from the Pharisees in v 9-13. What is the irony in their demand for a sign? What do you believe kept them from seeing the signs Jesus had already been doing? How can we keep from limiting our vision of what God can do or whom he will use?

In v 14-20 the disciples get worried because they forgot snacks for the boat trip. Jesus warns them about the “yeast” of the Pharisees and Herod. Pharisees represented an institutional, performance based system of religion. Herod represented a grasp for political power in God’s name. Yeast is often a representation of corruption in the biblical narrative. What do you believe the corruption of the Pharisees and Herod might have been? Where would we see that in our own world?

Jesus calls the disciples blind because of their concern about snacks. How do you think his questions in v 19-20 were meant to instruct the disciples? What is the biggest area of your life where you struggle to trust in God’s provision?

In the last verses of our section we get to an actual blind guy. If he becomes a living illustration of God’s intent to remove our blind-spots – what comfort can we take from his gradual healing?

I’m really looking forward to digging into this together! Hope to see you Sunday!

Click here for a pdf version of the powerpoint slideshow.

Mark #24: Breaking Boundaries (Mark 7:24-37)

Some of the great moments of history, those that stick with us in positive ways, those that show us new and better ways to live, are incidents that break down the accepted boundaries that get drawn between us as fellow humans.  In our own nation’s history, The suffragette movement, the Birmingham Campaign, Pee Wee Reese with his arm around Jackie Robinson…those are just a few of the triumphant moments that have shaped us.

Jesus certainly was one who violated accepted cultural and religious boundaries during his ministry. He has ministered to those labeled unclean and unworthy with such regularity it becomes the action we expect as we read the gospels.

Then we come across a section like the text we’ll read this Sunday: Mark 7:24-37.

Jesus breaks from the script in a radical way. A pitiful character of a woman with a tormented daughter literally begs Jesus to help her…and he seems to deny her request, citing the ethnic and religious boundaries that separated them. He even compares her to a dog in excusing himself.

Needless to say, this has puzzled Bible readers from the time we’ve had it.

How would you feel had you received a response like she got? Some suggest it was all about timing, salvation had to come through the Jews, and Jesus knew she’d get her turn in due time. Some believe this demonstrates Jesus’ full humanity, where he had to learn that he had blind spots of cultural prejudice. Others think this was all done with a wink and a smile as Jesus tried to get this woman to press through in faith. Why do you think Jesus did this?

Imagine how you would feel after going home and finding your loved one healed. What do you suppose her thoughts about Jesus were at that point?

In the next verses, 31-37, how is the man who couldn’t hear or speak in a similar situation as the Syrophoenician woman? What stands out as unusual in this account? What do you make of the way Jesus addressed this man’s problems?

This study will give us a lot to think about, I think. Hope to see you Sunday!

Click here to download a PDF of the PowerPoint slideshow.

Mark #23: Inside Out (Mark 7:1-23)

One of the most common criticisms leveled at Christians and the church in general is that of hypocrisy. Religious playacting – speaking and putting on a show of one thing but living another. I think humanity’s genius for corruption is the reason any spiritual pursuit runs the risk of drifting into hypocrisy. I don’t think there’s a person on earth who isn’t guilty of it to at least some degree.

The commonality of hypocrisy isn’t an excuse for it though. Jesus spent a significant portion of his teaching time addressing the sin of religious hypocrisy. One of those times will be the subject of our study as we continue through the gospel of Mark, reading ch 7:1-23.

Another controversy with the Pharisees and religious leaders unfolds in our text. Why do you think the writer of Mark emphasizes that the issue in question was about traditions? What seems to carry more weight for the religious leaders, God’s word or their traditions about God’s word?

Traditions in and of themselves aren’t negative or bad. They can prove very helpful for remembering ones heritage and history. Why had they become a negative thing in this text? What traditions do we have at Eastgate? How do you feel or react when someone isn’t in step with our traditions? How can we keep traditions from becoming sacred in our thinking?

At the heart of this debate is the question of what is required to be one of God’s people. What do you think the Pharisees and Scribes thought was necessary? What does Jesus seem to think of their view?

Jesus finishes his address of purity and hypocrisy by exposing what the Old Testament purity laws were pointing to: the broken human condition. While Mark doesn’t state it in this section, based on everything Jesus says about the heart, what would constitute a cure for human corruption? How does the Good News tell us that is achieved?

It should be an interesting study – hope to see you there!

Click here for a pdf version of the PowerPoint slideshow for this message.

Mark #22: The "AH-HA" Moment (Mark 6:45-56)

Last week we watched as Jesus performed the most wide spread miracle in all of His public ministry, feeding the multitudes on a mountainside. Today in our text we’ll pick up with an equally impressive miracle, the story of Jesus walking on the water and then another wide sweeping miracle of healing. All of this wonder working reveals the compassionate character of a loving savior but it’s intended to reveal something else as well. The trouble is we humans are sometimes a little slow on the uptake. This week we pick up in Mark 6:45-56.

Jesus was up in a mountain miles away from the disciples yet he saw their struggle and headed towards them. How does it feel to know that Jesus sees and comes to us in our own difficulties? Can you think of a time he did so in your own life? There’s been a lot of opportunity to witness people struggling in Bay county recently. In what ways might we be able to “get in the boat” with them?

The disciples don’t initially react to Jesus showing up how we might expect. There are some cultural conditions along with their struggles that cause them some confusion. What ultimately helped them to recognize who he was? Does the statement “It is I” in verse 50 sound familiar to you at all. Check out Exodus 3:14. What did God call himself  to Moses at the burning bush? In Matthew’s gospel account of this miracle the disciples respond making their first proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus saying “Truly you are the son of God”. This was their Ah-ha moment in recognizing who he really was. What event or series of events preceded your messiah epiphany? It seems like it took a whole lot for the disciples to finally come to this revelation. Think of all the had witnessed and experienced up to this point. How does it make you feel to realize that God never gave up in revealing himself despite their “hard hearts”. How might we join his efforts in help others recognize him in their lives?

In verses 53-56 Jesus again extends his miracle working power to the masses. It says ALL who touched the hem of his garment were healed. What do you think the message behind the miracle here might be? Are there people you consider outside the reach of grace? How hard is it for you to extend grace or maybe even friendship to someone with a lifestyle other than yours. If your seats at the ball game were next to someone who identified as transgender or homosexual, how would you respond? Would you share the excitement of the evening with them or move to a different spot? Good food for thought.


This will be an intriguing study for sure! Hope to see you here!

Click here to view a PDF version of the slideshow for this message