Following Jesus-Who's Loose In The World (Acts 8)
This Sunday we’ll be starting a short series to follow up on our study of the Gospel of Mark. When Mark finished, we were left with an open-ended command: Go and tell. Simple enough…but not that easy to carry out. We’re in a time and culture that isn’t all that open to historic Christianity; often seeing it as a primitive and phobic worldview. Some of that perception is our own fault, I fear.
No matter if there’s blame to be placed, we are still left with this high calling of following Jesus from that empty tomb into the world where he is now loose and bringing life. How do we join in with his work in a world like ours?
We’re going to look at an example from the early church this Sunday of how one person was going and telling the Good News. We’ll be reading Acts 8:26-39 this Sunday, which is the account of Philip sharing the Good News with the Ethiopian Eunuch. There is so much that is intentionally unusual in this passage, and I think we need to take a close look at it.
When you read through the text – what is it that causes Philip to head out towards the desert? How easy or hard is it for you to follow those inward nudges of the Holy Spirit to change your immediate course or do something for reasons that aren’t very apparent? How can we be more open to those types of Spirit-inspired events?
The person Philip is directed to is from a gentile, pagan nation. He’s an official which means he’s steeped in the culture’s religion. He’s also a eunuch – someone who no longer functions, in the normative sense, sexually. He seems to be a seeker, or perhaps a proselyte. He’s coming back from Jerusalem, but he wouldn’t have been allowed to worship at the temple because of his condition.
Take some time to think about this man and try to think of what people in our modern world would fit into the categories he represents. How did Philip begin his interaction with this man? What can we learn from that?
What can we learn about advancing the kingdom of God from Philip’s experience? In what ways will we need to look past the outsider status of people in our world to share the hope of Christ with them?
I suspect this will be a challenging study – hope to see you there!
Mark #49: The Gospel Ad Infinitum (Mark 16:1-8)
So – this Sunday we’ll be coming to our last study in the Gospel of Mark – we’ll be reading chapter 16. For the last year in doing this study I’ve done digital paintings to accompany the teachings – and I thought I’d share my process with you for these. This is sped up by 650% – so don’t get any ideas that I can actually paint this fast. It was fun to do – but I don’t think I’ll bite off anything that ambitious again – it really commandeered my time.
Most scholars, including very conservative ones, don’t believe the last 12 verses of ch 16 were part of the original text, but were added sometime after the 3rd Century. With that in mind, we’ll be keeping our focus of this study on the first 8 verses…which makes for a really open-ended finale.
In the text we return to the women we were reading about at the end of chapter 15. They are going to the tomb to finish the job of preparing Jesus’ corpse, something left undone because they ran out of time before the Sabbath. How does the theme of unfinished work get revealed in the first 8 verses?
Why do you think it was important that the angel singled out Peter as one to whom this message was given? What can that tell us about our own times of falling short? What significance can you discern in the fact that Jesus had gone before them and would meet them when they got there?
If you were to narrow the text down to the first 8 verses, what do you feel at the end of v8? Is there anything you feel prompted to do when concluding with v8? Ad infinitum is Latin for “to infinity”, connoting that something is ongoing. Mark probably intended for his readers to be called to an ongoing action in the wake of Jesus’ resurrection. What is your response to the news that Jesus his risen, and what does it call you to do?
This has been a really enjoyable study to undertake! Hope you got as much out of it as I did, and I certainly hope you return to Mark again and again to read the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God!
Mark #48: The Kingdom Kernel (Mark 15:40-47)
I remember helping my mom plant gardens when I was a kid. She loved gardening, and every spring in Michigan we’d walk out in a freshly tilled plot of ground and start planting seeds down the rows. I can still remember looking at those seeds and asking her for the umpteenth time what plant it would be, and she, very patiently, showed me the bright picture of a pristine vegetable on the seed packet.
I’d look at those seeds and try to figure out how the first shape would transform into the second shape. Obviously, horticulture was not something I pursued.
But that memory lingers in the text we’ll cover this Sunday. We’ll be reading about Jesus’ burial in our study in Mark, reading Mark 15:40-47. In so many ways, this is not just the account which fills in a few details whilst we wait for the resurrection (***spoiler – Jesus doesn’t stay dead***). Christ’s burial is something he forecast in John 12:24, when he made the statement: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”
Once again, I’m a child, looking at the shape of the kernel and wondering about the shape the harvest. As I consider it – I believe we actually do get a glimpse of the shape the harvest of new lives will take as we look at the details of the Kingdom Kernel being planted in the grave.
In v40-41, who are the followers of Jesus that the narrative focuses on? Isn’t it interesting that none of the big names we’ve read about all through this story are mentioned at this juncture? A radical upheaval in the order of this broken world is pictured in this shifted focus – can you imagine what it is?
V42-43 introduce us to another new character: Joseph of Arimathea. A member of the Sanhedrin, he goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body so he can have a decent burial. The NLT says he “took a risk” in doing this. Imagine what the risks are for him? How might his fellow Sanhedrin members feel about it? How might Pilate react to another member of the religious leaders bothering him about Jesus? What does this social, political and religious risk tell us about the nature of this new life we find in Christ?
As you finish reading the chapter, what surprises do you come across? What seems unexpected in this text, and what might that say about a new life in Christ?
I think this will be an interesting and encouraging passage to study together. Hope to see you on Sunday!
Mark #47: The Curse Displayed and Cured (Mark 15:21-39)
This Sunday we’ll be returning to our study in the gospel of Mark, we’ll be reading Mark 15:21-39.
Ask almost any given Christian why Jesus died on the cross, and you’ll likely get a response of “Jesus died for my sins” – or something to that effect. That’s not a wrong answer – but I’d suggest it is incomplete. Even there, many people really don’t even know what they’re saying when they assert that Jesus died for our sins.
The New Testament writers knew that what happened on the cross was central to what God was doing in fulfilling his promises to Israel. One of the major ideas of what was accomplished on the cross is a breaking of Satan’s stronghold on humanity and creation ET AL. Galatians 3 tells us that Jesus also delivered us from the curse of sin and evil by taking it all to himself on the cross. Yes, Jesus died for sinners, but not as a martyr or even a good example – something cosmic and mysterious took place on that cross. A rescue of unthinkable proportions occurred through Christ’s suffering and death.
This Sunday we’ll be looking at how the curse of sin and evil were put on display on the cross, and how we recognize what Jesus has delivered us from through his sacrificial death.
As you read this text for Sunday, imagine the scene as best as you can. What is Jesus experiencing, and how does it relate to this broken world? It might help to read Genesis 3. What correlations can you find between the fall of creation and what Jesus experienced on the cross? How does it help you understand what Jesus has accomplished for you?
I hope this study will provide a new sense of awe and appreciation for Christ, and what God had done for us all.
Mark #46: The Suffering Servant (Mark 15:1-20)
This Sunday we’ll be reading about the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate as we continue our study in Mark. We’ll be reading Mark 15:1-20.
This is the moment when Jesus is confronted by the combined forces of broken religion, politics and social behavior. In a sort of perfect storm, as religion and politics vie for superior power and control, Jesus is caught in the middle of the machinations – suffering injustice, prejudice, accusation and condemnation, which will lead to his death on the cross.
Here, is radiant contrasts, we see the distinction between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of humanity.
As you read through this section, what do you notice about Jesus? What does he do, and what is done to him?
Consider the accusations, the prisoner exchange and torture piled up on Jesus; what picture might it give you about what it is that God was accomplishing through Christ on our behalf? Think about that crown of thorns laid on his head. It was a parody of Caesar’s wreath crown. It was intended as ironic mockery. I believe God was communicating something else. Read Gen 3:17-19. What else might that crown symbolize, and what can it tell us about the purpose of Jesus’ suffering this way as our substitute?
I don’t understand the mechanics of all of this. I still find it fascinating that for 2,000 plus years people of faith have found something powerful and life-changing in this scene of brutality. I’m one of those. I can’t explain exactly what happened that terrible Friday, but I believe it changed the world, and I know it changed me.
We’ll contemplate the implications of this on Sunday – hope to see you then!
Fruits Of The Spirit (Galatians 5:22-6:10)
Mark #45: What A Trial Reveals (Mark 14:53-72)
Hey everyone! After taking a break over the holidays, we’re ready to get back into our study of the Gospel of Mark. This Sunday we’ll be reading Mark 14:53-72 – and the drama has really intensified.
After being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is taken to the High Priest’s palace where he will experience his first trial. But Mark does a “meanwhile” segue, picking up Peter’s location, which is in the courtyard outside the trial. He’ll come back to Peter at the end of the section, so it’s another Markian sandwich…meaning we’re supposed to connect the two stories.
We’ll cover some of the ways in which this trial before the Sanhedrin was preformed illegally. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how far religious systems are willing to violate God’s own values in order to maintain power. I think there’s a lesson in that.
Why do you suppose Jesus doesn’t answer any of the false accusations made against him? How would you be tempted to respond, if people misrepresented you this way?
At the end of the trial, the veil is finally lifted and Jesus plainly self-identifies as God’s Messiah. It offends the High Priest so much that he tears his robes. Here’s a fun insight: read Lev 21:10 – it seems the High Priest wasn’t too well acquainted with the Law he was supposed to be upholding.
Jesus stood quietly confident before the highest ruling authority in Israel – but at the end of the story, Peter caves under the pressure of one person. Who was that person, and what sort of authority would that person have in a patriarchal society such as 1st Century Israel? What differences do you note? What might Peter have done differently that night? When have you felt like Peter during times of pressure from this broken world?
Hopefully, we will be both encouraged and challenged by this study. Hope to see you Sunday!
Click here for a pdf version of the slideshow for this teaching.
Wonderwhat Podcast Season2:Episode 9 Merry Christmas!
Mark #44: Why Our Hope Is In Jesus (Mark 14:26-52)
We’ll be continuing our study in Mark this Sunday – we’ll be reading Mark 14:26-52.
This is the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane – but it is also another Markian Sandwich -Because Jesus’ warning to his disciples that they will abandon him and the account of them doing just that, brackets the account of Jesus’ prayer of surrender in the garden alone.
There is a lot happening in this section – more than what can be covered in one teaching. My focus this Sunday will be centered on why placing our hope in Jesus alone is highlighted in the events that unfold in this text.
Peter is bold in his assertion that he would never betray Jesus. If you know how the story goes, how did that work out for him? Do you identify with Peter? What was he putting his trust in when making that statement? What can we learn from that, coupled with 1 Cor 10:12?
Think about the parallels between Jesus in the Garden and Adam in the Garden. What is different about Jesus’ response to God’s will and Adam’s? What does this tell us about Jesus and his ultimate mission?
When the mob comes, one disciple (identified as Peter in John’s gospel) jumps into action. Was it the right action? What might his behavior teach us about self-reliance?
We’ll put it all together and hopefully be encouraged as well as challenged. See you on Sunday!
Click here of a pdf version of the slideshow for this teaching.
Mark #43: The Meal Of Mission (Mark 14:12-26)
It’s almost universal that important moments and significant occasions are marked by sharing a meal. We incorporate meals into our three main holidays here in the U.S. – Thanksgiving, Christmas and Superbowl Sunday. There’s just something inherent in us as humans that we commemorate things by sharing a common sustenance.
That’s probably why God incorporated meals into the great festivals prescribed in the Law of Moses. They served as a reminder of Israel’s heritage and calling, but also as a means of binding groups of people together. Meals communicate something.
This Sunday we’ll be reading about the most famous meal of the New Testament, and surely the most significant. We’ll be reading Mark 14:12-26 as we continue our study of Mark’s gospel.
Mark locates this meal at the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which would make this a Passover Meal. Jesus goes about re-purposing some of the integral elements of this most important Jewish observance. If liberation is central to the theme of Passover, and Jesus ties his upcoming death to the Passover, what is that communicating to us about his mission and the mission of the Good News? What sort of liberation do you believe he had in mind?
Why do you think Jesus didn’t “out” Judas at the table? Why do you suppose he prompted all of his disciples to inquire if they were the one?
Jesus took the Afikomen bread and the Cup of Redemption and gave them new designations for us, saying they now represent his body and his blood. Clearly he’s pointing to role which the Passover Lamb typified – he would be our sacrifice. In v24 he states what that sacrifice will accomplish. What do you understand a covenant to be? How does that inform you about Christ’s mission, and our mission as Good News people?
It should be an interesting and comforting study – hope to see you there!
Mark #42: A Contrast Of Loves (Mark 14:1-11)
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. This Sunday we’ll be starting chapter 14 as we continue on in our study of the gospel of Mark. We’ll be reading the first 11 verses.
This will be another Markian sandwich – where one event is tucked in between two other, connected events. In this case, it’s the plotting of Jesus’ arrest and execution surrounding an account of a woman performing an extravagant act of devotion and worship of Jesus.
We’ll consider it a contrast of loves.
As we consider the “bread” of this sandwich – the plot to kill Jesus and then initialization of it by Judas – what do you think these characters love, which would motivate them to do such an insidious deed?
The woman does something altogether different. Obviously, we live in a different culture, so some things are hard to understand in this. Pouring oil on a guy’s head wouldn’t go over quite so well in our culture (at least since the 1950’s). In that time and culture, taking baths wasn’t something a person had the opportunity to do as often as we do. People would quickly develop a certain odoriferousness (funk) about them. So, this sort of thing was a welcome way to put a sheen on the hair and diffuse the pungency of human odor.
The point is, it was a good thing – and not only that – it was costly to her. Clearly, Jesus is the object of her love, which prompts her actions. How would you describe her action? What does it teach us about how our own love for Jesus is demonstrated?
Jesus interprets her act as a forecast of his coming death. How would his death and her sacrificial devotion be connected to each other?
Jesus declared that this woman would always be remembered. Interestingly, Judas would also be forever remembered, but not in such reverential ways. Think of all the contrasts you can of what the woman is remembered for compared to what Judas is remembered for.
The core question if this text is: Who do you want to be?
Mark #41: Assurances In The Finale (Mark 13:14-37)
Every time I watch a fireworks show, I’m always gearing up for the finale, aren’t you? I love them – they are more dramatic and powerful than the whole rest of the show. Jesus will has been talking about a finale of sorts, in the chapter we’re reading in our study of Mark. This Sunday we’ll be reading Mark 13:14-37.
Remember our introductory remarks about the first thirteen verses…while end time events and prophecy is cool and all, obsessing over current details and trying to fit them into some prophetic model is pretty ill-advised. Jesus will be continuing to talk about ongoing crisis’ on this earth – but I believe there are assurances we can find in his words – that’s what we’ll be focused on.
Jesus begins this section pointing to a prophecy from Daniel 9 which references “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration”. From the Jewish perspective today, and back in Jesus’ time, this was a historic event, not something yet to be fulfilled. What does that tell us about Jesus’ statement here?
In v19, what will the world be like in the time period he’s describing? What does that tell us about the direction the world is taking…and how does it effect our expectations about the state of the world?
As you read this section over, who or what seems to have the upper hand through it all? Yet what is the final outcome that Jesus predicts?
Verses 28-31, of Mark 13, tell us that we can expect an intensifying of troubles, leading up to the grand finale…just like we see buds and leaves sprouting and leading into summer and harvest. In v31, Jesus makes a prediction about his predictions…what is it that he says? What assurances do you find in that?
The final section, v 32-37 sort of put the final qualifier on the issue. What does He say about these events? What do we need to factor in because of this qualifier?
That should give us plenty to mull over and chew on this week. Hope you enjoy this teaching!
Click here for a pdf of the PowerPoint slideshow for this teaching.
Mark #40: Birth Pangs Of A New World (Mark 13:1-13)
I remember when Robbie was expecting our first child. We had prepared as much as possible and gone over again and again just what we’d do when she went into labor. I also remember that neither one of us ever referenced all of the stuff we tried to learn ahead of time when the actual labor started. It was way more difficult and took much longer than we could have ever anticipated – and the only thing I remember from it was an intense distress and exhaustion.
We did home-births by the way…and I was there for every one of them…and I still have PTSD from the whole experience. (I can almost hear all the women reading this rolling their eyes and thinking “yeah, you poor thing”. )
My point is – actual labor is something the uninitiated cannot fully understand until it’s experienced. I like to keep that in mind when it comes to the text we’ll be reading this Sunday in our study of Mark. We’ll be reading Mark 13:1-13.
As you read this passage, what starts the whole conversation? What does the unnamed disciple bring up and what does Jesus forecast? That is the header for this section. Whatever we understand about it, it must primarily be speaking about the end of the temple age.
Jesus describes political, natural and religious distresses, and yet he states that these things aren’t indicators of anything but birth pangs. Labor has started. How does that temper your understanding of dramatic world events when they occur?
These are some of the things we’ll be thinking about this Sunday as we examine this passage together – hope to see you then!
Click here for a pdf of this teachings PowerPoint slideshow.
Wonderwhat Podcast Season 2:Episode 8 What Is Church?
Mark #39: Hidden Things (Mark 12:35-44)
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 #37: Whose Kingdom? (Mark 12:1-12)
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!
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!