Tag Archives: Markan Sandwich

Recognizing and Exercising Authority

We often have problems with authority – especially when we aren’t the authority. We don’t want people telling us what to do. We’re independent by nature. Still, when it comes to Jesus, He is the authority. His authority comes from … Continue reading

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Anger Cleaning at the Temple

At this point in time, the corruption of those buying and selling in the Temple was so great that it had become a house to prey instead of a house to pray, and those doing the preying were the ones buying and selling – most likely buying the animals from people who brought their own to sacrifice because it wasn’t good enough, and then selling another animal back to them at inflated prices. Continue reading

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Fit For a Spy Novel!

I have no doubt that Jesus had arranged for one of His followers, who remained nameless, to provide this colt for Him to enter Jerusalem. Jesus sent the disciples to pick up this colt and it’s interesting that He knows that no one has ever ridden on this animal. It’s also interesting to me that Jesus didn’t tell them to contact anyone, perhaps to spare them harm should inquiries be made by the Pharisees or the Sadducees later (?), but to see this colt, untie him and bring him to Jesus. While Jesus told them not to initiate contact, He gave them would would be considered a countersign to let the owner know that the right people were taking this colt. It’s fitting that the beginning of the end of this mission from God should have some old-fashioned spycraft at the start of things. Continue reading

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Finishing the Story, Feeding the Five Thousand, and Finding Healing – Mark 6:30-56

After you’ve read the Bible through a number of times, it’s easy to become jaded and think that you’ll never find anything new. I wonder if that happened to the disciples and that’s why they didn’t learn the lesson of … Continue reading

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The Story Within – Mark 5:21-43

Mark used a literary device that my pastor likens to a sandwich. He began a story, he interrupted the story with a different story. Then, when the second story was finished, he went back and finished the first story. This … Continue reading

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