Tag Archives: Kingdom

Peter Gets it Wrong

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Don Merritt

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days … Continue reading →

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Peter Gets it Right

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 8:27-30 Parallel Texts: Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-21 After Jesus restores sight to a blind man in 8:22-26, Mark cuts to a new scene.  Jesus and the disciples are walking toward  Caesarea Philippi, and along the way Jesus asks them … Continue reading →

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Pharisees, Politicians and Yeast

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 8:14-21 Parallel Text: Matthew 16:5-12 Remember the last post in which we saw the encounter Jesus had with some Pharisees; they demanded a sign and Jesus refused to give them one, and went back to the boat. In this … Continue reading →

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Feeding and Not Knowing

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 8:1-13 Parallel Texts: Matthew 15:32-16:4 Once again, we are near the Sea of Galilee with Jesus, the disciples and a very large crowd of people. Apparently they have all been there for quite a while, because Jesus feels that … Continue reading →

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Hearing and Speaking

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 7:31-37 Parallel Text: Matthew 15:29-31 After some days in the region of Tyre, Jesus and the disciples moved on in the direction of Sidon, crossing into modern-day Syria, making their way finally to the eastern shore of the Sea … Continue reading →

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Demons, Dogs and Foreign Scenes

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 7:24-30 Parallel Text: Matthew 15:21-28 A quick reading of this text will tell us that Jesus heals someone’s daughter, but quick readings don’t always yield the whole story, for there are those times when we are better off slowing … Continue reading →

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To Be Defiled

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 7:1-23 Parallel Texts: Matthew 15:1-20; John 7:1 This is a great story… we could spend a week going over it piece by piece! A group of Pharisees have come up from Jerusalem and in our first glimpse of them … Continue reading →

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A Stroll on the Lake

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 6:45-56 Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:22-36; John 6:15-21 After feeding the five thousand, a murmur went through the crowd: “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  Jesus knew they were about to seize Him and make … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Crowds

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 6:30-44 Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14 Mark jumps back to Jesus and the disciples, who have just returned after their journey through Galilee, giving us the impression that Herod’s musings about who Jesus was had gone … Continue reading →

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John Has a Bad Day

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Don Merritt

Mark 6:14-29 Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9 The real “meat” in this text is found in verses 14-16, the part most commentators discuss and teach is in 17-29, unfortunately. Thomas Jefferson had a painting of John’s head on the … Continue reading →

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