Author: Danny Panter

Re:Verse passage – Mark 7:1-23 (day six)

Traditions can be beautiful. They help us express love, reverence, and belonging. Whether it’s dressing up on Easter morning or receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday, traditions shape the rhythms of our faith and bind us to one another.

But as helpful as they are, traditions should never take the place of loving people.

In Mark 7, Jesus challenges a group of religious leaders who had grown more concerned with keeping traditions than with caring for people. Their spiritual routines had become a substitute for true transformation.

It’s easy to fall into that same trap—mistaking outward piety for inward renewal. We can get so good at “doing church” that we forget the reason behind it all: love. Real, sacrificial, others-first love.

So here’s a question worth asking:

Would we be willing to change our traditions if it meant someone in the heart of the city could experience the love of Jesus?

Let’s hold our traditions with open hands, always ready to lay them down if it helps someone else take hold of grace.

Mark 6:45-46 (NLT) “Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone goodbye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.”

They were in between ministry. Jesus had dismissed the people, sent the disciples ahead to Bethsaida, and then withdrew to pray. It was in this in-between space that the disciples ran into trouble—again. And for some reason, the last thing they expected was for Jesus to meet them in their struggle. Yet, he did. And in the most unexpected, miraculous way.

He showed up in the in-between.

Sometimes, we limit Jesus to the big moments—the church services, the mission trips, the obvious spiritual highs. But what about home, work, the long commutes, the ordinary days? What about the seasons of waiting, transition, or uncertainty?

Jesus doesn’t just move in the moments we expect. He is present in the in-between. And that’s often where we need him most.

And all ate and were filled… – Mark 6:42 (NRSV)

The disciples were exhausted. They had nothing left—not even time to eat. (Mark 6:31) Yet, at Jesus’ command, they found themselves serving another crowd. With no energy and barely any food—just five loaves and two fish—they had nothing to offer 5,000 hungry people.

But Jesus multiplied both. He took their weakness and their small offering, blessed it, and made it more than enough.

In the end, everyone was full—the disciples and the crowd alike.

This is Mark’s message: God takes our little—even our nothing—and multiplies it until all are satisfied.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:14-29 (day six)

This passage is a story of stark contrasts. In Herod’s world, power is built on corruption, immorality, and self-preservation. It is a world so twisted that murder becomes a possible birthday gift. A reckless promise leads to a reckless request, and the result is the tragic death of John the Baptist. In Herod’s kingdom, power is used to take life.

But Mark wants us to see a different kind of King. Jesus, the true King, ushers in a Kingdom where power is expressed through compassion, mercy, and sacrificial love. Instead of taking life, He gives His own.

Mark isn’t just telling history—he’s asking us a question: Which kingdom will we live for?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:7-13 (day six)

The Lord is King! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. – Psalm 97:1

This was the Psalm I read early this morning, coffee in hand, on our first full day in Scotland. The rest of the team was still sleeping, recovering from a long travel day—vans, planes, trains, trams, and a wee bit on foot. At 11 PM, we finally arrived at our hotel, exhausted but grateful.

Just as Jesus sent His disciples out two by two to proclaim the Kingdom, we have been sent to Glenrothes, Scotland, to a small neighborhood called Colleydean—another “coastland” under His reign.

The Lord is King over every place, from tiny villages to vast cities. As His people, we are called to live as Kingdom servants wherever we are, inviting others to receive the Kingdom through Christ.

Pray that we do this faithfully in the days ahead. Pray that this “coastland” will indeed be glad!  And know that we are praying the same for you.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:1-6 (day six)

³ Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Mark 6:3

In Mark 6:3 (and its parallel in Matthew 13:55-56), we get a rare glimpse into Jesus’ early life—his brothers are named, his sisters are mentioned, and his trade as a carpenter is noted. Few passages in Scripture give us such personal details about his upbringing.

The people of Nazareth knew Jesus well. They had watched him grow up, play in the streets, and learn his father’s trade. Many had likely hired him for carpentry work. They were familiar with his humanity—his daily routines, his ordinary life as the son of a tradesman.

Mark seems to highlight this intentionally, drawing our attention to Jesus’ full humanity in contrast to his divinity.

Yet, this very familiarity became a stumbling block. His neighbors couldn’t reconcile the Jesus they had always known with the reality of who he truly is—Emmanuel, God with us.

But that is precisely what Mark wants us to see. Will we recognize and embrace him daily for who he is, both his humanity and his divinity?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-34 (day six)

Mark presents a series of back-to-back miracles, each revealing a different aspect of Jesus’ power. His primary goal is clear: to introduce his readers to Jesus—the one who commands creation, casts out demons, heals the sick, and raises the dead. Who wouldn’t want to follow Him?

Beyond this, Mark has a secondary objective. Each miracle serves as a real-life illustration of the parable of the soils. In every scene, the crowd is contrasted with the one(s) who has faith, and in most cases, we see the fruit of that faith. Mark emphasizes that while the Kingdom of God is available to all, only a few are truly ready to receive it by faith—the kind of faith that produces lasting fruit.

Once again, Mark challenges us to reflect: Is the soil of our lives bearing the fruit of faith in Christ?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43(day six)

Have you ever experienced something that completely changed the way you see the world? Falling in love, holding your child for the first time, or traveling to a place that shifts your perspective?

That’s what happened to Peter, James, and John in that small room. Just them, the girl’s parents, and Jesus. Everyone knew she was gone. But then, with a touch and two simple words, she breathed again and stood up.

Ever since they met Jesus, their world had been changing, but this moment was different. This wasn’t just another miracle—this was power over death itself. Life could never go back to the way it was.

Later, Peter would say to Jesus, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68). I imagine he remembered the words Jesus spoke in that room. Who else could he trust but the Lord of life?

Mark would have you ask the same question.