Author: Danny Panter

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.

“But Jesus said, ‘No, go home to your family…’” – Mark 5:19

We don’t know how this man became possessed, but we see the devastating effects—separation from his family, isolation from his community, and a loss of his very humanity. That’s what evil does. It isolates, degrades, and destroys.

But Jesus came to restore.

With a word, He cast out the evil spirits, returning the man to his right mind, his family, and his community. Jesus didn’t just free him; He gave him back his life.

That’s what Jesus still does today. He restores what’s been broken, heals what’s been wounded, and calls us back into relationship—with God and one another.

Where do you need His restoration today?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:35-41 (day six)

“Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct?” —Job 38:34-35

When Job questioned God’s wisdom in his suffering, God didn’t explain—He declared His power over creation. Why? Because knowing who God is changes everything.

The disciples had the same realization after Jesus calmed the storm. Terrified, they asked, “Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41).

Like Job, they stood before the Lord of Creation—the One who commands the storm, the One who holds all things together. And if He has authority over the wind and waves, He certainly has authority over our lives.

To trust Him is wisdom. To doubt Him is foolishness. Because if even the storm obeys Him—why wouldn’t we?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:26-32 (day six).

The disciples must have been discouraged. Things weren’t going as they had imagined—people weren’t responding like they’d hoped. Perhaps they thought Jesus’ parables were too obscure, too confusing, and surely there had to be a better way to gather a following than telling stories that sounded like riddles.

The world’s way of accomplishing big things is through force, strength, and control: fill the streets with angry crowds, build up the campaign fund, broaden the base. The world’s answer is always more. More power. More influence. More noise.

But Jesus offers a radically different perspective in Mark 4:26-32. He assures his disciples that it’s not about their strength or strategies—growth is God’s work. He invites them to trust in the small and seemingly insignificant. A farmer plants the seed, but the miracle of life and growth is entirely in God’s hands. The tiniest mustard seed grows into something mighty, providing shelter and blessing beyond what anyone could imagine.

This is the upside-down Kingdom of God. His plans don’t follow our rules or expectations. We certainly wouldn’t send the Savior to die in weakness and shame, but God’s wisdom works through what the world calls foolishness. He uses the small, the humble, and the few to bring about something extraordinary. In God’s hands, little is never wasted, and weakness becomes strength.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:21-25, 33-34 (day six)

A lamp exists to shine—that’s its purpose. In the same way, the Kingdom of God is meant to radiate and reveal. This is the heart of what Jesus teaches here: the Kingdom is never hidden. It’s always shining, always revealing, always making itself known.

This truth challenges us in two key ways.

First, if we fail to see the Kingdom, the problem isn’t with God but with us . From the beginning of creation, God has made his Kingdom visible—in the world he crafted, in the Scriptures he gave, and most fully in Jesus, the Word made flesh. He has held nothing back.

Second, we cannot compartmentalize God’s Kingdom. Its light is inseparable from its nature. We can’t dim it, hide it, or turn it off without denying what the Kingdom truly is. If we belong to the Kingdom, its light must shine through us. Let it shine—boldly, faithfully, and without hesitation.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:1-20 (day six)

For Jesus, it was never about keeping the crowd; it was about reaching the few. This is a sobering truth. Too often, we invest heavily in maintaining the crowd while struggling to lead the few. We measure success by numbers—how many are in the audience, how many likes on Facebook, how many followers on Instagram—a mile wide and an inch deep.

But not Jesus. He wasn’t interested in shallow popularity. He was teaching his disciples how to fish for the few—those ready to follow, to surrender, to bear fruit for the Kingdom.