Author: Larry Soape

RE Verse reading–Mark 6:1-6 (day four)
Verse 2 says, “When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue;”  Jesus would always be found in His Father’s house on the Sabbath day.  There was no ‘day off’ from worshipping or teaching on this sacred day.  When the people heard Him teach, they were astonished!  They had never heard anything like this before.  And He demonstrated power…power to heal…power to do miracles…such wisdom…who was this man?  They clearly recognized the power that was Jesus’, but they didn’t necessarily accept the truth of who He was.  They couldn’t get past what their eyes could see to the point of faith to trust Him.  As believers, Jesus lives within us.  Do the people around us recognize the power of Christ in our lives?  Often, we pray and ask God to come in power among us.  As Henry Blackaby says, that is the only way that He comes!  In our faith, may God reveal His power through us to those who would believe!

RE Verse reading–Mark 5:22-43 (day four)
Jesus was in the midst of His public ministry…He was busy about the work of His Father!  Jairus came seeking Him for healing for his daughter.  Those who sought out Jesus were never disappointed.  Even as Jesus went with Jairus, there was an encounter along the way with a woman also seeking Jesus for healing.  She was healed, as was Jairus’ daughter.  What about all the other people who were sick?  Some have asked why Jesus didn’t just heal everyone.  These people sought Jesus for healing.  They recognized the power to heal in Him and came to Him.  What about salvation?  Jesus could save everyone on the earth from the wages of sin, but it is those who seek Him for salvation that find it.  In God’s economy, it is the one who puts self aside and comes to Him that receives salvation and healing from the ravages of sin.  Have you sought Jesus for healing?

RE Verse reading–Mark 5:1-20 (day four)
Jesus had taken His disciples to an area known as the Decapolis.  It was a region of ten cities on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.  The Decapolis was a gentile region…a place where mainly Greek-speaking Roman soldiers could have protection from militant Jews.  When Jesus entered the region, it was a completely pagan land.  After the experience with the demoniac, who had legions of demons within him, the townspeople responded…just as you would expect a pagan culture to respond…they asked Jesus to leave the area.  As Jesus prepared to go, the former demoniac requested to go with Him, but Jesus gave him an assignment…go and tell others in the region what Jesus had done.  If we fast forward to Mark 7:31, when Jesus returns to the area, we find the reception is much different.  They come looking for Jesus.  The former demoniac had been a faithful and effective witness.  We have the same commandment!

RE Verse reading–Mark 2:13-17 (day four)
One of the themes of Mark is ‘Why did Jesus come?’  Mark 2:17 gives us a portion of Jesus’ mission…”I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus came to call sinners.  Now let’s set the record straight…the Pharisees were not righteous, they only thought they were righteous.  Theirs was a self-righteousness.  The tax collectors and sinners knew they were not righteous.  A recognition of the need in our life for a Savior is required before coming to salvation.  It is a deception from Satan that we see our lives as righteous and do not acknowledge the need for forgiveness.  We have a tendency to compare our lives with the lives of others, and judge our righteousness against their standard.  God, though, uses the standard of His Son, Jesus.  We fall far short if we don’t use the correct standard.  Jesus readily came to those who recognized their need.  He was willing to forgive their sin.

RE Verse reading–Mark 1:19-20, 3:13-17, 10:35-45 (day four)
Jesus was obedient.  Verse 1:10 says, following His obedience, immediately the Spirit of God descended on Him.  It was a spiritual landmark in His life.  Then…there is that word again…’immediately’…immediately Jesus is tested against His commitment to God.  Have you ever experienced that?  You make a significant, life-changing commitment to God…promising to be obedient in a particular area of your life…and immediately you are tested in that commitment.  Satan comes and seeks to steal away your faith commitment.  Jesus gives us the proper way to deal with the temptation…use the Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12 says “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Satan’s tactics and temptations are the same for you and me, just as they were for Jesus.  Satan is the great deceiver and he knows exactly where your point of weakness lies.  The only offense against his schemes is the Word of God.  Follow the lead of the Savior!

RE Verse reading–Mark 1:16-18, 8:27-33, 14:26-31, 66-72, 16:5-7 (day four)
These verses give us a snapshot of Peter’s life and his interaction with the Savior.  Some of the experiences were positive, some were negative.  All of them served to teach and train Peter.  Jesus had big plans for Peter…he was to become a fisher of men, a leader among the disciples, and a rock in the early church.  Peter is deeply moved by each of these incidents.  He was learning…he was being ‘sanctified’.  Sanctification according to Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem is “a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”  Question:  Will we make mistakes?  Yes!  The real question is, ‘will we learn from our mistakes and grow more and more like Christ through our responses?’  Are you giving attention to sanctification in your life?  Are you becoming more like Christ each day?

ReVerse Passage:  Mark 1:1-15; 6:14-29; 11:27-33 (day 4)
In Christianity Explored by Rico Tice, three great themes are identified in Mark:  1) Who is Jesus? (Jesus’ Identity)  2) Why did He come? (Jesus’ Mission)  3) What does He require of His followers? (Jesus’ Call).  As you read through Mark, watch for each of these themes and mark the verses in your Bible that explain His Identity, His Mission, and His Call.  In Mark 1:1-11, there are three verses that identify one of these themes…verse 1 gives us information on who Jesus is (Identity).  Verse 8 tells us what His mission was…to baptize with the Holy Spirit.  Verse 11 again gives us His identity:  “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”  It is important for each of us to clearly understand each of these themes in Mark.  A misunderstanding of any one of them will give us a distorted view of the true gospel.  Enjoy your study!