The Book of Mark

I read through the book of Mark in April. They say Mark is the first written of the New Testament, so I wanted to read it first. In this post, I'm going to be talking about some of my thoughts on Mark.

Mark 1 & 2

Verses that stood out:

Mark 1:9-13 "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then the voice came from the heaven, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And Her was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him."

Thoughts: After Jesus was baptized, He went into the wilderness. He knew that His Father was pleased with Him, and wanting to honor His Father, to me, that is one of the ways He was able to not fall into temptation. The wilderness was hard. He's out there by himself with the "wild beasts" and in this hard time is when the devil tries to tempt Jesus. And I think this is a lesson for us. The enemy likes to punch us when we are already down. In life, when we go through the wilderness. When there's already trials, the enemy likes to then pile more and more burden on top of us. Jesus was able to resist. That gives me hope that we, with the help of our Lord, can overcome the temptations of Satan. Why? Because we love our Father, and because of that Love, we want to obey Him.

Mark 1:15,17,18 "and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." "Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."They immediately left their nets and followed Him."

Thoughts: Jesus says that the "time is fulfilled." So to me, this means that certain things must take place according to old scriptures and instructions laid by God. Then, He goes on to make a statement. it wasn't a question, it was more of a direct sentence. Follow Me. And immediately, they left all they had and followed Him. The kind of faith they must have had is amazing to me. I believe they were lead by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus.

Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Thoughts: Jesus came to this world for sinners. And He makes that clear in this verse. He died for the sins of the "sick" world. And that just goes to show how selfless and loving He truly is. 

Mark 3 & 4

Verses that stood out:

Mark 3:5 "And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."

Thoughts: Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He ministered on the Sabbath. Something else stood out to me in this verse. It said that Jesus was "grieved by the hardness of their hearts." Sadness, grieving, pain, those are all emotions. Jesus came to earth as a baby, as human flesh. And He very much had emotions. He felt the pain for us. He suffered for us. But here's the thing, do you think that Jesus smiled? We don't hear much about it in the Bible, but I believe that He did! I think that He smiled to ease people's nerves, or to comfort the little children. 

Mark 4:11 "And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables."

Thoughts: Jesus spoke in parables. Why? One reason first come to my mind. Maybe He spoke in parables to meet people where they were at by using analogy's they would understand and be familiar with. 

Mark 5 & 6

Mark 5:36 "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." 

Thoughts: I love what Jesus said. He is telling this ruler (who believes he just lost his daughter) to no be afraid. To not worry. To not be fearful. But only to believe and have faith.

Mark 6:56 "Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well."

Thoughts: Ah! So many things happen in this chapter! Jesus feeds the five thousand, heals the sick, He walks on water, and calms the sea. So many amazing things to read in this chapter of Mark. We serve an amazing God!

Mark 7 & 8

Mark 7:37 "And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He had done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Thoughts: Jesus was a Physician. He healed the sick. And performed miracles everywhere He went. Y'all, Jesus still heals the sick today. Jesus still performs miracles in our lives. 

Mark 8:2 "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat."

Thoughts: He is the Child of God, and yet, He has compassion on us to meet our earthly needs. 

Mark 9 & 10

Mark 9:35 "And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

Thoughts: We've all heard the phrase, "Last shall be first, and first shall be last." I think that Jesus was trying to teach the disciples how to be humble and meek. They were starting to let their own selfish fame (remember that Jesus drew in large multitudes of people) get to their heads. When we get so caught up in the world, and the positions where we desire to be successful, often times we loose sight of Jesus, and I think that He was warning them of that in this verse. 

Mark 10:13-15 "Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked this who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." 

Thoughts: I love these verses so much! Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world... (brownie points if you sing along!) But honestly, Jesus wanted the children to come to Him. He loved them. And He was still teaching His disciples to be humble, have childlike faith, and have a simple trust. 

Mark 11 & 12

Mark 11:25,26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." 

Thoughts: Jesus is teaching them how to forgive. How to forgive with a willing and soft heart, one that is not hardened. And in that second verse, He tells of the consequence of not forgiving. But here's the thing, I don't think Jesus meant for this to be a fear factor. He never intended to scare people into believing in Him or into forgiving others. He only painted a clear picture. He told facts, and wanted people to be informed. But I don't think He was trying to scare people into forgiving. Because if you truly follow Jesus, then you won't want to hold a grudge against fellow man. If you truly believe in Jesus, then you will want to follow His example by forgiveness those who have done you wrong. You will forgive willingly, not because of fear.

Mark 12:43,44 "So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

Thoughts: Again, Jesus is teaching His disciples a important lesson. The widow gave ALL that she had, it wasn't much, but it was all of it. We are to give Jesus all of us. All of our hearts, we shouldn't hold anything back. 

Mark 14 & 15

Mark 14:61 "But He kept silent and answered nothing..."

Thoughts: When Jesus was being questioned, He made it a point not to defend himself. Jesus knew this was Gods will. And He was setting the ultimate example how to handles oneself. Sometimes less words really speak more.

Mark 15:13 "So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" 

Thoughts: This whole chapter. This verse. This verse made me feel a pain deep down. The horrible treatment Jesus got. The torture He endured to save us from our sins. Wow. 

Mark 16

Mark 16:15 "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Thoughts: Jesus rose from the dead, and this was His message to His followers. To go out into the world and to share the good news of our Savior. To witness to everyone we come in contact with. To love people. 

I hope you liked reading this study of Mark. Have you read the book of Mark recently? If so, do you have any take aways to share? Comment below your favorite book in the Bible!

Also, how do y'all like my new blog header?? I really like it!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse