Mark 10:32–52
The true sign of greatness of disciples is their acceptance of Jesus’ mission to follow his model of suffering and service.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve …
Mark 9:35
This section has the most detailed Passion Prediction in Mark (10:33–34), which is followed by a depiction of the complete incomprehension on the part of Jesus’ disciples about his mission.
James and John already had had a fairly higher standing around Jesus than the
Like!
If you are a Facebook user who posts stuff, you know the feeling.
That rush of whatever in your brain, when you get a “Like!” Someone likes your post, your picture, your current activity, your accomplishment, your dog, your house, your phone, your good looks, your smarts, your car, your toothpaste, ….
TIME reported on a study recently that had unraveled what lies at the bottom of that zing that you get with a “Like!”
Apparently, it’s the reward center in your
Lost?
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.”
So wrote Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Rings.
We’ve often thought that those who wander in their minds are definitely lost. Those absent-minded types that walk into lampposts or fall into potholes. Those eccentric folks who forget who they are and what they are doing. Those oddballs who aren’t where everyone else is, and are seemingly headed in the wrong direction. Lost.
A few years ago, researchers
Mark 10:13–31
Confident of the abundance of their rewards, disciples give freely of their possessions, humbly depending upon God.
“Sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Mark 9:35
This section opens with Jesus’ embrace of children (10:13–16). The characteristic of children that enables them to accept everything as a gift is what the disciple should demonstrate: receiving the kingdom with humility acknowledging total
Waist!
We’ve finally got it figured out. No wonder [Dallas Cowboys*] fans’ waistlines are growing. Yup, we’ve got the answer.
[*Insert the name of your favorite losing team here.]
Yes, if you are a supporter of a losing team, watch out. Your waistline’s growing even as we speak.
A recent study published in Psychological Science compared the outcomes from two seasons’ worth of NFL games with people’s food consumption in over two dozen cities. When a sports team
World!
Someone called it “PHPS”—Post Harry Potter Syndrome. Many are afflicted, me included. We want more from JKR. But alas, what we have is what we have—HPI through HPVII.
But take heart. There is more. In fact, we Muggles can now actually go to Diagon Alley from the comfort of your bedroom, and in your PJs, if you wish.
Nope, you don’t need to go to Orlando (to see The Wizarding World of HP) or to Leavesden, U.K. (to take in the Harry Potter Studio Tour). Nope, no
Mark 10:1–12
Followers of Jesus, in obedience to Scripture, remain united to their spouses for life, in the journey of discipleship.
“And the two shall become one flesh.”
Mark 9:35
In Mark 3:31–35 and 10:28–30, Jesus had declared that a new family was being formed, that related to him, that followed him, and that represented him. Questions would have arisen then regarding the implications of this new unit of relationship for the already-existing unit of the traditional family:
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.