The Challenge of Jesus Last week we heard from a scribe who wanted to know which commandment Jesus considered to be the most important. This was the third in a string of questions posed to Jesus in an effort to …
NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM Jesus is in Jerusalem and the pressure against him continues to rise. The religious authorities bring a series of controversial questions to Jesus in an effort to discredit him in the eyes of the …
Trapping Jesus Since Jesus entered Jerusalem the conflict with the religious authorities has continued to escalate. These religious authorities, likely part of the Sanhedrin, have been unsuccessful in their confrontations with Jesus and now they send a series of delegations …
Living Under the Authority of Jesus Jesus is back in Jerusalem and goes once more directly to the temple where he is met by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders (v.27). These are the 3 groups …
How Jesus Exposes Our Hearts After a humble entry into Jerusalem seated on the back of a lowly donkey, Jesus now appears much more fierce in this next passage. He comes across a fig tree and curses it. He goes …
What Kind of King? Earlier in Mark’s gospel a group of frightened fishermen sat in a little boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee overwhelmed at what they had just witnessed. Moments earlier they were caught in a …
4 Lessons on Prayer The passage begins with James telling us how not to approach God — do not swear, either by heaven or earth or by any other oath (v.12). With the rest of the letter he shows us how …
Be Patient We heard last week a warning to the rich who willfully oppress others and now James moves to comfort those who have been oppressed. We see his pastor’s heart as he not only goes after the wolves but …
Money Problems As we enter the last chapter of the letter, we see that James addresses a specific group of people: the rich. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you (v.1). Now …