The Garden of Temptation and Testing – Part 1
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was tempted to turn away from drinking the cup of wrath of God, but in His deep anguish He drew close to His Father and victoriously embraced His will.
Mark 14:27-42
From the Last Supper to the Lord’s Supper
Jesus commanded His followers to remember Him by celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and the church has done this regularly since its earliest days because God vitally works through the Supper to teach, nourish, and strengthen His people.
Mark 14:22-26; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Last Supper
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus announced the beginning of the New Covenant as He celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples.
Mark 14:17-31
The Last Passover
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus celebrated the last Passover with His disciples, for in His sacrificial death He fulfilled Passover by delivering and redeeming His people.
Mark 14:12-26
True Devotion, Deep Betrayal
In the midst of deep betrayal by the priests and Judas, a woman displays true devotion and worship, sacrificing a costly gift to anoint Jesus in spite of the indignant reaction of others.
Mark 14:1-11
Be Alert
Jesus calls believers to be alert as we await His final return, not by looking for supposed signs but rather by maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him and His people.
Mark 13:32-37
The New Covenant People of God
Jesus prophesied that with the destruction of the Temple and the end of the Old Covenant era the Gospel would go to all nations, gathering people from every nation into God’s people.
Mark 13:1-4, 26-27, 30-31
The New Covenant Temple
Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed and the Old Covenant would end, for in the New Covenant the people of God are God’s Temple.
Mark 13
Countdown to Destruction
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesied that the temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed during the lifetime of the generation then alive, and this was fulfilled in 70 AD, proving the authority and truth of Jesus’ Word.
Mark 13
More Than Meets the Eye
Jesus condemned the scribes who looked outwardly impressive but were inwardly far from God, but He praised a poor widow whose tiny offering flowed from a heart of true faith and love for God.
Mark 12:38-44
The Messiah’s Divine Authority
Jesus calls everyone to embrace the true identity and authority of Messiah – the Son of God!
Mark 12:35-37
The Heart of God’s Law
Jesus taught that the heart of God’s Law is to love God with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself.
Mark 12:28-34
Life After Death
Jesus showed that Scripture teaches that life continues after death when God’s people experience the fullness of life and the promises of God.
Mark 12:18-27
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Man
The Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus in a false dilemma about paying taxes, but in His brilliant answer Jesus provides the basis for a Christian view of government and citizenship.
Mark 12:13-17
God’s Vineyard and the Wicked Tenants
The parable of God’s vineyard and the wicked tenants displays the patience and mercy of God, the wickedness of the leaders of Israel, and God’s vindication of Jesus.
Mark 12:1-2
The Conflict Intensifies
Jesus’ teaching, actions, and authority consistently caused amazement among the people, but they also prompted fear and opposition, especially among the leaders, and this pattern intensified as Jesus ministered in Jerusalem during His final week.
Mark 11:27-33
Faith, Prayer, and Forgiveness
The fruit of true worship in the New Covenant that God desires is faith, prayer, and forgiveness.
Mark 11:20-25
The King Comes To His Temple
Like the fig tree, the Temple was utterly barren of fruit and Jesus pronounced it to be dead, never to bear the fruit of true worship of God again.
Mark 11:11-25
The King Comes To His City
As He entered Jerusalem for the final time, Jesus purposefully fulfilled several Messianic prophecies, and the crowd’s joyful response was also a fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the coming of the King to His City.
Mark 11:1-11
Lessons for Disciples – True Sight
The interaction of Jesus and Bartimaeus that led to his healing and salvation is the picture of true sight and the model of real discipleship.
Mark 10:46-52
Lessons for Disciples – A King’s Ransom
Jesus the King is the Servant of the Lord Who will lay down His life to ransom His people, taking their sin and punishment on Himself, setting them free from death and restoring them from exile to be the people of God.
Mark 10:45
Lessons for Disciples – A Kingdom of Servants
Disciples must follow Jesus in rejecting the world’s grasping for power, choosing to live as servants, willing to be mistreated and suffer, trusting God the Father to vindicate His followers in His own time.
Mark 10:32-45
Lessons for Disciples – The Kingdom and Wealth
Disciples of Christ must recognize and reject the temptation to trust in riches, look to God alone as their source of identity and salvation, and use their wealth to be a blessing to others.
Mark 10:17-31
Lessons for Disciples – Entering The Kingdom
No human can enter the kingdom of God by their own works or efforts but only by the grace and work of God.
Mark 10:17-31
Lessons for Disciples – The Kingdom, Disciples, and the Little Children
Unlike the kingdoms of this world, the Kingdom of God does not give preference to the powerful or wealthy but is open to everyone who will receive it like a little child by recognizing their helplessness and great need that only Jesus can meet.
Mark 10:13-16