Mark 13:1-13 Watch Yourselves, Not For Signs
Mark 13 serves as the culmination of everything Jesus said and did in the Temple during chapters 11-12. After exposing the corruption within the Temple’s system and leadership in the previous two chapters, Jesus concluded His public ministry by warning the people about the hypocritical scribes who devour widows’ houses. As chapter 13 begins, Jesus leaves Jerusalem and predicts the Temple’s complete destruction—an event that would happen within forty years during the Roman-Jewish War (66 to 70 AD). This passage, known as the Olivet Discourse and paralleled in Matthew and Luke, forecasts Jerusalem’s fall and offers a glimpse of Christ’s second coming in glory. However, where Jesus is speaking specifically about the Temple’s destruction and the end of history has been a subject of interpretive debate among scholars. We will address a small part of this, but it is important to remember that biblical prophecy—while fascinating and evidence of the Bible’s divine inspiration—is not primarily intended to create timelines or uncover secret insights. Like all Scripture, prophecy is given to instruct, reprove, correct, and train us in righteousness for today. The disciples ask for a sign, and Jesus does not give them one until verse 14. The main point Jesus first emphasizes is not satisfying their curiosity with a detailed map of the future but teaching them (and us) how to live faithfully no matter what—being watchful against deception, not panicking amid the world’s turmoil, relying on the Spirit during persecution, and enduring to the end, whether the end comes today or a thousand years from now.
I. Judgment & The Disciples’ Question (1-2)
II. Don’t Be Deceived By False Christs (5-6)
III. Don’t Be Alarmed By False Signs (7-8)
IV. Be Ready To Endure Persecution (9-13)
Mark 12:28-37 Not Far From the Kingdom
After a month away from our study in Mark, we’re returning to the middle of chapter 12, where Jesus faces a series of challenges from religious leaders in Jerusalem during his final week. After Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna and cleansed the temple, a delegation from the Sanhedrin questioned his authority. Pharisees and Herodians attempt to trap him with a question about taxes to Caesar, and Sadducees pose a hypothetical about marriage, hoping to prove there is no resurrection. This Sunday, we’ll examine the final question from a scribe—a legal expert on God’s law—regarding the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-37). This leads to a discussion that highlights how someone can be remarkably close to God’s kingdom without actually entering it. The main point is that true entry into the kingdom requires more than intellectual agreement with God’s truths or admiration for Jesus; it demands recognizing, trusting, and submitting to Jesus as Lord, the divine Son of God, who alone has kept God’s commandments in our place and, in the new birth, enables us to love God and others.
I. The Foundational Truth of God’s Law (v. 28-31)
II. The Full Agreement Of A Lost Sinner (v. 32-34)
III. The Faith That Enters The Kingdom (v. 35-37)
Mark 12:18-27 The Hope Of Resurrection
On Sunday, we will continue our study in Mark, focusing on chapter 12:18-27. We’ve already seen Jesus in the Temple courts, rebuking the chief priests and scribes by comparing them to wicked tenants in God’s vineyard. We’ve observed Him skillfully outmaneuver the Pharisees and Herodians’ trap regarding paying taxes to Caesar. Now, the scene shifts to another challenge from the religious elite—the Sadducees—who try to discredit Jesus and the idea of resurrection with a crafted riddle about marriage in the afterlife. Although there are several related questions we will attempt to work through, the Sadducees ultimately seek to demonstrate how foolish the idea of a resurrection is. (They did not believe in an afterlife and accepted only Genesis through Deuteronomy as God’s Word.)
As Jesus skillfully outmaneuvers these Sadducees, just as He did with other leaders trying to trap Him with His words, He teaches us about the glorious hope of our resurrection with Him. This hope isn’t mere wishful thinking; it is based on Jesus’ clever response to the Sadducees, which exposes their mistake in denying God’s power and His Word. God’s power to transform His people assures us that He defeats death, sin, and loss, giving us confident hope for eternity. Jesus then directs the Sadducees to Exodus (a part of Scripture they accepted) and shows (based on the tense of a verb!) that resurrection is real. He points to Exodus 3:6, where God says, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" in the present tense, even though they had died long ago. This demonstrates ongoing life and a covenant with God, because He is the God of the living, not the dead. Resurrection is built into God’s Word, even in verb tenses, and reaches its pinnacle in Jesus’ own resurrection as the ultimate proof, giving us comfort in grief and confidence that death does not end our story.
The Theological Trap: Denying Resurrection (vv. 18-22)
Jesus’ Response: Ignorant of God’s Power (vv. 24-25)
Jesus’ Response: Ignorant of God’s Word (vv. 26-27)
Mark 12:13-17 Whose Image Is This?
Sunday, we will return to Mark and the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. Mark 12:13-17 continues the confrontations between Jesus and religious leaders. He entered Jerusalem amid cries of Hosanna and cleansed the temple of money changers. He also rebuked the scribes and elders with the parable of the wicked tenants. At this point, the leaders of Judaism want Him out of the way, but three times, Mark tells us they feared the crowds. In the next sections, groups of high-ranking religious leaders will try to trap Jesus with questions so the crowd will turn against Him, or perhaps He will say something that could offend Rome. Mark 12:13-17 presents a political question about taxes with no good answer. Yet, Jesus recognizes and reveals the hypocrisy of those asking questions and offers one of His most famous sayings, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v. 17). In this simple statement, Jesus shows us how authority should be properly ordered. He does not mean that some things belong to Caesar and others belong to God, and that each should be kept separate. Jesus exposes their trap and hypocrisy by illustrating the hierarchy of authority. Caesar does have legitimate, God-ordained authority (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pt. 2:13-17), but Caesar’s authority is also limited. There is only one Lord of all, not two, and just as Caesar’s image appears on the coin that belongs to him, you are made in God’s image, and therefore, all you are belongs to Him. Christians are to submit to earthly authorities God has ordained, but no authority except God commands our highest allegiance and total obedience. Sunday, we will explore this passage in detail and ask, "Since we bear God’s image, what are we to render to Him?"
I. Jesus Faces A Political Trap (v. 13-14)
II. Jesus Exposes The Questioner’s Hypocrisy (v. 15-16a)
III. Jesus Explains Proper Authority (v. 16-17)
Mark 12:1-12 Being a Fruit Producing Vineyard
On Sunday, we will examine Mark 12:1-12. As chapter 11 concluded, Jewish leaders confronted Jesus, demanding to know by what authority He disrupted the temple operations by overturning the money changers’ tables. Jesus exposed their self-centered authority and refused to answer their question. Mark 12:1-12 continues that conversation. Jesus responds to the religious leaders with a parable. Often called the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus uses a story to reveal the wickedness of these leaders’ sin and God’s plan of salvation. A vineyard owner carefully plants, protects, and tends to his vineyard (echoing Isaiah 5:1-2, where Israel is the Lord’s beloved vineyard), then leases it to tenant farmers. At harvest, he rightly sends servants to collect his share of the fruit, but the tenants beat one, shame another, and kill a third—rejecting every messenger. These "servants" represent the Old Testament prophets whom Israel repeatedly persecuted (Jeremiah 7:25-26; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Yet the owner shows great patience and longsuffering as he continues to send servants to call for the fruit owed to him. He even sends his beloved son, thinking, “Surely they will respect him.” Instead, the tenants murder the heir, plotting to seize the inheritance for themselves. In this parable, the vineyard symbolizes God’s people, God is the vineyard’s owner, the prophets are the servants sent by the owner, Jesus is the Son who is killed, and Israel’s leaders are the tenants who want ownership of the vineyard. Jesus’ parable ends with God bringing justice by destroying the tenants—not the vineyard itself—and entrusting it to “others” (v. 9). These "others" are the Apostles, through whose preaching many will come to faith in Jesus and receive the Spirit, who produces the fruit God commands. This interpretation is confirmed as Jesus concludes the conversation with the religious leaders by quoting Psalm 118:22-23 (the same Psalm the crowd quoted as He entered the city). Jesus says that the stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. Jesus is the cornerstone of the Temple in which we are built (See Eph. 2:19-22). God owns the vineyard of His people and our lives; He deserves the fruit of worship, repentance, and obedience, and His long-suffering kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We are called to entrust our lives to Jesus so we might bear fruit in His name.
I. God is Owed The Vineyard’s Fruit (v. 1-2)
II. God Is Gracefully Patient In Calling For Fruit (3-6)
III. God Will Judge & Restore His Vineyard (v. 7-9)
IV. God Will Build His Temple Upon His Son (10-11)
Mark 11:12-25 Fatih, Worship, & Fig Trees
On Sunday, we will dive into Mark 11:12-25, a challenging passage to understand and interpret. As Mark has done before (and will do several more times), he places one story inside another. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is placed between His cursing of the fig tree. When Jesus finds no figs on the tree, He declares that no one will eat fruit from it again. The next day, they pass by the tree and see it withered to the root. Earlier, Mark "sandwiched" Jesus’ healing of the woman with the issue of blood between the healing of Jairus’ daughter, and just as in that passage, here the cleansing of the temple interprets the cursing of the fig tree. In the Old Testament, a fig tree and a vineyard were common symbols for Israel. Therefore, the cursing of the fig tree serves as a prophetic warning condemning the fruitless temple worship in Jerusalem, which Jesus will immediately address. The fig tree, full of leaves but bearing no fruit, and the temple, busy with activity but lacking true worship, both face Jesus’ judgment. However, the interpretive challenges of this passage don’t end there. When the disciples see the withered tree, Jesus begins teaching about prayer, faith, and forgiveness. Jesus’ response to Peter, who notes that the fig tree is withered, might seem like Jesus is shifting to a new topic unrelated to the story. (And some believe He does.) However, I believe Jesus is beginning to teach the disciples what He will make clearer during His last week of life. The temple was the place where prayers were offered and accepted by God, and where forgiveness was found. Yet, Jesus has just pronounced judgment on the corruption of the temple’s worship. How can prayers be offered, and forgiveness found, if not in the temple? Jesus’ final words in this section (22-25) reveal that by faith, prayers are answered, mountains are moved, and forgiveness is both received and extended to others. Take time to read Mark 11:12-25 several times; it is a difficult passage with a high risk of misunderstanding. Most of the sermon will focus on explaining the text, but ultimately, we discover that as the church, we are now God’s temple (both as a body -1 Co. 3:16-17; and as individual Christians - 1 Co. 6:19-20), called to bear fruit through praying in faith, forgiving as we are forgiven, and being a light for all nations.
I. The Symbolic Fruitless Fig Tree (12-14; 20-21)
II. The Fruitless Worship In The Temple (15-19)
III. The Fruitful Worship OF The Temple (22-25)
Mark 11:1-11 The Coming Of The King
Sunday, we will study the triumphant entry in Mark 11:1-11. As we study this very familiar passage, we find a host of prophecies fulfilled as Jesus intentionally and publicly declares Himself Messiah and King. Jesus is surrounded by throngs of people praising and proclaiming Him as the Messiah as they cry out, quoting Psalm 118, but just like the disciples, the crowd does not understand that Jesus came as the King who gives His life as a ransom for many. Sunday, our outline is pretty simple but still relates the profound truth that though the people shouting do not receive Jesus as the kind of Messiah he came to be, He declares Himself King by riding a donkey’s colt into Jerusalem knowing that this will lead to His crucifixion, because even the fickle crowd and the perpetually oblivious disciples cannot be saved unless He goes to the cross…and neither could we.
I. Jesus Comes As The Prophesied King & Savior (1-6)
II. Jesus Does Not Come To Fulfill Our Expectations (7-11)
Mark 10:46-52 A Blind Beggar’s Faith
I hope you have been following our journey through the gospel of Mark because Sunday’s text (Mark 10:46-52) marks a significant turning point in the book. In chapters 1-8, Jesus demonstrated His identity as Messiah and the Son of God through His miracles and parables. However, the people, even the disciples, did not fully understand. All of this came to a head at the end of Mark 8 when Jesus asked the disciples who they say He is. Peter finally confesses that Jesus is the Christ, but the twelve disciples still do not understand what kind of Messiah He has come to be. They think He will go to Jerusalem to reign, but Jesus tells them He is going there to be humiliated, to die, and to rise from the dead. He also clarifies that following Him means denying oneself and taking up the cross. From Mark 8:34 through 10:52, Jesus teaches the disciples what it truly means to follow Him. They understand Jesus is the Messiah, but they do not yet grasp His mission or what discipleship entails. This larger section begins illustrating this through the healing of a blind man in two stages (Mark 8:22-26). Like that blind man, the disciples see but not clearly yet. Each time Jesus explicitly states that He has come to die, they focus on their own glory and greatness (Mark 8:33-37; 10:35-45). Jesus repeatedly corrects them, saying that those who want to be great must be servants. He tells them that they must receive the kingdom as a child—desperately dependent—and uses the example of a rich young ruler who refuses to recognize his need and leave everything to follow Jesus. In Mark 10:46-52, right after James and John again seek after glory and greatness, Mark presents us with a powerful example of faith and discipleship. Just as this section began with the healing of a blind man, it now concludes with another blind man’s healing. In contrast to the rich young ruler and James and John’s requests for seats of power, the healing of blind Bartimaeus (the final healing miracle in Mark) depicts the faith and discipleship Jesus has been teaching His followers. Bartimaeus does receive the kingdom as a child. He leaves all to follow Jesus. When Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" as He asked James and John, Bartimaeus does not ask for glory or greatness—he begs for mercy. Sunday’s text isn’t just another physical healing; it’s a powerful example of how faith sees clearly and follows Jesus.
I. The Faith That Sees Clearly ( 46-48)
II. The Faith That Perseveres (46-48)
III. The Faith That Acts (49-51)
IV. The Faith That Follows (52)
Mark 10:32-45 Servants In God’s Kingdom
This Sunday, we’ll explore Mark 10:32-45 as Jesus once again reveals what it truly means to follow Him. From the end of chapter 8 through chapter 10, Jesus has clearly taught His disciples about the cost of discipleship: denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and living sacrificially in every aspect of life—from marriage and family to wealth and relationships. He also repeatedly predicted His own suffering, death, and resurrection, setting an example of the path we’re called to follow. As Jesus leads the disciples toward Jerusalem, for the third time in three chapters, He clearly explains His mission as the Son of Man. He will be betrayed by Jewish leaders and handed over to Gentiles to be humiliated, mocked, spat on, and executed. Then, He will rise from the grave. And for the third time, the disciples ignore His words. As we have seen before, they are self-seeking and focused on their own greatness. After Jesus predicts His suffering, James and John boldly ask for seats of honor at Jesus’ right and left in His glory. Their request reveals a self-centered desire for status, ignoring Jesus’ repeated teaching that the cross must come before the crown. The disciples not only misunderstand Jesus’ mission but also think too highly of themselves. Jesus asks, "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"—referring to His cup of judgment and immersion in suffering (Mark 14:36; Luke 12:50). They confidently say they can, not recognizing their own sin and weakness.
Jesus then overturns worldly ideas of greatness and once again shows us that true greatness in God’s kingdom is about becoming a servant, even a "slave to all." On Sunday, we will explore what it means to deny oneself and embrace servanthood. Servanthood isn’t just a weekly event; it’s a lifestyle of asking, "Who has Christ placed in my life to serve?" Finally, Jesus provides our motivation for denying ourselves and becoming servants: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (v. 45). Echoing Isaiah 53, Jesus—the glorious Messiah who deserves all service—humbled Himself to serve by redeeming us from sin’s slavery. Jesus calls us to take up the cross because ("For") the Son of Man Himself came to serve. His coming is our motivation and power to deny ourselves and give our lives away. How we respond to Jesus’ question to James and John (the same question he later asks Blind Bartimaeus) shows where our heart and treasures truly are. How would you answer when Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" (v. 36).
I. The Gospel Mission Of Messiah (v. 32-34)
II. The Pride That Hinders Our Mission (v. 35-41)
III. The Sacrificial Call To Servanthood (v. 42-44)
IV. The Proper Motivation Of Our Service (V. 45)
Mark 10:17-31 The Rich Young Ruler
Last Sunday, in Mark 10:13-16, Jesus said that whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom as a child will not enter it. Receiving the kingdom like a child means coming to Christ with helpless, dependent faith. Mark 10:17-31 immediately follows, showing us an example of someone who cannot receive the kingdom as a child.
A man often called "the rich young ruler" runs to Jesus, kneels, and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 17). But Jesus’ response to him is very different from what we might expect. He questions the man’s idea of goodness and points him to the commandments. Jesus doesn’t immediately give him the gospel, but the law. When the man claims to have kept the law, Jesus tells him he must give all his wealth away and follow Him. On Sunday, we will explore why Jesus responds this way, showing the man that he has not kept the commandments and revealing the young man’s idol. Ultimately, the man turns away sorrowful. He will not receive the kingdom as a helpless child.
The surprises continue as Jesus uses this event to teach the disciples. He says it’s “impossible” for the rich to enter the kingdom (vv. 23-25), like a camel passing through a needle’s eye. The disciples, shocked, ask, “Who then can be saved?” (v. 26), finally understanding their helplessness. Jesus declares, “With man it is impossible, but not with God” (v. 27)—salvation comes only through God’s grace, received with childlike dependence. This passage raises many questions, which we will explore, but in the rich young ruler, the disciples see someone who will not receive the kingdom as a child, and they finally grasp the impossibility of salvation through any other means.
I. The Sacrificial Call To Eternal Life (v. 17-22)
II. The Impossibility of Entering God’s Kingdom (v. 23-27)
III. The Promised Gain of God’s Kingdom (v. 28-31)
Mark 10:13-16 Receiving The Kingdom As A Child
As we continue in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is nearing His final entry into Jerusalem. From the end of chapter 8 through chapters 9 and 10, He focuses on teaching His disciples that His mission involves suffering and death, and that following Him means denying self and taking up the cross (Mark 8:34). However, the disciples repeatedly miss this truth, consumed by their own desires for greatness and status (Mark 9:34). Despite Jesus’ clear warnings—such as the call to be “last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35)—they cling to their desire for greatness, even trying to stop others from serving in His name (Mark 9:38).
In this Sunday’s passage, Mark 10:13-16 (with context through verse 27), we see Jesus rebuke the disciples for hindering parents who bring their young children to Him for a blessing. The disciples, still chasing prominence, view these children as insignificant. Jesus, indignant, declares, “Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). He emphasizes that the kingdom must be received with the helpless dependence of a child—not through status, accomplishments, or self-reliance.
This theme continues as Jesus contrasts the children’s dependence with the rich young ruler, who will not let go of his wealth or status to follow Jesus (Mark 10:17-27). The children show us the right way to receive the kingdom—empty-handed, trusting fully in God’s grace—while the rich man’s reliance on his achievements leaves him sorrowful and outside the kingdom.
Receiving Children as Jesus Does (Mark 10:13-14)
Receiving the Kingdom as a Child (Mark 10:15-16)
Mark 10:1-12 What God Has Joined Together
As we continue our study of Mark, this Sunday we’ll dive into Mark 10:1-12, a passage that addresses one of the most challenging and relevant topics in discipleship: marriage and divorce. Building on last week’s message from the end of chapter 9, where Jesus called for radical action against sin and stumbling blocks, chapter 10 explores what denying ourselves and taking up our cross looks like in everyday areas of life, the first of which is marraige.
As Jesus moves toward Jerusalem to die (He will enter the city in Chapter 11), He is confronted again by the Pharisees. As they have done before, they test Jesus with a controversial question. The question of what constitutes grounds for divorce was a broiling controversy among schools of Rabbi’s in the day, and as Jesus enters Judea, He is now in Herod’s territory (the same Herod that imprisoned and executed John the Baptist for denouncing His divorce and remarriage.) The Pharisees were seeking to trap Jesus and place Him at odds with the ongoing controversy. Jesus responds to the permissability of divorce by pointing back to God’s original design and purpose for marriage, emphasizing its sacred covenant nature. Jesus explains that Moses’ allowance for divorce was a concession due to human sin and hardness of heart, intended to limit abuse and protect the vulnerable, not to undermine God’s intent for marriage. Going back to creation in Genesis, Jesus highlights God’s plan for marriage as a lifelong covenant where a man and woman become one flesh, joined by God Himself. This union is instituted by God and reflects deeper gospel truths. In private, the disciples question Jesus further, and He applies the principle radically: Divorce and remarriage constitute adultery because the one-flesh union endures unless dissolved by God. We’ll touch on biblical exceptions (like sexual immorality and abandonment) and talk about why none are mentioned here in Mark. My prayer is that we affirm God’s grace, forgiveness, and the value of seeking help in difficult situations, without compromising Jesus’ words in Mark 10:1-12. While the teaching is direct and countercultural—both then and now—it’s rooted in God’s good design and offers hope through the gospel, which forgives, heals, and transforms.
The Controversial Question (vv. 1-2)
The Purpose of Moses’ Rule (vv. 3-5)
The Purpose of God’s Design (vv. 6-9
The Radical Application (vv. 10-12)
Mark 9:42-50 The Radical Call Of Discipleship
This Sunday, we’ll continue our journey through the Gospel of Mark, focusing on Mark 9:42-50. This is a challenging passage, but one that speaks powerfully to our call as disciples of Jesus. In the previous passage, the disciples have just been arguing about who was the greatest, and Jesus showed them that whoever would be great must become the servant of all. The disciples’ pride is then displayed further as they reveal they tried to hinder someone from casting out demons in Jesus’ name because he was not part of their group. In verse 41, Jesus said that even one who gives a cup of water to those who follow Him will not lose their reward. Verses 41-50 continue Jesus’ discourse with the disciples and he addresses His disciples with a sobering message about the seriousness of sin and the radical commitment required to follow Him. The passage continues Jesus’ teaching from the end of Mark 8, where He emphasizes that following Him means denying ourselves and taking up our cross. Jesus warns against hindering others—especially fellow believers—from stumbling. Using vivid imagery, He underscores the severe consequences of causing “little ones” who believe in Him to stumble in their faith or obedience. He also calls for drastic action against personal sin, using language like cutting off a hand or eye to illustrate the need to remove anything that leads us away from Him. This isn’t about physical mutilation but about taking sin seriously and pursuing holiness with urgency, recognizing the reality of eternal judgment. Jesus concludes by urging His disciples to be “salted with fire,” living as dedicated sacrifices to God. He calls them to reject pride, embrace humility, and be at peace with one another, reflecting the transformative power of the gospel in their lives. While the passage includes tough topics like hell and the cost of discipleship, it’s ultimately a call to trust the grace of Christ, who transforms us to hate sin and desire Him above all else.
I. Do Not Cause Others to Stumble (v. 42):
II. Do Not Tolerate Sin in Yourself (vv. 43-48):
III. Do Not Lose Your Saltiness (vv. 49-50):
Mark 9:30-41 True Greatness
Last Sunday, we saw Jesus heal a boy possessed by an unclean spirit in Mark 9:14-29 after the disciples failed to cast it out. The boy’s father cried out honestly, "I believe; help my unbelief," acknowledging his faith mixed with doubt, and Jesus taught the disciples that their failure stemmed from not depending on Him through prayer — they were trying to serve in their own strength. Jesus had previously spoken of His death and resurrection and told the disciples that they must deny themselves and take up their cross (8:31-38). In Mark 9:1-12, the Father told three disciples to “Listen to Him.” Yet they have struggled with Jesus’ teaching about His death. This Sunday, we continue in Mark 9:30-41 as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem. Coming off the disciples’ failure, Jesus privately teaches the disciples again about His betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection — referring to Himself as the Son of Man from Daniel 7. Still, they don’t understand because they’re preoccupied with their own greatness, arguing about who’s the greatest. These disciples are chasing status, control, and glory, like we often do today with our idols of control, comfort, and significance. Jesus models true greatness through His sacrifice, being delivered by the Father to die for our sins, as it says in Isaiah 53, but the disciples miss it, letting their preconceptions cloud His words. Misunderstanding Jesus and the gospel distorts how disciples understand what following Him means. When we embrace our worth and identity in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we find an unsurpassed greatness, which is then expressed in humble service — being last and the servant of all. Jesus illustrates this by embracing a child, a picture of the insignificant with no status, and says receiving such a one in His name is receiving Him and the Father. It’s not about worldly gain but denying oneself from the strength of our gospel identity in Christ. Then, when John complains about an outsider casting out demons in Jesus’ name — something they couldn’t do in the previous passage — Jesus says don’t stop him. Rather than assume their service is greater than others, they should rejoice when Christ is glorified, no matter who does it, because anyone not against us is for us. Even small acts like giving a cup of water in His name will be rewarded. True greatness comes from the gospel and is expressed as His people serve for His glory.
I. True Greatness Is Modeled In Jesus’ Sacrifice (v. 30-32)
II. True Greatness Is Expressed in Humble Service (v. 33-37)
III. True Greatness Prioritizes Christ’s Glory (v. 38-41)
Mark 9:14-29 I Believe; Help My Unbelief
Last Sunday, we saw the glory of Jesus displayed on the mountain in Mark 9:2-13. Jesus was transfigured before three disciples and the Father spoke from the cloud, calling them to listen to the Son. Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection and told the disciples they too must deny themselves and take up the cross. Now the Father says, “Listen To Him.” This Sunday, we examine Mark 9:14-29 as they come down from the mountain. Coming off mountaintop glory, Jesus and the three disciples return to the valley where there is chaos, conflict, and wickedness. They are immediately confronted with a crowd around a boy with an evil spirit. The other disciples had tried and failed to cast out this spirit, so the boy’s father cries out for Jesus’ help. Jesus does rescue the boy, but this passage is not about fighting demons. His authority over unclean spirits has been shown repeatedly in Mark already. This passage is about the fight for faith. As the boy’s father pleads for his son, he speaks honestly resonating with Christians through the ages, saying, "I believe; help my unbelief.” The father believes but knows that there is also doubt. The man’s cries out because he knows that only Jesus can grow his faith. The disciples also are struggling to believe. Readers of Mark know that Jesus has given authority to his disciples to cast out demons twice in previous chapters. Jesus commanded them to cast out spirits and empowered them to do so. Yet, here, they are not able to do what Jesus commanded. When the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to do what he authorized, Jesus tells them that "this kind is only driven out by prayer.” That is strange because Jesus didn’t pray when He cast the spirit out. Like the boy’s father, the disciples must also depend upon Jesus in all they do. They must rely upon Jesus to grow their faith. Jesus’ power alone gives them strength to serve Him as He commands. The disciples seem to have forgotten that all their strength comes from Jesus, something we still do today. See you Sunday.
I. Faith is Difficult In the Valley (v. 14-19)
II. Faith Grows By Jesus’ Power (v. 20-24)
III. Faith Always Relies On Jesus Alone (v. 25-29)
Mark 8:34-9:1 The Way Of The Cross
Throughout the first half of his gospel, Mark repeatedly shows us how the crowds and the disciples misunderstood Jesus’ identity. Last week, we reached a key moment when Peter and the disciples finally recognized and confessed that Jesus is the Christ. Mark introduced this turning point by showing Jesus heal a blind man in two stages. Jesus’ first touch caused the blind man to see, but he could not see clearly. The second touch healed the man completely (8:22-26). Just as the blind man, Peter, and the disciples could now see that Jesus is the Christ, they still did not fully understand what the Christ had come to do. When Jesus tells them He came to suffer and die, Peter rebukes Him. The disciples expected the Messiah to be an earthly conqueror who would bring victory, abundance, and glory, as in the days of Solomon. Following Him would mean reigning with Him as He conquered the occupying armies and led Israel to fulfill God’s covenant promises. Hearing that the "son of man" must suffer and die was not what they expected. We ended in verses 31-33 with Jesus chastising Peter for denying that the Messiah must suffer. This Sunday, Jesus continues teaching that not only must the Messiah suffer and die, but following Him also means walking that same path. Trusting Jesus is to follow Him as He walks the way of the cross. This passage speaks to everyone who confesses that Jesus is the Christ, as Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me..." It is not just for the elite Christians or the 12 disciples. Jesus says that anyone following Him must deny themselves and take up their own cross. After making this statement, Jesus gives four "for" statements (v. 35-38) explaining why it is necessary to take up the cross and deny self. On Sunday, we will unpack these statements and show that the way of the cross is the only path of true discipleship. This is a crucial section in Mark’s Gospel, and from this point, the focus shifts to what it means to follow Jesus. To prepare for Sunday, read Mark 8:27-9:1 so you understand the context of what we will examine in 8:34-9:1.
I. What Following Jesus Entails (v. 34)
II. Why Following Jesus Is Necessary (v. 35-38)
III. Where Following Jesus Leads (9:1)