NIV Bible for Teen Girls Book of Mark

8/20/2019 NIV Bible for Teen Girls Book of Mark

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WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

TThe second of the synoptic gospels,

the book of Mark jumps right into

the action, skipping the story of

Jesus’ birth and going straight to the start of

his ministry. Like an action movie, Mark is

fast-paced, covering Jesus’ miracles and the

most important events of his life, death, and

resurrection.

Mark wrote for a non-Jewish audience, so

he didn’t include the prophecies that Matthew

did. Even someone who hadn’t read the Old

Testament could easily see that Jesus was

God from the miracles he performed. Mark,who is mentioned in the book of Acts, got his

information from the disciple Peter.

Where Matthew’s gospel portrays Jesus as

Messiah and King, Mark’s gospel portrays him

as the ultimate servant. It shows him serving

the poor, the sick, and even children. He would

serve humanity by paying the ultimate price,

giving “his life as a ransom for many” (Mark10:45). His death and resurrection would

change everything, freeing those who believe

from the bondage of their sin.

, WHEN DID THISHAPEN?

.. 1 to 36 in Palestine

, WHO IS INTHIS BOK?

Jesusthe disciples

Bartimaeus

Pilate

Simon of Cyrene

Joseph of Arimathea

, VERSES YOUMIGHT RECOGNIZE

MARK 1:17 “ ‘Come, followme,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will

send you out to fish for

people.’ ”

MARK 16:15 “Go into all the

world and preach the good

news to all creation.”

Mark


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MARK

God. 15“The time has come,” he said. “Thekingdom of God has come near. Repent andbelieve the good news!”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Gal-

ilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrewcasting a net into the lake, for they were fish-ermen. 17“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “andI will send you out to fish for people.” 18 Atonce they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he sawJames son of Zebedee and his brother Johnin a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without de-lay he called them, and they left their fatherZebedee in the boat with the hired men andfollowed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit21They went to Capernaum, and when

the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the syn-agogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because hetaught them as one who had authority, notas the teachers of the law. 23Just then a manin their synagogue who was possessed by animpure spirit cried out, 24“What do you want

with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you cometo destroy us? I know who you are — the HolyOne of God!”

25“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come outof him!” 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27The people were all so amazed thatthey asked each other, “What is this? A newteaching — and with authority! He evengives orders to impure spirits and they obey

him.” 28News about him spread quickly overthe whole region of Galilee

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1The beginning of the good news aboutJesus the Messiah,a the Son of God,b 2as

it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”c —3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”d

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repen-tance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The wholeJudean countryside and all the people of Je-rusalem went out to him. Confessing theirsins, they were baptized by him in the Jor-dan River. 6John wore clothing made of cam-

el’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the onemore powerful than I, the straps of whosesandals I am not worthy to stoop down anduntie. 8I baptize you withe water, but he willbaptize you withe the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth

in Galilee and was baptized by John in theJordan. 10Just as Jesus was coming up out ofthe water, he saw heaven being torn openand the Spirit descending on him like adove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “Youare my Son, whom I love; with you I am wellpleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13and he was in the wildernessforty days, being tempted f by Satan. He was

with the wild animals, and angels attendedhim


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FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in GREAT NEWSREAD: MARK 1:14

IIf you haven’t grown up in a

Christian home, you might

not know where to start

with sharing the gospel. For me,

I started by writing status updates of

Scriptures on my Facebook page. I rememberfeeling afraid when I did the very first one. What might people think? Will they

say something nasty to me?

After I did it, I thought, I’m making God proud. Isn’t that more important

than what others might think of me? Do I want to be liked more than I want to

share the eternal love of Jesus Christ? The answer was no. I remember that Jesus

simply told his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:16 – 20).

I notice he didn’t add, “Unless you’re embarrassed.”If you’re not used to sharing, start listening to Christian music, because

you’ll hear an encouraging song and you’ll start remembering how God loves

you. When I first gave my life to Jesus, I remember driving in my car and

turning on the Christian radio station. I felt an overwhelming sense of love

from God wash over and envelop me. Through that song, God spoke directly to

my heart.

These God moments, when he speaks directly to you and you have absolute

clarity about your direction, are the best feeling in the world.If you’re unsure of how to tell others about your faith, just start by sharing

how God transformed your own life. Tell how he has impacted you for the

better and for all eternity. Who doesn’t want to hear that good news? Or if you

don’t know exactly what to say, simply tell others that God has a great plan for

their lives. Tell them he loves them unconditionally — just the way they are.

Taken from Project Inspired by Nicole Weider, copyright © 2015 by Nicole Weider, published by Zondervan.


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large numbers that there was no room left,not even outside the door, and he preachedthe word to them. 3Some men came, bring-ing to him a paralyzed man, carried by fourof them. 4Since they could not get him to

Jesus because of the crowd, they made anopening in the roof above Jesus by diggingthrough it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, hesaid to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sinsare forgiven.”

6Now some teachers of the law were sit-ting there, thinking to themselves, 7“Whydoes this fellow talk like that? He’s blas-pheming! Who can forgive sins but God

alone?”8 Im mediately Jesus knew in his spir-it that this was what they were thinking intheir hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easi-er: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sinsare forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your matand walk’? 10But I want you to know that theSon of Man has authority on earth to forgivesins.” So he said to the man, 11“I tell you, get

up, take your mat and go home.” 12He got up,took his mat and walked out in full view ofthem all. This amazed everyone and theypraised God, saying, “We have never seenanything like this!”

Jesus Calls Levi and EatsWith Sinners

13Once again Jesus went out beside the

lake. A large crowd came to him, and he be-gan to teach them. 14 As he walked along, hesaw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the taxcollector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus toldhim, and Lev i got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Le vi’shouse, many tax collectors and sinners wereeating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When theteachers of the law who were Pharisees saw

him eating with the sinners and tax collec-tors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he

Simon and Andrew. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fe ver, and they imme-diately told Jesus about her. 31So he went toher, took her hand and helped her up. Thefe ver left her and she began to wait on them.

32

That evening after sunset the peoplebrought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered atthe door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many de-mons, but he would not let the demons speakbecause they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place35 Very early in the morning, while it was

still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.36Simon and his companions went to lookfor him, 37and when they found him, theyexclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go some whereelse — to the nearby villages — so I can preachthere also. That is why I have come.” 39So hetraveled throughout Galilee, preaching intheir synagogues and driving out demons.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy40 A man with leprosy a came to him and

begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41Jesus was indignant. b He reached outhis hand and touched the man. “I am will-ing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42Immediately theleprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with astrong warning: 44“See that you don’t tellthis to anyone. But go, show yourself to thepriest and offer the sacri fices that Mosescommanded for your cleansing, as a testi-mony to them.” 45 Instead he went out andbegan to talk freely, spreading the news. Asa result, Jesus could no longer enter a townopenly but stayed outside in lonely places.

Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.


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FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in GUARDRAILSREAD: MARK 1:35–39

BBeing a servant leader is not

about doing everything

people want you to do.

It’s more about giving of what

you have, so you can help others give

what they have. Having discernment meansknowing when to say yes and when to say no.

Look at how Jesus does it. Everyone is anxious for more of him. And what

does Jesus do? He spends the morning in prayer, getting the plan from the

Master Planner himself. The disciples think that Jesus needs to get back in

there — “Everyone is looking for you!” But Jesus says no to what is good so he

can say yes to what is right. God tells him he needs to move on.

I learned this lesson the hard way. During my first few years in ministry,

I thought whenever an opportunity to serve presented itself to me, I had tobe there. If someone called at 10 o’clock at night because they were having a

rough time, I ran right over to offer prayer and comfort. When the phone rang

during my quiet time, I answered it. There wasn’t an hour of my day that was

off-limits.

Soon, whenever someone needed me, my stomach tensed up. I found

myself caring less — not more — for people. I couldn’t even discern what to

do about the way I was feeling because meeting with God every morning had

been swallowed up by “serving him.” Finally, I realized that I was of no use toanyone — especially God. So I finally asked for help.

How arrogant of me to think I could do what Jesus wouldn’t do! I had to

learn to get away to that quiet place on a regular basis and allow my Master

Planner to tell me when to “move on to the next town,” just as he did for Jesus.

Taken from Step Up by Denise VanEck, copyright © 2012 by Zondervan, published by Zondervan.


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FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in ACEPTINGGOD’S HELP

READ: MARK 2:17

SSuppose you were a doctor

dropped into the rubble

of a natural catastrophe.

As you survey countless injured and

dying, you stumble on a group that eyes yoususpiciously. They’re as badly wounded as everyone else, but they claim they

don’t need your care. When they reject your treatment, you wouldn’t hesitate to

move on to others begging for help.

That’s the scene in Mark 2. Jesus had just called a follower named Levi,

better known as Matthew. He was a despised tax collector, hated not only

for cheating fellow citizens but also for collaborating with the Romans who

occupied Israel. Everyone regarded Levi as one of the worst sinners of his day,

yet Jesus didn’t shy away from dining with him. It flashed a powerful sign of

acceptance and fellowship.

The Pharisees couldn’t understand why Jesus ate with sinners. They didn’t

want to join up with Jesus as friends. And they certainly weren’t eager to obey

his teachings. Jesus didn’t get hung up on their criticisms. Those religious rule

keepers were like dying people living in denial of their condition. They could

pretend to be well, but they were as needy as everyone else.

The Lord comes to people who recognize they have problems. If you’re

honest, you realize that’s all of us. But you have to want his help.


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deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts,said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” Hestretched it out, and his hand was complete-ly restored. 6Then the Pharisees went outand began to plot with the Herodians how

they might kill Jesus.

Crowds Follow Jesus7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the

lake, and a large crowd from Galilee fol-lowed. 8 When they heard about al l he wasdoing, many people came to him from Ju-dea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regionsacross the Jordan and around Tyre and Si-don. 9Because of the crowd he told his dis-

ciples to have a small boat ready for him, tokeep the people from crowding him. 10Forhe had healed many, so that those with dis-eases were pushing for ward to touch him.11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, theyfell down before him and cried out, “You arethe Son of God.” 12But he gave them strict or-ders not to tell others about him.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve13Jesus went up on a mountainside and

called to him those he wanted, and theycame to him. 14He appointed twelvea thatthey might be with him and that he mightsend them out to preach 15and to have au-thority to drive out demons. 16These are thetwelve he appointed: Simon (to whom hegave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebe-dee and his brother John (to them he gavethe name Boanerges, which means “sons ofthunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus,Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and JudasIscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family andby Teachers of the Law

20Then Jesus entered a house, and again acrowd gathered, so that he and his disciples

were not even able to eat.21

When his familyb

heard about this, they went to take charge of

Jesus Questioned About Fasting18Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees

were fasting. Some people came and askedJesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and thedisciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but

yours are not?”19Jesus answered, “How can the guests ofthe bridegroom fast while he is with them?They cannot, so long as they have him withthem. 20But the time will come when thebridegroom will be taken from them, and onthat day they will fast.

21“No one sews a patch of unshrunk clothon an old garment. Other wise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear

worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Other wise, the wine will burstthe skins, and both the wine and the wine-skins will be ruined. No, they pour new wineinto new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath23One Sabbath Jesus was going through

the grainfields, and as his disciples walkedalong, they began to pick some heads of

grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on theSabbath?”

25He answered, “Have you never read what Da vid did when he and his compan-ions were hungry and in need? 26 In the daysof Abiathar the high priest, he entered thehouse of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And healso gave some to his companions.”

27Then he said to them, “The Sabbath wasmade for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28Sothe Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 Another time Jesus went into the syna-gogue, and a man with a shriveled hand

was there. 2Some of them were looking fora reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched

him closely to see if he would heal him onthe Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the


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the others around him asked him about theparables. 11He told them, “The secret of thekingdom of God has been given to you. Butto those on the outside everything is said inparables 12so that,

“ ‘they may be ever seeing but neverperceiving,

and ever hearing but neverunderstanding;

otherwise they might turn and beforgiven!’a ”

13Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you un-derstand this parable? How then will youunderstand any parable? 14The farmer sows

the word.15

Some people are like seed alongthe path, where the word is sown. As soonas they hear it, Satan comes and takes awaythe word that was sown in them. 16Others,like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17Butsince they have no root, they last only a shorttime. When trouble or persecution comesbecause of the word, they quickly fall away.18Still others, like seed sown among thorns,

hear the word; 19but the worries of this life,the deceitfulness of wealth and the desiresfor other things come in and choke the word,making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seedsown on good soil, hear the word, accept it,and produce a crop — some thirty, some six-ty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand21He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp

to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hid-den is meant to be disclosed, and whateveris concealed is meant to be brought out intothe open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, letthem hear.”

24“Consider carefully what you hear,” hecontinued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more.25 Whoever has will be given more; whoeverdoes not have, even what they have will be

began to speak to them in parables: “Howcan Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdomis di vided against itself, that kingdom can-not stand. 25 If a house is di vided againstitself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Sa-

tan opposes himself and is di vided, he can-not stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, noone can enter a strong man’s house withoutfirst tying him up. Then he can plunder thestrong man’s house. 28Truly I tell you, peoplecan be forgiven all their sins and every slan-der they utter, 29but whoever blasphemesagainst the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven;they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30He said this because they were saying,

“He has an impure spirit.”31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers ar-rived. Standing outside, they sent someonein to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting aroundhim, and they told him, “Your mother andbrothers are outside looking for you.”

33“Who are my mother and my brothers?”he asked.

34Then he looked at those seated in a circlearound him and said, “Here are my mother

and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s willis my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.The crowd that gathered around him

was so large that he got into a boat and satin it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2Hetaught them many things by parables, andin his teaching said: 3“Listen! A farmer wentout to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering theseed, some fell along the path, and the birdscame and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky plac-es, where it did not have much soil. It sprangup quickly, because the soil was shallow.6But when the sun came up, the plants werescorched, and they withered because theyhad no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns,

which grew up and choked the plants, sothat they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed


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foot, but he tore the chains apart and brokethe irons on his feet. No one was strongenough to subdue him. 5Night and dayamong the tombs and in the hills he wouldcry out and cut himself with stones.

6

When he saw Jesus from a distance, heran and fell on his knees in front of him.7He shouted at the top of his voice, “Whatdo you want with me, Jesus, Son of the MostHigh God? In God’s name don’t torture me!”8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of thisman, you impure spirit!”

9Then Jesus asked him, “What is yourname?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we

are many.”10

And he begged Jesus again andagain not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on thenearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus,“Send us among the pigs; allow us to go intothem.” 13He gave them permission, and theimpure spirits came out and went into thepigs. The herd, about two thousand in num-ber, rushed down the steep bank into thelake and were drowned.

14Those tending the pigs ran off and re-ported this in the town and countryside,and the people went out to see what had hap-pened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they sawthe man who had been possessed by the le-gion of demons, sitting there, dressed and inhis right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what hadhappened to the demon-possessed man —and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the

people began to plead with Jesus to leavetheir region.

18 As Jesus was get ting into the boat,the man who had been demon-possessedbegged to go with him. 19Jesus did not lethim, but said, “Go home to your own peopleand tell them how much the Lord has donefor you, and how he has had mercy on you.”20So the man went away and began to tell inthe Decapolisb how much Jesus had done forhim. And all the people were amazed.

or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows,though he does not know how. 28 All by itselfthe soil produces grain — first the stalk, thenthe head, then the full kernel in the head.29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the

sickle to it, because the har vest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed30 Aga in he said, “W hat sha ll we say the

kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustardseed, which is the smallest of all seeds onearth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and be-comes the largest of all garden plants, withsuch big branches that the birds can perch

in its shade.”33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke

the word to them, as much as they could un-derstand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he wasalone with his own disciples, he explainedeverything.

Jesus Calms the Storm35That day when evening came, he said

to his disciples, “Let us go over to the oth-er side.” 36Leaving the crowd behind, theytook him along, just as he was, in the boat.There were also other boats with him. 37 Afuri ous squall came up, and the waves brokeover the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cush-ion. The disciples woke him and said to him,“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39He got up, rebuked the wind and said tothe waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the winddied down and it was completely calm.

40He said to his disciples, “Why are you soafraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41They were terrified and asked eachother, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores a Demon-PossessedMan

5They went across the lake to the region


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to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Littlegirl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately thegirl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were com-pletely astonished. 43He gave strict orders

not to let anyone know about this, and toldthem to give her something to eat.

A Prophet Without Honor

6Jesus left there and went to his home-town, accompanied by his disciples.

2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teachin the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?”

they asked. “What’s this wisdom that hasbeen given him? What are these remark-able miracles he is performing? 3Isn’t thisthe carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and thebrother of James, Joseph,b Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And theytook offense at him.

4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town,among his relatives and in his own home.”

5He could not do any miracles there, exceptlay his hands on a few sick people and healthem. 6He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to vil lage. 7Calling the Twelve to him,he began to send them out two by two andgave them authority over impure spirits.

8These were his instructions: “Take noth-

ing for the journey except a staff — no bread,no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear san-dals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever youenter a house, stay there until you leave thattown. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place andshake the dust off your feet as a testimonyagainst them.”

12They went out and preached that peopleshould repent. 13They drove out many de-mons and anointed many sick people with

the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue lead-ers, named Jairus, came, and when he sawJesus, he fell at his feet. 23He pleaded ear-nestly with him, “My little daughter is dying.Please come and put your hands on her so

that she will be healed and live.”24

So Jesus went with him. A la rge crowd followed and pressed

around him. 25 And a woman was there whohad been sub ject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal un-der the care of many doctors and had spentall she had, yet instead of getting better shegrew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus,she came up behind him in the crowd and

touched his cloak,28

because she thought,“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”29Immediately her bleeding stopped and shefelt in her body that she was freed from hersuffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power hadgone out from him. He turned around inthe crowd and asked, “Who touched myclothes?”

31“You see the people crowding against

you,” his disciples answered, “and yet youcan ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, know-ing what had happened to her, came and fellat his feet and, trembling with fear, told himthe whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace andbe freed from your suffering.”

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some peo-

ple came from the house of Jairus, the syna-gogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” theysaid. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36Overhearinga what they said, Jesus toldhim, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37He did not let anyone follow him exceptPeter, James and John the brother of James.38 When they came to the home of the syna-gogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, withpeople crying and wailing loudly. 39He wentin and said to them, “Why all this commo-


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FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in A NOT-SO-FLASHY FAITH

READ: MARK 6:3–4

W W inning a world-

wide talent

competition could

score you friends in your hometown.

But don’t count on them to cheer you on if youshow up and speak for the Lord. Expect no love at all if you suddenly inform

everyone you’re God.

Mark 5:21 puts Jesus in Capernaum, a detail hinted at in Matthew 9:1.

That’s a city where the Lord based much of his ministry. There he not only

healed a chronically ill woman but also raised a dead girl to life. So when

Jesus arrived in his boyhood town (Nazareth) in Mark 6 with at least a dozen

disciples in tow, he must have made a scene. Indeed, people who heard him

preach were amazed.

The thrill old neighbors felt about Jesus quickly faded. They questioned

his wisdom and wondered about his miracles. They remembered he was a

carpenter, the kid who grew up in a family they knew. Instead of welcoming

Jesus, people rejected their hometown prophet.

As tough as it is to hear, the people closest to you might be the least

enthusiastic about seeing you follow God. They might be hostile when you

break out of bad habits. So if you feel their love, be grateful. If they’re less than

impressed, don’t take it personally. God’s people often are honored everywhere

except their hometown.


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taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did noteven have a chance to eat, he said to them,“Come with me by yourselves to a quietplace and get some rest.”

32

So they went away by themselves in aboat to a solitary place. 33But many who sawthem leaving recognized them and ran onfoot from all the towns and got there ahead ofthem. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a largecrowd, he had compassion on them, becausethey were like sheep without a shepherd. Sohe began teaching them many things.

35By this time it was late in the day, sohis disciples came to him. “This is a remote

place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.36Send the people away so that they can goto the surrounding countryside and villagesand buy themselves something to eat.”

37But he answered, “You give them some-thing to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take morethan half a year’s wagesc ! Are we to go andspend that much on bread and give it tothem to eat?”

38“How many loaves do you have?” heasked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five —and two fish.”

39Then Jesus directed them to have all thepeople sit down in groups on the green grass.40So they sat down in groups of hundredsand fifties. 41Taking the f ive loaves and thetwo fish and looking up to heaven, he gavethanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave

them to his disciples to distribute to thepeople. He also di vided the two fish amongthem all. 42They all ate and were satisfied,43and the disciples picked up twelve basket-fuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44Thenumber of the men who had eaten was fivethousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples

get into the boat and go on ahead of him toBethsaida while he dismissed the crowd

from the dead, and that is why miraculouspowers are at work in him.”

15Others said, “He is Eli jah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,

like one of the prophets of long ago.”16

But when Herod heard this, he said,“John, whom I beheaded, has been raisedfrom the dead!”

17For Herod himself had given orders tohave John arrested, and he had him boundand put in prison. He did this because ofHerodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whomhe had married. 18For John had been say-ing to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19So Herodias nursed

a grudge against John and wanted to killhim. But she was not able to, 20because Her-od feared John and protected him, knowinghim to be a righteous and holy man. WhenHerod heard John, he was greatly puzzleda; yet he liked to listen to him.

21Finally the opportune time came. Onhis birthday Herod gave a banquet for hishigh officials and military commandersand the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the

daughter ofb Herodias came in and danced,she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for any-thing you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 Andhe promised her with an oath, “Whatever youask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24She went out and said to her mother,“What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she an-swered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me rightnow the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, butbecause of his oaths and his dinner guests,he did not want to refuse her. 27So he imme-diately sent an executioner with orders tobring John’s head. The man went, beheadedJohn in the prison, 28and brought back hishead on a platter. He presented it to the girl,

and she gave it to her mother. 29On hearingof this John’s disciples came and took his


14/36

FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in SMALMATERS

READ: MARK 6:30–44

JJesus has always used

small things to make a

big difference: five little

loaves of bread and two fishes to feed

thousands?That’s exactly what he does with our small gifts. Whatever we receive from

God is what he asks that we give to someone else. This is what Jesus meant

when he said, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

I saw the power of this the time Sophia, who was now five, and I were

walking down a crowded street. I had a full day but had promised to let Sophia

accompany me.

Suddenly, I realized that Sophia’s hand was no longer in mine. Just steps

behind, she had stopped to kneel at the curb next to a man who appeared to

be homeless. She held out to him the dollar I’d given her that morning to buy a

treat for herself. She had been holding tightly to that dollar the entire day.

Now, without hesitation, she was handing it to a stranger. “Jesus gave me

this dollar to give to you,” she said. How easily she had handed over what

was so precious to her. How powerful that mere dollar became. The man she

handed it to handed it back, tears streaming down his face.

“Honey,” he said, “you spend that on some candy for yourself.” He had

been given something much more precious than her dollar. Sophia had given

her heart — and so much more. She reminded him that there was goodness in

this world, and grace. She had reminded him that God would provide — even

from the least and most unlikely sources. God used her willing spirit to show

me that when we give what we have, and don’t overthink it, God — the God of

hope — delivers all the rest.

Taken from Undaunted, Student Edition by Christine Caine, copyright © 2013 by Christine Caine and Equip & EmpowerMinistries, published by Zondervan.


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1238 1238MARK 7:27MARK 6:49

8 You have let go of the commands of Godand are holding on to human traditions.”

9 And he continued, “You have a fine wayof setting aside the commands of God in or-der to observec your own traditions! 10For

Moses said, ‘Honor your father and moth-er,’d and, ‘Anyone who curses their father ormother is to be put to death.’e 11But you saythat if anyone declares that what might havebeen used to help their father or mother isCorban (that is, de voted to God) — 12 then you no longer let them do anything for theirfather or mother. 13Thus you nullify the wordof God by your tradition that you have hand-ed down. And you do many things like that.”

14 Again Jesus ca lled the crowd to himand said, “Listen to me, everyone, and un-derstand this. 15Nothing outside a personcan defile them by going into them. Rather,it is what comes out of a person that defilesthem.” [16] f

17 Af ter he had left the crowd and enteredthe house, his disciples asked him aboutthis parable. 18“Are you so dull?” he asked.“Don’t you see that nothing that enters a per-

son from the outside can defile them? 19Forit doesn’t go into their heart but into theirstomach, and then out of the body.” (In say-ing this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20He went on: “What comes out of a per-son is what defiles them. 21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evilthoughts come — sexual immorality, theft,murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit,lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.23 All these evils come from inside and defilea person.”

Jesus Honors a SyrophoenicianWoman’s Faith

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vi-cinity of Tyre. g He entered a house and didnot want anyone to know it; yet he could notkeep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as

she heard about him, a woman whose littledaughter was possessed by an impure spirit

because the wind was against them. Shortlybefore dawn he went out to them, walking onthe lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, theythought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50be-

cause they all saw him and were terrified.Immediately he spoke to them and said,“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51Thenhe climbed into the boat with them, andthe wind died down. They were completelyamazed, 52for they had not understood aboutthe loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they land-ed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 Assoon as they got out of the boat, people

recognized Jesus.55

They ran throughoutthat whole region and carried the sick onmats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went — into vil lages, towns orcountryside — they placed the sick in themarketplaces. They begged him to let themtouch even the edge of his cloak, and all whotouched it were healed.

That Which Defiles

7The Pharisees and some of the teachersof the law who had come from Jerusa-

lem gathered around Jesus 2and saw someof his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, un washed. 3(The Phar-isees and all the Jews do not eat unless theygive their hands a ceremonial washing,holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 Whenthey come from the marketplace they donot eat unless they wash. And they observemany other traditions, such as the washingof cups, pitchers and kettles.a )

5So the Pharisees and teachers of thelaw asked Jesus, “Why don’t your discipleslive according to the tradition of the eldersinstead of eating their food with defiledhands?”

6He replied, “Isaiah was right when heprophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“ ‘These people honor me with their lips


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12391239 MARK 8:25MARK 7:28

told the disciples to distribute them. 8Thepeople ate and were satisfied. After ward thedisciples picked up seven basketfuls of bro-ken pieces that were left over. 9 About fourthousand were present. After he had sent

them away,10

he got into the boat with hisdisciples and went to the region of Dalma-nutha.

11The Pharisees came and began to ques-tion Jesus. To test him, they asked him for asign from heaven. 12He sighed deeply andsaid, “Why does this generation ask for asign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be givento it.” 13Then he left them, got back into theboat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod14The disciples had forgotten to bring

bread, except for one loaf they had with themin the boat. 15“Be careful,” Jesus warnedthem. “Watch out for the yeast of the Phar-isees and that of Herod.”

16They discussed this with one anotherand said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked

them: “Why are you talking about having nobread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you haveeyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I brokethe five loaves for the five thousand, howmany basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.20“And when I broke the seven loaves for

the four thousand, how many basketfuls ofpieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”21He said to them, “Do you still not under-

stand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida22They came to Bethsaida, and some peo-

ple brought a blind man and begged Jesus totouch him. 23He took the blind man by the

hand and led him outside the village. Whenhe had spit on the man’s eyes and put his

he told her, “for it is not right to take the chil-dren’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs un-der the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29Then he told her, “For such a reply, you

may go; the demon has left your daughter.”30She went home and found her child ly-ing on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and

went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Gal-ilee and into the region of the Decapolis.a 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and cou ld hardly talk, and

they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.33 Af ter he took him aside, away from the

crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’sears. Then he spit and touched the man’stongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with adeep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (whichmeans “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’sears were opened, his tongue was loosenedand he began to speak plainly.

36Jesus commanded them not to tell any-

one. But the more he did so, the more theykept talking about it. 37People were over- whelmed with amazement. “He has doneeverything well,” they said. “He even makesthe deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

8During those days another large crowdgathered. Since they had nothing to eat,

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2“Ihave compassion for these people; they havealready been with me three days and havenothing to eat. 3If I send them home hungry,they will collapse on the way, because someof them have come a long distance.”

4His disciples answered, “But where inthis remote place can anyone get enoughbread to feed them?”

5“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus

asked.“Seven,” they replied.


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The Transfiguration2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and

John with him and led them up a high moun-tain, where they were all alone. There he wastransfigured before them. 3His clothes be-

came dazzling white, whiter than anyone inthe world could bleach them. 4 And there ap-peared before them Eli jah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good forus to be here. Let us put up three shelters —one for you, one for Moses and one for Eli- jah.” 6(He did not know what to say, they were so fr ightened.)

7Then a cloud appeared and covered

them, and a voice came from the cloud:“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8Suddenly, when they looked around,they no longer saw anyone with them exceptJesus.

9 As they were coming down the moun-tain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell any-one what they had seen until the Son of Manhad risen from the dead. 10They kept thematter to themselves, discussing what “ris-

ing from the dead” meant.11 And they asked him, “W hy do the teach-

ers of the law say that Eli jah must comefirst?”

12Jesus replied, “To be sure, Eli jah doescome first, and restores all things. Why thenis it written that the Son of Man must suffermuch and be re jected? 13But I tell you, Eli jahhas come, and they have done to him every-thing they wished, just as it is written abouthim.”

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessedby an Impure Spirit

14 When they came to the other disciples,they saw a large crowd around them and theteachers of the law arguing with them. 15 Assoon as all the people saw Jesus, they wereover whelmed w ith wonder and ran to greethim.

16“What are you arguing with them

sight was restored, and he saw everythingclearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying,“Don’t even go intoa the village.”

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah27

Jesus and his disciples went on to the vil lages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “W ho do people sayI am?”

28They replied, “Some say John the Bap-tist; others say Eli jah; and still others, one ofthe prophets.”

29“But what about you?” he asked. “Whodo you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyoneabout him.

Jesus Predicts His Death31He then began to teach them that the

Son of Man must suffer many things and bere jected by the elders, the chief priests andthe teachers of the law, and that he must bekilled and after three days rise again. 32Hespoke plainly about this, and Peter took him

aside and began to rebuke him.33But when Jesus turned and looked at his

disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me,Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mindthe concerns of God, but merely human con-cerns.”

The Way of the Cross34Then he called the crowd to him along

with his disciples and said: “Whoever wantsto be my disciple must deny themselves andtake up their cross and follow me. 35For who-ever wants to save their lifeb will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for thegospel will save it. 36 What good is it for some-one to gain the whole world, yet forfeit theirsoul? 37Or what can anyone give in exchangefor their soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of meand my words in this adulterous and sinful

generation, the Son of Man will be ashamedof them when he comes in his Father’s glory


18/36

FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in WHAT DOESIT TAKE?

READ: MARK 8:31

SSuppose you volunteer

to tutor young kids.

Instead of bringing about

breakthrough educational moments,

you end up babysitting a crew of little monsters.When you sign up to do something noble, you might get more than you

bargained for.

Jesus knew exactly what lay ahead as he journeyed toward the cross. He told

his disciples straight up that he would suffer, die, and come back to life. When

Peter pulled him aside to protest that terrible thought, the Lord became angry.

He accused his friend of forgetting God’s perspective. In Peter’s harsh words

Jesus heard Satan attempting to stop him from saving the world.

Jesus thought hard about the cost of dying for sin. As he prayed in the

garden of Gethsemane hours before his crucifixion, he asked his Father if there

was a way he could avoid the cross. Yet Jesus embraced his Father’s plan (Luke

22:42). He “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on

a cross” (Philippians 2:8). He endured the cross for “the joy set before him,” the

good result that would come from his pain (Hebrews 12:2).

The cross didn’t catch Jesus by surprise. Don’t be shocked when showing

love feels like more trouble than it’s worth, or if it causes you true agony. Look

hard at what love will cost you, then do what you know Jesus would do.


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1242 1242MARK 10:1MARK 9:19

35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelveand said, “Anyone who wants to be first mustbe the very last, and the ser vant of all.”

36He took a little child whom he placedamong them. Taking the child in his arms,

he said to them,37

“Whoever welcomes oneof these little children in my name welcomesme; and whoever welcomes me does not wel-come me but the one who sent me.”

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us38“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone

driving out demons in your name and we toldhim to stop, because he was not one of us.”

39“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no

one who does a miracle in my name can inthe next moment say anything bad aboutme, 40 for whoever is not against us is forus. 41Truly I tell you, anyone who gives youa cup of water in my name because you be-long to the Messiah will certainly not losetheir re ward.

Causing to Stumble42“If anyone causes one of these little

ones — those who believe in me — to stum-ble, it would be better for them if a largemillstone were hung around their neck andthey were thrown into the sea. 43If your handcauses you to stumble, cut it off. It is betterfor you to enter life maimed than with twohands to go into hell, where the fire nevergoes out. [44]b 45 And if your foot causes youto stumble, cut it off. It is better for you toenter life crippled than to have two feet and

be thrown into hell.[46]b

47

And if your eyecauses you to stumble, pluck it out. It is bet-ter for you to enter the kingdom of God withone eye than to have two eyes and be throw ninto hell, 48 where

“ ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’c

49Everyone will be salted with fire.50“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness,

how can you make it salty again? Have saltamong yourselves and be at peace with each

He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth andbecomes rigid. I asked your disciples to driveout the spirit, but they could not.”

19“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus re-plied, “how long shall I stay with you? How

long shall I put up with you? Bring the boyto me.”20So they brought him. When the spir-

it saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boyinto a con vulsion. He fell to the ground androlled around, foaming at the mouth.

21Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How longhas he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22“It hasoften thrown him into fire or water to kill

him. But if you can do anything, take pity onus and help us.”23“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is

possible for one who believes.”24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed,

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief !”25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was run-

ning to the scene, he rebuked the impurespirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “Icommand you, come out of him and never

enter him again.”26The spirit shrieked, con vulsed him vi-olently and came out. The boy looked somuch like a corpse that many said, “He’sdead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand andlifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 Af ter Jesus had gone indoors, his disci-ples asked him pri vately, “Why couldn’t wedrive it out?”

29He replied, “This kind can come out

only by prayer.a ”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time30They left that place and passed through

Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31because he was teachinghis disciples. He said to them, “The Son ofMan is going to be delivered into the handsof men. They will kill him, and after threedays he will rise.” 32But they did not under-

stand what he meant and were afraid to askhim about it


20/36

FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in OVERCOMINGUNBELIEF


Y Y ou probably haven’t

spotted demons

hanging around in your

world. Maybe you were also astounded

to read about your Lord shining with heavenlyglory (Mark 9:2 – 3). Supernatural spiritual happenings might not seem real

life, but Jesus’s coming to earth as God in the flesh provoked intense activity by

dark forces.

Mark gives an account of a boy who brought his parents sadness and terror

from birth onward. They watched him violently tossed around, sometimes

nearly killed in fire or water. The boy foamed at the mouth and gnashed his

teeth. These parents were desperate for help, but this wasn’t an ordinary

physical or psychological problem. It had a spiritual source.

This episode is one of many in the Gospels — the first four books of the

New Testament — that show Jesus exerting power over demons. In the story,

his disciples attempted to drive out the spirit possessing the boy, but couldn’t.

Jesus speaks sharply to the impure spirit, commanding it to come out. The

spirit shrieks and leaves the boy.

The Lord challenged his disciples — and the boy’s father — to believe in his

power. And that dad offered a prayer to Jesus that’s worth repeating every time

you encounter a challenge you can’t understand or defeat: “I do believe; help

me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). God wants you to trust in him. He

also wants to help grow your faith.


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1244 1244MARK 10:34MARK 10:2

testimony, you shall not defraud, honor yourfather and mother.’d ”

20“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I havekept since I was a boy.”

21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One

thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you willhave treasure in heaven. Then come, fol-low me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went awaysad, because he had great wealth.

23Jesus looked around and said to his dis-ciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter thekingdom of God!”

24The disciples were amazed at his words.

But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard itise to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easierfor a camel to go through the eye of a nee-dle than for someone who is rich to enter thekingdom of God.”

26The disciples were even more amazed,and said to each other, “Who then can besaved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “Withman this is impossible, but not with God; all

things are possible with God.”28Then Peter spoke up, “We have left ev-

erything to follow you!”29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no

one who has left home or brothers or sis-ters or mother or father or children or fieldsfor me and the gospel 30 will fai l to receive ahundred times as much in this present age:homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, childrenand f ields — along with persecutions — and

in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last f irst.”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time32They were on their way up to Jerusalem,

with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve asideand told them what was going to happen to

him.

33

“We are going up to Jerusalem,” hesaid, “and the Son of Man will be delivered

the Jordan. Again crowds of people came tohim, and as was his custom, he taught them.

2Some Pharisees came and tested him byasking, “Is it lawful for a man to di vorce his

wife?”3

“What did Moses command you?” he re-plied.4They said, “Moses permitted a man to

wr ite a certificate of di vorce and send heraway.”

5“It was because your hearts were hardthat Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus re-plied. 6“But at the beginning of creationGod ‘made them male and female.’a 7 ‘Forthis reason a man will leave his father and

mother and be united to his wife,b

8

and thetwo will become one flesh.’c So they are nolonger two, but one flesh. 9Therefore whatGod has joined together, let no one sepa-rate.”

10 When they were in the house again, thedisciples asked Jesus about this. 11He an-swered, “Anyone who di vorces his wife andmarries another woman commits adulteryagainst her. 12 And if she di vorces her hus-

band and marries another man, she com-mits adultery.”

The Little Children and Jesus13People were bringing little children to

Jesus for him to place his hands on them, butthe disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesussaw this, he was indignant. He said to them,“Let the little children come to me, and donot hinder them, for the kingdom of God be-

longs to such as these. 15Truly I tell you, any-one who will not receive the kingdom of Godlike a little child will never enter it.” 16 Andhe took the children in his arms, placed hishands on them and blessed them.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran

up to him and fell on his knees before him.

“Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do toinherit eternal life?”


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12451245 MARK 11:15MARK 10:35

52“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight andfollowed Jesus along the road.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

11 As they approached Jerusalem andcame to Bethphage and Bethany at

the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of hisdisciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the villageahead of you, and just as you enter it, you wil lfind a colt tied there, which no one has everridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If any-one asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say,‘The Lord needs it and will send it back hereshortly.’ ”

4

They went and found a colt outside in thestreet, tied at a door way. As they untied it,5some people standing there asked, “Whatare you doing, untying that colt?” 6They an-swered as Jesus had told them to, and thepeople let them go. 7 When they brought thecolt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, hesat on it. 8Many people spread their cloakson the road, while others spread branchesthey had cut in the fields. 9Those who went

ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!a ”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name ofthe Lord!”b

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of ourfather David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

11

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went intothe temple courts. He looked around at ev-erything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clearsthe Temple Courts

12The next day as they were leaving Beth-any, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the dis-tance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it

had any fruit. When he reached it, he foundnothing but leaves because it was not the

The Request of James and John35Then James and John, the sons of Zebe-

dee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

36“What do you want me to do for you?” he

asked.37They replied, “Let one of us sit at yourright and the other at your left in your glory.”

38“You don’t know what you are asking,”Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink orbe baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

39“We can,” they answered.Jesus said to them, “You wil l drink the cup

I drink and be baptized with the baptism I

am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right orleft is not for me to grant. These places be-long to those for whom they have been pre-pared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, theybecame indignant with James and John.42 Jesus called them together and said, “Youknow that those who are regarded as rulersof the Gentiles lord it over them, and theirhigh officials exercise authority over them.

43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants tobecome great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first mustbe slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man didnot come to be served, but to serve, and togive his life as a ransom for many.”

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and

his disciples, together with a large crowd,

were leav ing the city, a blind man, Barti-maeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), wassitting by the roadside begging. 47 When heheard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he beganto shout, “Jesus, Son of Da vid, have mercyon me!”

48Many rebuked him and told him to bequiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son ofDa vid, have mercy on me!”

49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheerup! On your feet! He’s calling you ” 50Throw


23/36

FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in THE ULTIMATEPARADOX


TThe disciples have pegged

Jesus as the next king;

and he is — only he is

a different kind of king than they’ve

imagined. When they begin to argue about whois the most powerful among them, Jesus turns their suppositions upside down.

Imagine how blown away those disciples must have been. Imagine what

they must have been thinking, This guy is gonna be the next king, and I’m right

in line to be his number one guy! Sweet! Instead, Jesus tells them they have to be

like servants.

Truthfully, we’re not any different from the disciples. We think of a servant

as someone who’s unable to think for himself and who only does the bidding

of his master. We also think of a leader as someone who does the choosing for

whomever he leads. Then how can someone be both a servant and a leader at

the same time? Servant leadership is so radical that it really defies everything

our culture teaches us about leadership. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it’s true

today.

Servant leadership is a choice. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual gifts are,

whether you are popular, or even whether you like to serve others. Every leader

in the kingdom of God is expected to lead by serving.

But let’s be honest — it’s not easy. We don’t always feel like serving. To tell

the truth, sometimes we really like being served. Being a servant leader doesn’t

mean others will never serve you. In fact, we are commanded to serve one

another. So an important part of being a servant leader is modeling humility as

you graciously accept another person’s service to you.

Taken from Step Up by Denise VanEck, copyright © 2012 by Zondervan, published by Zondervan.


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12471247 MARK 12:14MARK 11:16

33So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what

authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants

12Jesus then began to speak to themin parables: “A man planted a vine-

yard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit forthe winepress and built a watchtower. Thenhe rented the vine yard to some farmers andmoved to another place. 2 At har vest t ime hesent a ser vant to the tenants to collect fromthem some of the fruit of the vine yard. 3Butthey seized him, beat him and sent himaway empty-handed. 4Then he sent another

ser vant to them; they struck this man on thehead and treated him shamefully. 5He sentstill another, and that one they killed. Hesent many others; some of them they beat,others they killed.

6“He had one left to send, a son, whom heloved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7“But the tenants said to one another,‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and

the inheritance will be ours.’ 8So they tookhim and killed him, and threw him out of the vine yard.

9“What then will the owner of the vine- yard do? He will come and kill those tenantsand give the vine yard to others. 10Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ f ?”

12Then the chief priests, the teachers ofthe law and the elders looked for a way toarrest him because they knew he had spo-ken the parable against them. But they wereafraid of the crowd; so they left him and wentaway.

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar13Later they sent some of the Pharisees

those who were buying and selling there. Heoverturned the tables of the money chang-ers and the benches of those selling doves,16and would not allow anyone to carry mer-chandise through the temple courts. 17 And

as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:‘My house will be called a house of prayer forall nations’a ? But you have made it ‘a den ofrobbers.’b ”

18The chief priests and the teachers of thelaw heard this and began looking for a wayto kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his dis-ciplesc went out of the city.

20

In the morning, as they went along, theysaw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Pe-ter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi,look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.23“Truly d I tell you, if anyone says to thismountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into thesea,’ and does not doubt in their heart butbelieves that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24Therefore I tell you,

whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.25 And when you stand pray ing, if you holdanything against anyone, forgive them, sothat your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26]e

The Authority of Jesus Questioned27They arrived again in Jerusalem, and

while Jesus was walking in the temple courts,the chief priests, the teachers of the law andthe elders came to him. 28“By what author-ity are you doing these things?” they asked.“And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one ques-tion. Answer me, and I will tell you by whatauthority I am doing these things. 30 John’sbaptism — was it from heaven, or of humanorigin? Tell me!”

31

They discussed it among themselvesand said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will


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God, the Lord is one. d 30Love the Lord yourGod with all your heart and with all yoursoul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’e 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ f There is no com-

mandment greater than these.”32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied.“You are right in saying that God is one andthere is no other but him. 33To love him withall your heart, with all your understandingand with all your strength, and to love yourneighbor as yourself is more important thanall burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from

the kingdom of God.” And from then on noone dared ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple

courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of thelaw say that the Messiah is the son of Da vid?36Da vid himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,declared:

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ g

37Da vid himself cal ls him ‘Lord.’ How thencan he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with de-light.

Warning Against the Teachers

of the Law38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out forthe teachers of the law. They like to walkaround in flowing robes and be greeted withrespect in the marketplaces, 39and have themost important seats in the synagogues andthe places of honor at banquets. 40They de- vour widows’ houses and for a show makelengthy prayers. These men will be pun-ished most se verely.”

The Widow’s Offering

no attention to who they are; but you teachthe way of God in accordance with the truth.Is it right to pay the imperial taxa to Caesar ornot? 15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why

are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bringme a denarius and let me look at it.” 16Theybrought the coin, and he asked them, “Whoseimage is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.17Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to

Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what isGod’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

Marriage at the Resurrection18Then the Sadducees, who say there is noresurrection, came to him with a question.19“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for usthat if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wifebut no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his broth-er. 20Now there were seven brothers. Thefirst one married and died without leavingany children. 21The second one married the

widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22In fact, noneof the seven left any children. Last of all,the woman died too. 23 At the resurrectionb

whose w ife will she be, since the seven weremarried to her?”

24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error be-cause you do not know the Scriptures or thepower of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage;

they will be like the angels in heaven.26

Nowabout the dead rising — have you not read inthe Book of Moses, in the account of the burn-ing bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the Godof Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob’c ? 27He is not the God of the dead, but ofthe living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment28One of the teachers of the law came and

heard them debating. Noticing that Jesushad given them a good answer he asked

MARK 12:41MARK 12:15


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FAITHHOPELOVE

growing in GIVING UPSELF-HATE


IIspent my entire high school

career, and many days of

college, struggling with self-

hate. Now, sitting on top of the well

looking back down, I grieve over the years I spentliving in the bottom of that muck. But I’m loving the view from up here.

The entire time I was struggling with self-hate, I loved God. I never quit

loving God. I just quit loving his creation. I quit loving all that he had made.

And that “all” included me. When Jesus was asked (Mark 12:28 – 31) what the

most important commandments are, his answer was very interesting.

We’re supposed to love other people the same way we love ourselves. But do

you love yourself? If you want to love other people correctly, you have to figure

out some way to love yourself correctly. Completely. Today. Just as you are.

If you’re like me, even a little bit, then the idea of loving all of you seems

challenging at best. More like impossible, if you were to be really honest. I sat

at a coffee shop while I was writing this as my friend, in tears, looked across

the table and said, “How do I love me, Annie?” And as I sat there, I realized

that it isn’t a one-sentence answer. And it isn’t a one-moment solution. I want

you to know that learning to love is a process, and it takes work, just like most

everything else.

And I can only love me because I know that God loves me — body, mind,

and soul. Am I perfect? Absolutely . . . not. But I’m choosing today to love the

person God made me. To look in the mirror and say, “Downs, you’re all right,

old girl. God loves all of you today.” And then choose to make the decision to

love me.

Taken from Perfectly Unique by Annie F. Downs, copyright © 2012 by Annie F. Downs, published by Zondervan.


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causes desolation’a standing where itb doesnot belong — let the reader understand —then let those who are in Judea flee to themountains. 15Let no one on the housetopgo down or enter the house to take anything

out.16

Let no one in the field go back to gettheir cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in thosedays for pregnant women and nursing moth-ers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of dis-tress unequaled from the beginning, whenGod created the world, until now — and nev-er to be equaled again.

20“If the Lord had not cut short those days,no one would sur vive. But for the sake of the

elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortenedthem. 21 At that time if anyone says to you,‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, therehe is!’ do not believe it. 22For false messiahsand false prophets will appear and performsigns and wonders to deceive, if possible,even the elect. 23So be on your guard; I havetold you everything ahead of time.

24“But in those days, following that dis-tress,

“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon wil l not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be

shaken.’c

26“At that time people will see the Sonof Man coming in clouds with great powerand glory. 27 And he will send his angels andgather his elect from the four winds, from

the ends of the earth to the ends of the heav-ens.

28“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leavescome out, you know that summer is near.29Even so, when you see these things hap-pening, you know that it b is near, right atthe door. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all thesethings have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass

amounts. 42But a poor widow came and putin two very small copper coins, worth onlya few cents.

43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put

more into the treasury than all the others.44They all gave out of their wealth; but she,out of her poverty, put in everything — allshe had to live on.”

The Destruction of the Templeand Signs of the End Times

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, oneof his disciples said to him, “Look,

Teacher! What massive stones! What mag-

nificent buildings!”2“Do you see all these great buildings?”

replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be lefton another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Ol-ives opposite the temple, Peter, James, Johnand Andrew asked him pri vately, 4“Tell us, when wi ll these things happen? And what wi ll be the sign that they are all about to befulfilled?”

5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that noone deceives you. 6Many will come in myname, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceivemany. 7 When you hear of wars and rumorsof wars, do not be alarmed. Such things musthappen, but the end is still to come. 8Na-tion will rise against nation, and kingdomagainst kingdom. There will be earthquakesin various places, and famines. These arethe beginning of birth pains.

9“You must be on your guard. You willbe handed over to the local councils andflogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel mustfirst be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not

you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.12“Brother will betray brother to death,


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women OF THE BIBLE

The Widow Who Gave Two Coins$%

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you,

this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all

the others.”

Mark 12:43

HER NAME MEANS: unknown

READ HER STORY: Mark 12:41 – 44; Luke 21:1 – 4

I In God’s economy, it’s not the amount of money wegive but the attitude of our heart when we give it.The widow who gave two small copper coins is theperfect example of this. While rich people were tossing largeamounts of money into the temple treasury, the poor widow

only gave on offering that was worth a few pennies. Yet Jesus

praised her for it.

God doesn’t “need” our money — he owns all the cattle on

a thousand hills. He does, however, want us to use our money

wisely and in such a way that includes offering back to him

a portion of it to be used in building the kingdom of God. As

Paul explains to the believers in the church at Corinth, “Eachof you should give what you have decided in your heart to

give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a

cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

You may not have much money to give. It’s not the amount

that matters. Pray about your money. Ask God to help you

decide what to give as an offering. Then give it willingly

and cheerfully. Ask God to use it to bring lost souls into his

eternal kingdom.


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asked him, “W here do you want us to go andmake preparations for you to eat the Pass-over?”

13So he sent two of his disciples, tellingthem, “Go into the city, and a man carry-

ing a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.14Say to the owner of the house he enters,‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disci-ples?’ 15He will show you a large room up-stairs, furnished and ready. Make prepara-tions for us there.”

16The disciples left, went into the city andfound things just as Jesus had told them. Sothey prepared the Passover.

17

When evening came, Jesus arrived withthe Twelve. 18 While they were reclining atthe table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you,one of you will betray me — one who is eat-ing with me.”

19They were saddened, and one by onethey said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

20“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21TheSon of Man will go just as it is written about

him. But woe to that man who betrays theSon of Man! It would be better for him if hehad not been born.”

22 Whi le they were eating, Jesus tookbread, and when he had given thanks, hebroke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,“Take it; this is my body.”

23Then he took a cup, and when he hadgiven thanks, he gave it to them, and they alldrank from it.

24 “This is my blood of the d covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said tothem. 25“Truly I tell you, I will not drinkagain from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 When they had sung a hymn, they wentout to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial27

“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them,“for it is written:

Be alerta ! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: Heleaves his house and puts his ser vants incharge, each with their assigned task, andtells the one at the door to keep watch.

35

“Therefore keep watch because you donot know when the owner of the house willcome back — whether in the evening, or atmidnight, or when the rooster crows, or atdawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let himfind you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say toeveryone: ‘Watch!’ ”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

14

Now the Passover and the Festi val of

Unleavened Bread were only two daysaway, and the chief priests and the teachersof the law were scheming to arrest Jesus se-cretly and kill him. 2“But not during the festi- val,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining atthe table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of veryexpensive perfume, made of pure nard. Shebroke the jar and poured the perfume on his

head.4Some of those present were saying in-dignantly to one another, “Why this waste ofperfume? 5It could have been sold for morethan a year’s wagesb and the money given tothe poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautifulthing to me. 7The poor you will al ways have with you,c and you can help them any time

you want. But you wi ll not al ways have me.8She did what she could. She poured per-fume on my body beforehand to preparefor my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever thegospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in mem-ory of her.”

10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus tothem. 11They were delighted to hear this and

promised to give him money. So he watchedfor an opportunity to hand him over


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kissed him. 46The men seized Jesus and ar-rested him. 47Then one of those standingnear drew his sword and struck the ser vantof the high priest, cutting off his ear.

48“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus,

“that you have come out with swords andclubs to capture me? 49Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and youdid not arrest me. But the Scriptures mustbe fulfilled.” 50Then everyone deserted himand fled.

51 A young man, wearing nothing but a lin-en garment, was following Jesus. When theyseized him, 52he fled naked, leaving his gar-ment behind.

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin53They took Jesus to the high priest, and

all the chief priests, the elders and the teach-ers of the law came together. 54 Peter fol-lowed him at a distance, right into the court- yard of the high priest. There he sat with theguards and warmed himself at the fire.

55The chief priests and the whole Sanhe-drin were looking for evidence against Jesus

so that they could put him to death, but theydid not find any. 56Many testi fied falselyagainst him, but their statements did notagree.

57Then some stood up and gave this falsetestimony against him: 58“We heard him say,‘I will destroy this temple made with humanhands and in three days will build another,not made with hands.’ ” 59 Yet even then theirtestimony did not agree.

60Then the high priest stood up beforethem and asked Jesus, “Are you not going toanswer? What is this testimony that thesemen are bringing against you?” 61But Jesusremained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are youthe Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see theSon of Man sitting at the right hand of the

Mighty One and coming on the clouds ofheaven.”

29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

30“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “to-day — yes, tonight — before the roostercrows twice a you yourself will disown me

three times.”31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Evenif I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And al l the others said the same.

Gethsemane32They went to a place called Gethsema-

ne, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33He took Peter, James andJohn along with him, and he began to be

deeply distressed and troubled. 34“My soulis over whelmed wit h sorrow to the point ofdeath,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

35Going a little farther, he fell to theground and prayed that if possible the hourmight pass from him. 36“Abba,b Father,” hesaid, “everything is possible for you. Takethis cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

37Then he returned to his disciples andfound them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Pe-ter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watchfor one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you wil l not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

39Once more he went away and prayed thesame thing. 40 When he came back, he againfound them sleeping, because their eyes were heav y. They did not know what to say

to him.41Returning the third time, he said to

them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Sonof Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.42Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Jesus Arrested43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of

the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowdarmed with swords and clubs, sent from the


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9“Do you want me to release to you theking of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priestshad handed Jesus over to him. 11But thechief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pi-

late release Barabbas instead.12“What shall I do, then, with the one youcall the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13“Crucify him!” they shouted.14“Why? What crime has he committed?”

asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify

him!”15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate

released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus

flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus16The soldiers led Jesus away into the

palace (that is, the Praetorium) and calledtogether the whole company of soldiers.17They put a purple robe on him, then twist-ed together a crown of thorns and set it onhim. 18 And they began to call out to him,“Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and againthey struck him on the head with a staff andspit on him. Falling on their knees, theypaid homage to him. 20 And when they hadmocked him, they took off the purple robeand put his own clothes on him. Then theyled him out to crucify him.

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