Contemplative Bible Reading

Mark 1:13 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve Him. Jesus took on human-ness. He was weakened by fasting in the desert. This was not the Las Vegas desert; this was a real desert, called […]

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Mark 2:17 (New Living Translation) When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” There are several (dozen) things I could write about these couple of sentences. Let’s consider the […]

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Mark 2:4 (New Living Translation) They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. In this (hi)story, “they” are friends of a paralyzed man. They have faith that Jesus […]

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Mark 14:33 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. I find the words used in this translation to be fascinating. Jesus was distressed and horrified. Horrified? Jesus? He had all power. What horrified Him? I think we could write a dissertation […]

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Mark 11:24 (New Living Translation) I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. I’ll pray for a million dollars (maybe ten or a hundred times that for good measure) and believe that I have received it. It will be mine, right? Perhaps that […]

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Mark 2:27-28 (Holman Standard Christian Bible) 27 Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is rest. It is God’s gift to man—rest for the weary. Jesus came to take away the sins […]

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Mark 2:28 (New Living Translation) So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath! Jesus said this about Himself. Most of those listening weren’t happy to hear it. It was blasphemy! This was not a joke. These people were learned and serious, and they came to the correct conclusion given what they knew. […]

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Mark 2:27 (New Living Translation) Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a gift from God (note, I didn’t write WAS a gift from God). God granted man rest one-seventh of the time. God […]

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Mark 10:46-48 (New Living Translation) 46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have […]

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Mark 4:41 (New Living Translation) The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” This is the reaction of the followers of Jesus. These men had been walking with Jesus daily for many months. Yet, they were terrified when they saw Him. Is the […]

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