What does it mean to be great? Jesus teaches his disciples another lesson on discipleship after James and John make a request that has more significance than they realize. If they want to be great in the kingdom, they have to walk the path of humility. A path that leads to the cross.
In Mark 10:13-31, Mark gives us two stories– a story of children and a story about a wealthy and righteous man. Seemingly unrelated, Jesus uses these two encounters to teach his disciples and us once again about His Kingdom. Specifically, in these passages, we see two different postures people display toward the Kingdom of God. One posture ensures the reception of His Kingdom, while the other posture ensures the rejection of His Kingdom.
What does marriage have to do with discipleship? In Mark 10:1-12 Jesus is confronted once again by the Pharisees who are trying to get him killed. They ask him a question about the allowance of divorce in the law. Jesus responds with a question and then eventually gives an answer that they were not expecting. Jesus both exposes the hardness of their hearts and shows that they have completely missed God’s heart in marriage.
As Christians, we experience highs and lows as we seek to faithfully follow Jesus. In Mark 9:14-29, Jesus descends from the heights of the Mount of Transfiguration down into the shadowy valley of ordinary life where He is met by faithless disciples, a desperate father, and a demon-possessed boy. Through it all Jesus teaches His disciples the necessity and power of dependent faith.
Jesus’ Transfiguration is perhaps one of the most well-known stories from the gospels. Yet, its purpose is not always clear. In today’s message, we will consider four purposes for Jesus’ transfiguration.
In the middle of the Gospel of Mark, Peter makes his great confession that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus explains to His disciples what it means for the Son of Man to be the Christ, and His disciples are scandalized. It turns out that Jesus is not the savior they expected, but He is exactly the Savior they needed.