Mark 5:21-43 Dear Partner in Preaching, Mark doesn’t begin these two inter-connected stories by saying, “The kingdom of God is like…”, but he might have. Indeed, compared with his Synoptic cousins, Mark doesn’t share all that many of Jesus’ parables (and most of the few he does we’ve already touched on), and yet weaving together of these two stories feels rather parabolic, as it offers one picture of Jesus’ ministry and God’s reign that we preachers might “throw alongside” (the literal meaning of παραβολή) the picture of our life in the world. Central to this parable is the vulnerability of the characters and,...

Mark 4:35-41 Dear Partner in Preaching, What moves us from fear to faith? Hold that question for a moment; we’ll come back to it. For now, though, notice with me how similar what we perceive as very distinct responses actually are. Or at least their roots. Think about it. Both fear and faith make sense only in relation to something that is unknown, challenging, difficult, or threatening. I mean, it’s just those kinds of things that make us afraid. And, when you stop to think about it, it’s just those same kinds of things that summon faith to face them. Indeed, in the face of things that are unknown, challenging, difficult, or...

Mark 4:26-34 Dear Partner in Preaching, I love these couple of mini-parables in Mark. (“Mini” in the sense that they aren’t the extended stories like the Prodigal Son or Good Samaritan, etc.) They’re small, but pack a punch. In this case, I’d describe that punch as a kind of quiet and dynamic confidence. Before jumping into that fully, let me offer just a couple of words of background information that might help. First, what is a parable? In some ways, maybe it’s easier to say what it’s not. A parable is not simply an analogy for us to figure out, where A=God and B=Jesus and C=us, etc. Some parables do function analogically,...

Mark 3:20-35 Dear Partner in Preaching, How do you define “crazy”? Not what makes you crazy, mind you :), but what you think of as absolutely crazy. I ask because I think it’s really interesting that, just a few chapters into Mark’s story about Jesus, those around him are saying he’s crazy. Saying people are “Crazy” or, in this case the parallel, “out of his mind” is strong language. It’s a way of discrediting people, of dismissing their views and actions, of trying to limit, if not destroy, their credibility and influence. It’s the kind of thing that you either say in jest to a good friend (“Don’t be crazy, we...

Mark 2:23-3:6 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’m not if sure there is a more universal story in Scripture. To unpack that, I want to just notice with you how incredibly interesting it is that Jesus’ first confrontations are with those who are most religious. Mark’s Gospel is a narrative whirlwind. In the first chapter, Jesus is baptized, tempted, announced his ministry, calls his disciples, casts out an unclean spirit, heals many people gathered at Simon Peter’s home, goes on a preaching tour, and cleanses a leper. All in a mere 45 verses! And by the end of all this, his fame has spread so far and wide he finds it difficult to move about...