And like that we have come to the end of our daily devotions looking at the Gospel of Mark.  We are not going to be releasing any more daily devotions for the time being but there is a multitude of fantastic resources available online. Some that you might like to check out are; Ekteino Ekteino is a four week discipleship challenge from…

Read Mark 16:9-20 His task completed, Jesus passes the mantle onto the disciples with the command to go into the world to proclaim the good news of salvation to all of creation.  Having completed this task, Jesus ascends to heaven to sit at the right hand of God. The disciples are faithful, as commanded they go out everywhere to proclaim the good…

Read Mark 16:1-8 (Yeah, I know we read it last week, but let’s read it again!). Jesus is not dead…the three women heard it but did not process it…he had been raised…what does this mean?…how do you react?…with fear – yeah with terror… with surprise and excitement – yeah amazement…this changes everything…He was not dead – he was dead but now He…

Read Mark 16:1-8 When the disciples abandoned Jesus, three women remained.  When Jesus died on the cross Mark 15:40 tells us three women stood witness.  These same three are again mentioned in Mark 15:47 as Jesus was laid to rest by Joseph of Arimathea.  And now three days later these three women gather to do something they have wanted to do for…

Read Mark 15:21-32 So the story continues – the man who had taught thousands, healed many, restored so many to wholeness and showed so much love to all who he encountered, begins his journey to the place where he would die. Burdened upon his back is the timber that he would hang from in his final hours.  This man who had relieved…

Read Mark 15:16-20 One of the aspects of Jesus’ last day that gets to me every time I read these chapters, even after reading it hundreds of times, is the humiliation that Jesus is subjected to.  The man who brought dignity and wholeness to so many people is now subjected to humiliation and beatings. Jesus is paraded out in front of the…

Read Mark 15:1-15 The chief priests have an issue – they want Jesus dealt with in the most extreme sense, they want him dead.  However, they are also aware of their lack of power.  Gone are the days when the Jewish people were able to govern themselves.  Now they are under the power of the Roman Empire and whilst they had some…

Read Mark 14:53-65 Jesus is immediately taken to the High Priest.  There is no mucking around, there is no placing Jesus in a holding cell and waiting till the next day.  The religious leaders knew that this needed to be dealt with in the silence of the night.  So in the darkness of night, Jesus is led to the High Priest.  Whilst…

Read Mark 14:43-52 Jesus had just finished telling Peter, James and John to wake up and that the time for his arrest had come when Judas enters the garden.  Judas is surrounded by men sent from the chief priests.  Jesus and the three disciples with him are heavily outnumbered by a crowd with clubs and swords. I often wonder what Peter, James…

Read Mark 14:32-42 Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus asks them to remain awake while he prays.  By now Jesus was agitated, “I am so sad that I feel like I am dying” he tells these disciples, “just stay here and stay awake” he asks. Jesus then goes a little further into the garden by himself…