Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4851 to 4875 of 4963 results

4851. Jesus Sends out the Twelve

Mark 6:7-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in need, thus ensuring both their dependence on their Lord and their receptivity to others. If disciples go with an elaborate support apparatus, then they need not go in faith; and if they do not go in faith, their proclamation is not believable. The command to remain where they are received (6:10) teaches that trust in the Jesus who sends them into mission includes trust in those whom he has designated to meet their needs. The command to shake the dust off their feet when they are not received (6:11) is ...

4852. John the Baptist Beheaded

Mark 6:14-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... people, though Mark includes the additional reason of John’s denunciation of the treacherous marriage between Antipas and Herodias (6:18). A tentative ruler whose actions were determined by the influences of others, Herod Antipas cannot risk allowing John to remain at large, nor can he bring himself to eliminate him. Herodias, cunning and calculating, emerges as the prime mover in the story by exploiting Antipas’s impotence and by sacrificing the honor of her daughter in order to eliminate the Baptizer ...

4853. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Mark 6:30-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... bread, Jesus ministers to the crowd through the disciples. Like the harvest in the parable of the sower (4:9, 20), the feeding of the five thousand results in a miracle of abundance: “All ate and were satisfied” (6:42), with twelve basketfuls remaining (6:43). The feeding miracle takes place within sight of Gamala in Galilee, where the Zealot movement originated. The “many people [who] were coming and going” (6:31) in the region, and the reference to “sheep without a shepherd” (6:34), which in ...

4854. Jesus Walks on Water

Mark 6:45-56

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... identified only by their need and desperation swarm to Jesus from town and countryside simply to “touch even the edge of his cloak” (6:56). The account concludes with the assurance of Jesus’s untiring goodness, for “all who touched it were healed” (6:56). The accent in the account remains on the blessings of Jesus’s physical touch, however, for there is no mention of faith, discipleship, or understanding of Jesus’s saving purpose.

4855. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Mark 8:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... about Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles, the feeding of the four thousand (8:1–9). On the Gentile, east side of the Sea of Galilee—perhaps in the vicinity of the healing of the demoniac (5:1–20)—Jesus attracts a large crowd that remains with him for three days. The Greek word describing the presence of the crowd (8:2) connotes its special attachment to Jesus; ironically, Gentiles receive Jesus with a devotion that Jews do not. The “compassion” (8:2) Jesus feels for the persevering crowd is ...

4856. Opposition from Pharisees and Disciples

Mark 8:14-21, Mark 8:22-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 15). “Yeast” is a leaven that ferments in dough, causing it to rise. In Jesus’s warning, the “yeast” appears to signify the disbelief of the Pharisees and Herod fermenting among the disciples. The disciples, however, uncomprehending of Jesus’s metaphor, remain fixed on “bread.” In an attempt to overcome the disciples’ obtuseness, Jesus presses them with seven rhetorical questions: Do you still not see? Do you still not understand? Are your hearts hardened? Can you not see? Can you not hear ...

4857. The Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s providential will for him. Taking up one’s cross and following Jesus (8:34) is a difficult teaching, to be sure, but the transfiguration does not end on an ominous note, for Jesus does not escape to heaven with Elijah and Moses but remains “with [the disciples]” (9:8) on the journey to Jerusalem. On the descent from the mountain, Jesus commands the disciples to be silent for the final time, admonishing them to banish thoughts of messianic triumphalism and not to mention the transfiguration until the ...

4858. The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Mark 9:14-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and the existence of his faith. While Jesus and the three principal apostles, Peter, James, and John, were on the Mount of Transfiguration, a man brought his son who was “possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech” (9:17) to the remaining disciples for healing. The boy’s condition is identified by the parallel story in Matthew 17:15 as epilepsy, a diagnosis that Mark’s further descriptions amply confirm (9:18, 20–22, 26). The disciples’ inability to heal the boy is another instance of ...

4859. “On the Way” to Jerusalem

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a fulfillment of the divine will. The disciples, however, “did not understand what [Jesus] meant and were afraid to ask” (9:32). Ironically, when the word of God is decisively spoken, the human response—and here from those with the greatest opportunity to understand—remains one of ignorance and fear. The second of the four stories, in 9:33–37, takes place in Capernaum, Jesus’s base of operations in the first half of Mark. Alone with the disciples, Jesus asks what they talked about “on the way ...

4860. Paying Taxes to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

All the stories in 11:27–12:44 portray the opposition of the Sanhedrin to Jesus. The chief priests challenged Jesus in 11:27–33, and beginning in 12:13 the remaining constituents of the Sanhedrin—the Pharisees (12:13–17), Sadducees (12:18–27), and scribes (12:28–40)—challenge Jesus as well. The Pharisees are sent “to catch [Jesus] in his words” (12:13), and they begin by flattery (12:14). The Herodians appear to have been partisans of Herod ...

4861. Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Following the Last Supper, Jesus goes to Gethsemane (Hebrew “olive press”), an olive grove in the valley between the Mount of Olives and the temple mount where he and the disciples often gathered (Luke 22:39; John 18:1–2). Commanding the disciples to remain, Jesus departs a few paces in order to pray (14:32–42). This is the third time in Mark that Jesus prays (cf. 1:35; 6:46); each prayer is set in a context of crisis and decision, this being the most traumatic. In all the Bible, no affliction or ...

4862. Before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Blessed One?” (14:61). Ironically, Mark places the two most complete christological confessions from humans in the mouths of those responsible for Jesus’s death: the high priest at the trial and the centurion at the cross (15:39). Throughout Mark, Jesus has remained silent about his divine Sonship and commanded the same of others, because until his suffering he cannot rightly be known as God’s Son. Now that his execution is imminent, Jesus fully affirms, “I am [God’s Son]” (14:62). Although he ...

4863. Jesus' Burial

Mark 15:42-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 15:40) are probably (although not certainly) Jesus’s family members mentioned in 6:3. The names of these and the reference to “many other women” (15:41) indicate that Jesus was followed by more than the Twelve apostles. Ironically, women unmentioned before now remain to the bitter end at the cross. True, they stand at a “distance,” but the distance of the women is better than the absence of the apostles. Into the report of the women’s trepidation at the cross Mark inserts the story of Joseph ...

4864. The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... would not be near the value of a fattened calf. Indeed, he cannot even acknowledge that the younger son is his brother; instead he says “this son of yours” (15:30). The father, however, continues to plead with his older son, noting that the entire remaining inheritance now belongs to him and reminding him of the closeness of their relationship (“You are always with me,” 15:31). The father says that the celebration was a necessity because of the return to life of the lost younger son (15:32). Notice ...

4865. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The focus on the salvation available for the humble ends at 15:32, marking a shift in the text. But the textual divisions in this unit remain a bit arbitrary. The parable of the dishonest steward is one of the most difficult to interpret in Luke. Where does the parable end? Does it end with verse 7, 8a, 8b, or 9? Is the master in verse 8 Jesus or the master of the steward in the parable? ...

4866. Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

Luke 22:39-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 39–46). Jesus functions as the model. He naturally feels revulsion about his destiny, entreating his Father to take the cup away from him, for the cup represents God’s wrath that will be poured out on him. But through prayer he overcomes the test, remaining faithful and fixed on his Father’s will. The disciples function as a foil. They do not pray but sink into sleep at the hour of testing. Verses 43–44 are textually uncertain; although they may not be original, they may contain ancient and probably ...

4867. Jesus the Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... would not be unlikely if this included the thought of Jesus’s anointing with the Spirit (1:32–33). This was the principal event at the Jordan. John’s account of this differs from the Synoptics in one respect: two times John remarks that the Spirit descends and remains on Jesus. This permanent anointing stands in stark contrast to the temporary anointing of the Old Testament prophets. This permanence was central to the Jewish depiction of the Messiah (Isa. 11:2; 42:1; cf. Testament of Levi 18:6–7).

4868. Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

John 4:39-42, John 4:43-54

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The woman’s testimony bears fruit (4:39–42). And yet those who are invited to come out to see Jesus for themselves (as were Peter and Nathanael in 1:35–50) must obtain their own faith. Jesus remains in Samaria for two days, and many in the village believe (4:42). The miracle in which the official’s son is healed (4:43–54) brings Jesus back to Cana, the town that introduced this section of the Gospel (2:1–12). In both instances the sign of Jesus ...

4869. The Healing at the Pool

John 5:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (see NIV note), is still unclear since manuscripts reflect numerous readings (5:2). John notes that various people with infirmities waited at the pool hoping to benefit from healing power associated with the site. This has led some scholars to see in the archaeological remains evidence for a healing sanctuary near the pool. Jesus, however, ignores the pool’s supposed powers and with a word heals the lame man (5:8–9). But as with so many other healing stories in the Synoptics (cf. Mark 3:1–6), it ...

4870. Jesus Predicts His Death

John 12:20-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Philip’s report is extremely important. The “hour” that has been put off for years (cf. John 2:4; 7:6; 8:20) has now arrived (12:23). Jesus recognizes the culmination of all that he has been attempting in Judaism. The cross and death are all that remain (12:24). But in John it is not a death of disgrace and shame; Jesus will be glorified, and this will mysteriously result in great things. The same is true of his followers (12:23–26). Self-effacement and self-denial are the only pathways to finding ...

4871. The Passover Meal

John 13:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover” (18:28 RSV). 4. “Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour” (19:14 RSV). 5. “Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (19:31 RSV). We shall look at these verses in turn later in the commentary, but for now note ...

4872. The Work of the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... John 1:1–3). The picture so far has developed thus: Jesus must go away, but he will return; yet this return will be realized in a significant way through the Spirit’s indwelling the Christian. The Spirit will instruct, defend, empower, and guide the disciple within the world. The remaining question—When will these events take place?—will point to Easter (16:16–33).

4873. Jesus Prays for Himself

John 17:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , then John may want us to consider this prayer to be at another location. Some think that Jesus is somewhere between the upper room and the garden (Kidron Valley; 18:1) and suggest that he is in the temple, since at Passover the city gates would remain open. If this is correct (and we cannot be certain), the prayer may be one of consecration, since the Greek term hagiazō, “to make holy” or “sanctify” (17:17, 19), appears elsewhere only at the temple (10:36). In this sense Jesus may be preparing ...

4874. Jesus Before Pilate

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the former (19:13–16) and goes through the motions of making a judicial edict. The “Stone Pavement” (Aramaic gabbata, “elevated place”?) may have been a visible platform for such pronouncements. (Archaeologists claim to have found this pavement in the remains of the Antonia Fortress.) The time of this announcement, “about noon,” is indicated (19:14) because of a theme that will arise during the crucifixion. The hour of Jesus’s condemnation is the hour when the temple began to slaughter ...

4875. The Crucifixion

John 19:17-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... may lie elsewhere. The garments of the high priest included this item (Exod. 28:4; 39:27), and it may suggest some priestly symbolism for Jesus (which is a common New Testament thought; see Heb. 4:14; Rev. 1:13); but this interpretation must remain uncertain. The presence of women at the cross is striking (19:25–27). Unlike the apostles, who fled, the women would have been safe from incrimination because of ancient oriental chivalry giving them a protected status. We see that John attends as well but ...

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