Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... placing it in context with what has preceded it. In this case we find Jesus concluding a long day of teaching by proposing that he and the disciples now cross over the sea of Galilee to begin work on the opposite shore. A word of caution here: Mark's geographical information is not to be taken literally. As Jesus is constantly leaving one area, crossing that sea, he seems to be traveling west to east and west to east apparently without ever having to travel east to west. He leaves from westerly regions and ...

27. Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

28. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... verse 8. In Greek this means the gospel ends with the term gar ("for"), a particle that usually comes second in a clause of many words. Whatever originally followed this gar disappeared. It almost seems as if the details that are missing at the final verse of Mark seem to be stockpiled at the beginning of today's text. In 16:1-2, there are details about the names, dates, times, shopping lists and intentions of those involved. The women listed here in verse 1 differ slightly from those given in 15:40 and 15 ...

29. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's gospel. As many as nine of these insertions have been tallied, including 3:19b-35; 4:1-20; 5:21-43; 6:7-29; 11:12-19; 14:1-11; 14:17-31; 14:53-72; 15:40-16:8. Scholars do not fully agree on Mark's motive behind his method. The Markan practice of beginning one story, breaking off from it to introduce a second complete and apparently unrelated story, then returning to the initial story, has been judged as everything from poor organizational ability and a failure to deftly integrate various traditions, to ...

30. Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... preacher-healer Jesus seems always anxious to be off to yet another place (see 1:38). But if Jesus seeks to escape the crowds that have gathered about and engulfed him, he fails. The disciples, his boat companions, are the only ones directly with Jesus. But Mark notes that even out on the sea "other boats were with him" (v.36). Just how long this flotilla remains together is not mentioned, but it is interesting to consider its possible presence in light of the way the situation develops. Did the storm that ...

31. Mark 1:14-20

Mark 1:14-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 1:2-15 as a kind of redacted prologue (perhaps even pre-Markan), see a much different hand at work in verses 16-20. Many commentators suspect that this first "call" narrative is in fact a "Petrine story," informed by Simon's own remembered experience. In Mark, there is a pronounced priority for the disciple Simon/Peter. Here in our text, Simon and his brother Andrew are clearly the first disciples called. Simon is also the only one among Jesus' band of disciples who has a member of his own family healed (1 ...

32. On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Mark 13:1-8, 32-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and times, these are ones Jesus told us to beware of. If you think of it in terms of running, sprinters or long distance runners don't know when the starting pistol will go off, they just know that they are called to be ready. Jesus says: "GET ON YOUR MARK, GET SET . . ." III. Stay Ready A. And then He says: "STAY READY." That's the hard part. [Show Noah clip. Stop the clip before the company logo.] (2) It's not easy to STAY READY, but like the Noah clip shows us, nobody said it would be easy. But we ...

33. Mark 1:29-39

Mark 1:29-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... was a densely populated, fishing and agricultural center, not known for its resources for solitary refuge. If Jesus wanted to “get out of town” he would be compelled to have risen early and wandered far. This is only one of three instances where Mark describes Jesus being in prayer (see also 6;46 and 14:32-42). Jesus’ solitary sojourn for this time of prayer reflects his wilderness time and recalls Israel’s own wilderness wanderings, where fellowship with the divine was solidified and savored. But ...

34. The Marked Man

Sermon

George Bass

... a 2,000-year-old story, the events that Jesus predicted would cost him his life and, at the same time, would put the key to eternal life in the hands of all believers everywhere, in every age. For one thing, we go up to remember that Jesus was a marked man, and to give thanks for his death. It was God’s will that Jesus, his only-begotten Son, should die to save people from sin and death. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, God sent a specific message which made this very clear to Christ, as Luke ...

35. Mark 2:23-3:6

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and telltale segues suggest that the story of Jesus' healing a man's withered hand has been woven together with Markan commentary to give this pericope an added purpose. In nearly every verse, a Markan aside makes the story teem with tension. In 3:2, Mark adds "so that they might accuse him." In 3:4, he indicts the observers by noting, "But they were silent." Verse 5's apparently redactional commentary declares that Jesus was "grieved at their hardness of heart" even before he heals the man's withered hand ...

36. Mark 10:2-16

Mark 10:2-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , Jesus' words are void of any gray areas. Indeed the only "unchastity" Jesus speaks of here is on the part of the divorcing partner who remarries. The husband's chastity is compromised for he "commits adultery against her" (v.11) that is, his first wife. Mark's Jesus also presents a case not even possible under Jewish law. For the sake of his Gentile listeners, however, Jesus here acknowledges that under Roman law a woman could divorce her husband and remarry. In this case again, it is the behavior of the ...

37. Mark 6: 1-13

Mark 6:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 1:22; 5:20). But now it is going to be Jesus’ turn to be “amazed” — amazed at his home-town’s utter rejection and disbelief of his mission. At first glance it looks like Jesus’ teaching will once again find a willing audience. Mark’s text notes that as Jesus teaches in his home synagogue, those who hear him are “astounded.” But their words quickly reveal that the hometown response to Jesus’ words is going to be quite different than those of the other communities Jesus had visited. Notice ...

38. Mark 1:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... would fulfill all messianic expectations. Jesus enters fully into Jerusalem and immediately, like all Passover pilgrims, goes to the temple itself. Once there he takes a good long look at everything. The Greek “periblepesthai” (used six times by Mark) suggests a critical, piercing scrutiny of a situation. Yet here in Mark’s text Jesus’ survey of the temple and all that was going on there is not immediately followed by the temple “cleansing” scene. Instead the only action Jesus takes is to leave ...

39. Mark 1:14-20

Mark 1:14-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as "here and now" but rather as "come near," highlights the tension that accompanies the arrival of God's "kingdom.") It is both "now" and "not yet." The content and the consequences of Jesus' message also seem to be at odds. On the one hand, Mark describes Jesus' proclamation as "good news," yet, at the same time, this "good news" is such that it demands all hearing it to "repent." Indeed, the call to repentance precedes the call to faith, to "believe." The content of this "good news," therefore, would ...

40. Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... heavenly meaning." That old saw still manages to buzz with the energy of the almost mystical ability Jesus' parables have to invite listeners in and to open their eyes and their hearts. Yet in the first of the two parables read in today's gospel text, Mark 4:26-29, we will see that such a definition may actually lead us away from the central focus of the parable itself. Just what that focus is remains a matter of considerable scholarly discussion. For example, unlike most of Jesus' other well-known parables ...

41. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... or angelic being but simply herself, and as such, Jesus reminds his "amazed" witnesses, they should give her something to eat. Mark has drawn a rising curve of miraculous events here in this section. From Jesus' mastery over nature (calming the wind and ... or angelic being but simply herself, and as such, Jesus reminds his "amazed" witnesses, they should give her something to eat. Mark has drawn a rising curve of miraculous events here in this section. From Jesus' mastery over nature (calming the wind and ...

42. Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... throws off the cumbersome cloak that slows him down. Bartimaeus comes to Jesus just as quickly as he can. Note how Jesus' question to Bartimaeus is the same as he had put before James and John when they also asked a favor of him (see Mark 10:36). Bartimaeus' request, however, is based on his unquestioning faith in Jesus and his recognition of Jesus' unique being. The form of address Bartimaeus uses here, Rabbouni, is an especially formal, respectful term for rabbi or teacher and is used just this once in ...

43. Carrying God's Mark

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

... on our foreheads too. We have them not so other people will know we’re good Christians, but to remind us who we are and to mark us for the Lenten journey ahead. Do you know what Lent is? It’s the forty days before Easter. During these forty days, we’re ... hearts. In fact, that’s the most important place it can be. Closing Prayer: God, be with us in these forty days, as we carry your mark in our hearts and on our lives. Help us to see areas in our lives that need to be changed, and help us to bring ...

44. A Follower has a Mark

Philippians 3:17

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... your friends and all of the people you know understand that you are a Christian and they will want to be like you. When you notice people trying to behave in the same way that you do, then you know that they want to be Christians also. We make a mark in our mind, we remember them and invite them to church, to share in our prayers and to do the things that Christians do together. I hope you will remember what it is like to be a follower of another, and I especially hope you will follow the teachings of ...

45. GOD'S MARK ON YOU

Revelation 7:1-8

Children's Sermon

... different cartons.] Now, one look at this and you can tell we are in a mess. Is there anyone here who can help me out and get my soda pop straightened out? [Choose a volunteer.] How can you tell where they each belong? [Let him answer.] By their labels or marks! Very good. Let's see, one of them says Pepsi Cola, one is Seven Up, one is Coca Cola, and one is Root Beer. Coke goes with Coke, Pepsi with Pepsi, etc. Now I see. And you can tell where they belong by their labels. It is no accident when ...

46. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sent him out, which is why the Twelve are so eager to relate to Jesus "all that they had done and taught." The mission they had carried out was none other than Jesus' own. Jesus' response to his apostles' return is also unique to this moment in Mark. Jesus calls for his disciples to take a rest by going with him to "a deserted place." Unlike Jesus' individual retreats for prayer (cf.1:35; 6:45-46), this appears to be a more physically prompted call for rest. Many exegetes note that by showing this concern ...

47. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and ethnic self-centeredness as well as excuses for limits on loving one's "neighbor." Verses 32-34a are recorded only in Mark's telling of this exchange. The scribe's paraphrase of the commandments Jesus cited reflects typical Jewish touches. He omits the name ... new order of importance may be the prime reason for adding this scribe's surprising observation into this text. At the time Mark's gospel was being completed and read, the temple ruins were fresh. The abrupt loss of the rich tradition of cultic life ...

48. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the temple's fall, as some claim, he could easily have inserted some telling details about its ruin to add to the text's accuracy. But there is no such evidence. The general nature of the destruction prediction has led other scholars to suggest that Mark's gospel was quite likely composed between A.D. 66-69 after several wars and skirmishes; after the early appearance of some very popular false leaders/false prophets (such as Simon Bar Cochba); but before A.D. 70 when the temple was actually destroyed. In ...

49. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... terms of their distinctive traditional symbolism. "The water is a symbol of both purifying and a new life. The Spirit of holiness is the symbol of purity and power" ("Spirit and Wilderness: The Interplay of Two Motifs Within The Hebrew Bible As a Background to Mark 1:2-13," (in Perspectives on Language and Text, ed. Edgar W. Conrad and Edward G. Newings [Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1987], 269-298). Jesus' baptism with the Holy Spirit is likened to baptism with not just water but the water of life. This ...

50. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Hebrew concept of heart included both the emotional and intellectual center of an individual. The heart was both a thinking and a feeling organ. "Soul" in Hebrew is less than "spirit," more than "self", including as it does the human will, needs and desires. Mark's use of "strength" (Greek ischus) instead of "might" is also more literally muscle-bound than the original Hebrew for might (and the Septuagint's Greek dumanis) has less reference to raw muscle and more to an inner source of fortitude. The second ...

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