Tag: Mark

It seems that Jesus was testing the faith of the apostles by first appearing to Mary Magdalene and having her witness that he was risen before appearing to the apostles Himself. The test wasn’t that he appeared to a woman, it was whether they had the faith to believe the unbelievable when it came from…

Why did the Roman soldiers mock Jesus and clothe Him in purple and place the crown of thorns in His head? This was not soldiers simply doing their duty, these were course men taking pleasure in torturing an apparently helpless subject. While they may not have truly understood the identity and character of the one…

Would Jesus have chosen to have the woman amount him with all that expensive oil? It’s possible He would not have recommended that action if she had asked Him in advance (we can’t know). When He told the disciples to let her alone and not trouble her for the actions she had taken there is…

I’ve known the prophecy that “this generation shall not all pass away” which is the wording here in Mark but I thought it interesting that Joseph Smith—Matthew clearly has it as “that generation” meaning the generation when the listed signs would be given. That one makes more sense to me.

I’ve always wondered why Christ cursed the fig tree. When it says that the time of figs was not yet that makes it sound even less rational. (Personally I think that is likely wrong. It seems more likely that the time it guys was past or fully due.) But it occurred to me that cursing…

I’ve never noticed the wording in Mark about divorce. “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery”—that’s consistent—”against her” (that’s new in Mark 10:11). And “if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery”—that’s an important variation on the idea that she who was put…

It sounds like the failure to wash hands was a pattern rather than an isolated incident with the disciples of Jesus. It also sounds like lack of faith by the father of the boy was part of the reason the disciples could not cast out that spirit, not just insufficient faith by the disciples.

It sounds as if Herod had a fascination with Jesus and that if it weren’t for the influence of Herodias he would not have imprisoned John, let alone killed him.

Why did Jesus send the possessed man to his family and friends (and allow him to tell what Christ had done for him—unlike others) when he wished to follow Jesus? I personally suspect that Jesus wanted him to experience normal life rather than going from one kind of another life to a different type. His…

The fundamental difference between Christ and John the Baptist or the Pharisees that was manifest in the fasting of their disciples became clear to me tonight. The Pharisees, and Jews generally in the days of Christ, were teaching the law of Moses and looking for the coming of a Messiah to save them. Thus they…