Well, dear friend. What a wonderful way to spend the last month, studying with you the earliest written gospel about the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we serve! I’ve learned so much as I’ve read this book with an eye to see Jesus and know Him better. How about you?
Here are some things that stood out to me about Jesus as I read this book:
- Jesus loved all sorts of people. He healed, admonished, taught, and touched them. Children, women, tax collectors, rich young rulers, disciples, lepers … all received His attention and often His compassion.
- Jesus taught with authority. He was confident about Who He was, Son of Man, Son of God, the great I AM. From his earliest times in the synagogue, to His quiet confidence at His trials, it was clear He was, indeed, the King of kings.
- Jesus loved stories. He told parables and showed parables like the withered fig tree. His stories are memorable and help us further grasp His message to us.
- Jesus loved the Father and modeled for us the perfect way to live in harmony with God – early morning prayer and constant all-day listening to God – and a passion to fulfill His Father’s will. He was laser-focused on God Himself and all He did was done to glorify and honor the one true God, of Whom He was and is a triune part.
- Jesus came to serve – not to be served. He served physically, to the point of exhaustion. He served as He taught. He served most of all as a “ransom for many” when He died for us. He is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. Blessed be His Name!
My recorded verse: Mark 16:7 “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
My response: Another clue that Peter was Mark’s source!! That the angel would say Peter’s name specifically would have touched Peter to the core. Lord Jesus, I love how you loved Peter and did not exclude him from the work because of his dismal denial. Thank You for the forgiveness and restoration you offered him and that you continually offer to us as well.
If you are curious about the different endings for Mark, I highly recommend this article on the internet from The Gospel Coalition. I read several and I liked this one best as an explanation: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/what-do-you-do-with-the-end-of-marks-gospel/
I’d love to hear from you. What did you find most memorable about this study? What are you going to study next? Let’s keep meeting with God each and every day, studying His Word and learning more and more. If you would like another study with guidance from me, I recommend my latest book, Give Me Wings to Soar. We’ll do some devotional study and then study several books of the Bible together, using this 4R Method. You can order the book through our SHOP tab on this website or through Amazon or Christianbook.com.
We are also hoping that most of you are able to donate $10 to help with the costs of this study. You can donate securely at sweetselah.org/donations.
In any case, thank you for journeying with me for this amazing month of study! I’m grateful for you and so proud of you in a “mama” sort of way for sticking with the study. Well done. Love and hugs, Sharon
PS – Make sure you watch the last video, too, on the last two chapters of Mark. I’ll be posting it around the same time as this last study.