February 26 / Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20

Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 Demon possession… A scary thought!! I had one encounter with (what I thought was) demon possession. Before we were married Carol and I lived in households a few blocks from each other. Somehow a pair of alcoholics came into our lives – a young man, Bobby, 20’ish, and his female …

February 25 / Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25 And they woke him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38b) Mark has one take on what the disciples said to Jesus. Matthew and Luke have the disciples with a very different perspective: And they went and woke Him, saying, …

February 24 / Matt. 13:44-52; Mark 4:21-29; Luke 8:16-18

Matthew 13:44-52, Mark 4:21-29, and Luke 8:16-18 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous… (Matthew 13:49) It’s worth repeating what Debbie posted a few days ago. At the end of the age it will be the angels sorting the good …

February 23 / Matt. 13:31-35; Mark 4:30-34; Luke 13:18-21

Matthew 13:31-35, Mark 4:30-34, and Luke 13:18-21 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. (Mark 4:34) Mark adds a bit of an explanatory note in verse 34 as to Jesus’ affinity for speaking in parables. Would that we also could sit at His feet …

February 22 / Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Seldom is Jesus so explicit in explaining something to the disciples. But in this case he detailed seven items from the parable: the sower, the field, the good seed, the weeds, the enemy, the harvest, and the reapers. Yes, there are seven elements to the parable, but I’m always fascinated when I …

February 21 / Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15

Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:4-15 Two more Gospel accounts of the Parable of the Sower… I was noticing today the three seed scatterings that had negative outcomes. In the first case, by the wayside, nothing happened – no comment. In the second and third cases, however, seeds sprouted but did not bear fruit. These last …

February 20 / Luke 8:1-3; Matt. 13:1-23

Luke 8:1-3 and Matthew 13:1-23 These three verses in Luke are not likewise covered in any of the other gospels. (For more info, see my first 2019 post below.) Strange that I would be reading this account and my 2019 comments when I have been reflecting on what I might say to the parish tomorrow …

February 19 / Luke 8:19-21, 11:24-36, 12:10-12

Luke 8:19-21, 11:24-36, 12:10-12 Today, Luke’s writing on a number of items that we have covered the past few days in Matthew and Mark, with a number of my 2019 comments repeated in the links below… And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about …