Exploring the Scriptures Together
Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25 “Notice what you notice.” HAPPY EASTER!! So today we leave Galilee for the first time in months, ever since Jesus came to Nazareth and Cana after leaving Jerusalem. While Matthew and Luke have Jesus getting into a boat on just “any day”, Mark has Jesus leaving in the …
Continue reading “April 21 / Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25”
Mark 4:26-29, 33-34 “Notice what you notice.” Mark adds to Matthew’s seven parables in chapter 13 with one of his own, the Parable of the Growing Seed – a parable found only in Mark. Frankly, to me, it’s something of a romantic parable: …first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the …
Mark 4:21-25 and Luke 8:16-18 “Notice what you notice.” …for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away (Luke 6:18). We saw this verse earlier in Matthew (and also today in Mark) – I remember texting …
Matthew 13:44-52 “Notice what you notice.” Another late evening RTB for me… We’ve just got a lot going on that requires daytime hours. Sorry to those of you who wait for my note to begin your reading…!! So today, two similar parables (Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Value) and one “end-time” parable, similar to …
Matthew 13:31-33, Mark 4:30-32, and Luke 13:18-21 “Notice what you notice.” Two parables today – the mustard seed and leaven. A common denominator seems to be growth. The mustard seed is small, yet when planted grows into a 10-foot tree. And leaven “grows” the flour mixture to make bread or cakes. But the two examples …
Continue reading “April 17 / Matt. 13:31-33; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-21”
Matthew 13:34-43 “Notice what you notice.” I keep seeing “the house”: Then He left the crowds and went into the house (v. 36). I just find it fascinating that Jesus has “a house” to go into. In addition, whenever I see “the house”, I just expect that He is in Capernaum, staying with Peter. Nothing …
Matthew 13:24-30 “Notice what you notice.” Matthew’s Parable of the Weeds (Tares)… Jesus’ explanation for this parable comes tomorrow, so be careful not to try to explain the parable or make too much of the meaning behind the story. This is the first of six “kingdom of heaven” parables in this chapter, with Jesus using …
Luke 8:4-15 “Notice what you notice.” Luke’s account of the Parable of the Sower… In spite of being the shortest of the three accounts of this parable, Luke has two items that the other writers do not have. The first is in verse 8, As He said these things, He cried out (or He called …
Mark 4:13-20 “Notice what you notice.” I try to remain true to our guideline for this year, “Notice what you notice.” And often it’s a small thing – and again today. Mark 4:14 says, The sower sows the word. That doesn’t sound like anything earth-shattering, but it was a sentence that was missing in Matthew, …
Mark 4:1-12 “Notice what you notice.” Today is Mark’s account of the Parable of the Sower. As with Matthew’s account, the parable comes today with the explanation tomorrow. Yesterday I dealt with minutia, a focus on the word “has” in Matthew’s Gospel. That focus was, in part, because Matthew is the only account of this …