Mark 4:35-5:20 Dear RTB’ers, Jesus calming the storm. At Avanza for many years we used the Jesus Storybook Bible (JSB) for devotionals with the kids. An interesting line comes from the JSB in this incident of Jesus calming the storm. The book has Jesus speaking His calming words, “Peace! Be still!”, and the wind and …
Category Archives: RTB 2025 – Search the Scriptures, Part 2
March 16 / Mark 4:21-34
Mark 4:21-34 Dear RTB’ers, A week ago I mentioned that there were only six items in Mark’s gospel that were not included in any of the other gospels. Today’s parable of the growing seed is one of those six items. This parable contains one precious sentence: He sleeps and rises night and day, and the …
March 15 / Mark 4:1-20
Mark 4:1-20 Dear RTB’ers, The sower and the seed. This one is another gospel reading that has been used for sermons, kid story time, group application activities, etc. – it’s a parable well known to all of us. So, we ask, “What’s new? What have I not seen before?” And my own answer – what …
March 14 / Mark 1-3 Review
Mark 1-3 Dear RTB’ers, Today, reviewing Mark’s first three chapters. STS asks some good questions. I hope you all will spend some time with those. For me, I’m struck again by how fast Mark’s gospel moves, how many different activities in which Jesus is engaged every daily section that we read. I’m also struck by …
March 13 / Mark 3:19b-35
Mark 3:19b-35 Dear RTB’ers, Today, a verse that’s always been confusing to me: But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. (v. 27) The verse is straightforward in itself, but its context has confused me. Why …
March 12 / Mark 3:7-19a
Mark 3:7-19a Dear RTB’ers, The naming of the twelve apostles. When we’ve read through the Bible using The Chronological Study Bible Jesus’ naming of His twelve apostles is reported sequentially in Mark and Luke (Lk. 6:13-16), then later for Matthew (Mt. 10:2-4). The three gospels agree on eleven of the names – Peter and Andrew, …
March 11 / Mark 2:13-3:6
Mark 2:13-3:6 Dear RTB’ers, So many stories today – the calling of Levi (Matthew); fasting; “violating” the Sabbath; healing a man with a withered hand – as John and I have noted in years past, we often have to choose what to comment on. Thankfully STS can guide us into further comments and questions! A …
March 10 / Mark 1:35-2:12
Mark 1:35-2:12 Dear RTB’ers, Today’s second incident involves a paralytic being lowered through the roof into a crowded room where Jesus was preaching and healing, and Jesus’ question to the scribes and Pharisees, Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your …
March 9 / Mark 1:16-34
Mark 1:16-34 Dear RTB’ers, Over the years John and I have worked up our own chronology of Jesus’ early ministry in Jerusalem and Galilee. One of the outcomes of working through those events is that when Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John in today’s reading, it is likely that this was not the first …
March 8 / Mark 1:1-15
Mark 1:1-15 Dear RTB’ers, We leave Numbers and the Old Testament for three weeks before returning to finish the Pentateuch with Deuteronomy later this month. Our New Testament interlude is Mark’s gospel, arguably the first of the four gospels to be written. We can chat about that tomorrow at our RTB gathering. Today Mark covers …