And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding?
Mark 7:14–23 ESV
Tag: Jesus
Book of Mark – Jesus Walking on Water
And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Mark 6:48–52 ESV
The disciples wondered who is Jesus? He can feed more than 5000 people, but is he just a miracle worker? Or is he a good prophet? No, more than that, Jesus is God. For only God can walk on water!
Book of Mark – The Lamp Under a Basket
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:21-25 ESV
Book of Mark – The Meaning of Parables of The Sower
The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:14-20 ESV
Which soil are you? :)
Book of Mark – The Secret of the Kingdom
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
Mark 4:10-13 ESV
Book of Mark – The Unforgivable Sin
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Mark 3:28-30 ESV
By saying that Jesus has unclean spirit and that Jesus is driving satan with the power of the demon the Pharisees are in a danger position for they won’t be able to get forgiveness from God. Not trusting Jesus as God’s way of forgiveness puts them in a position where they won’t be forgiven, therefore they are guilty of eternal sin. :(
Book of Mark – The New and The Old
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Mark 2:21-22 ESV
Jesus explains with another 2 examples that when the new one has come and fulfil the needs, why go back to the old way and use the old method? Because indeed Jesus has come to fulfil the Old Testament therefore there was no need to do the old tradition. Jesus has come to forgive the sins of humanity and he stood as the sacrifice for our sin therefore don’t bring the old law and try to forcefully use it as a patch! :) Isn’t it great the fact that we just need to enjoy the new wine in the new wineskin :)
The old is gone and the new has come!