Join Gary Kent on an incredi[Bi]ble journey through the Bible book of Mark. In Mark's book, he presents Jesus as a dynamic man of power. Everything in Mark happens quickly and dramatically. Mark has no time for things like family trees and stories about Jesus birth, he focuses on Jesus' power, ministry and death on the cross. — Visual versions of these devotionals can be watched on our website tij.tv/bible-devotional — The Incredible Journey
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Mark has just told us that Jesus has been taken up into heaven and has sat at God's right hand. And now, we come to the very final statement in the Gospel of Mark. And it is the natural and logical result of what he has just told us. "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the si…
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Jesus has just given his disciples what we call today “The Great Commission,” the instruction to preach the gospel to the whole world. The Gospel of Mark is coming to its dramatic end. "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven, and he sat at the right hand of God". – Mark 16:19…
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Jesus has just told his disciples to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to all creation and that he who believes will be saved. What he tells them next is really striking. "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; a…
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208. Salvation and Condemnation – Mark 16:16
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3:06Jesus has just told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. And now he tells them why this is so important. "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned". – Mark 16:16By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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The risen Lord has appeared to his followers as they are gathered together, and he has rebuked them for their stubborn refusal to believe. Now, he is going to tell them what the next steps are. I wonder what instructions he’s going to give them? "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation". – Mark 16:15…
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Mark continues to recount the list of the initial eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Christ. Finally, he appears to the eleven. I wonder what he will say to them. “Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen”. – Mark …
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The disciples haven’t believed the report of Mary Magdalene that Jesus is alive. So, Jesus tries again. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. – Mark 16:12-13…
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The risen Jesus has just appeared to Mary Magdalene. She is the first to see him, and she returns and tells the disciples. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. – Mark 16:10-11…
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Mark tells us that when the angel announced to the women that Jesus had risen, they fled in fear and confusion, and they initially didn’t tell anyone. From the other Gospels, we know that there was one exception: Mary Magdalene. She went and told the disciples, and then followed Peter and John back to the empty tomb. When they left, she stayed behi…
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On Sunday morning, the women have arrived at the tomb to find the stone rolled away, and an angel who has told them that Jesus has risen from the dead. If you had been with the women that morning, how would you have felt? The reaction of the women was only natural. Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothi…
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The angel at the tomb has just told the women the incredible news that Jesus has risen. But that’s not all he has to tell them! But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ – Mark 16:7By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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As the tomb of Jesus came into view, the women had seen, to their surprise, that the massive stone had somehow been rolled away. In shock and confusion, they hurried to enter the tomb to see what had happened. “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,…
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As the women had walked to the tomb early on Sunday morning, they were worried about how they would ever be able to roll away the stone. Their steps were slow and heavy. As they approached the tomb, they were naturally downcast, contemplating the sad task ahead of them. Let’s see what happens next. But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, …
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198. Who Will Roll the Stone Away? – Mark 16:2
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2:57As the women take that long, sad walk to the tomb of Jesus, they have a very practical question in mind. And their question is yet another marker of the authenticity of Mark’s account of the resurrection. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the s…
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The Sabbath lasted from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Jesus has been in the tomb from late Friday afternoon and throughout all of Saturday and Saturday night. It is now Sunday morning. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. – Mark 16:1…
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196. The Eye-Witnesses to the Burial – Mark 15:47
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2:52The greatest historical claim of Christianity is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This was an absurd claim to make in an ancient culture that considered itself highly sophisticated and in which the concept of bodily resurrection did not exist at all. That’s why the first believers in the resurrection of Jesus were always open to the attack tha…
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Joseph of Arimathea has just placed Jesus’ body in a tomb cut out of rock. It’s very important to notice what he did next. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.– Mark 15:46By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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Now that Pilate has given Joseph of Arimathea permission to have the body, Joseph returns to the place of execution to take charge. He has to move quickly, because the sun is low, and once it sets, the Sabbath begins, during which no work can be done. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a…
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Joseph of Arimathea, a leading member of the Sanhedrin has sought an audience with Pontius Pilate to request the body of Jesus. For many reasons, this was a highly unusual request. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so…
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When criminals were crucified, part of the humiliation was that their bodies weren’t buried. To lie unburied was a matter of great shame in the ancient world. Instead, the bodies of the victims of crucifixion were thrown out into the open among the rubbish, typically to be eaten by the dogs who scavenged among the rubbish heaps and the places of ex…
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Throughout his gospel, Mark highlights how much opposition Jesus received throughout his ministry. And it’s the same at the cross. Mark has already mentioned that the disciples had run for their lives, and we know that John was the only one of their number there. Interestingly, however, Mark doesn’t mention John. Instead, Mark makes a point of high…
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We know that the squad of soldiers assigned the task of actually crucifying Jesus consisted of four soldiers, because the gospel of John tells us that they divided his clothes between them. However, there was also a centurion there at the cross. A centurion usually commanded between 60–100 soldiers. And he had been watching, and listening, all alon…
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Mark has just told us that Jesus has breathed his last. You might expect a deep spiritual reflection or a pause for contemplation. But that is not Mark’s way. He is a man of dramatic action. And Christ’s death was the most dramatic of all actions. That’s why Mark follows immediately with these words, which in their own way point us to the deepest o…
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While the people mock and ridicule him, Jesus is accomplishing the salvation of the world. These next brief words seem to raise a universe of questions. Yet they represent the heart of the Gospel, the centre of redemption, the very core of the plan of salvation. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. – Mark 15:37…
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Jesus has just cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” How you respond to that cry depends on your religious experience. And some of the Jews who were responded in what to us might seem a very strange way. When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a s…
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There had been silence at the cross for three hours amid the darkness. When the darkness lifted, the voice of Jesus was heard again. What he said was his most enigmatic saying from the cross. The stage was set for the final scene. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my…
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While people have tried to explain this darkness as an eclipse or as other forms of natural phenomenon, this was no natural darkness. This was nature itself hiding in the shame of what created creatures had done to the Creator. This was, in reality, the darkest hour of Earth’s history, when the creatures tortured and killed their Creator. There wer…
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Traditionally, we think Jesus was crucified between two thieves: a “good” thief and a “bad” thief. However, this is incorrect. Neither of them were “good”, and neither of them were actually just “thieves.” At the beginning of the crucifixion, Mark tells us that both men crucified with Christ insulted and mocked him, not just one of them. The Greek …
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Here, those at the Cross mockingly call Jesus both the “Messiah” and the “King of Israel.” The Messiah was the one whom God had anointed – the chosen one. The King of Israel was the one whom God had chosen to be his anointed and powerful ruler. Those at the Cross are throwing both these titles into the face of the Saviour in his darkest hour, telli…
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The question has to be asked, “Why did the mob demand the death of Jesus?” After all, during the preceding days, the people of Jerusalem had been coming in their hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, to hear his teaching. A few days ago, they had hailed Jesus as their king, and now they called for his execution. What could have caused this change? …
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181. Come Down From the Cross – Mark 15:29-30
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3:00Roman crucifixion sites were set up on prominent locations along the main roads and entrances to the cities. Crucifixion was a form of propaganda, to show people how powerful Rome was and what would happen to those who did not submit. As horrific as it may seem to us, as they travelled here and there and went about their daily business, the people …
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The Romans didn’t build the most powerful empire the world had ever seen by being inefficient and wasteful. When they crucified people, they did it in batches. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. - Mark 15:27By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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Men who were being led to be crucified carried a placard which announced their crimes, often around their neck. When Jesus was crucified, this placard was then placed on the cross, above his head, for all to see. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. – Mark 15…
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Jesus has been taken to the place of execution. Now he is to be crucified. Unlike what we might expect, his crucifixion isn’t described in graphic, harrowing detail. Instead, it’s described in a few simple, stark words. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. – Mark 15:24 When Mark says, “And they…
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Jesus is being led through the streets of Jerusalem to the place of execution. After having been savagely beaten, he is staggering under the weight of the cross. Now we are going to meet one of the really interesting characters in the gospel of Mark. His name is a common one, yet his role in history is anything but common. A certain man from Cyrene…
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Every city in the Roman empire had its place of execution. In Jerusalem, it was called Golgotha. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). – Mark 15:22 The people of ancient times were careful to keep death out of their cities. If you ever travel and visit the ruins of any Greek or Roman cities, you wil…
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The Jews had a tradition of offering those about to be executed a strong narcotic made with wine mixed with frankincense and myrrh in order to ease the pain. It was probably the women who had followed him to the place of execution who offered Jesus this kindness. Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. – Mark 15:23 The …
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After Jesus had been savagely beaten and brutalised in the early hours of the morning, now it was time for the main event. Then they led him out to crucify him. – Mark 15:20By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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The Roman garrison is staging a mock coronation ceremony for Jesus because they have heard him called the “king of the Jews.” They placed a purple robe on him and pressed a crown of thorns onto his head. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on …
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Now that Jesus has been sentenced to death, he is now handed over to the Roman garrison. But first, they have a little game they want to play. The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on h…
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Pilate has just asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus. And they have called for him to be crucified. So now, Pilate makes the fatal decision. "Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified". – Mark 15:15By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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Pilate has just asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus. But it’s never a good idea to ask the crowd about moral issues. “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” - Mark 15:13-14By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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169. What Will I Do With Jesus? – Mark 15:12
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2:39The crowd has just asked Pilate to release Barabbas to them instead of Jesus. This doesn’t help Pilate with the problem of what to do with Jesus, and so he asks the crowd. What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. – Mark 15:12By Gary Kent – The Incred[B]ible Journey
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Pilate was a brutal prefect of Judaea. One of his key jobs was to keep the Jews peaceful and quiet, and in this he failed miserably. There were, however, some practices that he supported which aimed to keep the people happy. One of these was the custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover. Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner …
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Peter has just denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would. When the reality of who you really are, catches up with you, it can be a very sobering moment. And so it was for Peter. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. – M…
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Now that they have their hands-on Jesus, his enemies make their plans for how to kill him. Let’s see what happens next. Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. – Mark 15:1…
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Very early in the morning, Jesus has been handed over, bound, to Pilate. As the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pilate was the only person in the nation with the authority to impose the death penalty, so what Jesus says to him is important. Again, we get to listen in. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chi…
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Remember Peter? While Jesus is being tried before the Sanhedrin, and while he is being spat on and beaten, Peter is still there, warming himself by the fire. In fact, it’s probably because of Peter that we know what went on in Caiaphas’ palace, because Peter overheard the trial of Jesus from the courtyard. So, now the story turns to Peter.…
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The High Priest Caiaphas has just asked Jesus directly if he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and for the first time, Jesus has responded. In his response, he has gone way beyond identifying himself as the Messiah. In using the name, “I Am,” Jesus has unequivocally identified himself as being Jehovah God. Not only that, but Jesus has identified hims…
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During his trial before the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus refuses to answer the many accusations made against him. An infuriated High Priest has just stood up and demanded that Jesus answer the charges. And still, Jesus says not a word. Caiaphas, who is used to being in charge, seems to have completely lost control of the situation. So, now Caiaphas …
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