Mark’s gospel: Days 21-30

Hello
People fill the streets when someone famous comes to town, whether it’s a red carpet for a movie star or an open-top bus parade for a cup-winning football team. But the banners aren’t often waving on the arrival of a religious person but that’s where Day 21 begins. Crowds jostle, the noise is deafening as Jesus rolls up in a stretched limo… er, sorry… make that a donkey!

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 11:1-33. 

Think 

You don’t put your coat on a dusty, stone road for just anybody. You do it for royalty. The people waving tree branches and flinging down cloaks are welcoming Jesus into the capital city as if he’s a king. But then he does something very un-regal. Entering the temple, he begins to kick around tables and scream his lungs out. Now, Jesus isn’t in need of anger management here: he’s making a stand against the corruption of God’s holy place. He’s kicking up a storm about how far God’s people have strayed from God’s purposes. God has been squeezed out of his own home by corrupt, overly religious, people on the take, and he isn’t pleased about it. Who did this young penniless preacher think he was? The ‘holier-than-thou’ entourage end up wrong-footed when Jesus corrects them about his ‘right’ to do such things. You see, it all stems back to Day 1’s reading where a voice broke through the sky saying, ‘This is my son whom I love.’ There’s the answer, right there. Jesus is the true king, God’s own son. He has the right (or authority) to do anything. Especially to put his Father’s house back in order.

Pray 

Today’s reading is a good example of Jesus getting angry with the things wrong with this world. What do you think is unjust or unfair about life today? Homelessness? Racism? Violence? Pray for change in our world.

Live It

Now, think of ways you could be the answer to your own prayer today. How could you be the peacemaker? What do you need to do to effectively challenge discrimination? Other than buying a copy of ‘The Big Issue’ is there anything else you can do to help address homelessness? Ask God to break your heart for some of these issues.

Repeat

It’s the beginning of the end for Jesus. He makes enemies of influential people by disrupting the temple. By the end of the week, he will pay the price with his own life. The city now welcoming him like a king will soon be calling for his execution. Don’t miss a day as we uncover Jesus’ final days.

Hello
Welcome to Fight Night! In the red corner, the Pharisees, and their usual suspects. In the blue corner, Jesus and his raggedy bunch of uneducated fishermen. Day 22 begins with the religious leaders once again baying for Jesus’ blood. Armed with trick questions designed to trip up this Galilean upstart, the Pharisees are soon going to learn Jesus has one or two surprises up his sleeve, too. Firstly, a parable that pulls no punches.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 12:1-17.

Think
Jesus has done away with the codes. Here’s a parable which the religious leaders will understand straight away! God represents the vineyard owner, God’s people are the vineyard; those sent with warnings symbolise the rejected Old Testament prophets, and the beloved son is Jesus. The parable predicts what the Pharisees and other religious leaders will do to Jesus by the end of the week: kill him. The story is aimed squarely at them and don’t they just know it! Fuming, they want to kick-start ‘Operation Crucify Jesus’ on the spot. But they know the crowds will riot. And so, they look for a way to trap Jesus. With wet palms and limp handshakes, they butter him up, ready to catch Jesus off guard, ‘Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ There! We’ve got him on the ropes now. If he says ‘yes’, he’ll be accused of supporting Rome, the enemy. If he says ‘no’, he’ll be arrested for treason against Rome. As always, Jesus boxes clever, saying, ‘yes, pay the tax – after all the man has a job to do. But more importantly, give to God what is God’s – which is everything!’

Pray
If Jesus says give ‘everything to God’, what do you find hardest to hand over? Ask God to help you in this.  

Live It
Putting God first in your life is a choice. Try shooting up a quick prayer in your head at various points of your day. You’d be surprised how much there is to be thankful for once you start looking for it!  

Repeat
Notice how many times the religious leaders try to trap Jesus. Time is running out – they want him out of the picture by the Passover festival but how can you outsmart the brain of God? You can’t. Which is why dirty tactics and downright lies will be flung in Jesus’ face. Find out more as the next few days unfold.  

Hello

Compared to the lives of the rich and famous, our everyday living can feel a bit puny. Worthless. Small-time. Appearances can be misleading. Millionaires and holy rollers are nothing compared to widows on a pension, according to Jesus’ logic. Find out why on Day 23.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 12:18-44

Think
Prayer warriors can make us feel like prayer wimps. Some people seem to open their mouths and a long, flowing stream of petitions and pleas, worship and devotion come pouring out. Others seem to um and ah. Thoughts zig and zag. Distractions crowd in. Praying seems like hard work. Jesus seems to be warning us here about putting on a show. Long and lengthy prayers mean nothing if your heart isn’t in it. Whilst talking about performing to the crowds, Jesus accuses the teachers of the law of faking it. Appearing as holy, but hungry to line their own pockets! Maybe he’s asking us the same sort of questions today? Are you really in it for God, or for what you can get out of it? If we’re here to sit back and not serve, we’ve missed the point. The way of Jesus is giving not getting.

Pray
Don’t think for a second that God is waiting for you to get your act together with praying. He’s far more interested in the real you, not some well-oiled prayer machine with all the right words. Picture Jesus stood next to you and talk to him naturally as you would to a friend.

Live it
Relax. God knows what you need. Instead of being preoccupied with getting, think how you can get creative in responding to God’s giving. Ask somebody who doesn’t know God’s generosity, how you can best pray for them. Make a fuss of others, and watch God make a fuss of you.

Repeat
Generosity breeds generosity. Kindness results in more kindness. Selfishness bankrupts love. Jesus ends today’s story by contrasting rich people, who can afford to splash the cash in the temple, with the poor widow who can barely scrape together loose change. Her offering means more to God, as she gives with her whole heart, a life’s savings. Once more (spoiler alert) we’re ahead of the game looking to Jesus who will give his very life as an offering to God. See you tomorrow.

Hello
In recent years, ‘gender reveal’ parties have become the norm. Parents-to-be make an event of their as-yet unnamed baby’s gender using coloured balloons or sponge cake. How nice, except our cute little ceremony conveniently misses out the true revelation of childbirth: pain! Day 24, Jesus compares the screaming, crying, and groaning of life to the pangs of giving birth. New life, or God’s kingdom, is being born so we should expect one or two labour pains.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 13:1-37.

Think
Justice, peace, love, truth, and mercy will be the norm when God’s kingdom fully arrives. In the meantime, we shouldn’t be surprised to see tragic pictures of earthquakes or children starving in our newspapers. We shouldn’t be shocked to see countries at war or acts of terrorism on our TVs. They’re distressing signs that the world is groaning with labour pains, waiting for God to put things right once and for all. Jesus tells us not to sit around thinking about timetables for the end of the world but to keep watch. To stay alert. Not to fall asleep on the job and wash our hands of all responsibility. We’re to admit our part in what’s wrong with the world, do a ‘three-point turn in the road’; and start living like God’s kingdom has already come. By being slow to anger, quick to forgive, loving no matter what cost, we can begin to play our part in putting God’s world right-side up today.

Pray
Is there anything you need to do a ‘three-point turn’ on? Maybe your anger is out of control, or you find it hard to forgive someone. Ask God to help you with it.

Live It
Ask yourself: is there anyone you need to say sorry to, or anything you need to put right today? Then be brave and do it!  

Repeat
40 years after Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple, history books tell us that it was burnt down, destroying the city and killing thousands of Jews. Jesus’ words came true! More importantly, Jesus’ own predictions about his death and resurrection are about to come true.  

Hello
Day 25 of our Bible reading starts with a woman smashing open her best bottle of finest perfume on Jesus’ feet. Those looking on feel embarrassed. And not for the first time in Mark’s gospel, the women get it right, whilst the men get it wrong.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 14:1-25. 

Think
Passover was supposed to be a celebration – a kind of Christmas Day before turkey and sprouts were dreamed up. Everyone in Jerusalem ate the Passover meal in remembrance of how God had rescued the Jewish people from slavery in the days of Moses (for the full story, check out Exodus 12 in the Bible). Yet there are no party poppers popping tonight; Jesus seems troubled. Judas seems jumpy. Jesus takes the bread and wine, as he’d done before, only this time he looked pained. Were those tears in his eyes? ‘Remember this,’ he said, voice breaking mid-sentence. And the atmosphere grew unbearable. Judas slipped away into the night. And the darkest drama in history began. Christians today still remember this painful story as they break bread and pour wine during church services.

Pray
The disciples must have painful memories about the last supper before Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. No doubt, you have your own painful memories about a personal situation. Ask God to bring healing from the pain.  

Live It
Get involved in a communion service at a church near you. Take the bread and wine and thank Jesus for his incredible sacrifice. If you’re trying to steer clear of alcohol most churches offer a non-alcoholic alternative.

Repeat
Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? First kiss? First fight? Memory makes us who we are. Jesus asks us to remember his last supper because it reminds us of who we are: friends at his dinner table. It reminds us of what he has done: poured out his blood like wine and broken his body like bread. Tomorrow, we begin to follow Jesus’ dark steps to the cross, as Mark’s gospel begins to narrow into clear focus.  

Hello
You join us on Day 26 in the quiet of Gethsemane Gardens. It’s cold and late. A dog howls in the distance, a small animal scurries into the plants. Jesus is getting up to rejoin his disciples. What a privilege to be with Jesus in his hour of need. What a shame the disciples are caught napping on the job! Think of the opportunities we miss by not being awake. God is about to write the most important chapter in history and the disciples have nodded off.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 14:27-51

Think
When a church leader falls, it can shake the faith of the congregation. A politician caught in a scandal can lose the confidence of a nation. A football team slips down the league table, when the players stop believing in the coach. We don’t like to see our leaders in a state of weakness. Picture the disciples as Jesus appears edgy, in the garden. He’s sweating blood. Where has the Jesus of previous chapters gone? The one stronger than a legion of demons, the Jesus who can force storms into submission. Now he looks like he’s falling apart. What are we to make of him? Even his prayers seem powerless. Three times he prays to be rescued from the situation. Instead of being whisked from the nightmare, his own friends add to the darkness. Simon sleeps, whilst Judas appears with a torchlit mob. There’s no turning back now. The beginning of the end starts with a kiss.

Pray
If even Jesus received a ‘no’ to his prayers, we shouldn’t be surprised when we don’t always get what we ask for. Bring to God something close to your heart and dare to pray ‘not my will, but your will be done.’

Live it
Be the opposite of those sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, by setting your alarm an extra hour early to pray tomorrow morning.

Repeat
There are times in our lives when we too face ‘cups’- circumstances we’d rather avoid, burdens we wish weren’t ours to carry. Like Jesus, we can ask God to remove them, but in the end, it’s not about avoiding the cup, but trusting the One who holds it. Trusting God sometimes looks like surrendering to Him. Join us tomorrow when Jesus surrenders to the rigged trials of the Sanhedrin – not because he was weak, but because he was willing. 

Hello
The most famous trial in history is about to begin. The accused is dragged into court. The jury rise. The magistrate takes his seat. Who’s that in the dock, standing trial? A man with a bust-up lip and bloodied hair stuck to his forehead. Bring on the first witness in the trial of humanity versus God.

Read
Mark 14:53 – Mark 15:15

Think
At last, the masks are off, the secrets out, and the coded messages of the parables left behind. Jesus admits to being the Messiah, the one sent by God to save the world. Now the religious leaders can present Jesus as some rebel king bent on the destruction of Rome. Jewish law didn’t permit the execution of anybody, but Roman law did. In fact, the Romans reserved special treatment for would-be anarchist guerrilla leaders: crucifixion. So, after a series of taunts and games, the chief priests dump Jesus on the doorstep of Pilate, the Roman in charge. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent – this carpenter is no threat to Rome – but he isn’t interested in fair trials. For the sake of keeping the peace (and preventing full scale riots) he bows to public pressure. Jesus must die.

Pray
After shouting about God’s goodness, Jesus now knows to be quiet in front of Pilate. Ask God to help you know when to talk about your faith and when to keep quiet.

Live it

Jesus tells the truth, and it costs him his life. Simon Peter tells a whopping lie, and it saves his bacon. Of course, Jesus had predicted this would happen. Sometimes taking the easy way out might save our skin in the short term, but in the long term it costs us our integrity. The truth might set you free, but it can also cost you dearly. Promise to tell the truth anyway.

Repeat
The story of Barabbas paints a picture of what Jesus has done for us. Barabbas, a dangerous terrorist who deserves to die, walks away free; Jesus dies instead. Similarly, even after all the wrongs we have done we get to walk free, as Jesus takes our punishment. When we see Jesus doing for us what we could not do for ourselves we are at the very heart of Mark’s gospel. We are at the bullseye of the Christian experience: free by the grace of God. Tomorrow, we look at the cost of our freedom – Jesus on the cross. Be sure to join us next time.

Hello
Day 28 is an extremely important part of our month in Mark’s gospel. Throughout the story, Mark has given us more than a nod that Jesus is the Son of God. The voice of God has declared it at his baptism (Day 1), the parable of the wicked tenants (Day 22) spoke of it, and in yesterday’s reading, Jesus himself admitted it (Day 28). Today we see what God’s son was sent to do. A dark cloud of evil descends on Jesus as he absorbs all the suffering, sin, and death of this world into his crucified body.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 15:16-39. 

Think
The troops have beaten him, the crowds laughed at him, and the disciples deserted him. Jesus must face the cross alone. When evil has played its last hand and Jesus has died, it is left to an unbelieving soldier to have the last word. ’Surely this man was the Son of God!’ The first voice of sanity is left to a war-hardened thug, who thinks nothing of killing a man like we might kill a fly. From now on God’s kingdom is open to us all. Jesus’ death tears the curtain between God and humankind. The temple is as good as finished; Jesus is now the only ‘temple’ we need to worship God. The sin that would separate us from God’s presence is dealt with on the cross. Evil has been paid off; God has footed the bill himself. From now on, we know where God is when we hurt, when we think we can’t find him – he’s hanging on a cross. He’s taking on our pain. This is a God who understands what it feels like to suffer. This is the God of love. This is our God.

Pray
Imagine Jesus on the cross. Hear the crowds goad him, watch the evil of it all, look at that broken figure. Jesus did that for you. Edge nearer to the cross and tell him what you need to tell him.

Live It
There are three other versions of Jesus’ death in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Check them all out. Try to think of them as stories of love. Keep in mind that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Repeat
Jesus’ work is complete. It has taken him 33 years to show people the way back to God. He’s used stories, miracles, healings and finally his own life. With his last breath, he utters, ‘It is finished.’ But the good news has only just begun. Stay with us for the last few days as we begin to glimpse Jesus’ mission for us at the end of Mark’s gospel.

Hello
What’s the mood in camp like on Day 29: disbelief, grief, fear? Until yesterday, Jesus had always been the one in control. He controlled nature by calming a storm. He controlled the laws of physics by feeding 5,000 with a small packed lunch. He controlled crowds with his short sharp parables and healings. But now it looks like the religious leaders and the Romans are in control: sealing his fate by sentencing him to death. Now Jesus is dead, everything is out of control. The disciples hide, scattered around the city. Enter the unsung heroes of the gospel story.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 15:42-47. 

Think
Not everybody at Jesus’ trial wanted him out of the picture. Take Joseph of Arimathea. He was a member of the Jewish council, and he must’ve sniffed a political stitch-up when he saw it. Why else does he find the courage to ask Pilate for the battered body? He goes to Golgotha, lowers the crossbeam, picks out the nails from the torn flesh and carries the twisted frame of Jesus in a cloth and places him in a tomb. He gives up his own grave. He does the right thing. More importantly, he’s created a space for God’s next miracle. He’s given a space or a room for the miracle that will change the world. Just as Mary, Jesus’ mother, had given space in her womb to grow God’s son for nine months (Luke 1:26 – 2:30), Joseph has given God a space for the resurrection (we’ll get to that tomorrow).

Pray
Joseph of Arimathea has given Jesus a resting place. God has set everything up for the next part of the story. But for now, everything must rest, including Jesus’ body. Pray for great rest for yourself.

Live It
Joseph of Arimathea created a space for God to work a miracle. How could you create space in your life for God to work the unexpected? Think about what things you could drop to create more time to be with God.

Repeat

Today’s reading was only six verses long. It is, however, one of the strangest short pieces in the Bible. Why? Well, it’s the only part of the story where Jesus seems lifeless. Contrary to all the bumper stickers, for one day only, Jesus isn’t alive. But watch out, the most extraordinary event in the history of this planet is just around the corner. Is that the sound of Jesus rising you can hear?

Hello
And welcome to not only the most important part of your Bible – but also to the most important day of your life! It’s Day 30. Jesus has been telling the disciples time and time again he would suffer, be killed, and rise again from the dead. So far, they’ve not understood this, probably thinking he was talking in riddles. But he wasn’t. And just to prove it, here he is, back from the grave and live in person. The resurrected Jesus.

Read
Today’s reading is from Mark 16:1-8.

Think
It must have been a depressing walk to the garden early that Sunday morning. Their minds remembering only last week Jesus being welcomed to the city as a hero. Next the bloodthirsty crowds crying out for his execution. And then his battered body left lifeless on a cross. Not only was it the death of their closest friend, but the death too of all their hopes and dreams. They thought he would save them, but he couldn’t even save himself. As they wound through tired streets, they turned a corner and froze. The tomb was wide open! Cautiously they crept in. Empty! What? How? Who? And then the man in white – where had he come from? ‘You’re looking for Jesus. He isn’t here. He’s been raised to life.’ But they’d seen him die with their very own eyes.

How could this be? Had grief toppled over into madness? The greatest miracle ever! That’s what had happened! Jesus is alive. The trouble is they’ve been so preoccupied they’ve forgotten what Jesus said he would do with hurt and shame and death. He would defeat it. Well now he has. An empty tomb is the proof.

Pray
Nothing is ever dead and buried with God. Our hopes, our dreams, our promises… just when you think they’re dead, God can bring them back to life. Pray he’ll revive those precious things you thought were gone.

Live It
Eagle-eyed readers may notice an ‘extra ending’ in Mark 16. Scholars think the original may have been lost or that Mark ended it abruptly on purpose. Verses 16:9–20 were likely added later by Christians wanting a tidier close, borrowing from the other gospels. These verses urge us to spread the good news: Jesus is alive, sin defeated, and life’s purpose made clear. So why not join in and start telling people about him?

Repeat
That’s Mark’s gospel done! Bible expert? Not quite. The Bible isn’t a DM—you don’t read once and delete. Keep reading to discover more about God and his unfolding story. Why not try Acts next—it picks up after Jesus ascends to heaven and follows his disciples. As for Mark— this is the end. Au revoir!