Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, October 12, 2011

• Mark 16:9-20 – Some argue that this section uses different words and phrases than are used elsewhere in Mark. Others criticize this as a very weak argument for the omission of these verses. Some also argue that the language does show that Mark wrote it. The majority of old manuscripts (with the exception of the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) include these verses.
• Mark 16:17 – This is specifically referring to the apostles, although it may also refer to those who believed and had been given spiritual gifts by the apostles. It certainly does not refer to all believers up to the present time, as we know from other passages.
• Conclusions: points to remember
• The Gospel of Action
• This was written to a people under persecution. It shows why people should risk persecution to follow Jesus. Mark concentrates on the miracles of Jesus to show His power.
• Less is more
• Mark gives a much shorter telling of the story than the other gospels. He is brief in his writing and skips details in order to get to the main point quickly.
• Jesus is Lord

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, October 5, 2011

• Mark 16:9 – Accounting for Jesus being the tomb for three days:
• Acts 10:3,9,23,24,30 – Example of time accounting in the New Testament. Cornelius counts the time as four days, but we would probably call it three days since it was roughly 72 hours. Cornelius counted the partial first and fourth days as full days.
• II Chronicles 10:5,2 – This is another example from the Old Testament.
• Matthew 27:63-64 – Jesus’ enemies certainly understood Jesus about time.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, September 7, 2011

• Mark 14:72 – We should be like Peter in the way that he rebounded and served God after he sinned.
• Mark 15:1 – See John 18:31.
• Mark 15:5 – Besides fulfilling prophecy in His silence, there was no reason for Jesus to speak. Pilate already knew He was innocent and pronounced the death sentence anyway.
• Mark 15:10 – The Jews envied the power and authority of Jesus.
• Mark 15:24 – See Acts 2:23,36; I Corinthians 1:18; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 2:24.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, August 31, 2011

• Mark 14:60-62 – See Proverbs 26:4-5. Jesus followed the advice in Proverbs about dealing with fools.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, August 24, 2011

• Mark 14:22 – Jesus meant that the bread and fruit of the vine were memorials of His body and blood. This was a figure of speech. He did not mean that the bread and fruit of the vine literally became His body and blood.
• I Corinthians 12:27 – a similar figure regarding Christ’s body
• I Corinthians 11:23-26
• Mark 14:25 – Jesus did drink of the fruit of the vine again on earth after His resurrection. “That day” shows that Jesus was pointing to a specific day when He would drink it again, which ties in with the examples we have of early Christians partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week.
• Mark 14:33 – See Philippians 4:6. Jesus did not violate this verse by being anxious about His impending crucifixion because the verse is stressing the importance of bringing our troubles to God. This is exactly what Jesus did by praying in the garden.
• Mark 14:36 – In a similar way, we must deny ourselves and obey God’s will in order to be pleasing to Him. Jesus may simply be praying that the whole ordeal would pass quickly, rather than praying that He would escape it completely. He knew it was His mission to die on the cross, so it would not make sense for Him to pray against His mission.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, August 10, 2011

• Mark 13:33 – Whether or not this is talking about the end of the world, we must be on the alert. See II Peter 3:10-12.
• Compare the order of the accounts in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 17. The order seems to imply that all of these chapters are talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.
• Mark 14:7 – Jesus was prophesying His own death, which was coming very soon.
• Mark 14:12 – The feast of Unleavened Bread took place for seven days once a year.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, August 3, 2011

• Mark 13:14 – See Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-16; Luke 21:20-21; Luke 19:41-44. This is talking about the time when foreign armies would come to destroy Jerusalem. This is not referring to the end of the world.
• Mark 13:19 – The Old Covenant would be done away with in a physical way.
• Mark 13:24-27 – Compare language in Isaiah 13,19,34; Jeremiah 4; Ezekiel 30,32; Joel 2. This type of language usually refers to one nation overpowering another. It seems to be the same case here.
• Mark 13:31 – This may or may not signal a transition to a discussion of the end of the world.
• Mark 13:32-33 – Many believe this is talking about the end of the world (see Matthew 25:13). The disciples did not know when Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, although they did have clues to look for.

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Podcast: Download

By David Watson

Benchley, July 6, 2011

• Mark 11:20-21 – These fig trees produced immature fruit and leaves at the same time. If the tree had leaves and no fruit, it would not have fruit for the entire season.
• Mark 11:22-24 – Jesus is not just giving the apostles a blank check to do whatever they want with God’s power. He is showing the importance of their faith.
• Mark 11:25-26 – See Matthew 6:15; 18:35. This lesson of taking care of our earthly relationships in order to have a healthy spiritual relationship is also taught in Mark 5:23-24; I John 2:10-11; Matthew 22:39; I Peter 3:7; Ephesians 6:1-9.