Why Jesus Taught in Parables

Parables, by their very nature, are not easy to understand… at least, not at first.

A parable is a unique type of story designed to promote observation, meditation, and action. A parable that does not invite this sort of deep thinking and eventual active response to the meaning contained within the story is not a parable after all. Although parables are challenging to understand, they are not impossible to understand. In fact, Jesus told his parables expecting his hearers to understand after they had reflected deeply enough on it. We can see this point made in two particular places within Matthew and Mark. We’ll look at Mark first.

After Jesus tells his parable about a very small seed that becomes a very large tree, Mark gives us some insight into Jesus’s motivation with his parables. “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand” (Mk 4:33, NIV). Interesting, huh?

We can sometimes get into the habit of thinking that Jesus told parables with one motivation in mind—to keep his hearers from understanding. But it’s not that simple. One of the results of the parables is that some do not hear and thus do not understand. Another is that some folks do hear and understand because of the nature of the parables. Jesus wanted people to hear and understand his message about the kingdom of God and their place in it. So he told parables in pursuit of this goal, all the while knowing that there would be some who closed their ears (and eyes) to the message he was announcing. Even though Jesus knew and made it clear that there would be plenty of people who refused to listen to what he was saying, we must not suppose that Jesus’s sole motivation in speaking in parables was to keep people from understanding what he meant.

If Jesus wanted to he could have made it impossible for anyone to understand anything he was saying (Jn 3:12). But he didn’t do that. On the contrary, he told stories his hearers could understand. He talked about farmers, and land, and seed, and families, and houses, and money, and weddings, and kings. Things the people of his day were immediately and intimately aware of. And the things that in our day are pretty well known, too.

Matthew is quite helpful here as he reaches back to the psalms to explain why Jesus taught like this. He writes, “So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the creation of the world’ ” (Mt 13:35, NIV). If we thought Jesus’s only goal with parables was that things would remain hidden forever, Matthew helpfully corrects us.

According to him, Jesus told parables because there were things hidden for a long time that he was now making known to the world. Jesus wanted people to know these realities that could only be expressed in stories that invited its hearers to reflect and wonder—so he told parables. Stories that require us to think and meditate on what was said. Stories that offer to show us things we haven’t seen before. We’re able to do this because that’s what parables do, and that’s why Jesus told them.

Did Jesus Only Teach in Parables?

I was listening to a podcast on Jesus’s parables and, as the host introduced the episode by giving a quick rundown of what was going to be discussed—as all good hosts do—he said something that caught my ear. While setting up the importance of Jesus’s parables he referenced a place in Mark’s gospel where the evangelist writes about Jesus’s teaching style and this host said, “It even says specifically that when Jesus taught the masses…he taught exclusively in parables.”

Really? Did Jesus only teach in parables? It seems like there were plenty of places throughout the gospels (John included, which doesn’t have any “parables”) where what is recorded isn’t a parable. Think of the Sermon on the Mount, or the Olivet Discourse, or the famous extended teaching and prayer in John 14-17. Whatever those are, they are different from: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.” So, where did the host get this idea?

If we look at the text in question—Mark 4:33-34 (also, see the parallel in Matthew 13:34)—we can see quickly where this idea comes from. The text reads, “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything” (Mk 4:33-34, NIV). Even if I didn’t bold that sentence you would see it right away.

I’ll confess that for a long time I was in lock-step agreement with the host because it seemed to be saying right there in Mark (and Matthew) that Jesus only used parables. But is that what Mark was actually saying? After a closer look, I think we must say, no.

Mark isn’t telling us that Jesus exclusively taught in parables—that’s obvious from looking at other places in the gospels where a teaching is recorded and it’s not a parable—instead, Mark is telling us that parables were Jesus’s main way of teaching to the crowds (and, sometimes, just the disciples). In fact, he valued this parabolic way of teaching so much that every time Jesus taught the crowds, he would use parables.

This makes sense of those places where a parable might not be recorded. This isn’t a contradiction in the text; it simply illustrates the selection process of the gospel writers. They (other than John) included lots of parables, but there were most certainly times when Jesus was teaching when he used a parable, and they didn’t record it. Perhaps because he had already told that parable, or they decided to leave it out for another reason.

The fact remains, though, that Jesus loved teaching in parables. Did he only teach in parables? No. But it seems to be that he never taught without them.

Passion Week: Friday - The Beginning of the End

Scripture Reading: Luke 22:47-53; Mark 14:60-64; Luke 23:39-43

If the beginning of the end wasn’t when Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a king, it most assuredly was when Judas brought a crowd to arrest him. From that point forward Jesus would no longer walk freely throughout the land with his disciples. From here on out he’d be bound, either by chains or by nails to a cross.

One of the more gut-wrenching moments of this arrest story is the way Jesus asks Judas what’s going on. He asks not because he’s confused, but (I think) in mercy to extend another opportunity for Judas to turn from his wickedness. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” In other words, Is this really want you want to do, Judas? You’ve been with me for years and now, tonight, you’re going to hand me over? It’s hard not to scream out STOP! while reading this story.

Judas doesn’t need to do what he’s doing. He’s being fueled by a misunderstanding of who Jesus was and a misunderstanding of how the kingdom of God was going to come about. Judas wanted the rewards of following Jesus, which is fine—we want the rewards, too. The problem is those rewards weren’t coming for Judas—and they’re not coming for us—until the New Heavens and New Earth. When we try to get now, what we’re going to get later through trusting Jesus, we always hurt ourselves and the world around us.

After Jesus had been arrested he was brought before the officials—both religious and state—to proceed with a trial and eventual pronouncement of guilt and punishment (which had basically already been decided). Before that pronouncement of guilt the high priest got angry with Jesus because he wouldn’t defend himself. Finally he asks him plainly, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” To this question Jesus says what will ultimately secure his death. “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

This is Daniel 7 language. This is language that you only use if you are the Christ—the Messiah. This is language that makes it clear that you believe yourself to be the king of the world—Yahweh. And this is language, that when used by Jesus—although it is absolutely true—brings an end to any supposed hope of him escaping a sentence of death by crucifixion. “Why do we need any more witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy.”

And that’s where we find Jesus next. Upon a cross, in between two criminals. One who hurls insults at him, demanding Jesus rescue himself and the criminals. And the other who rebukes the first, pleading with Jesus to not forget him when Jesus is received in his kingdom. To which—and this might be one of the most astonishing moments of this entire story so far—Jesus, with one of his last moments of his life here on earth, does not ignore the criminal who is rightly condemned by the state, but answers him saying, “…today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is Jesus. This is who he is and who has always been. He spent his life loving others and in one of his last—seemingly insignificant—moments of his life, he loved someone to the uttermost.

The end of Passion week is not yet. Easter is approaching, but there is a day in-between—Saturday—which we will turn to next.

Passion Week: Thursday - Our Last Time Together... Like This

Scripture Reading: Mark 14:22-24; John 13:12-17, 34-35

For several years Jesus had been with his disciples almost all the time. There was little he did without them.

They walked from town to town together. Met new people together. Jesus taught amongst his disciples. And he healed people in the presence of those twelve he had chosen to follow him. Now, things were getting to change in a big way.

Their time together was drawing to an end. In fact, this would be the last time Jesus and the disciples closest to him would be together like this (that is, until the resurrection and the eventual outpouring of the Holy Spirit). And so, what does Jesus do with his disciples during their last evening together? He shares a meal with them, of course.

Actually three events take place during their last time together. Jesus easts with his disciples. He washes their feet. And, lastly, he gives them a new commandment to live by.

First, the meal. In celebration of the Passover, they share a Passover meal. And, at the end, Jesus gives them what for the next 2,000+ years will be celebrated by the Church as The Lord’s Supper, or Communion. In that act Jesus took bread, which he said represented his body (that would be given for the many), and a cup of wine, which represented the blood of the new covenant (that was poured out for many). He offered it to his disciples and they ate and drank together. In much the same way we continue to do today.

Secondly, after the meal, Jesus took off the outer garments he was wearing, got down on his knees, and washed his disciples feet until they were clean. This, Jesus said, was done on purpose in order to show his disciples how they ought to live amongst one another and in the world. “I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.” This was both the way the kingdom of God would be brought into the world and the way the children of God would live in the kingdom of God. Above all, they would serve one another. And, lest there be any objections to this kingdom way of life, Jesus tells them, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet.”

Lastly, a new commandment. Jesus already showed the disciples what it looks like to serve one another. He showed them what type of people the kingdom of God contains. Now, he sums it all up in one command: love one another. He tells his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This is weighty. Love will be the identifying mark of those who follow Jesus. And not just love in a generic sense. This type of love is like the love that Jesus showed for his earliest disciples, and us. This kind of love drove Jesus to the cross both as a king and a sacrifice.

Next is the arrest, the trial, and the crucifixion. Under the cover of darkness, through the cooperation of one close to Jesus, the authorities will come for him in order to make him pay with his life for the life he led.

A Church Called Love (Part 1): “…but have not love.”

without love, nothing

Burgers or pizza tonight?

What about burgers or pizza for the next 40-nights? What about for the next 10-years? Or, what about for the rest of your life?

At first the question is simple, because not much rides on it. It doesn’t really matter if I have burgers or pizza tonight, because I could have the other one tomorrow, or something else entirely. Now, if I had to choose one of those foods for the next 40-nights, things get more interesting. Further, if I had to choose one for the next 10-years, or the rest of my life. Now, we’re talking about a big, life-changing decision.

Let’s try another one.

If you could pick only one characteristic for your local church to be known by, what would it be?

Acts of service?
Generous hospitality?
Miraculous healings?
Sound teaching?
Unwavering faith?

I know what I’d choose from those five options. I know what I’d choose because of how incredibly important I believe it to be. Churches live or die based on what is taught and, ultimately, lived-out by those who make up a church. It’s not a far walk from believing that Jesus isn’t really God, to believing that salvation isn’t really possible, and so believing that these “stories” of Jesus in the Bible aren’t worth your time.

That being said, if I had to choose just one characteristic for my local church, it wouldn’t be on the list above. I know, I know, it wasn’t fair how I framed the question, because you didn’t know picking your own characteristic was actually allowed. A thousand pardons, please.

If I had to pick, it would be what Paul considered to be the most important. It would be what he, in 1 Corinthians, exhorts his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to make the foundation of all they do. It would be what Paul believed gave meaning to everything else.

The apostle writes this in 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:3:

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

The message seems to be pretty straight forward. If Paul (and by application, you and I) doesn’t have love, it negatively affects all he does. It doesn’t matter if he can speak in different languages (humanly or angelic). It doesn’t matter if he has prophetic powers, or if he is able to understand all mysteries and all knowledge, or if he has total trust in God. It doesn’t even matter if he gives up his own body. If he does not have love, whatever he has said or done has come to nothing.

The message is clear: without love we are nothing, and there is nothing.

Why is this so? Why is it that without love, it doesn’t matter what we do? To answer this, we must first take a step back.

you are not far from the kingdom of god

In one sense, what Paul just said there in 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:3 doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter to us, nor does it matter to the world, if we have not considered ourselves to be living in the same world as Paul. For Paul, the world as we see it now, was not all there is. There were other things going on that weren’t readily visible to everyone. To put it another way, Paul really believed that God was doing something in this world that really changed the way those who followed him could and ought to live. This thing that God was doing is commonly called the kingdom of God (or heaven).

The kingdom of God was (and is) the reign of God in and through this world that Paul, you, and I live. It is the place within the world where God’s rule, influence, and way of life is being practiced and experienced. The kingdom of God is not some far off dream of an escape one day; it is the actual present-day reality of those who bow the knee to Jesus. And both of Paul’s knees hit the floor in front of Jesus.

Jesus talked about the practical reality of the kingdom of God like this:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. (Mt. 4:43-45a, ESV)

He was confronting this convoluted half-truth that God had called his people to love their neighbors and to hate their enemies. This was never what God had called them to do; instead, it was a manipulation of the real request God had made for his people: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 19:18, ESV)

And so, Jesus being Jesus, he announces to those who had been following him that if they are going to be a part of his kingdom then they are going to live in the truth of who God was and continues to be: love. Those who live in the kingdom of God (Jesus-people) are going to live like their king, and their king does not hate his enemies. In fact, he died for them (Rom. 5:10). So, his people are not going to hate them; instead, they are going to love them as their neighbor, because the kingdom of God is a place where love reigns supreme.

One day, as was pretty typical, someone came up to Jesus with a question about what type of life God had actually called his people into:

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mk. 12:28-34, ESV)

The scribe knew what he was talking about, but I’m not sure he knew the implications of what he was talking about, or he at least didn’t want to fully accept them. There is nothing more that God asks of his people than to love those who were made in his image. This is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. In other words, there is nothing more special to God that you could offer him than to love other people. The implication, however, of agreeing with this is striking. If you trust Jesus and you trust what he has said then you are not far from the kingdom of God. You’re right there. You’re at the doorstep of living in the reality of God being king; the reality of Jesus being king. The next step is to move forward from mere agreement to living it out.

called to love

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn. 13:31-35, ESV)

One of the last things Jesus tells his disciples, before his eventual crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, is to love one another. Now, on one level this is not a new command. This had been given ages ago. God’s people were always instructed to love one another. However, on another level, this command from Jesus was as fresh as could be. Here he is, the king of the kingdom of God letting his disciples know that he is going away and there is but one thing they are to do: love one another. The reason, as Jesus says, is that by their loving one another the world will know that they are his disciples. And, as a result of the world knowing that they are Jesus’s disciples, the world will have a chance to know Jesus. That’s how love works in the kingdom of God. It is given to others, so that others would know God.

The Apostle John drills down on this point in his epistle to an early church body when he writes that, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8, ESV). It’s not hard to see how Jesus’s words in John 13 still hung in the ears of John years later. He took to heart what Jesus meant by calling his disciples to love one another and that was worked out for a group of early Jesus-followers through John explaining that those who don’t love, don’t know God, because God is love. It’s pretty cut-and-dry. They (and we) could not call themselves disciples of Jesus (i.e., God) and have no love for others. The two are (and continue to be) mutually exclusive realities. They either do not love others and thus prove that they don’t love God. Or, they love others and thus prove that they actually love God.

John naturally continues this line of reasoning in writing that, “…we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn. 4:16, ESV). Those who remain/live in love, remain/live in God. The two realities go hand-in-hand. It’s not like there are a bunch of hoops to jump through in order to be connected to God and helpful to the world. The calling is simple: love.

okay, but, what is love?

Now, although the calling is simple, the practicalities and real-world application of that calling bring with it all the complexities we could imagine, which is why we ought to be so thankful for Paul because of what he wrote down for the Corinthian church (and us, two-thousand-years later).

Paul began with the truth that our speech and our actions are meaningless if we do not have love. Next, he will continue down this road by describing to us some of the characteristics of this slippery word love. Because, if you’re anything like me, the question that’s been buzzing around your head throughout this article is: what is love?

A Moment on the Scriptures: The Theology of Christmas (2)

When it comes down to it, is Christianity simply an incoherent set of belief systems?

Christians believe that the Bible was written by real people who lived thousands of years ago and yet we believe that God is the author of those same Scriptures. Christians also believe that the God we worship is one and yet three at the same time—one being in three persons, or three persons in one being. Also, Christians believe that a man was killed by being nailed upon a cross and then came back to life three days later.

Finally, Christians believe that Jesus was somehow God and man at the same time. This is where the creed comes in. It reads: Now this is the true faith: that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man, equally. 

According to the authors of the creed, they believe that the true faith is believing that Jesus is both God and man equally. That last word in the sentence is interesting. I think, for most of us, when we talk about Jesus being God and man, we like to say that he’s fully God and fully man. That’s helpful, but it also it’s less precise than we might be able to be.

When we think of things as being full, there’s only one sense in which they can be full. They can’t be full twice. If a cup is full of water and then you pour milk in it, some of the water will overflow out. This then is applied to Jesus and his humanity and divinity. Jesus is fully God and then some humanity is dumped in, which causes some of his divinity to overflow out. This, however, is now what the creed, nor the Scriptures say.

The Scriptures do not present a Jesus who is partly God and partly human that somehow make up a new being. Instead, they present a Jesus who is equally God and human at the same time. We cannot say that he is God over and above him being a human. Neither can we say that he is a human over and above him being God. 

The same Scriptures that present Jesus forgiving sins in Mark 2: “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10a, NIV)—doing only what God can do—also present Jesus as eating food: “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him” (Mark 2:15, NIV)—doing what humans do.

By the Numbers: "Immediately" in the Gospel of Mark

Mark is a unique gospel for a number of reasons.

One, it is most likely the earliest of the four canonical gospels to have been written. Two, it was a gospel written by John Mark, but most likely the material in the gospel came from Peter. And, three, the subject for this article, it uses the Greek word εὐθὺς, which regularly means immediately or straightaway more than any other gospel.

In fact, Mark uses εὐθὺς (immediately) 41 times. The rest of the New Testament only uses εὐθὺς a total of 10 times (Matthew (5); Luke (1); John (3); Acts (1)). This means that for all the uses of εὐθὺς (immediately) in the New Testament (51), 80% of them occur in Mark’s gospel.

This would take more research—and I should probably dig into it—but my guess is that the majority use of εὐθὺς in Mark is unique even over any other word in the New Testament by comparison.

What does that mean for Mark’s gospel?

I’m not totally sure, but it does give us a peek into the type of story Mark (and ultimately, Peter) was telling. Based even solely on the frequent use of immediately, it’s clear that Mark is not like the contemplative John, nor is he like the detailed Luke, nor is he like the organized Matthew. Mark is different.

The story he’s telling about Jesus is one that moves quickly.

Exegetical Meditations (41)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)

In Hebrews we’re told that our high priest (Jesus) is able to know what we’re going through when it comes to temptation and sin because he went through it. We’re told that he was tempted in every way we are with one stark difference—he did not sin.

The difference between Jesus and us is that he didn’t give into that temptation ever. There was not a moment of his life when Jesus walked willingly into sin because of the ever-increasing temptation upon him.

We’re told this for our encouragement. And we’re told this to encourage others.

What can you say to a Christian brother or sister who’s going through some strong battle with temptation and sin? They want to be freed from it, but they’ve been unable so far to grab hold of that freedom. What can you say that would be encouraging to them? You might remind them of the truth found in Hebrews 4:15. Their savior, Jesus, has gone through what they’re going through. He has fought the battle with temptation. He fought against temptation right up to the end.

They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Mark 15:27-32)

The interesting thing in those conversations is that what happens next isn’t always the same. One type of person will hear the truth of Hebrews 4:15, take it in, and use it as an encouragement to fight the battle that’s before them. They will push on in the strength of Jesus knowing that he’s been there and and fought that battle. Another type of person will hear the truth of Hebrews 4:15, take it in, and wonder if Jesus can really understand since he never sinned. They’ll wonder if if he really has experienced what they’ve gone through.

Jesus never sinned, they’ll wonder, so how can he really know what I’m going through?

With all due respect to the second type of person, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of their relationship to temptation and sin—one that I think we all naturally gravitate to until we’re shown the full truth of it. When we think of temptation and sin we often link our experience of temptation to the fact that we sin.

How do we know the full force of temptation? We sin.

This, however, is not true. We don’t know the full force of temptation because we sin. We’ve never exhausted temptation’s strength, because it has never had to use all of it’s strength to get us to sin. We give in at some point and willingly go along with the temptation to sin.

Jesus never did this.

He’s the only person ever to have felt the full force of temptation. And he felt that full force precisely because he did not sin. Temptation gave everything it had to make him want to sin and it could not do it.

Turn this stone to bread.
We’ll kill you if you keep talking that like that.
Even his brothers and sisters didn’t believe in him.
Judas betrayed him.
Barabbas was freed instead of him.
Save yourself from the cross and we will believe.

And yet, Jesus did not sin. How can we be encouraged to fight temptation by someone who never experienced sin like we have? Because the one who never gave into temptation knows exactly what it takes to stand up against it.

New Testament Outline: Mark 13-16

Mark 13 — Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask Jesus when the things Jesus talked about will be accomplished and Jesus tells them to hold to the truth and be on their guard. He talks to his disciples about the abomination of desolation, the coming of the Son of Man, and what lesson comes from the fig tree. Jesus tells them that no one knows the day or hour.

Mark 14 — The chief priests and the scribes are seeking to arrest Jesus and kill him. A woman with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard finds Jesus at the house of Simon the leper and anoints him for burial. Judas goes to the chief priest to betray Jesus. On the first day of Unleavened Bread Jesus eats the Passover with his disciples and tells them that one of them will betray him. He then takes bread and the cup and institutes the Lord’s Supper. After they sing a hymn they go out to the Mount of Olives and Jesus says that Peter will deny him. Jesus is praying in Gethsemane while his disciples cannot stay awake. Judas comes with a crowd to arrest Jesus. He is brought to the high priest and council to be tried. Peter denies Jesus.

Mark 15 — Jesus is taken to Pilate to be questioned. Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified. The soldiers with Jesus mock him and beat him. Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry Jesus’ cross and Jesus to the place where Jesus is crucified. At the sixth hour Jesus dies while on the cross. He’s placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea with a stone sealing the tomb.

Mark 16 — After the Sabbath Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome find that Jesus has risen from the dead.

New Testament Outline: Mark 10-12

Mark 10 — Jesus leaves and goes to Judea. There the Pharisees about divorce confront him. Some bring to children to Jesus so he could touch them. As Jesus journeys on a rich young man comes up to him and asks him about inheriting eternal life. Jesus and his disciples go up to Jerusalem and he tells them for the third time that he’s going to be killed and rise from the dead. James and John ask Jesus to sit at his right and left in his glory. He and his disciples go to Jericho and he heals a blind man there. 

Mark 11 — Jesus and his disciples go to Jerusalem and there Jesus is welcomed by many as he rides into town on a colt. The next day Jesus curses a fig tree. In Jerusalem Jesus drives out those who are perverting the temple. Jesus and his disciples walk pass the cursed fig tree and Jesus teaches about belief. The temple chief priests and scribes come to Jesus and challenge his authority to do what he’s doing.

Mark 12 — Jesus tells the parable of the tenants. Some Pharisees and Herodians go to Jesus to trap him in a question about taxes to Caesar. The Sadducees come to Jesus to ask him about things marriage in the resurrection. One of the scribes asks Jesus what he thinks is the most important commandment. Jesus teaches in the temple and asks those listening how David’s Lord can be his son. He tells them to beware of the teaching of the scribes. Jesus watches a poor widow give all that she has to the treasury.