Joel Johnson | Biblical History & Theology

  As we continue our series on the gospel of Mark, we come to the commencement of Jesus’ ministry. We pick up in Mark 1:14, following the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and the temptation in the wilderness — essential preparatory steps before Jesus’ ministry could begin.  “After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets. Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.”  (BSB) Verses 14 a...

  Introduction After Jesus calls his first disciples — the four fishermen Simon, Andrew, James and John — Mark describes the opening actions of Jesus’ ministry. He has already provided an abstract of Jesus’ message in verses 14 and 15 of Mark 1; here he provides more details of specific accounts.  “Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue: “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek. All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He c...

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. (Psalm 3) King David wrote this psalm when his third-born son Absalom had rebelled and was trying to take over the kingdom for himself, attempting to kill David and a number of his brothers in the process We read about the narrative of these events in 2 Samuel chapters 15-18, but this psalm gives an insight into how David was feeling at this time. He had numerous enemies as it says in verse 1 - more of the...

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness that of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:7-11, ESV)  What was Paul’s ultimate aim, in his life and death? It wasn’t to look good; that is why he counted his impeccable Israelite heritage and his academic achievements as loss rather than gain. It wasn’t to be a suffering martyr. It wasn’t to convert as many people as he could. It wasn’t to preach the gospel to the ends of t...

  When I was at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory a few years ago, I came across this newspaper clipping - a piece by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle promoting “reform” of the divorce laws that existed at the time (ca. 1914). This was actually a shock to me, as I only knew Doyle through the Sherlock Holmes series - and although single, Sherlock stays within the social norms of a classic English gentleman.  Although I couldn't find the exact date, this newspaper piece wasn't a one-off case for Doyle; he was president of the Divorce Law Reform Union. He called the Separation Act of 1895 “the most ingenious Bill for producing immorality that could ever have been devised” and said that police magistrates that the lower classes were rotten through and through owing to this law. Doyle claimed that divorce was a deplorable cure for a deplorable state of things. Chaining a woman to a lunatic, drunkard or criminal for life was not conducive to human flourishing. His proposed ...

This first 9 chapters of Mark focus on Jesus' ministry around the countryside of Judea, before he began to head toward Jerusalem for the final fateful Passover. These initial chapters highlight Jesus' character, power and message.  Please feel free to share, download and reproduce these Bible verse graphics/wallpapers. No attribution is required - all are freely given for the sake of the gospel.  “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”  Mark 1:2b-3 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  Mark 1:11 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17b Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom ...

According to church tradition, the prophet Jeremiah was stoned to death   ““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I’m sure plenty of you are familiar with this verse - in fact, Jeremiah 29:11 is the best-known verse in the entire book of Jeremiah. Yet it seems at odds with the rest of the book, which is largely doom and gloom.  If you don’t know much about the prophet Jeremiah, he is often referred to as the “weeping prophet.” Do you think he felt like Jer 29:11 was true? This picture of a “weeping prophet” - someone with so much investment in God’s message and empathy for his fellow Israelites - is indeed a powerful picture of a sacrificial servant from the Old Testament. Today, we are going to take a look at Jeremiah and what we can learn about God’s call to each one of us to step up to the plate and become sacrificial servants.  What does sacrificial service look like? 1...