In the gospels, Jesus loves to tell stories. Stories draw us in and seek to expose what otherwise would remain hidden. In the parable Jesus tells in Mark 12:1-12, Jesus is seeking to show four realities of God's Story of Redemption and what it can tell us about the coming judgment.

Having overturned the tables of the temple, the religious leaders seek to question Jesus' authority in Mark 11:27-33. But little do they know that Jesus' authority isn't up for debate. He has all authority and all power, and he wields it for our good. The only question that matters is: how will we respond to it?

The gospels can offer us some hard (often weird) sayings of Jesus. This text, which immediately follows Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, offers us some hard (often weird) things like cursing fig trees, turning over tables, and moving mountains. But Mark wants us to see how they are all connected. In these stories, we see Jesus condemning fruitless faith, but how he is the center of fruitful faith.

What are the things we magnify in our lives? What do we revolve our lives around? What are we most known for? The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, recorded in Mark 11, gives us three reasons why we should magnify Jesus in our hearts and lives.

Greatness comes in many different forms for many different people. But for Jesus, greatness in his kingdom involves giving up our lives for the sake of others. In this climactic passage, Jesus calls us to live a life of humble service and authentic faith.

Many people throughout the ages have tried to answer the questions around eternal life. Is there eternal life? How do we get there? What does it look like? In this well-known story from Mark 10:17-31, a rich young ruler approaches Jesus and is seeking this very thing: eternal life. However, his interactions with Jesus show us that entry into the Kingdom of God isn't achieved through good works or great riches, but through faith in Jesus.

There are many moments in our lives when we face rejection. It could be being turned away at a roller coaster because you're not tall enough, or it could be a college rejection letter. All of us at some point face rejection. But in this short story from Mark 10, Jesus shows us the importance of welcoming even little children into the kingdom of God.

No word has caused more strife than the word "divorce." It is a word that has been misunderstood, proliferated in our culture through things like "no-fault divorce," and soured many people's outlook on an institution created by God. Amid all the questions people have about divorce, one needs to be central: What does Jesus say about divorce? In this short but powerful text, Mark reveals Jesus' heart for marriage, which should be our hearts, too, and provides us with a picture of what marriage should look like and be focused on.

What story has shaped your life the most? All of us have those stories, whether they make us smile or reveal scars. But for Christians, the story that should shape us the most is the death and resurrection of Jesus. As Mark 9 closes, Jesus has to teach his disciples not only that he will die and rise again, but also how his dying and rising again will shape their daily lives.

Dependence is often looked down on in our culture, but the Bible has a different approach. In it we clearly see that we are dependent creatures, relying on God for everything. But our unbelieving hearts keep us from depending fully on Jesus. This is a battle we face every day. We see in Mark 9:14-29, our daily battles of unbelief will require daily dependence upon the Savior in prayer.