In this morning’s passage, Jesus encounters a group of children. In his response, he shows us how we should view children and what we can learn from them.

The Gospel of Mark calls us to respond to Jesus by repenting, believing, and following Him. This week’s passage contrasts belief and unbelief. It is also realistic that both are work within us.

Jesus’ ministry to Gentiles continues, but in a new location. Last week we saw Jesus care for a Gentile woman with a demon-possessed daughter. This week Jesus meets a Gentile man with significant physical challenges.

What is most important to righteous living; the right behavior or the right heart? Jesus contrasts the Pharisees to an obscure pagan woman to help us answer that question.

Does God ever test our faith? If so, why does He do it and what does it look like? If there are tests of this nature ahead of us, then how should we prepare? We can learn much from a man named Jairus whose story began with a great faith in Jesus – but …

Mark 5 introduces us to another unnamed man who encounters Jesus. This man might be as desperate as anyone we meet in Mark. His crisis, impossible for any human to overcome, is no match for Jesus’ mercy.

Some of us may be plagued by heart disease – a calcification of that immaterial part of a human being where our mental, emotional and spiritual activities are centered. This is a condition that Jesus wants to expose and redeem.

Tax collectors were considered moral and social outcasts. Jesus and the Pharisees take very different approaches to relating to those kinds of people. Both approaches are still with us today.

We all feel discontent at times. Have you ever wished for something more, something different? In this encounter, Jesus points us straight to the heart of the matter and shocks everyone watching.

A key word in the Gospel of Mark is authority. Does Jesus have it? If so, what does it look like and how should we respond?