Hope for Today

How do our desires shape our choices and our eternal destiny? In this week’s episode, J. Mark Horst teaches from Mark 14:1–16, illustrating the relationship between desire and destiny. He contrasts the religious leaders’ desire to maintain their power with Mary’s wholehearted devotion to Jesus. He challenges us to look inward and see what our desires reveal about our hearts and the paths we choose.

What should we do, knowing that Jesus could come at any time? In this week’s episode, J. Mark Horst teaches from Mark 13:28–37, where Jesus focuses on the conditions at the climax of human history. Jesus urgently reminds His hearers to be alert and commands us to be observant, vigilant, and busy so that we are not caught by surprise. Join us in “Watch and Pray” to learn what Jesus desires from us in this time.

What signs point to the coming of the Son of Man? In this episode of Hope for Today, J. Mark explores Mark 13:14-27 where Jesus predicts the events surrounding His return. J. Mark explains the imagery and context behind these prophecies, including how they connect to prophecies in Daniel. This lesson explores the specific signs Jesus gave us to watch for and reminds us of the importance of being prepared for His return and remaining faithful.

Mark 13 brings us to Jesus’ prediction of future events as He responds to observations and questions from His disciples. In this episode, J. Mark guides us through Mark 13:1-13 where Jesus predicts physical destruction, spiritual deception, political aggression, and religious persecution. Join us to learn about these indicators of “The Coming Judgment,” and about how we can live as followers of Jesus in these predicted circumstances.

In this episode, J. Mark explores Mark 12:38–44, where Jesus contrasts the self-centered worship of the scribes with the worship of a poor widow who gave everything she had. As we examine this passage, we see how pride and recognition reveal a heart focused on worshipping self rather than worshipping God. Through the widow’s example, we’re reminded that true worship is not measured by how much we give, but by the heart and motives behind what we give to God.

Jesus poses profound questions that illuminate His identity and engage us in a thought-provoking exploration. In this episode, J. Mark Horst explores Mark 12:35-37, where we see that Jesus is more than a human descendant of David—He is Lord, fully God and fully man. But “Who is Jesus?” is not merely theological question, it is personal: Who is Jesus to you?

In this episode, J. Mark Horst examines Jesus’ interaction with a scribe in Mark 12:28-34 and explores the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbors as yourself. Rather than reducing faith to a list of rules or religious duties, Jesus shows that God wants a relationship with us that transforms our lives. J. Mark also considers how our love for God flows into love for others. This episode reminds us that our hope is found in Jesus, the One who selflessly fulfilled “The Greatest Commandment.”

What happens after we die? In this episode, J. Mark Horst studies Mark 12:18–27, where the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, try to trap Jesus with a question about marriage in the afterlife. Instead, Jesus exposes their faulty beliefs through the testimony of Jesus and the testimony of Moses. He reveals the truth of the resurrection and points to God’s declaration that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, declaring that He is “not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.”

In this episode of Hope for Today, J. Mark Horst explores Jesus’ encounter with the religious leaders that led to His statement, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Looking at Mark 12:13–17, J. Mark examines three dangerous aspects of misplaced loyalty to earthly kingdoms: political expediency, willful disobedience, and divided allegiance. While we live in earthly kingdoms, followers of Christ belong to a greater Kingdom. How should we respond when the values of this world conflict with the priorities of God’s Kingdom?

In this episode, J. Mark studies Mark 12:1–12 where Jesus tells the religious leaders the parable about the wicked tenants. Through this parable, Jesus exposes the religious leaders' rejection of God's authority and warns them of the consequences of their rebellion. This passage calls us to examine our own privilege, checking if we respond to His goodness with humble obedience, or if we are complacent and ungrateful.