LHIM Everything

Beginning our series on Ephesians, we’ll cover the first half of the first chapter (Eph 1:1-14). What emerges are three main

Ephesians 1:1-2 Since, the words “in Ephesus” are missing from several of our earliest manuscripts and the letter lacks any specifics about the recipients, Paul likely wrote Ephesians to be read by multiple churches right from the start. It is a comprehensive and masterful summary of Christianity and is well worth your time.

Ephesians 1:3-6 From our creation, God blessed us (Gen 1:28). Then after humanity’s initial rebellion, our world became cursed, and our flesh became fallen. God chose Abraham and then Israel so that through them He could bless the world. In Christ—the quintessential Israelite—we receive the blessings that result in holiness, adoption, and an inheritance (Gen 1:28; 12:2-3; Deu 7:6-14).

Ephesians 1:7-10 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, resulting in forgiveness of our sins. Grace may be freely available, but it is not cheap. It cost something: Christ was the price. To be redeemed is for a captive or slave to be set free. This was all part of God’s plan to unite all things in heaven and earth in Christ.

Ephesians 1:11-14 In Christ we have an inheritance. Guaranteeing God’s promise of this bright future, He’s sealed us with His spirit. In their world, a seal meant possession, like a rancher’s brand. The idea s not that you can live however you want and you will still be saved. Rather, it’s that God has marked you His own, giving you a new identity in Christ that you should live out joyfully.

Download: The Power of the Kingdom

Jesus and his disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a fierce storm arises. The disciples panic, fearing for their lives. Jesus, asleep in the boat, is awakened by them. He rebukes the wind and commands the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Immediately, the storm stops, and a great calm follows.

Theological Significance:

In the region of the Gerasenes near the east side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus encounters a man possessed by many demons (named “Legion”). The man lives among the tombs and is so strong that he cannot be restrained. Jesus commands the unclean spirits to leave. But they plead with Jesus to be sent into a herd of pigs, which then subsequently rush down into the lake, and they all drown. The man is restored to his right mind and becomes a witness to Jesus and the power of Kingdom in the Decapolis.

Theological Significance:

Jairus, a synagogue leader, begs Jesus to come and heal his dying daughter. While Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter, a woman who has suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years secretly touches his cloak, believing it will heal her. Immediately, her bleeding stops. Jesus, aware that power has gone out from him, calls out to learn who touched him. The woman confesses, and Jesus commends her faith and tells her she is healed.

Theological Significance:

While Jesus is delayed by the incident with the woman and the issue of bleeding, Jairus receives news that his daughter has died. Jesus tells him not to fear but believe. And so they continue to Jairus’ home. At the house, Jesus takes the girl by the hand and says, “Talitha koum” (“Little girl, , arise”). And she rises up from the bed immediately, alive and well.

Theological Significance:

Download: The Kingdom in Parables

A sower sows seed on four types of ground:

Jesus interprets the parable for his disciples. Each type of soil represents a different condition of the human heart and how people respond to hearing the message of the Kingdom.

Theological Significance:

A lamp is not meant to be hidden under a basket or bed but put on a stand to give light. Jesus adds that hidden things will be revealed, and that how people respond will determine how much more they receive.

Theological Significance:

A person scatters seed on the ground. The seed grows by itself—the sower doesn’t know how. Eventually, it ripens and is harvested.

Theological Significance:

The mustard seed is tiny when first planted, but then it eventually grows into a large tree-like plant, big enough for birds to build nests in its shade.

Theological Significance:

Mark closes the section noting that Jesus spoke many parables like these, as much as people could understand. But he explained everything privately to his disciples.

Jesus used parables both to reveal and conceal truth so as to invite those who desire to seek truth would find deeper understanding, and to hide truth from the hard-hearted and uncaring.

Private instruction for disciples highlights the importance of relational, ongoing learning in Christian growth. It also reveals that for those following Jesus, they gained understanding about the kingdom and God’s plan.

Taken together, these parables show that the Kingdom of God:

This was the greatest promotion a man ever received.

Download: Mission Expansion

The news about Jesus keeps spreading: “and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. And people from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon” (vv. 7-8).

Mark 3:7-8 highlights something profound and often overlooked: the diversity and widespread appeal of Jesus’ ministry early on.

The evil spirits fall down before Jesus and cry out, confessing, “You are the Son of God.” The spirits here are conveying the truth about Jesus—the Son of God. The “unclean spirits” know that they are in the presence of a power and authority that is greater than theirs. But they foretell the truth of what Jesus’ companions are trying to figure out.

Mark’s Secrecy Motif: Jesus commanded the spirits they do not reveal his identity (3:12)

The “Messianic Secret” is a major theme in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus repeatedly works to conceal his identity as the Messiah and Son of God. It shows up in various ways—especially through Jesus telling people not to reveal who he is after performing healings, miracles, exorcisms, or people’s confession.

Jesus names twelve of his followers as “apostles”:

Jesus specifically appoints them to:

To address his opponents’ accusation, Jesus offers a refutation and an explanation. He simply doesn’t just say, “You are wrong!” But he shows them why they are wrong. He doesn’t retort with vitriol or anger but simply dismantles their faulty proposition by showing the incongruity in it.

Jesus’ rhetorical question “How is the Adversary able to cast out the Adversary?” isn’t meant to raise suspicion as to the mechanism by which it might happen, but rather the purpose of why would it happen in the first place?

“First, he would be sending out his envoys, the demons, to work havoc in the hearts and lives of men, destroying them body and soul, often little by little. Afterward, as it were in base ingratitude and suicidal folly, he would be supplying the very power needed for the shameful defeat and expulsion of his own obedient servants. No kingdom thus divided against itself, can maintain itself.” (William Hendricksen, Mark, 136)

After refuting the Pharisees accusation with tact and collectedness in the face of intense opposition, he proceeds to answer their inquiry with a short parable that indirectly alludes to the fact that he has greater power and authority than Satan.

In a sobering follow-up, Jesus warns that to claim his work is the work of Satan is to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit,” which is unforgivable. This harsh rebuke seems to be aimed at presenting the seriousness of the religious leaders’ accusations and the gravity of the consequences they would face.

Jesus is essentially pronouncing judgment upon them, and in order to pronounce judgment it means that he has higher authority than they do.

In the ancient culture, the family unit was the basis of all social and civil life. Families would often live near each other, or even share a home, and have everything in common (i.e., share everything).

Israelite culture highly valued the family relationship; it was the very fabric of their community and society. Loyalty to one’s family was paramount to a proper honoring of God and living out the covenant blessings that God had promised. A person was to see their identity as being part of the family, and thus by extension, the community.

“The gospel [good news], and allegiance to Jesus, produce a division, often an unexpected and unwelcome one, in every group or society where they make their way. Mark’s call to his readers then and now is to stick with Jesus whatever the cost.” (N. T. Wright, Mark For Everyone, 30).

In the next session, we will see how Mark strategically uses some of Jesus’ parables to teach about God’s kingdom.

Download: Disciples, Healings, and Conflict

Depicts the radical commitment of the people that Jesus called and they way that they abandoned their occupation to follow him. It vividly portrays the authority and power that Jesus had, and which people apparently recognized.

Although often overlooked, Mary Magdalene was a faithful and true disciple of Jesus Christ. She and the other women supported Jesus’ ministry financially. She was at the crucifixion and burial. After God raised him from the dead, Jesus appeared to her first, making her the chief eyewitness of the resurrection.

Luke 8:1-3 Mary Magdalene and other women accompanied Jesus during his ministry, providing for him financially. After Jesus changed Mary’s life, casting out seven demons, she followed him.

Mark 15:40-41 Mary had seen Jesus cure the sick, teach in parables, and preach the gospel of the Kingdom from town to town. When the Roman government crucified him, she was there. She heard him utter his final words from the cross.

Mark 15:46-47 Mary was there when Joseph took him down from the cross and buried him in his tomb. It is because of her that the disciples knew where Jesus was buried.

Luke 23:54-24:1 Mary insisted on anointing his body. Apparently, she didn’t think it had been done properly. She approached the tomb early in the morning on Sunday.

Mark 16:1-7 Mary first discovered the empty tomb and heard the message that Jesus had been raised.

John 20:1-10 She ran and got Peter. He and another disciple confirmed the empty tomb but didn’t fully understand the situation. Mary remained behind when they left.

John 20:11-18 Jesus first appeared to Mary in his resurrected state. In a world when women’s testimonies were dismissed, Jesus picked a woman as his first eyewitness. She went off to proclaim to the apostles, “I have seen the Lord!

Download: Kingdom Inauguration

Mark 1:14-15 (REV)

After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the good news of God, 15saying, “The time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe the good news.”

Modern understanding of “kingdom” is a fixed, geographical territory ruled by a king, queen, or monarch.

Example: The Roman Empire (show map)

The “kingdom” of God in the Bible is not focused on territorial borders, but on the authority, rule, and reign of God. An associated word that might help get the nuance right is the word “dominion.” The “dominion” of God is less about a place and more about God’s power and authority at work within a certain context or sphere of influence.

·         Realized Eschatology

·         Futurist Eschatology

·         Inaugurated Eschatology

George Ladd defines the “kingdom of God” as:

“…the redemptive reign of God dynamically active to establish his rule among men, and that this Kingdom, which will appear as an apocalyptic act at the end of the age, has already come into human history in the person and mission of Jesus to overcome evil, to deliver men from its power, and to bring them into the blessings of God’s reign. The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history.”1

France comments, “The idea is not simply that an allotted time has elapsed (that would have been better expressed by chronos, as in Acts 7:23), but that the decisive moment (kairos) has now arrived.”2

To reiterate more fully, as Ladd eloquently states:

“Exegesis can do justice to this saying only when the Kingdom of God is interpreted in terms of its dynamic meaning: the reign or rule of God. God’s Kingdom, his reign, will come at the end of the age in a mighty irruption into history inaugurating the perfect order of the age to come. But God’s Kingdom, his reign, has already come into history in the person and mission of Jesus. The presence of God’s Kingdom means the dynamic presence of his reign. It means that God is no longer waiting for men to submit to his reign but has taken the initiative and has invaded history in a new and unexpected way. The Kingdom of God is not merely an abstract concept that God is the eternal King and rules over all; it is also a dynamic concept of the acting of God. God’s reign which will come at the end of the age to accomplish God’s redemptive purpose in the world has also come into the midst of human history in the person and mission of Jesus. God the heavenly King, who will act mightily tomorrow is also acting today in Jesus. It is the same God, the same rule, the same Kingdom dynamically at work among men.”3

1. George E. Ladd, The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 218.
2. R. T. France, Divine Government: God’s Kingship in the Gospel of Mark (London: SPCK, 1990), 91.
3. Ladd, The Presence of the Future, 144.

Download: The Beginning – John & Jesus

Mark 1:2-13 (REV)

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the road for you. 3A voice of one calling out in the desert, ‘Make the road ready for the Lord! Make the paths straight for him!’”

4John came baptizing in the desert and preaching a baptism that was a sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And the whole region of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly confessing their sins.

6John was clothed with camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7And he was preaching, saying, “After me there is one coming who is mightier than I am—I am not even worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals! 8I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with holy spirit.”

The Baptism of Jesus

9And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And immediately as he was stepping up out of the water, he saw the heavens being split open and the spirit descending upon him like a dove, 11and a voice came out of the heavens, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”

The Temptation in the Desert

12And immediately the spirit drove him out into the desert. 13And he was in the desert 40 days being tempted by the Adversary. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Mark 1:2-13 presents Jesus as the fulfillment of OT prophecy, the Son of God infused with the power of holy spirit, able to resist the temptations of Satan, and worthy to be served by angels.

Malachi 3:1

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”

Malachi 4:5–6

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes. 5And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”

Isaiah 40:3

“A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

The spirit descending upon Jesus alludes to the anointing of kings and prophets in the Old Testament, marking Jesus out as God’s chosen one—Messiah.

The “voice from heaven” echoes Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son”) and Isaiah 42:1 (“my chosen one in whom my soul delights”), tying the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to royal and servant motifs in the Old Testament.

God’s spirit presses Jesus to depart into the wilderness for 40 days, echoing the journey of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years.

Jesus encounters his first antagonist and conflict—temptations by Satan

To help clarify, Lane comments,

“But as soon as it is recognized that the dominant motif of the prologue is the wilderness, Mark’s distinctive reference to the wild beasts becomes intelligible. In the OT blessing is associated with inhabited and cultivated land; the wilderness is the place of the curse. So in the wilderness there is neither seed nor fruit, water nor growth. Man cannot live there. Only frightening and unwanted kinds of animals dwell there. Significantly, when the wilderness is transformed into a paradise no ravenous beast will be in it (Isa. 35:9; Ezek. 34:23-28). Mark’s reference to the wild beasts in Ch. 1:13 serves to stress the character of the wilderness. Jesus confronts the horror, the loneliness and the danger with which the wilderness is fraught when he meets the wild beasts Their affinity in this context is not with paradise, but with the realm of Satan.”1

1. William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 61.

Through the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple, Jesus publicly announced his claim to be the Messiah. The leaders of Jerusalem responded with a campaign to discredit him publicly that failed miserably. Knowing what would come, Jesus stayed the course until that fateful moment in Gethsemane when they took him into custody. Join us to relive the

Mark 11:1-2, 7 When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey, he enacted an ancient prophecy (Zech 9:9-10) and simulated the coronation of a king (2 Kgs 9:11-13). Even the palm branches were politically charged (1 Macc 13:51-52).

Mark 11:9-10 Even more striking was the proclamation of the crowd, associating Jesus with the coming Kingdom of David. Coming into Jerusalem this way crossed the line.

Mark 11:15-19 Cleansing the temple got everyone’s attention. Jesus interfered with the sacrificial system and the flow of money. The leaders of Jerusalem responded with a campaign to discredit Jesus publicly through stumper questions. Jesus answered them all and countered by confronting them with seven woes (Mat 23:13-16).

Mark 14:1-9 Allowing a woman to pour out an ointment that cost 300 denarii on his head provoked criticism from onlookers. Jesus defended the woman for her ostentatious display of generosity.

Mark 14:10-11 Judas went to the priests to betray Jesus. They needed an opportunity when Jesus was away from the crowds so a riot didn’t break out. Judas could tell them where Jesus was at night, so they could arrest him secretly.

Mark 14:32-36 At Gethsemane, Jesus knew his time was short. He had to stay the course, even if that meant he would face ridicule, torture, and death on a cross. He prayed and prayed and prayed, asking for a way out. The answer was, “No”. Jesus resigned himself to his Father’s will and pushed through courageously to face his betrayer and those sent to arrest him.