The Lord Jesus Christ met Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, on the road out of Jericho. Bartimaeus certainly was blind but he knew his Bible and he knew too, that Jesus Christ, the Son of David, could heal the blind. He believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah so he cried out, ‘Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me’. Jesus did have mercy for He never disappoints anyone who comes to Him in faith.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples three great lessons following a less than great request from James and John. They were: a beautiful statement of God’s covenant purpose, a patient re-statement of true Christian character, and a delightful confirmation of limited, substitutionary atonement. James’ and John’s request for pre-eminence was unfortunate but we can thank them for it in light of these blessed truths it elicited from the Saviour.

The Lord Jesus Christ went before His disciples as they travelled up to Jerusalem where He would be crucified. Such was the zeal of our Saviour that He must press on to meet the ‘due time’ for His suffering and death. The Lord is our Forerunner, our Intercessor and Mansion-builder and has gone before us to prepare the way that we might follow after Him confidently and with joy.

27 March 2022

The Lord Jesus Christ meets the Rich Young Ruler. This young man is eager for religion but grieved at the cost of spiritual life. He spends his life meticulously following God’s law only to discover he has never grasped its spiritual tenor and never felt the power of its curse. The Lord Jesus shows him that far from obeying the law from his youth, as he assumed, he has stumbled at the very first step and must obtain the righteousness of another if eternal life is to be enjoyed.

The Lord Jesus Christ calls us to come to Him as little children. When we do He embraces us in His arms, lays His hand upon us, and intercedes with His Father on our behalf.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s comments on divorce and remarriage went to the heart of man’s sinful condition. We act from the hardness of our hearts, we decide in our own self-interest. But God’s way is a better way, and in Jesus Christ sinners can find redemption, forgiveness and everlasting joy.

Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches His disciples and us about the horrors of hell that we all may know what God has saved us from, and what God has saved us to, by the death of our Saviour.

The Lord Jesus Christ reminds His disciples about God's elective purpose and the spiritual and eternal blessings that flow to all believers because they belong to Christ.

The Lord’s disciples failed to understand His teaching about His imminent suffering, death, resurrection and ascension and Mark says they were 'afraid to ask' for an explanation. The Lord, therefore, shows them His kingdom is not about greatness but about service, not about personal glory but about personal sacrifice and He Himself is our example.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed the son of a man struggling with faith. In doing so the Saviour teaches us all something about faith, and encourages us to cry with those in need, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”.