In the middle portion of Mark 15 the story shifts from the courtroom of the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate to a brutal scene inside the governor’s headquarters and then outside to the Via Delarosa, the pathway of sorrow. In all of this we see what Jesus...

Jesus was put on trial twice and falsely accused in both instances. He was condemned by his own Jewish brethren and then was sentenced to death by the Roman government. He seemed innocent, because he was that way; he had to be innocent in every way...

In the trial that Jesus faced the bias of his prosecutors was shameless. He was innocent of all charges but the Sanhedrin was hell bent in their intentions. They conspired and Jesus willingly endured it all. He voluntarily exposed himself to the fury...

When Jesus is betrayed and left all alone he goes quietly and willingly with his captors. He could have easily escaped or called upon the angels of heaven to be his defenders, but he didn’t. He settled his heart in the knowledge of God’s plan and...

In these verses we get a unique window into the inner world of Jesus and the way he was greatly distressed and troubled in the Garden of Gethsemane. The worse part that Jesus would face in becoming our sin-bearer is that he would experience alienation...

The idea of followers of Jesus being betrayers and failures isn’t something that we expect to encounter but that’s the sometimes reality for us. We are often discouraged; we disappoint others and feel like a disappointment ourselves. But being a...

Our narrator paints a striking contrast between the loyalty of Mary and the treachery of Judas in these verses. One person gushes in gratitude toward Jesus; the other schemes in greediness against him. Judas is trying to use Jesus for personal gain...

In these final verses of Mark 13 Jesus teaches us that we aren’t to get caught up in trying to predict the future, but instead are to be making it our aim to be faithful in the present. In the final days there will be false Christ’s, nations in...

Psalm 130 is the song of someone who knows the depths of guilt before God, yet experiences the freedom and assurance of God's forgiveness. The psalmist's example offers hope to those who doubt God's full and free forgiveness, and it...

What Jesus teaches about the abomination of desolation and the tribulation is part of a larger conversation, in Mar, 13, that he’s having with his disciples about the end of time. These are challenging verses to study as Christian people, who love...