Sermon Audio - Christ Community Church, Willmar MN

“Love God, and Love People.” It seems so simple, doesn’t it? Yet, how is it that a Scribe understands this, but Jesus still says he is outside the kingdom?

The words games with Jesus never end. This time, the Sadducees come forth with a test of Jesus’ resolve. What they don’t know (according to Jesus) is twofold: the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

Taxes. We all pay them, and likely don’t like doing it. We are not the first people to deal with paying a little extra for the things we utilize. In fact, Jesus uses a simple coin with Caesar’s face on it to teach us a more profound truth about what it means to belong to God.

The tensions between Jesus and the “higher-ups” continue to mount. In his teaching ministry, Jesus utilizes parables in order to communicate truth. Not all parables are created equally, and the Parable of the Tenants displays Jesus’ judgment against the religious elite.

A storm is brewing between Jesus and the religious elite. With the crowds still enraptured by Jesus and his teaching, a plot comes to light to discredit Christ and his ministry. However, what the religious leaders don’t know is how authoritative Jesus truly is.

Mark serves up a rather odd meal for us this week. The first course is a strange encounter between Jesus and a fruitless fig tree, and the second course is a rather angry encounter between Jesus, pigeon sellers, and money changers in the Temple Courts. How in the world do these two narratives fit with one another?

The story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem is one of the most popular—and yet, why did he do it? Why a donkey? This week we look at the glaring question that stares us in the face after ten chapters of Mark’s gospel, “What’s the point?”

With so much talk about the “Kingdom of God,” the question remains: who’s in? That is, the wealthy young man in Mark 10 asks the question that so many of Jesus’ time were wondering themselves: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Marriage and divorce are two topics that draw a lot of opinions both inside and outside the Church. In today’s text, Jesus takes some religious leaders to task over some dismissive attitudes regarding these realities. In the end, how does Christ’s kingdom bear weight on one of the most sacred of earthly relationships: marriage?

What do a child, a mysterious man casting out demons, and tying a millstone around your neck while swimming have in common? In this section of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us what it means to be “little” and “least,” and therefore “great.” (AUDIO NOTE: Due to a live analogy, the audio quality decreases from the 17:15-20:00 mark.)