News

I’ve just published the sixth part of the Learn to read the Bible series on Mark’s Gospel. This week we are looking at Mark 2:1-12, when Jesus forgives and heals a paralysed man.

For those who are coming to this new, the idea behind this series is not for me to simply explain everything to you, but rather to give you things to think about yourself. This is about training you to read the Bible for yourself, rather than just giving you all the answers!

See this page if you’d like a few pointers for how to use these videos.

You can read the passage online here (although I’d suggest it’s better in a physical Bible). You may also want to have a pen and paper handy to jot down notes and things you want to look into more.

Key points from Mark 2:1-12

This is a really important passage in Mark’s Gospel and it’s worthwhile spending a bit of time thinking and praying about!

• Mark once again draws attention to Jesus’ fame spreading. Think about YouTube stars or people who draw a large following online – what must it have been like in Jesus’ day?
• The paralysed man’s friends broke through the roof and lowered him to Jesus. What does this show about them? What obstacles are there which might stop us from getting to Jesus, and what should we do about it?
• Why does Jesus say ‘your sins are forgiven’ when the man needed physical healing? What does that say about Jesus’ priorities?
• Are the teachers of the Law right when they say only God can forgive sins? Was Jesus blaspheming? What does that say about who Jesus is?
• Jesus says “I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”. Does this help us to understand Jesus’ other miracles?

Looking for more?

You can see the rest of the videos in this series on the this page. If you’d like a more focussed series teaching the Christian faith, check out the teaching programme.

You might also want to see the previous episode in the series on Mark 1:35-45.

I’ve just published the fifth part of the Learn to read the Bible series on Mark’s Gospel. This week we are looking at Mark 1:35-45, when Jesus prays early in the morning and then heals a man with leprosy.

For those who are coming to this new, the idea behind this series is not for me to simply explain everything to you, but rather to give you things to think about yourself. This is about training you to read the Bible for yourself, rather than just giving you all the answers!

You can read the passage online here (although I’d suggest it’s better in a physical Bible). You may also want to have a pen and paper handy to jot down notes and things you want to look into more.

Key points from Mark 1:35-45

These are the things in the video I highlight (plus one I forgot to mention!)

• Jesus went to a solitary place to play. What does that say about the importance of prayer? How important should prayer be for us?
• Jesus tells us that he came to preach (v38). What does that say about Jesus’ priorities, especially when compared with his miracles etc?
• Jesus heals a man with leprosy. You might find it helpful to think about what it meant to be “unclean” – see e.g. this article. Jesus didn’t simply heal a man with an illness, but made an unclean man clean. That should help us understand more what Jesus was doing. Is there anything which makes us “unclean” before God?…
• One thing I forgot to mention in the video! – Jesus is willing to make the man clean (v41). What does this say about Jesus’ love and compassion?
• Jesus’ fame is spreading but he tries to hide it again. Jesus is different to many other religious leaders who want to spread their own fame!

Looking for more?

You can see the rest of the videos in this series on the this page. If you’d like a more focussed series teaching the Christian faith, check out the teaching programme.

You might also want to see the previous episode in the series on Mark 1:21-34.