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Mark 2:112
Mark 4:3541
Mark 5:2143
Mark 6:4556
Mark 8:110
Mark 9:1432
Mark 14:1226
Mark 15:2147
Mark 16:18
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MARK 1
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Fourteen
Little Words
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son
of God.
Mark 1:1
These are the words Mark chose to begin the story of Jesus. And theres
a ton of information packed into these fourteen little words!
The good news! The word gospel means good news. Mark was saying,
Hey readers and listeners, I have really good news to share with you!
And this was certainly news. J esus story was still spreading around the
world. People were still hearing of this life-changing, history-changing
story. Mark was like a journalist delivering the best news in history.
J esus the Messiah. No beating around the bush there. Mark declared
it right up front: Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior whom God had
promised for hundreds of years, the Savior everyone was waiting for.
Here he is!
The Son of God. In the first line of his story, Mark declared Jesus deity.
Jesus wasnt just a good teacher. He wasnt just a nice guy. He wasnt
just a soldier and king who came to save the people from oppression.
He was God. He was God in human form. This is what Mark wanted
us to understand!
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for the Bible. I am so grateful that your
Word teaches me about Jesus. Help me to spread the good news
around my world today. Amen.
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MARK 2
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Mark 2:17
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MARK 2
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MARK 4
23So Jesus c
alled them over to him and
began to speak to them in parables: How
can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is
divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. 25If a h
ouse is divided a gainst itself,
that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan
opposes himself and is divided, he cannot
stand; his end has come. 27In fact, no one
can enter a strong mans house without
first tying him up. Then he can plunder the
strong mans house. 28Truly I tell you, people
can be forgiven all their sins and every slan
der they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiv
en; they are guilty of an eternal sin.
30He said this because they were saying,
He has an impure spirit.
31T hen
Jesus mother and brothers ar
rived. Standing outside, they sent someone
in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around
him, and they told him, Your mother and
brothers are outside looking for you.
33 Who are my moth
er and my broth
ers? he asked.
34T hen he looked at those seate d in a
circle a round him and said, Here are my
mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does
G ods will is my brother and sister and
mother.
1309
How many brothers and sisters do you have? According to Jesus definition
of family, you have too many siblings to count! J esus loved everyone like broth
ers and sisters. He shared his time, food, wisdom, and love. And he said that
whoever does the will of God is part of his family. So for about 2,000 years, his
family has been constantly growing. Have you joined J esus huge family? The
next time you are in church, look around. Youre looking at a whole lot of broth
ers and sisters in Christ.
Mark 3:3135
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MARK 4
A Lamp on a Stand
21H e said to them, Do you
bring in a
lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? In
stead, d
ont you put it on its s tand? 22For
whatever is hidden is meant to be dis
closed, and whatever is concealed is meant
to be b
rought out into the open. 23If any
one has ears to hear, let them hear.
24Consider carefully what you hear, he
continued. With the measure you use, it
will be measured to youand even more.
25Whoever has will be given more; whoever
does not have, even what they have will be
taken from them.
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In the
Boat
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that
it was nearly swamped. J esus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.
The disciples woke him and said to him, Teacher, dont you care if we
drown?
Mark 4:3738
Crash! Boom! Flash!
Its the middle of the night and a vicious storm is threatening to blow
your house down. You quiver in the dark with your covers pulled over
your head. What do your mom and dad do? Well, theyre still sleeping.
How can they sleep through such dangerous chaos?
This is what the disciples thought when a big storm came over their
boat. How could J esus possibly be sleeping through it? Didnt he care?
Imagine a groggy Jesus struggling to his feet in the rocking and rolling
boat. He stands up and says to the storm, Quiet!
The disciples wondered what kind of a man could do that. What kind
of a man can command the weather to obey him? It was almost too
hard to believe.
This story is to let us know that Jesus is more powerful than any storm.
We will go through storms, or difficult times, in life. Yet we dont need
to be afraid of anything, for the God of the universe is on our side.
Prayer
When the storms blow in my life, I know that you, Lord, are
powerful. I can trust you to keep me safe from the lightning and
thunder. I can trust you to be with me always. Amen.
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MARK 5
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MARK 6
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MARK 6
him to Bethsaida, w
hile he dismissed the
crowd. 46After leaving them, he went up on
a mountainside to pray.
47L ater that night, the boat was in the
middle of the lake, and he was a lone on
land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the
oars, because the wind was against them.
Shortly before dawn he went out to them,
walking on the lake. He was a bout to pass
by them, 49but when they saw him walking
on the lake, they t hought he was a g
host.
They cried out, 50because they all saw him
and were terrif ied.
Imm ed iatel y he spoke to them and
said, Take courage! It is I. D
ont be a fraid.
51Then he climbed into the boat with them,
and the wind died down. They were com
pletely amazed, 52for they had not under
stood about the loaves; their h
earts were
hardened.
53When they had crossed over, they land
ed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As
soon as they got out of the boat, people
recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout
that whole region and carried the sick on
mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And
wherever he went into villages, towns
or countrysidethey placed the sick in
the marketplaces. They begged him to let
them t ouch even the edge of his c loak, and
all who t ouched it were healed.
Mark 6:41
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MARK 8
6 H e rep lied, Isaiah was r ight when he
prophesied a bout you hypocrites; as it is
written:
These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human
rules.a
8You
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MARK 8
the way, b
ecause some of them have come
a long distance.
4His discip les ans wered, But where in
this remote place can anyone get enough
bread to feed them?
5How many loaves do you have? Jesus
asked.
Seven, they replied.
6H e told the crowd to sit down on the
ground. When he had taken the seven
loaves and given thanks, he b
roke them
and gave them to his disciples to distrib
ute to the people, and they did so. 7They
had a few s mall fish as well; he gave thanks
for them also and told the disciples to dis
tribute them. 8The people ate and were
satisf ied. Afterward the disciples picked up
seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were
left over. 9About four thousand were pres
ent. After he had sent them away, 10he got
into the boat with his disciples and went to
the region of Dalmanutha.
11
T he Pharisees came and began to
question Jesus. To test him, they a sked him
for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply
and said, Why does this generation ask for
a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given
to it. 13Then he left them, got back into the
boat and crossed to the other side.
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Take Up
Their Cross
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up
their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose
it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Mark 8:3435
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am honored to take up my cross and follow you.
Help me to not be concerned with what the world thinks of me.
Remind me that what you think of me is all that counts. Amen.
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MARK 8
The Transfiguration
2After six days J esus took Peter, James
and John with him and led them up a high
mountain, w
here they were all a lone. T here
he was transfigured before them. 3His
clothes became dazzling white, whiter than
anyone in the world could bleach them.
4And there ap
peared before them Elijah
and Moses, who were talking with J esus.
5Peter said to J esus, Rabb i, it is good
for us to be here. Let us put up three shel
tersone for you, one for Moses and one
for Elijah. 6(He did not know what to say,
they were so frightened.)
7T hen a c
loud app eared and covered
them, and a v oice came from the c loud:
This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!
Mark 9:7
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MARK 10
dead. 27But Jesus took him by the hand
and lifted him to his feet, and he s toodup.
28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disci
ples asked him privately, Why couldnt we
drive it out?
29 H e rep lied, This kind can come out
only by prayer.a
1319
the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.c
49Everyone
Divorce
10
Causing to Stumble
a29
42 If
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MARK 10
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Everything
You Have
J esus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said. Go,
sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven. Then come, follow me.
Mark 10:21
At Christmastime, have you ever seen someone standing outside a store
and ringing a little bell? These devoted volunteers are asking others
to give money to people in need. They ring their bells in hopes that
shoppers will drop some change into their buckets. A lot of people do.
Its easy to drop some spare change into a bucket.
But what if the bell ringer asked you to put everything you have into the
bucket?
Thats what J esus asked one young man to do. J esus was testing this
mans heart. Was this man willing to give up everything to follow J esus?
When you see how great Jesus is, and when you understand that living
for him brings blessings that are better than the world could ever give,
your desire will be to give up whatever he askseven if he asks for
everything.
Prayer
Lord, show me how great you are so that I dont live for the
things in this world but for you alone. Amen.
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Consider
the Cost
You dont know what you are asking, Jesus said. Can you drink the
cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?
Mark 10:38
Prayer
Lord, show me what it means to truly be your friend and follow
you. Help me to hear you with my heart. Amen.
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MARK 11
became indignant with J ames and John.
11
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6They
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MARK 11
12
Mark 11:23
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MARK 12
integrit y. You arent swayed by others, be
cause you pay no attention to who they are;
but you teach the way of God in accordance
with the t ruth. Is it right to pay the imperial
taxa to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or
shouldntwe?
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. Why are
you trying to trap me? he asked. Bring
me a denarius and let me look at it. 16They
b rought the coin, and he asked them,
Whose image is this? And whose inscrip
tion?
Caesars, they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, Give back to
Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is
Gods.
And they were amazed at him.
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The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.g
37David himself calls him Lord. How then
can he be his son?
The l arge crowd listened to him with de
light.
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MARK 12
13
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Out of Her
Poverty
Calling his disciples to him, J esus said, Truly I tell you, this poor
widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave
out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everythingall
she had to live on.
Mark 12:4344
Have you ever played a game of Monopoly? If you own Boardwalk and
land on a railroad that doesnt belong to you, dipping into your play
money doesnt hurt all that much. But if all you own is the Electric
Company, then landing on someone elses railroad really stings. Ouch!
Before you know it, youre down to your last blue dollar.
The poor widow didnt have much to give. She definitely had given much
less than the other people at the temple. But she gave it all. The wealthy
gave because they had plenty and would still have plenty afterward. It
didnt hurt. In the widows case, giving didnt just come from her purse,
but it came from her heart.
This woman loved God so much that she would rather give her money
to God than keep it for herself. That was a lesson Jesus had been trying
to pass on to the disciples. The more you love God, the less you care
about money or things. The widow did not give her money because
God required her to give her last cent. She gave the money because this
world did not own her heart. Thats really big love.
Prayer
Lord, teach me how to love you with all that I have and all that I
am so that I will not love the world. Amen.
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MARK 13
Mark 13:26
14
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Deut.15:11.
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MARK 14
bread, and when he had given thanks, he
roke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,
b
Take it; this is my body.
23Then he took a cup, and when he had
given thanks, he gave it to them, and they
all drank fromit.
24 This is my
blood of thea covenant,
which is p oured out for many, he said
to them. 25 Truly I tell you, I will not d
rink
again from the fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new in the kingdom of
God.
26
W hen they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives.
Gethsemane
32They went to a p
lace called Gethsema
ne, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here
while I pray. 33He took Peter, James and
John along with him, and he began to be
deeply distressed and troubled. 34My soul
is overwhelmed with sorrow to the p
oint
of death, he said to them. Stay here and
keep watch.
35G o
ing a little farther, he fell to the
ground and p
rayed that if possible the hour
might pass from him. 36Abba,d Father, he
said, everything is possible for you. Take
this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but
what you will.
37T hen he returned to his disciples and
found them sleeping. Simon, he said to
Peter, are you a sleep? C
ouldnt you keep
watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so
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Jesus Arrested
43J ust as he was speak
ing, Judas, one
of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a
crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent
from the chief priests, the teachers of the
law, and the elders.
44Now the betrayer had arranged a signal
with them: The one I kiss is the man; arrest
him and lead him away under guard. 45Go
ing at once to Jesus, Judas said, Rabbi!
and k issed him. 46The men s eized J esus and
arrested him. 47Then one of t hose standing
near drew his sword and struck the servant
of the high p
riest, cutting off his ear.
48AmI leading a reb ellion, said Jesus,
that you have come out with swords and
clubs to capture me? 49Every day I was with
you, teaching in the temple courts, and you
did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must
be fulf illed. 50 Then everyone deserted him
and fled.
51A y
oung man, wearing nothing but a
linen garment, was following Jesus. When
they s eized him, 52he fled naked, leaving his
garment behind.
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MARK 14
15
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MARK 15
together the whole company of soldiers.
17
T hey put a purple robe on him, then
twisted together a c rown of thorns and set
it on him. 18And they began to call out to
him, Hail, king of the Jews! 19Again and
again they struck him on the head with a
staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees,
they paid homage to him. 20And when they
had mocked him, they took off the purple
robe and put his own c lothes on him. Then
they led him out to crucif y him.
Jesus Revealed
Mark 15:19
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Jesus Revealed
Mark 15:36
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Hes
Alive!
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white
robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. Dont be
alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was
crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid
him.
Mark 16:56
Just try to imagine it. Your best friend just died. You go to visit his
grave and its empty. Not only is his body missing, but theres some guy
sitting in his spot. The stranger calmly tells you that your best friend
has risen from the dead, as if these things happen every day.
Now can you see why the women who went to Jesus tomb ran away in
fear? It would be hard to grasp that not only was there someone inside
the tomb alive, but also the person supposed to be in it had gotten up
and walked out.
Hes alive! Mary told Jesus followers. Hes alive! And alive he was.
And alive he is. We do not serve a dead Savior. Our Savior is alive and
well. He is able to conquer. Are you surprised? No need to beGod
can do anything.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am so thankful that you live. I am so glad you rose
again! Because you live, I can live with you forever. Hallelujah!
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MARK 16
body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he
was already dead. Summoning the centuri
on, he asked him if J esus had already died.
45
W hen he learned from the centurio n
that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.
46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took
down the body, w
rapped it in the linen, and
placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he
rolled a stone against the entrance of the
tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
16
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a8
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