New Testament Outline: Luke 4-6

Luke 4 — Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus stands up against this temptation. Jesus returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He is rejected at Nazareth after reading and teaching in the synagogue. Jesus goes down to Capernaum to the synagogue and heals a man with an unclean demon. He leaves the synagogue and goes to Simon’s house and heals his mother-in-law and many others. Jesus says that he must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns.

Luke 5 — Standing by the lake of Gennesaret Jesus calls Simon Peter, James and John the sons of Zebedee to follow him. A man with leprosy comes to Jesus asking to make him clean and Jesus cleanses him. Jesus heals a man who is lowered through a roof. He calls Levi—a tax collector—to follow him.

By the Numbers: "And" in the Gospels

While reading the Gospel of Mark (in the ESV) the other day I was struck by how many verses begin with the word “And”. What made this stand out to me all the more was a section in Mark 8 where “And” began nine sentences in a row in just five verses (8:6-10). That got me thinking about the way in which Mark wrote his gospel.

Nearly everyone who picks up and reads the Gospel of Mark can sense the pace of his story. This is even more clear when it’s compared with the other gospels writers—Matthew, Luke, and John. Matthew’s gospel seems to me to be episodic.

New Testament Outline: Luke 1-3

Luke 1 — Luke begins by addressing his main audience—Theophilus. A priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth have no child because Elizabeth is barren. An angel of the Lord speaks to Zechariah and tells him that they will have a child and his name will be John. Zechariah questions what the angel of the Lord told him and then he was unable to speak. Elizabeth becomes pregnant. The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a child through the Holy Spirit and his name will be Jesus. Mary visits Elizabeth and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps in her womb. Mary sings a song of praise to the Lord.

New Testament Outline: Mark 13-16

Mark 13 — Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask Jesus when the things Jesus talked about will be accomplished and Jesus tells them to hold to the truth and be on their guard. He talks to his disciples about the abomination of desolation, the coming of the Son of Man, and what lesson comes from the fig tree. Jesus tells them that no one knows the day or hour.

Mark 14 — The chief priests and the scribes are seeking to arrest Jesus and kill him. A woman with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard finds Jesus at the house of Simon the leper and anoints him for burial. Judas goes to the chief priest to betray Jesus. On the first day of Unleavened Bread Jesus eats the Passover with his disciples and tells them that one of them will betray him.

New Testament Outline: Mark 10-12

Mark 10 — Jesus leaves and goes to Judea. There the Pharisees about divorce confront him. Some bring to children to Jesus so he could touch them. As Jesus journeys on a rich young man comes up to him and asks him about inheriting eternal life. Jesus and his disciples go up to Jerusalem and he tells them for the third time that he’s going to be killed and rise from the dead. James and John ask Jesus to sit at his right and left in his glory. He and his disciples go to Jericho and he heals a blind man there.

Mark 11 — Jesus and his disciples go to Jerusalem and there Jesus is welcomed by many as he rides into town on a colt. The next day Jesus curses a fig tree. In Jerusalem Jesus drives out those who are perverting the temple.

New Testament Outline: Mark 7-9

Mark 7 — The Pharisees and scribes question Jesus about not following the tradition of the elders. Jesus says that it’s not what goes into a person that makes him unclean; it’s what comes out of a person. Jesus goes to Tyre and Sidon and heals a gentile woman’s daughter. Jesus returns from Tyre and Sidon and heals a man who couldn’t hear or speak.

Mark 8 — Jesus feeds a crowd of greater than 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. The Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus. Jesus teaches his disciples to be aware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Herod. He and his disciples arrive in Bethsaida and Jesus heals a blind man.

New Testament Outline: Mark 4-6

Mark 4 — Jesus is teaching beside the sea and he tells the parable of the sower. Jesus then explains the purpose for telling parables, and then he explains the parable of the sower. Before telling a couple more parables Jesus talks about a lamp and a basket. Jesus then tells several parables in a row including the parable of the seed growing and the parable of the mustard seed. In the evening Jesus gets into a boat with his disciples and then calms a storm.

Mark 5 — Jesus and his disciples come to the Gerasenes and he heals a man with a demon and then the people beg Jesus to leave. Jesus uses a boat to cross to the other side and there he heals a woman who had been bleeding for a long time and Jairus’s daughter.

New Testament Outline: Mark 1-3

Mark 1 — Mark begins by quoting the prophets Malachi and Isaiah and then introducing John the Baptist. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and then Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus arrives in Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and then he calls his first disciples. Jesus and his disciples go into the synagogue in Capernaum and Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit. Jesus leaves the synagogue and enters Simon’s house to heal his mother-in-law. In the morning Jesus begins to preach in Galilee. A leper comes to Jesus and Jesus cleanses him.

Mark 2 — Jesus returns to Capernaum and health a paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof by his friends. Jesus tells some scribes that he has authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus goes out beside the sea and calls Levi to follow him.

Exegetical Meditations (36)

Do you want knowledge? What about wisdom? According to the Book of Proverbs, the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom.

Why is it that fearing Yahweh is related to knowledge and wisdom?

First we probably ought to come to terms with what it is to “fear” Yahweh (God). What usually comes to mind for most of us when we think about fearing God is being afraid of him in the sense that he scares us. Why are we scared of things? Typically it’s because we think whatever it is might hurt us or it could be that we just don’t understanding something, so naturally we’re scared of what might hurt us or what we don’t understand.