Disciples Global Network

SYNOPSIS - The touch of Jesus cleanses a leper - The forbidden contact does not render him “unclean” – Mark 1:40-45 .  The touch of Jesus cleansed a leper from ritual impurity, and it restored him physically AND religiously. What sets the story apart is that Jesus touched the man  BEFORE  he was cleansed of his  ritual impurity . Any concern over contracting uncleanness did not stop the messianic “ Son of Man ” from touching a son of Israel to make him whole.

Jesus restored the sight of a blind beggar while he was “on the way” to his death in the city of Jerusalem - Mark 10:46-52 .  This is the last recorded healing miracle in Mark’s account. And here, Jesus is called the “ Nazarene .” Previously, he was only so identified when he exorcised demons, thereby delivering someone from demonic oppression. And in the Gospel of Mark , the name “ Nazarene ” frames his first and last healing miracles.

To follow Jesus means surrendering one’s entire life and following wherever he leads, and no questions asked  – Mark 10:17-31.  One day, a young rich man approached Jesus to ask what he should do to inherit everlasting life. Here, the reader is confronted with the cost of discipleship. In the story’s version found in  Matthew , this man is labeled “ young .” In  Luke , he is a “ ruler ,” presumably, of the local synagogue. And his haste to ask his question points to his sincerity.

The Book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates visually and symbolically . Must prophecy be interpreted only or primarily in the most “literal” fashion possible unless a passage specifically indicates otherwise? Often in our minds, there is an unstated assumption that literal language is more reliable than nonliteral language, an idea that becomes especially problematic when interpreting the visions of  Revelation .

The inhabitants of the earth willingly venerate the Beast and take its mark, although believers are not immune from its allurements . And discussions about the “ Mark of the Beast ” invariably focus on questions about what it is - a medical implant, a barcode, or a tattoo – as well as the significance of its “ number ,” ‘ 666 .’ As important as these questions are, far more critical is the issue of how the believer can avoid taking the Beast’s mark or its “ number .”

Opponents question Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he uses the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom of God .  In  Mark  and  Matthew , Jesus is confronted by opponents with questions about divorce. However, this is intended to trap him with his own words. They are not soliciting an all-encompassing ruling on divorce from him. In  Mark , the incident is another in a series of confrontations between Jesus and the religious establishment linked to the Temple.