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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 41.
immersed in Mark.
In the mid sixties ad the Roman
Emperor Nero began a severe
persecution of Jesus followers.
During that time, the apostles, Paul
and Peter were imprisoned and executed.
The apostle Peter had been one
of Jesus' closest companions.
According to church tradition,
mark had become a close companion
of Peter, who then passed along
to mark his recollections of
Jesus' life and teachings.
Mark compiled the story of Jesus in
a succinct gospel, which inspired
an already embattled generation of
Jesus' followers to remain faithful.
After all, Jesus himself had said, if
any of you wants to be my follower,
You must give up your own way.
Take up your cross and follow me.
If you try to hang onto your life, you
will lose it, but if you give up your
life, for my sake and for the sake
of the good news, you will save it.
Mark's use of Latin terms suggests that
his gospel was written primarily for
Romans and other Gentiles in the empire.
He also explains Jewish customs
and translates Aramaic phrases.
Indicating that his audience isn't
familiar with the culture and language
of the land where Jesus had lived.
Mark uses Peter's accounts to shape the
traditions about Jesus that were already
being passed down by word of mouth.
He announces right at the start
of his gospel that Jesus is
the Messiah, the Son of God.
Mark's main themes are the identity of
Jesus and the surprising way this son of
God is bringing God's rule into the world.
Mark shows how various groups, crowds
of Jewish people, the teachers of
religious law, Jesus' family, and
even Jesus' own disciples, struggled
to understand who Jesus was.
Jesus even told people not
to talk to others about him.
Everyone could see that Jesus had great
powers of healing and deliverance, but
his actions did not fit first century
Jewish expectations for the Messiah.
Mark tells this story with urgency.
Like a fast-paced drama.
Jesus moves quickly
from village to village.
Preaching and healing the heart of Jesus'
message is the coming of God's kingdom.
But Rome has its own version of
the good news, claiming that Caesar
is the son of God and that peace
and security come through him.
By contrast, the ministry of Jesus centers
on the restoration of God's people.
Announcing the forgiveness of
sins and releasing people from
illness and spiritual oppression.
As the first half of Mark's gospel
progresses, Jesus spends more time
teaching his disciples in private.
It is especially important to
him that they understand who he
is and what his message means.
Right at the midpoint of the book, as
Jesus is about to end his ministry in
Galilee and journey south to Jerusalem.
Peter finally declares you are the
Messiah, but Peter and the other
disciples still do not recognize
what kind of messiah Jesus is.
Jesus isn't preparing an
army to fight the Romans.
His battle is against evil at a deeper
level, and it will be won by following the
way of the cross from that point onward.
Jesus repeatedly informs his
disciples that he will suffer, be
killed, and rise from the dead.
Furthermore, he teaches them that
this path of suffering and service
for others will be their path too.
This is a hard adjustment of
expectations for them as evidenced by
their fleeing when Jesus is arrested.
Ironically, the Roman officer in
charge of Jesus execution recognizes
who he is from the way he dies.
Exclaiming.
This man truly was the son of God.
This officer serves as a model for the
Roman believers to whom Mark was writing.
There are some historical questions
about how Mark concluded his story, but
regardless of the possible endings, the
message of Jesus resurrection is clear.
Jesus really is the Messiah, and
God vindicated his unexpected
path of servanthood and sacrifice
by raising him from the dead.
Knowing this should inspire the believers
in Rome to fulfill their roles in sharing
the story of Jesus for the good News
must first be preached to all nations.
The gospel, according to Mark,
this is the good news about Jesus,
the Messiah, the Son of God.
It began just as the
prophet Isaiah had written.
Look, I'm sending my messenger ahead
of you and he will prepare your way.
He is a voice shouting in the wilderness.
Prepare the way for the Lord's coming.
Clear the road for him.
This messenger was John the Baptist.
He was in the wilderness and preached
that people should be baptized to
show that they had repented of their
sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
All of Judea, including all the people of
Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John.
And when they confessed their sins,
he baptized them in the Jordan River.
His clothes were woven from coarse
camel hair and he wore a leather
belt around his waist for food.
He ate locusts and wild honey.
John announced someone is
coming soon who is greater than.
I am so much greater that I'm not
even worthy to stoop down like a slave
and untie the straps of his sandals.
I baptize you with water.
But he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit.
One day, Jesus came from
Nazareth, then Galilee and John
baptized him in the Jordan River.
As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw
the heaven splitting apart and the Holy
Spirit descending on him like a dove and a
voice from Heaven said, you are my dearly
loved son, and you bring me great joy.
The spirit then compelled Jesus
to go into the wilderness where he
was tempted by Satan for 40 days.
He was out among the wild animals
and angels took care of him.
Later on, after John was arrested,
Jesus went into Galilee where
he preached God's good news.
The time promised by God has come at last.
He announced The kingdom of
God is near repent of your
sins and believe the good news.
One day, as Jesus was walking along
the shore of the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother
Andrew, throwing a net into the
water for they fished for a living.
Jesus called out to them,
come follow me and I will show
you how to fish for people.
And they left their nets
at once and followed him a
little farther up the shore.
Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and
John in a boat repairing their nets.
He called them at once and
they also followed him.
Leaving their father's Zedi in
the boat with the hired men.
Jesus and his companions went
to the town of Capernaum.
When the Sabbath day came, he went
into the synagogue and began to teach.
The people were amazed at his teaching
for he taught with real authority, quite
unlike the teachers of religious law.
Suddenly a man in the synagogue who
was possessed by an evil spirit cried
out, why are you interfering with us?
Jesus of Nazareth, have
you come to destroy us?
I know who you are, the holy one of God.
But Jesus reprimanded him.
Be quiet.
Come out of the man.
He ordered at that the evil spirit
screamed, threw the man into a
convulsion and then came out of him.
Amazement gripped the audience, and
they began to discuss what had happened.
What sort of new teaching is this?
They asked excitedly.
It has such authority.
Even evil spirits obey his orders.
The news about Jesus spread quickly
throughout the entire region of Galilee.
After Jesus left the synagogue
with James and John, they went
to Simon and Andrew's home.
Now, Simon's mother-in-law was
sick in bed with a high fever.
They told Jesus about her right away.
So he went to her bedside, took her
by the hand and helped her sit up.
Then the fever left her and
she prepared a meal for them.
That evening after sunset,
many sick and demon possessed
people were brought to Jesus.
The whole town gathered
at the door to watch.
So Jesus healed many people who
were sick with various diseases,
and he cast out many demons.
But because the demons knew who he
was, he did not allow them to speak.
Before daybreak.
The next morning, Jesus got up and
went out to an isolated place to pray.
Later, Simon and the others
went out to find him.
When they found him, they said,
everyone is looking for you.
But Jesus replied, we must
go on to other towns as well,
and I will preach to them too.
That is why I came.
So he traveled throughout the
region of Galilee, preaching in the
synagogues and casting out demons.
A man with leprosy came and knelt in
front of Jesus begging to be healed.
If you are willing, you can
heal me and make me clean.
He said, moved with compassion.
Jesus reached out and touched him.
I am willing.
He said, be heed.
He instantly.
The leprosy disappeared
and the man was healed.
Then Jesus sent him on his
way with a stern warning.
Don't tell anyone about this.
Instead, go to the priest
and let him examine you.
Take along the offering required
in the law of Moses for those
who have been healed of leprosy.
This will be a public testimony that
you have been cleansed, but the man
went and spread the word proclaiming
to everyone what had happened.
As a result, large crowds soon
surrounded Jesus, and he couldn't
publicly enter a town anywhere.
He had to stay out in the secluded places.
But people from everywhere
kept coming to him.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum
several days later, the news spread
quickly that he was back home soon.
The house where he was staying was so
packed with visitors that there was no
more room even outside the door while
he was preaching God's word to them.
Four men arrived carrying
a paralyzed man on a mat.
They couldn't bring him to Jesus
because of the crowd, so they dug a
hole through the roof above his head.
Then they lowered the man on
his mat right down in front
of Jesus, seeing their faith.
Jesus said to the paralyzed, man,
my child, your sins are forgiven.
But some of the teachers of religious
law who were sitting there thought
to themselves, what is he saying?
This is blasphemy.
Only God can forgive sins.
Jesus knew immediately what they were
thinking, so he asked them, why do
you question this in your hearts?
Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man,
your sins are forgiven, or, stand up.
Pick up your mat and walk.
So I will prove to you that the
son of man has the authority
on earth to forgive sins.
Then Jesus turned to the
paralyzed man and said, stand up.
Pick up your mat, and go home.
And the man jumped up, grabbed
his mat, and walked out
through the stunned onlookers.
They were all amazed and
praised, God exclaiming.
We've never seen anything
like this before.
Then Jesus went out to the
lake shore again and taught the
crowds that were coming to him.
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of
Al Feas sitting at his tax collector's
booth, follow me and be my disciple.
Jesus said to him, so Levi
got up and followed him.
Later.
Levi invited Jesus and his disciples
to his home as dinner guests,
along with many tax collectors
and other disreputable sinners.
There were many people of this kind among
Jesus followers, but when the teachers
of religious law who were Pharisees
saw him eating with tax collectors and
other sinners, they asked his disciples,
why does he eat with such scum?
When Jesus heard this, he told them,
healthy people don't need a doctor.
Sick people do.
I have come to call, not those
who think they are righteous, but
those who know they are sinners.
Once, when John's disciples and
the Pharisees were fasting, some
people came to Jesus and asked,
why don't your disciples fast?
Like John's disciples
and the Pharisees do?
Jesus replied, do wedding guests fast
while celebrating with the groom?
Of course not.
They can't fast while
the groom is with them.
But someday the groom will be taken
away from them and then they will fast.
Besides who would patch old clothing with
new cloth for the new patch would shrink
and rip away from the old cloth, leaving
an even bigger tear than before, and no
one puts new wine into old wine skins for
the wine would burst the wine skins and
the wine and the skins would both be lost.
New wine calls for new wine skins.
One Sabbath day, as Jesus was walking
through some grain fields, his disciples
began breaking off heads of grain to eat.
But the Pharisees said to Jesus,
look, why are they breaking the law
by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?
Jesus said to them, haven't you ever
read in the scriptures what David did
when he and his companions were hungry?
He went into the house of God.
During the days when Abiathar was high
priest and broke the law by eating
the sacred loaves of bread that only
the priests are allowed to eat, he
also gave some to his companions.
Then Jesus said to them, the
Sabbath was made to meet the needs
of people and not people to meet
the requirements of the Sabbath.
So the son of man is Lord.
Even over the Sabbath, Jesus
went into the synagogue again and
noticed a man with a deformed hand.
Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus'
enemies watched him closely.
If he healed the man's hand, they plan
to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man with the deformed
hand come and stand in front of everyone.
Then he turned to his critics
and asked, does the law permit
good deeds on the Sabbath?
Or is it a day for doing evil?
Is this a day to save
life or to destroy it?
But they wouldn't answer him.
He looked around at them angrily and was
deeply saddened by their hard hearts.
Then he said to the
man, hold out your hand.
So the man held out his hand
and it was restored at once.
The Pharisees went away and met
with the supporters of Herod
to plot how to kill Jesus.
Jesus went out to the lake with his
disciples and a large crowd followed him.
They came from all over Galilee,
Judea, Jerusalem, iia from east
of the Jordan River, and even from
as far north as Tire and Saan.
The news about his miracles had spread
far and wide and vast numbers of people
came to see him Jesus, and instructed
his disciples to have a boat ready
so the crowd would not crush him.
He had healed many people that day,
so all the sick people eagerly pushed
forward to touch him, and whenever
those possessed by evil spirits caught
sight of him, the spirits would throw
them to the ground in front of him.
Shrieking, you are the son of God,
but Jesus sternly commanded the
spirits not to reveal who he was.
This concludes today's
Immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.