Exalting Jesus in Mark (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary | CCE)

Top Highlights

“And even though the day is drawing to a close, there is more to be done to enable the kingdom to advance against the powers of darkness and evil. In this text Jesus exhibits the strategy by which God continues to advance His purposes.” (Mark 1:35–45)

“The key is not the depth of our faith but the direction of our faith. What is important is not the potency of our faith but the Person our faith is in. A little faith in a great Savior gets amazing results!” (Mark 9:19–27)

“As the Lord ‘passed by’ Moses at Sinai and Elijah at Horeb, so now the God of the Old Testament, who is Christ, ‘wanted to pass by’ His disciples so that they might see His glory and believe! Only God can walk on water, and Jesus is showing them beyond question that is who He is!” (Mark 6:47–50)

“Some have estimated that more than 70 million Christians have given their lives for their witness to Jesus, 45 million in the twentieth century alone (ZENIT.org, ‘20th Century’). In the last decade ‘there were on average, 270 new Christian martyrs every 24 hours,’ or approximately one million in the last 10 years (Weigel, ‘Christian Number’).” (Mark 13:9–13)

“Sinclair Ferguson helps clarify the intent of our Lord’s words: ‘unless we maintain the purity of our own lives (plucking out the eye, etc.) and are purified by the flames of testing, and remain faithful to Christ, our lives will have no preserving influence on this corrupt world’ (Mark, 155).” (Mark 9:49–50)