Mark uses a literary technique called an “inclusio” to show the reader the importance of a specific passage. In chapters 8 and 10, we read two healing miracles that form two literary “bookends”, and sandwiched between these two stories is a monumental lesson about Jesus. Specifically, we learn who Jesus is as a “divine man”… Continue reading →
The story of Judas, the man who turned Jesus in to the authorities, can be found in all four Gospels. However, when we line up each Gospel, we can see that the character development of Judas differentiates from one Gospel to the next. There are “nodes” of oral tradition we can track Judas to, and… Continue reading →
The word “Messiah” comes from a Jewish background, stemming from the Hebrew word, “mashach” which means “to pour”. In the Israelite monarchy, the connotation with the noun “the messiah” linked to royalty, and in this case the king himself was called “the anointed one”. It also was used when speaking of sacred objects and even… Continue reading →
