Posts by Susan Mahaney

Every Christian, often with noble motives, has taken up stress-producing burdens that Jesus never asked us to carry, and we have had to learn to lay them down. In fact, the Christian life could be described as continually laying down unnecessary burdens at Christ’s feet, and daily seeking fresh mercy, relief, and rest in His…

A man, described as the “rich young man”, asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus called him to sell his possessions and give to the poor so that he might have treasure in heaven and then to follow Him. Sadly, the man was unwilling to part with his riches…

Jesus radically recasts true leadership by modeling servant leadership. Jesus, rather than wielding power and authority for self-promotion, empowers and lifts up others. Jesus teaches, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” In contrast to worldly leadership, Jesus’ followers lead…

In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” These words convey well the calling of Jesus that Mark recorded: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Jesus wanted to   make…

For the first time Jesus plainly speaks about what no one expected. The Christ, prophesied to be Israel’s mighty and everlasting King, must suffer terrible things, be rejected by the elders, and be killed. But He will rise from the dead. A dead Christ? A condemned King? Dying and rising? Right in the center of…

In Jesus’ day, two prominent realities organized Jewish life, the Temple and Torah. At the Temple, sacrifices were made, feasts celebrated, and worship offered. Through the Torah, God instructed His people to live holy lives by keeping His Commandments. Over time, Israel’s religious leaders developed extensive and complicated teachings for how the Law of God…

The feeding of five thousand is important for understanding who Jesus is, what people need, and the essence of discipleship. The crowd elicits compassion from Jesus, “They are like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus challenges the disciples by saying, “You give them something to eat.” It’s as though He wants His power to work through…

Jesus’ selects twelve common men—not men trained by religious elites, not scribes or Pharisees. With His chosen followers, Jesus also shows us something about the reign of God—it’s communal. Jesus calls individuals to Himself but also brings them into community with each other. The King’s people could more appropriately be known as the King’s servants.…

Mark recounts opposition to Jesus ranging from unbelief, to plots, to destroy and kill Him. This comes not only from Herod’s camp and religious elites, but also from Jesus’ own people. Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue. Given His reputation, one would expect Him to receive a hero’s welcome.…

In the Gospel of Mark, there are eight parables, stories to illustrate a profound, valuable moral lesson. Jesus uses parables to reveal mysteries to His followers and to conceal truth from those opposed to Him.  However, His parables are not always easy to understand. Even His own disciples often asked Jesus to explain the stories…