There are so many terrible things happening in this world right now! It has been suggested that much of our troubles come from excluding God from our lives, our country, and our schools. We get so busy with our personal goals and desires that God may not come first, if we see him there at all. God sent his Son to teach us and redeem us. Let’s take a walk today through the Gospel of Mark and let us be amazed and astounded at the wonders of God’s love.
Mark 1:21-22: Then they came to Capernaum and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
Mark 1:26-27: The unclean Spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
Mark 2:12: He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Mark 4:39, 41: He woke up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm….They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Mark 5:20: Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
Mark 5:42: The girl, a child of 12, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded.
Mark 6:2a: when the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.
Mark 6:51: He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded.
Mark 7:37: They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Mark 9:15: Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
Mark 10:32: They we’re on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed….
Mark 12:17: So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.
Mark 15:4-5: Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Mark 16:5: On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe. They were utterly amazed.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, your words, your deeds, your teachings and your love are truly amazing. We are astounded by the wonders of your saving love every day of our lives. Increase our awareness and help us to share our amazement with others so they will come to know you more and more. We thank you, amazing Lord, for suffering, dying, and rising for us. Praise be to you, Son of God, Messiah and King!
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Image: Jesus Christ, part of the Resurrection group by Germain Pilon. Marble, before 1572. Photograph by Ricardo Andre Frantz, published here under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The scripture passages are from the New American Bible, Oxford University Press, 1990.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.