EmmDev 2026-05-07 [Moments with Mark] Concluding Mark #2 Son of God, Son of Man

Concluding Mark #2 Son of God, Son of Man

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark1:1)

Mark explores a profound contrast in his gospel.
He identifies Jesus as the "Son of God."
But He also calls Him the "Son of Man."

Interestingly, Mark uses "Son of God" three times.
- At the opening of the Gospel
- In the mouth of the demons in ch.3 so that even ultimate evil knows His authority
- In the mouth of the Centurion at His death

We see glimpses of His glory:
-Demons recognise Him.
-Storms obey Him.
-Disease flees from Him.
-Food multiplies
-Fig trees wither
-Death is defeated (but in Mark's ending we get just a glimpse of resurrection)


But for Mark the "Son of God" reveals His glory through servanthood.
He uses "Son of Man" fourteen times.
Jesus truly is a "man of the people" and His glory is often hidden beneath humility.
He walks dusty roads, touches lepers, eats with sinners, grows tired, sleeps in boats and finally hangs on a cross.

Mark's great revelation is this:
Jesus is not less glorious because He serves and suffers.
His humility is His glory.

Once again we come to one of the major points in the Gospel of Mark:
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Jesus, the Son of God, is also the Son of Man.

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EmmDev 2026-05-06 [Moments with Mark] Concluding Mark #1 Immediately

Concluding Mark #1 Immediately

At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert... (Mark1:12)

Apart from some detours for Month of Mission and Lent, we've been working through Mark since February last year!

For interest, I threw all 115 of my devotions on Mark at an AI and asked it to summarise the key themes.
The results were striking and rang true and so, over the next few days, I'll explore these themes.

The first of these themes is that Mark should not be read without an appreciation of the sense of urgency that permeates the narrative. Mark writes with urgency and simplicity.
Again and again his favourite words appear:
"Immediately..."
"And then..."
"At once..."

This gives Mark's Gospel a sense of breathlessness.
Jesus is always moving:
- Teaching.
- Healing.
- Confronting evil.
- Calling disciples.
- Striding toward the cross.

This links to Jesus' powerful sense of purpose which is expressed so clearly in Mark 10:45.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life as a ransom for many."

What is the "take-home"?
That we are loved.
Fiercely and Urgently.
Jesus came and lived earnestly, urgently, passionately and purposefully.
He came to rescue us and He poured His life into His mission...
... and then He poured His life out on the Cross.
He held nothing back - He gave us His all.
We are fiercely and urgently LOVED.

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EmmDev 2026-05-05 [Moments with Mark] An Early Church Conclusion to Mark

An Early Church Conclusion to Mark

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it. (Mark16:9-20)

There are some important textual questions around the last 11 verses of Mark as we have them in our modern Bible Translations.

• The passage is not found in the oldest manuscripts.
• Its language and style differ from the rest of Mark.
• It includes themes that may reflect the early church's mission rather than Jesus' earthly ministry.

The NIV Study Bible says this about today's reading: "Serious doubt exists as to whether these verses belong to the Gospel of Mark. They are absent from important early manuscripts and display certain peculiarities of vocabulary, style and theological content that are unlike the rest of Mark. His Gospel probably ended at 16:8, or its original ending has been lost."

I think that a viable explanation is that while the early church carefully preserved and transmitted what it received, they sometimes included additional material that reflects the early church's witness.. As we discussed in the last devotion, the "abrupt ending" left us contemplating that although the resurrection happened, there were moments of struggle and fear too. It may be possible that Mark left the ending abrupt so that people would think and ask: "So what happened next?" The early church included material that answered the question.

The longer ending may not be Mark's original conclusion, but it powerfully reflects how the early church understood and proclaimed the risen Christ. Here are some of the key lessons:

1. Although the "abrupt ending" reflects some uncertainty and fear, these are explicitly answered in resurrection appearances and by Jesus addressing their fears and doubts. (It must be noted that the line "He rebuked them for their lack of faith and stubborn refusal to believe..." carries a stronger tone than we see elsewhere in the Gospels, and may reflect the early church's emphasis on bold, trusting faith...)
2. The missional nature of the ending certainly reflects the passion and ardour of the early churchh.
3. That same missional focus also reflects in the emphasis on belief and baptism and the consequences of a lack of faith.
4. The promise of "signs and wonders" is a vibrant reflection of the life of the early church. Paul drove out demons, spoke in tongues, healed people and even survived a snake bite. We don't have a Biblical account of a Christian surviving a poisoning attempt but, in the light of all the other miracles, this too is feasible as something that happened in the growth of the church.
5. The Ascension account makes three important points:
   1. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God - speaks of His authority and victory
   2. The disciples went out and preached
   3. The Lord worked with them and confirmed His word miraculously - speaks of the powerful outpouring of the Spirit.

So although it's unlikely that Mark wrote the longer ending, the early church preserved these thoughts, and nothing in this passage stands alone - all of these themes are found elsewhere in the New Testament. And, guided by the Spirit, we can learn from and apply the lessons we learn from this later ending.
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Tomorrow I'll end off this series with a reflection of Mark's "Key Lessons...."

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EmmDev 2026-04-30 [Moments with Mark] Abrupt Ending

Abrupt Ending

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as he told you.' " Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark16:1-8)

While there is another section that follows, scholars are pretty convinced that this is where the original gospel of Mark ended. Next week we'll look at the "longer ending" and understand the role that it plays.

For now, let's consider this piece as the "shorter ending."

Let's bear in mind that for Mark and the early church, the Resurrection was never in doubt. Christians were being persecuted and martyred and they faced their death with hope and praise because they were utterly convinced of the resurrection. The Holy Spirit had been poured out on them, the church was growing like wildfire, and they were not afraid of dying for their faith. In writing his gospel, Mark wasn't defending the resurrection, he was making sure that the stories about Jesus that we think he was hearing through Peter's sermons, would not be lost to future generations. (Think about how abruptly Mark began his gospel. No birth and infancy narratives - just straight into the account of Jesus' ministry.)

So this "abrupt ending" is not so abrupt when we consider Mark's style and purpose. Throughout the gospel Mark has been short and economical, writing like a newspaper reporter: short, sharp and punchy.

When it comes to the resurrection he's doing the same.
He describes:
- the first eye-witnesses.
- their journey to the tomb and what they experienced.
- what they saw: The stone rolled away and the angel sitting inside
- what they heard: Jesus is not here. He is Risen. Tell the disciples and Peter "Go to Galilee"

Then he describes the women leaving, trembling and bewildered, not talking to others at this point.
And that's the original ending.

It's a puzzling note to end on.
From the other gospels we know that Jesus Himself appeared to Mary Magdalene and that the women eventually told the disciples. We know that Peter and John ran to the tomb and that John believed. From John we know that Peter left bewildered and wondering what happened. From Luke we know that Jesus appeared to Peter all by himself.

Maybe this is the clue that Mark is leaving us. He emphasises that the angel told the women, "...tell the disciples and Peter..." Maybe Mark wanted his readers to understand that the women struggled and that Peter struggled, but everybody knew that the tomb remained empty, the Holy Spirit came, and the Early Church found courage.

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EmmDev 2026-04-29 [Moments with Mark] Joseph (Part 2) - Respect

Joseph (Part 2) - Respect

So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. (Mark15:46-47)

Yesterday we looked at Joseph's faith and courage.
Today I'd like to consider another driving force in his actions, namely respect.

Let's recap. Joseph
- takes a risk going to Pilate.
- probably jeopardises his standing with the Council
- makes a sacrifice in offering up his expensive and elite tomb

Along with his faith and courage, Joseph is "doing right" by Jesus.
I think this shows respect.
There are moments of respect throughout the burial and resurrection.
- Nicodemus brings spices for the burial. He was also a member of the council.
- The women return after the Sabbath to complete the work of anointing Jesus
- Jesus folds His grave cloths when He rises from the dead.
- And Joseph does what he can to give Jesus a dignified burial

Respect is important.
It speaks of the intrinsic value of people, and in this narrative, it reminds us that Jesus was respected even by some of those who would have been considered His enemies.

When we love God, we also love people.
But we also respect God and respect people.
Joseph shows it towards Jesus, as do Nicodemus and the women.
Jesus shows it towards Joseph and whoever will tidy the tomb.

In a world filled with disrespect - where people are celebrated for "dissing" (disrespecting) others, this is an important insight.

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EmmDev 2026-04-28 [Moments with Mark] Joseph (Part 1)

My apologies for the long delay in devotions. The Easter season overwhelmed me a little and then we were away on leave...

Joseph (Part 1)

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. (Mark15:42-45)

I have a little theory. I can't prove it, but in eternity we'll know if I'm right.
I think that Joseph of Arimathea was the "Rich Young Ruler" who walked away when Jesus told him to give up all he had... If I'm right, this makes the events of this passage very significant.

The name "Joseph" means, "God will add."
This is very fitting for this moment because, although this account is about a burial, God will add resurrection to the story.

Let's pick up the details:

• It was Preparation Day: They had until sunset and then the Sabbath begins. So it was urgent to get this work done, thus avoiding defilement on the Sabbath.
• Joseph is from Arimathea which was also called Ramah. There were a number of places called Ramah in the OT, because the name can mean "high, exalted, lifted up, lookout, height." There is also a possible link to the Ramah mentioned by Jeremiah and quoted by Matthew when Herod orders that the baby boys around Bethlehem be killed - "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning..."
• Joseph was a prominent member of the Council which was the highest Jewish governing body consisting of chief priests, elders and the teachers of the law. They made religious decisions, legal judgments and, ironically, were the ones who decided on the arrest and trial that led to Jesus' crucifixion.
• Joseph was "waiting for the Kingdom of God." This means that he was spiritually aware. Another member of the council, Nicodemus, had been to meet Jesus (see John 3) and according to the other gospels, he accompanies Joseph to the burial. So it seems that there were some religious leaders who had open hearts and were contemplating Jesus' significance.
• He boldly went to Pilate. Mark is highlighting the irony here. The council condemned Jesus to death and now Joseph is giving Him a dignified funeral. This would have placed Joseph under a spotlight of suspicion and criticism. This would have had to be a carefully considered decision, especially as it involved a family tomb, and Joseph makes it boldly.
• Pilate is surprised that Jesus is already dead. This was because crucifixion was a slow and cruel way of putting people to death. Mark is making an important point here. Jesus' life wasn't taken by Roman torture, His life was given for us.
• Pilate gives the body to Joseph. Normally crucified criminals' bodies were discarded like refuse. Rome preferred it that way, it proved their supremacy. To have an executed man's body buried among the wealthy and elite would have mixed the message that Roman Crucifixion was meant to convey. Maybe it was the impact Jesus had on Pilate earlier that day that led him to agree to this request.

Tomorrow we'll look at the rest of the details, but for now, our takeaways are:

• Joseph is a leader who, in spite of the other toxic leaders in the Council, was impacted by Jesus.
• Pilate was also impacted by Jesus and releases His body for dignified burial instead of humiliation.
• In Joseph's name ("God will add") and in the name of his home town ("Ramah" - the place of weeping) we find hints of the sadness Jesus came to heal and the hope of resurrection.

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EmmDev 2026-04-07 [Moments with Mark] The Faithful Women

The Faithful Women

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed Him and cared for His needs. Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem were also there. (Mark15:40-41)

From the other gospels we know that there was only one male disciple at the cross and that was John. We think it is because he was young, possibly just a teen. This is why he could call himself "the one that Jesus loved." Being the young one it is likely that all the disciples and Jesus had a soft spot for him. This, probably, is also why Jesus assigns him and Mary to look after each other. To be fair, John is there only by advantage of his youth. The other disciples were older and potentially have been considered as "enemies of the state." It would have been dangerous for them to be at the cross.

In gentle contrast, Mark tells us of a number of women who were there, supporting Jesus. There are some variants in the names of the women as given by the four gospel writers, but we won't be considering the individuals for now.

What is interesting is that Mark portrays women positively in his gospel:
- The woman with the bleeding disorder had courageous faith.
- The Syrophoenician woman understood grace.
- The widow with her two coins gave sacrificially.
- The woman who anointed Jesus recognised His impending death when others didn't.

Here, the women stay at the cross, continuing their faithful devotion to Jesus. Mark tells us that they came to Jerusalem with Jesus and that in Galilee they had followed Jesus and cared for His needs. Luke tells us that some of them "... were helping to support them (Jesus and the twelve) out of their own means."

In a society where women did not enjoy rights and standing of men, it is significant that Mark (who was known for brevity and focus on key aspects) devotes some time to describing their presence. Especially just after the dramatic events of Jesus' death.

These women are examples of "a long obedience in the same direction."
They have been faithful, and, despite being undervalued by society, they are just faithfully there.
Let's take a moment to give thanks for the faithful women who are role-models to us as they faithfully and practically practice a long obedience in a God direction.

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EmmDev 2026-04-02 [Moments with Mark] Triumph: Demonstrated and Recognised

Triumph: Demonstrated and Recognised

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, "Surely this Man was the Son of God!" (Mark15:38-39)

Yesterday I suggested that Jesus' "loud cry" was one of triumph.

Our reading today supports this...
At His death, the temple curtain, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, tore from top to bottom. We should never underestimate the visceral impact this event would have had. Normally the Holy of Holies was "off limits" - The High Priest entered only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Jesus' sacrifice changed all of that. The torn curtain was a powerful symbol of the success of the atonement offering Jesus made.
The letter to the Hebrews explains that Jesus, our High Priest, sacrificed for our sins, once and for all.

Now the Roman Centurion didn't see the curtain tear. He saw the darkness. He may have felt the earthquake mentioned in Matthew. He heard Jesus' cry. He saw how Jesus carried His agony and how He died. He didn't hear a helpless victim. He didn't see a tragic ending. He wasn't left hopeless. He was moved to make a significant statement. "This Man was the Son of God."

This statement is one of the most powerful creeds or declarations of faith in the New Testament.
There's deep theology in this one line.
- He was a Man (God made flesh)
- He was the Son of God (Not just a good man - He was God)

Think about it...
This seasoned Roman soldier had simply been doing his duty.
He'd executed a man considered an enemy of the empire.
And yet, as he contemplated this grisly death which should have simply been a demonstration of Rome's crushing power over anyone who would dare to oppose, he came to a completely unexpected conclusion:

This was the Son of God.

Today we think about Jesus walking the dusty byways of history. We can reduce Him to a relic of our Sunday School stories - an artifact of a quaint religious upbringing. But what happened to the Centurion should grab our attention. At Jesus' death, he should have smirked and said something like "See? You don't mess with the power of Rome."
But instead, he is shaken to the core.
Even in death, Jesus conveys majesty.
His sacrifice means something significant.

And we should take note!

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EmmDev 2026-04-01 [Moments with Mark] Victim or Priest?

Apologies: this is yesterday's devotion sent out late. Today's one will come a little later.

Victim or Priest?

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last. (Mark15:37 )

As we have seen, Mark keeps things short and simple.
From the other gospels we know that this "loud cry" included
"It is Finished" ("Tetelestai" - "Paid in Full")
and "Father into Your hands I commit my Spirit".

Mark captures the sense of this with his simple account.
The loud cry is one of triumph and victory.
Breathing His last indicates that Jesus was in control.
His life wasn't taken from Him by us - He gave His life for us.

This is a vital distinction.
Jesus is not a helpless victim, He is our Great High Priest who offers Himself.
Tomorrow we will see that the manner of His death is so striking that it moves a senior Roman Officer to utter one of the New Testament's greatest statements of faith.

Take a moment to reflect on a Saviour who
- experienced the excruciating (pun intended) agony of the cross,
- refused narcotics,
- fulfilled scripture,
- offered mercy to a hardened criminal,
- took care of His earthly mother and youngest disciple,
- and traversed God-forsakenness that reduced Him to His "mother tongue."
Then even in His final moments even death is His choice and not ours.
He is not a victim losing His life, but a Priest offering it.

As Charles Wesley's hymn asks:
"Amazing Love, how can it be, that Thou, O God, shouldst die for me?!"

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EmmDev 2026-03-31 [Moments with Mark] Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue

Jesus hung on the cross for six hours. (Time was measured from sunrise and so Jesus was crucified at the 3rd hour (about 9AM))

At the 6th hour (about midday) darkness covered the land until the 9th hour. This darkness represented the time in which Jesus experienced separation from God. This was the penalty for my sin and yours. God's wrath is complete separation from Him.

Imagine what that was like for Jesus. As part of the Trinity, He had experienced eternal and perfect love and communion with the Father and Spirit. Now on the cross, He is separated from the Spirit and the Father.

In this gut-and-heart-wrenching moment Jesus does two incredible things.

Firstly he quotes from Psalm 22 which starts "My God my God why have you forsaken me..." If someone on their deathbed says "Our Father who art in heaven..." we would say they prayed the Lord's prayer on their deathbed. If someone says "The Lord is my shepherd..." we would say that they recited Psalm 23. Jesus, by quoting the first line of Ps.22 is therefore connecting to the whole of the Psalm which is an exploration of the pain of unjust suffering and God's ultimate deliverance. If we ever wondered whether God understands our pain, this Psalm and the fact that Jesus had it on His lips on the cross should cancel all our doubts.

Secondly, Jesus quotes the Psalm in Aramaic. This is His "mother tongue" - the language He was first taught as a child and the language He grew up with. When we are pushed to the limits of our humanity, we go back to our earliest memories and language. We tend to talk about the cross as though it was a tea-party. Jesus, in this moment of intense pain and suffering, is pushed back to his "mother tongue". It should fill us with incredible awe and wonder that we would be loved SO much.

It's important to note that Jesus isn't surprised or caught off guard here. It's not as though He didn't know what was going to happen. Some interpret "Why have you forsaken me?" as a moment of desperate pain. Although the pain takes Jesus back to "mother tongue", He is not surprised or "out of His mind with pain". He deliberately alludes to Psalm 22 and faces separation with the clear hope that God will deliver him.

Psalm 22 ends with "They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it.

Jesus at the 9th hours says "It is FINISHED!" (I have done it).

HALLELUJAH!!!

(I've included the full Psalm 22 below...)

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark15:33-34)

PS 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him--
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn--
for he has done it.

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