The Unworthy Saint

I’ve been reading the book of Mark lately.  I read through it last month, now I’m reading through it again.  I don’t read every day – though I feel that I should.  But I do enjoy reading the bible – specifically Mark.  I like Mark particularly because of Frederick Buechner’s notes on the man and the book in his own book Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who.  Buechner specifically writes about Mark’s hurried nature – he’s always starting sentences with “And”, one of his favorite words is “Immediately”.  Buechner also points out the fact that Mark leaves many things out of his gospel, but also includes many small details.  So I enjoy reading through Mark and noticing these things.  I think they make the pages “come alive” a bit.  Besides that, it’s always good to read about the person and work of Jesus Christ – there’s something transformative about the scriptures.

These are the instances where Jesus essential said, “well done” or “your faith has made you well” or “i’m astonished at your faith” etc… This is Jesus talking to an actual person and does not include parables, only when he essentially praises someone – responds to a behavior or a way of thinking positively.

Matt 8:5-13

Matt 9:20-22

Matt 9:27-31

Matt 11:7-15

Matt 15:21-28

Matt 16:13-20

Matt 19:27-30

Matt 20:29-34

Matt 26:6-13

Mark 1:40-45

Mark 5:25-34

Mark 7:24-30

Mark 8:1-2

Mark 10:13-16

Mark 10:46-52

Mark 12:41-44

Mark 14:3-9

Luke 5:12-17

Luke 7:2-10

Luke 7:24-30

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 8:43-48

Luke 10:38-42

Luke 17:11-19

Luke 18:35-43

Luke 19:1-10

Luke 21:1-4

Luke 23:39-43

This is Mark 4:18-19 but 19 is really the verse I’m concerned with:

18 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

So I wrote about Matt 13:22 before. Basically, this is Mark’s passage saying the same thing only this time it’s not only worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, but also the “desires for other things.”

Of all the things that are haunting me right now, it’s this and Rom 14:23b which basically say the same thing – desiring and living for anything other than Christ, in every little way, leads to death. It’s only by Christ’s blood that we’re saved.