Aliene

You made it! Today we close out our Sweet Sixteen Series with the final chapter in the gospel of Mark. I am so glad you took this journey with us and pray you were blessed as you pondered over the life of Jesus. 

Chapter Sixteen of the Gospel of Mark

What is so fascinating about chapter sixteen is that Mark’s ending is not neat and tidy. Not only are there tricky aspects within the text to reconcile, but there is a “longer ending” and a “shorter ending” depending on which translation you read.   

Difficult Bible passages can create confusion if our faith rests in understanding every Bible passage instead of a Living Savior. Our minds are drawn to clarity and away from confusion.

This human reality is why we embrace a good movie or book with a neat and tidy ending. Happily-ever-after, all is well with our soul. 

However, the gospel of Mark was not a make-believe story – it is the real eye witness account of the life of Jesus as he left the perfection of heaven to walk in a broken world.  

Life’s Loose Ends

Life is not a neat and tidy story. For every woman, we all have aspects of our life that are loose ends we don’t understand. Our difficulties may cause confusion, and we might draw away from living the abundant life and settle on the shore of uncertainty. But it is in our loose ends that Jesus writes his story of redemption.  

Our lives are the very parchment paper upon which Jesus continues to write his story. 

And your testimony matters. Your real-life authentic story matters! Because sharing your eyewitness account to your experience, with Jesus is the best way to evangelize. No one can argue with a changed life.  

The end of the gospel of Mark is not the end of Jesus’s story. It lives on through you as you share the good news. 

“And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone”(Mark 16:15). 

How did Jesus impact your life through the gospel of Mark during our Sweet Sixteen study?

Let Mark’s ending be your beginning – as if Mark is passing the pen to you. Who will you “go and tell” about Jesus? 

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15). 

May the Perfect Love of Jesus give you the courage to shine by sharing with others how he has changed your life. ONWARD! 

Nourish Scripture: Mark 16

Are you eager to discover the IMPACT God wants to make on your life? Download Nourishing Your Heart!

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Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Many fled before the first lash tore open Jesus’ back…

The disciples abandoned him.

Judas betrayed him.

Peter denied him.

Where were the thousands, he had fed with the five loaves and two fish? Where were those who had been astounded by his miracles and crowded him with such fervor that he had to slip away? Were the people who yelled “crucify him” some of the same ones who had received healing from his hands?

But not everyone fled. The gospel of Mark records this beautiful, breathtaking detail.

“Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph and Salome. They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there” (Mark 15:40-41).

The Women Who Stayed

They stood at a distance. Mary Magdalene, Mary, Salome, and others from Jerusalem who had ministered to Jesus stopped and stood at a distance to survey the cross.

The cross . . . Calvary . . . the place where love and sorrow kissed and intertwined. Pain and passion intersected.

Yeshua—how sweet the name. Jesus. He was their Teacher, their Healer, their Bridegroom. He captured their hearts. They encountered the love of God through Jesus and they were never the same. He exalted them, he liberated them, he restored them, and he loved them. His love was extravagant.

And as Jesus ministered to others, these women ministered to his needs (Luke 8:1-3). They moved to the beat of his grace. After caring for the One they loved, how could they leave him now? And so, they watched—from a distance.

Imagine how the women felt as they looked on and yet were powerless to stop the insanity before them. Eyes wide and brimming with tears, throats thick and heavy with sorrow. I feel certain the women were silent, stunned, and scared as they witnessed the suffering their Savior was enduring.

Did they have to hold each other up or hold each other back from trying to stop the madness? Perhaps they were a bit confused. Jesus had delivered them from demons, saved them, and healed their sickness, and yet he was not stopping his own death.

• What is going on in your life that you wish Jesus would stop?
• What does not make sense?
• How do we reconcile life when the bottom drops out and our faith hangs by a thread?

I’ve been there – how about you?

Devastating disappointments can tempt the most devout faith to doubt God’s goodness. The enemy wants you to flee – not just from God but from others. But it is in these times, you need Jesus the most. Standing together with Christ we can find the strength to remain steadfast in our faith.

How the Cross Serves as a Reminder

The cross reminds us that God’s love is real and that we can trust him when we don’t understand. When Jesus took the nails and the blows, it was his love for you that carried Jesus through the cross. It was a love so deep and intimate; he gave his life for you.

I have the incredible privilege of hearing stories from women who love Jesus. I close my eyes and tears fall as I think of those who have seen appalling suffering in their life: sexual abuse, divorce, abusive husbands, betrayal, cancer, rejection, adultery, alcoholic fathers, and more.

Like the women who surveyed the cross, they could have turned away from their faith, but instead, they remain steadfast with Jesus. Often their very place of pain is now their passion for ministry.

Trust is born out of love. Don’t let the enemy of your soul use the disappointment of life to dilute your faith.

This week as you dive into the Nourish Scripture see the passionate love Jesus had for you on the cross. Come closer to the one who is passionate about you and find the strength to carry on.

Nourish Scripture: Mark 15

Are you experiencing weakness and starvation in your soul? Download Nourishing Your Heart and discover a way to connect with the nourishment you need!

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Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

I remember the day the music seemed to stop. 

I tried to find my confidence, but it was simply missing.

Much as a glass window dazes an unwary bird that flies into it, tragedy stunned my flight and interrupted the music.

A dark cloud of depression weighed down my soul. My feet seemed heavy as I tried to lift them. Fear was ever present. Complacency settled into my thinking…

Another tune began to play in my mind. The enemy formed a new tune by twisting the tragedy to form notes of lies about the goodness of God. Each note carefully played to create doubt that would displace my faith. The more I paid attention to the deceptive music, the louder it grew.

I started to wear a careful smile and became adept at pretending I was okay. But I was not ok. I was depressed.

Have you ever felt this way? I can relate. I understand the strain of carrying a heavy soul.  

It’s ok you know. You don’t have to be ashamed. People who have never experienced depression may judge you– but not your Savior. Jesus knows how you feel. He is not ashamed of you (Hebrews 4:15).  

Your Jesus experienced a crushed soul. 

“They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, ‘Sit here while I go and pray.’ He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Mark 14:32-34). 

There Is No Weakness in Depression

The Greek word for grief is adēmoneō which means to be troubled, in great distress or anguish, depressed.  

Jesus did not play it strong or cover his feelings. He did not hide away.

He called out for friends to pray for him. And he called out to his Father. He did not see his grief as weakness or something to be ashamed of… and neither should you.  

Closely on the heels of expressing his confidence in God, the prophet Jeremiah cries out in this desperation “Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame” (See Jeremiah 20:11-18). If Jeremiah who experienced an intimate relationship with God struggled with a heavy soul, why are Christian’s surprised or ashamed when it happens to them?  

Shame causes us to hide from God to try and handle things on our own instead of asking him for the help we need. 

Keeping your feelings bottled up inside does not allow you to process the pain. I know this because it happened to me. 

During that dark time, I began to see a therapist and the first step he gave me to find healing was bringing out my pain into the light. 

“Aliene, are you being honest with God?  Have you ever told him how you really feel? I don’t mean religious language or offering up Christian phrases, I mean authentic raw honest communication with the Creator of your soul. You are angry with God but you don’t feel like it’s ok for you to have those feelings. But God can take your anger. Honesty is your first step. I want you to set aside a day next week. And pour out your heart to him. Tell him what is in your heart”. 

And so that’s exactly what I did. I let the flood gates open…and I mean they were open. I sobbed uncontrollably and let my emotions roar. I was honest.  

And when I had no strength left and no more tears left to cry, I heard his still small voice speak to my heart. I felt an unbelievable sense of relief and God’s presence so real it felt like he was hugging me. 

And in that moment, I turned the corner. My journey to healing still took a long time, but honesty was the first step. Before this point my efforts were spent pushing down the pain, but now those efforts were redirected to process the pain. 

Be Honest and Share Your Heavy Soul

Bring your pain to Jesus. Matthew 4:16 tells us that Jesus is the light “for those who have lived in the land where death casts its shadow a light has shined.”

Has depression cast a shadow over your life?

Matthew 4:24 describes how people brought those who needed healing to Jesus. People in darkness brought to light and found healing.  

Sometimes when life hurts, we pretend we are okay to protect our hearts. However, pretending can also prevent us from being vulnerable before God.  

God can handle our anger. He can take our doubt. Our first step to trusting God again is to be honest before him. To pour our heart out to Jesus. 

Let go of pretending and be vulnerable before the One who can heal your heart and bring restoration to your heavy soul. Tap into your emotions and let them flow before your Almighty Father. Set aside time to pray. Be brave. Bring him your broken heart . . . and watch the healing begin. 

What we hide cannot heal. Honesty before your Creator brings healing to your soul.  

Nourish Scripture: Mark 14 

In order to heal, your soul requires nourishment. Download Nourishing Your Heart and discover how to THRIVE on God’s Word. 

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Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.