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The Gospel of Mark in 16 days

Mark is the shortest, fastest-moving Gospel. Read a chapter a day and meet Jesus as the servant who came to give.

Mark tells the story of Jesus with urgency. The word "straightway" (immediately) appears again and again. If you have never read a whole Gospel, start here: sixteen chapters, sixteen days.

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, KJV)

Each day Read the chapter, then answer one question: what does this chapter show me about who Jesus is?

The plan - Day 1, Mark 1: John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism, the first disciples called, and early healings. - Day 2, Mark 2: a paralysed man lowered through a roof, Levi the tax collector, and a question about the sabbath. - Day 3, Mark 3: the twelve chosen; a house divided cannot stand. - Day 4, Mark 4: the sower, the mustard seed, and a storm calmed. - Day 5, Mark 5: a man set free, a woman healed, and Jairus' daughter raised. - Day 6, Mark 6: rejected at home, the twelve sent out, five thousand fed, walking on the water. - Day 7, Mark 7: tradition versus the heart, and faith from an unexpected woman. - Day 8, Mark 8: four thousand fed, Peter's confession, and the call to take up the cross. - Day 9, Mark 9: the transfiguration, a boy healed, and who is the greatest. - Day 10, Mark 10: children, the rich young ruler, servant leadership, and blind Bartimaeus. - Day 11, Mark 11: the entry into Jerusalem, the fig tree, and the temple cleared. - Day 12, Mark 12: the tenants, tribute to Caesar, the greatest commandment, and the widow's two mites. - Day 13, Mark 13: watch and be ready. - Day 14, Mark 14: anointed at Bethany, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, arrest and denial. - Day 15, Mark 15: before Pilate, the crucifixion, and the burial. - Day 16, Mark 16: he is risen.

After you finish Write a paragraph in your journal: what surprised you about Jesus? What did you learn about following him in ordinary work?