Reading Plan for Jan. 22 - 31

January 22, 2026 | Mark 5:6-13
Reflection:
The talk of demons in the gospels seems incongruent with a modern worldview. But these figures pervade the unfolding story of Jesus’ liberating ministry. We do not get all the cultural factors on first reading here. Why pigs? Why did the pigs have to die? These are questions that came to the local people. The consequences of Jesus’ delivering ministry had far-reaching implications. He upsets the apple cart more than once, even in helping the one individual; how was he helping the whole community?

January 23, 2026 | Mark 5:14-20
Reflection:
The man wanted to go with Jesus. In his new freed state, he wanted to cling close to Jesus. Jesus gives him the harder task: go and tell all those whom you meet what the God of the people across the water has done for you. Be an evangelist. Tell them good news, even when it won’t make sense!” It’s a tough call to follow. I believe the man did it, though.

January 24, 2026 | Mark 5:21-24
Reflection:
Notice how many times the opportunities to heal come along for Jesus. The world is no less filled with hurting people than in Jesus’ day. See how much compassion Jesus has for others that he allows himself to be led into a strange situation, among strangers, to do the work for which he came: to heal and to restore. Notice the presence of large crowds who later would bear witness to these events.

January 25, 2026 | Mark 5:25-31
Reflection:
This story leaps off the pages of the gospel. Mark does a remarkable job of playing out the drama. We hear about the number of years she’s suffered. We hear about her trouble with doctors (and who cannot relate there?), and we hear of her desperation, “If I only but touch his cloak.” Faith looks different on each person. For her, it required a daring leap into the unknown.

January 26, 2026 | Mark 5:32-34
Reflection:
The woman, another individual who had been suffering for a long time, and her healing comes about because of her faith/trust/belief. Jesus isn’t even directly involved. The power just goes out through him! The woman receives restoration in so many ways. The word used here can mean both ‘healing” and “saving” in terms of what her faith has done. Notice the ongoing connection between healing, trust, and restoration.

January 27, 2026 | Mark 5:35-43
Reflection:
When Jesus stops to participate in the healing and restoration of this one woman, another person dies. An opportunity missed? In this case, it doesn’t seem so. Jesus knows more, sees more, and understands what is needful. He sets the drama aside and enters in. He has compassion and restores this young life. He tells all those around, “Don’t talk about this.” But how could the word help but get out? Maybe you’ve heard someone’s near-death experience. What stories did this young girl have of her returning to the land of the living? What words of life would you long to hear about what comes next that would help you live this life here and now?

January 28, 2026 | Mark 6:1-6a
Reflection:
Jesus startles the crowds because they think he’s “bigger than his britches.” In this case, familiarity does not make it easier for the inbreaking of the kingdom. Contempt and hardness of heart appear to block the work Jesus is doing in their midst. In what ways have we become so familiar with Jesus that we might block the remarkable things God can do in this world? How might Jesus startle us to see beyond all we think we know about him?

January 29, 2026 | Mark 6:6b-13
Reflection:
Here, the mantle is being passed. With this story, we might truly ask, “WWJD?” Maybe it’s better to ask, “What would Jesus have us do?” The disciples who are sent out appear to follow in his footsteps of preaching, teaching, curing the sick, and driving out demons. This is what Jesus has been doing. Now the disciples are called to do the same. In his name. Later, the disciples will not be able to follow in Jesus’ exact footsteps, the pathway that led to the cross. For now, they carry his mantle into the world to carry on his ministry.

January 30, 2026 | Mark 6:14-16
Reflection:
There seems to be a lot of confusion about the role of John the Baptizer and Jesus…if these stories reflect the realities of a culture without modern news media. There’s no footage of these two figures, seeing them as separate. In the confusion, people speculate. The gospel wants us to hear that John was important for setting the stage for what God would be up to in Jesus’ ministry. We are called to live beyond speculation…and see with the eyes of faith all of who Jesus is.

January 31, 2026 | Mark 6:17-22
Reflection:
Very little seems to change. Political machinations of prominent figures are no less nefarious in our own time than in Jesus’. Evil still holds sway in certain courts. Men's and women’s egos still clash against the greater purposes and intentions of God. These stories, among many in the gospels, point to God being at work, even in the midst of the worst we human beings do to one another. Trust in God, not in the power of humankind.