Reading Plan for Mar. 8 - 14

March 8, 2026 | Mark 11:20-25 
Reflection:
The fig tree returns! The great reversal has begun. Even when the disciples notice the tree and point it out to Jesus, he sidesteps it…and talks of faith. And again he speaks hyperbolically, “By faith you can move mountains!” In the entire history of Christianity, I’ve never read or heard about any “saint” moving actual mountains. But what I think is important about Jesus’ words here is how he startles the imagination with his hyperbolic pictures. He calls us to faith/trust/belief. And this is more than just “manifestation” for personal gain. Jesus calls us to the more important aspect of imaginative and faithful prayer: forgiveness. Maybe the biggest mountain to move is unforgiveness, and Jesus calls us all to a deep faith that shows forgiveness is possible. 

March 9, 2026 | Mark 11:27-33 
Reflection:
The word we read as “authority” here can mean any of the following: authority, power, right, jurisdiction, privilege, force, capacity, competency, freedom, mastery, and magisterially delegated influence. Try substituting any of these words in this question, “By whose _______ are you doing these things?” The one word that jumps out at me is “freedom.” It startles my imagination to think about what these religious leaders most fear: Jesus is too free. His actions are outside the bounds of all established rules, theologically, politically, economically, and socially. He threatens their seat of power because, in his freedom, he’s doing things that may topple any of the world’s power centers. And because they don’t get it, he won’t reveal to them the source of his freedom. 

March 10, 2026 | Mark 12:1-12 
Reflection:
In terms of parables, this one Jesus tells isn’t about how to shape our theological imagination or to inspire us to act. At some point in the gospel story, Jesus’ parables shift toward a reality that everything he’s been up to will be coming to a crashing halt. Jesus has put himself in the path of the juggernauts of power, and one of those powers is the sinfulness of the world, the great illusion that imprisons in darkness. Jesus doesn’t back down. He confronts those powers with a story, and for once, the people who most need to hear it get what he’s doing. Public opinion and favor at this moment is with Jesus. His detractors must wait for another time…to do something in the darkness. The way of Jesus is light, and through this parable, great light breaks forth.

March 11, 2026 | Mark 12:13-17 
Reflection:
Verse 13 here appears at first reading just to set the stage for the questions that follow. But let’s slow down a bit, lest we miss something unusual. Notice that at this moment in the story, “some Pharisees and some Herodians” came to Jesus. Knowing a little context helps us understand how unusual this was. The Pharisees were very religious and were opposed to foreign rule and influence. The Herodians were basically accommodators to the Romans and only marginally religious. These two groups, however, found a common enemy upon whom to focus their attention: Jesus. And these two groups try to trap Jesus at the very point where religion and politics come together: taxes. Notice how Jesus evades their trap and shuts them up. What strange bedfellows are you aware of in our own time? How might Jesus draw us to a common ground, not in mutual hatred, but in respect and love for God? 

March 12, 2026 | Mark 12:18-27 
Reflection:
Now, we get another political-religious party stepping forward to trap Jesus. These Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection and quite possibly life after death, tell an elaborate story to try to confound Jesus. Notice, in Jesus’ response, how verb tenses make all the difference. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus interprets this scripture to mean that these three still exist. For people who really liked to parse words, Jesus says, “Think about this: there is a God who was and is and is to come. This God lives outside of time, and ultimately, so do we. We are to live now as if we are in God’s eternity.” And to a young man concerned about inheriting eternal life, Jesus says, “Love God and your neighbor, and in doing this, you will live.” Period. “You will live.” We’ll hear more about this tomorrow. 

March 13, 2026 | Mark 12:28-34 
Reflection:
There is an early church “manual” called “The Didache” or “The Teaching.” This first-century book is a “how-to” for the Christian faith. It talks about how to do the Lord’s Supper and how to do baptism, among other important matters in church life. The very first thing this manual says is, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is much difference between the two ways. On the one hand, the way of life is this: first, you shall love the God who made you; second, [you shall love] your neighbor as yourself.” The early church got the message loud and clear, what Jesus proclaims here to the inquisitive scribe: love God and love your neighbor. Everything else is an add-on. 

March 14, 2026 | Mark 12:35-44 
Reflection:
Again, Jesus brings a new understanding of scripture, one that gets people talking. Many of them believed that the Messiah would be “David’s Son.” Jesus gets them to think outside the box. We still call Jesus “Son of David,” but how Jesus shows up in the world as Son of David is less about genealogy and more about one who is so aligned with the eternal righteousness of God that he embodies the promise of fulfillment of what the Davidic line was supposed to mean for the people. In yesterday’s passage, Jesus met a scribe who showed himself not far from the kingdom of God. In today’s passage, Jesus draws attention to those scribes who fall short of the righteousness that they should embody in their role. Any one of us could be such a scribe. Jesus calls us to a righteousness that we gain in association with him. After saying these things, Jesus draws our attention to true righteousness: a faithful trust that runs so deep that one is no longer seeking to be righteous. This faithful one gives us in gratitude and knowledge that God provides all things.