Terri Robinson

From an educator’s view, Jesus was quite a teacher. He used stories (parables) to teach a lesson, and he repeated his lessons: give to the poor, store up treasures in heaven (Mark 10:21, the last shall be first; Mark 10:31, 10:34), blessing and healing children (Mark 9:17-27, 10:34-36). His followers were growing. He was answering questions, provoking discussions. In the midst of this, he predicts his death (for the third time).

Has it ever occurred to you that there’s a lot we don’t know about Jesus?  The four Gospels give us actual events of his life, the majority being his adult life. We also see that when Jesus spoke to people, he often spoke in riddles. In the middle of ch. 4, he admonishes them (his disciples and a few others—his safe circle) to listen carefully.

Some thoughts from this week’s reading:

         - When we get to chapter 32, we read that the people grew tired of waiting for Moses to return from his journey up the mountain to meet with the Lord. The awe and wonder of hearing the trumpet blast, seeing the smoke and trembling mountain and the voice of God calling Moses up the mountain had faded away.

These chapters are so dramatic, filled with notable contrasts. If you do not remember Revelation 13, take a few minutes to read it. Verse 16 tells us unless we have a mark on our right hand or forehead (aka, the mark of the beast) we won’t be able to buy or sell.

I’ll be honest: Revelation is the book I’ve read the least in the Bible. Part of this is simply because I don’t understand it. However, Revelation 1 tells us “blessed is the one who reads this aloud…” and I am always ready for a blessing!  So, I have been reading these passages aloud, which also helps me to concentrate (This is an effective strategy for people who struggle with concentration.).