Digital Logos Edition
This volume focuses on the Gospel of Mark, taking the reader through the designated lectionary readings for every day of Lent and Easter. The New Testament passages are done by N.T. Wright, and each extract is followed by a freshly written reflection and a prayer that will encourage readers to ponder the relevance of Mark’s Gospel for their own lives.
Lent for Everyone: Mark Year B is an ideal study companion that will help to make Lent a period of rich discovery and growth for both individuals and groups.
Save more when you purchase this book as part of the Lent for Everyone Collection.
“At the heart of John’s gospel stands the claim, which blows a gaping hole not only in the old Temple but in most modern-day understandings of the very words ‘God’ and ‘human’—the claim that Jesus was, as it were, the Temple in person. He was the place where heaven and earth met, once and for all and completely. He was the place of sacrifice, the place where God would provide the lamb to take away the sins of the world, the reality to which Passover and all that it meant was simply one of the greatest advance signposts.” (Page 60)
“Ash Wednesday is no bad time to face up to such a moment if it’s got to be done. But John’s message of repentance was essentially forward-looking. God’s doing a new thing, so we have to get ready!” (Page 2)
“Underneath it all is the larger picture, that of a God who never abandons anyone, no matter how ‘far gone’ they seem to be; of a Jesus who is acting with authority over all the ‘forces’ that rear their ugly heads in this world; of the spiritual power that can transform the saddest and most frightening of human situations (consider what it was like for the man’s family, knowing the behaviour described in verse 4, and then being confronted with their brother, their son, perhaps their husband, their father, coming home cured). This, Mark is saying, is what it’s like when God takes charge. It will be a bumpy ride, because the terrain is so uneven. But the kingdom is on the way.” (Page 43)
“He insists on being in charge, even though it will be at the cost of his own life. That is the pattern of the whole gospel, ending up on the cross itself where, strangely, Jesus defeats all the powers of darkness.” (Page 7)
Like Mark’s Gospel, Wright’s pace gradually builds up, a massive locomotive steaming towards the ‘perfect storm’ of Holy Week and Easter, demanding a commitment costing not less than everything: ‘We cannot be Easter people if we are not first Good Friday people and then Holy Saturday people.’ A fitting end; and beginning.
—The Church Times
1 rating
Glenn Crouch
4/9/2018