Join us for an inspiring session as we traverse the significant teachings in Mark chapter 8 and juxtapose them against personal life reflections shared by Alan J. Huth from his extensive Bible reading journals. This episode not only revisits the profound miracles performed by Jesus but also focuses on the intimate challenge posed to believers about the true identity of Christ. Learn how these stories transcend time, offering guidance and support in personal spiritual journeys, while understanding the impact of Scripture in everyday life.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are in Mark chapter 8, halfway through the Gospel of Mark. We will listen to our guest reader, Tom Siekmeyer, read the 38 verses of this chapter. Tom has a degree from Calvin College, two master’s degrees, one from the University of Colorado and the other from Denver Seminary. Tom taught English for 31 years in the Littleton Public School System, a suburb here in Denver. Mark, chapter 8.
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in those days when again a great crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat he called his disciples to him and said to them i have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat and if i send them away hungry to their homes they will faint on the way and some of them have come from far away And his disciples answered him, How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place? And he asked them, How many loaves do you have? They said, Seven. And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. And they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish, and having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied, and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people, and he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. And he left them and got into the boat again and went to the other side. Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, Watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, They said to him, And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up? And they said to him, Seven. And he said to them, Do you not yet understand? And they came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. And when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, Do you see anything? And he looked up and said, I see people, but they look like trees walking. Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes. His sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent them to his home, saying, Do not even enter the village. And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, Who do people say that I am? And they told him, John the Baptist. And others say, Elijah. And others, one of the prophets. And he asked them, But who do you say that I am? Peter answered him, You are the Christ. And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
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In 1986, at 31 years old, I was transitioning my career from a career with the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry in Denver, Colorado, to a staff position on the Gideons International in Nashville, Tennessee. I was reading Mark during this transition. Let me share. I read Mark 6 and 7 on a Thursday from Baltimore, Maryland. I must have been on assignment for the Gideons. On Friday, my journal says I was in Denver. My journal entry says home to close our house and move to Nashville. On Saturday, I wrote, I left at 10 p.m. and drove Denver to Calvary Temple, which was our home church, to the Capitol, where I used to work, to Casey, my other job, and to look at the mountains one more time, and I wept. On Sunday, I made a note that we went to church, but I did not make any notes about Bible reading on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. On Monday, I wrote that I read Mark 8 and 9 from Jefferson City, Missouri on an airplane. On Tuesday, I was on my way back to Denver reading Mark 10 on another airplane. So, I am admitting here that I appeared to have missed three days of Bible reading on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during a move from Denver to Nashville where I was obviously flying all around and trying to be home and help move. That was back in 1986, and I’ve done a lot better since. I don’t think I’ve missed very many Bible reading days in the last 30 years. So I look at the journal entry that I had on Mark 8, and I didn’t write a thing. I read on that airplane somewhere between Missouri and Denver, but obviously I didn’t make a journal entry. Ten years later in 1996, I wrote about Mark 8. Jesus will feed me and clothe me. He is fully capable of taking care of me, as he did the 4,000. They ate and were filled. He also reads my mind. I hope it’s a good book. Can I learn to lean on the supernatural? I continued to write, healing the blind a step at a time. Maybe the man had no eyes. Rather than eyes just appearing, Jesus did it this way. Or maybe he wanted to teach us that all healing may not be instantaneous, but sometimes gradual. But in the end, the blind man could see clearly. There are many who are spiritually blind who still will not see clearly. After recognition of who he was, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone. Later, he says, go tell the world. In 2006, I wrote about Mark 8. Who do people say that I am? A good question to a couple of my kids I made a note of in my journal. Then I wrote, some say, and I put an ellipsis there, but who do you say that I am? It’s personal. We must decide. Let’s focus on that last journal entry and the very question that Jesus asked his disciples. Chapter 8, verse 27 says, And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, Who do people say that I am? And they told him, John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, and others one of the prophets. And he asked them, But who do you? say that I am? If Jesus asked you that question today, what would your answer be? Or if some other human being asked you that question today, what would your answer be? Who do you say that Jesus is? Ponder that for a moment. What would your answer be? Would you answer like Peter? You are the Christ. Christ is Greek for Messiah. Can you say, you are the Christ, you are Messiah? As you think about your answer, let’s read on to see what else Jesus had to say. Verse 34, he says, And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, If anyone would come after me… Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Have you denied yourself, taken up his cross, and followed him? Have you lost your life for his sake? For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world? and forfeit his soul. For eight chapters, Mark has explained the life of Jesus Christ here on earth. He has recorded miracle after miracle. In the middle of this gospel, the question is asked, who do you say that I am? Can you say? After eight chapters of Mark, you are the Christ. If not, read on. Let’s finish this gospel together. Or maybe you want to say yes right now and say, I’m willing to give up my life to save it in the name of Jesus. Lord, we pray for anyone listening right now who cannot say you are the Christ, the Messiah. Lord, touch their hearts. Remind them of everything they’ve read so far, everything they’ve heard, all the miracles, the proof that you are the Son of God. Call them to yourself, Lord. Call them to follow you, even right now. Thank you that at the halfway point of the Gospel of Mark, you challenge us to say, who do men say that I am? Who do you say that I am? Many of us can say you are the Christ. And your word says flesh and blood did not reveal that to us, but your spirit revealed that to us. And we are forever grateful. Thank you for the truth of the gospel, that you are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. We bow before you, Jesus, our Lord and our Redeemer. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. We started on radio on October 1st, 2024. I hope you noticed some differences in AdBible from other programs. For example, we are fully committed to the Word of God. That’s why we play full chapters on the air, not sound bites. It takes a lot of our program time, but it’s my belief it’s more important for you to hear the Word of God than me. You may also have figured out by now I’m not a pastor, just a layman like most of you. So these recordings are not based on sermons. They’re based on my personal walk through the Bible over several decades of my life. Therefore, AdBible is a unique perspective of how the Bible impacts life, not a teaching series you get at your church. I share personal Bible reading journal entries from my life, from my journals, I’ve never thought would ever be shared with anybody. What I share are raw, authentic notes from Bible intersections of my own life. My life is no different from yours, so I hope the stories and applications I share are relevant to your life as well. I hope you are enjoying this unique radio program and therefore will help us stay on the air. We have so much more to share. Visit EzraProject.net and donate today. Or send a check to the Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. That’s Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. When you do, I will send you your first copy of a day-by-day through the Bible book. There are 11 books in the series, so I will surprise you with one of my choosing. Or, after you donate at EzraProject.net, look at our resource page, pick a book you want, and let me know your choice at the contact section on our website. We are happy to send you the book of your choice. Where are people looking for God today? Many are looking for God in all the wrong places. We want to point them to the best place to find God, right? We have a message called Looking for God in all the wrong places. I point out four places and illustrate why we can’t find God in those places. Where is the most reliable place to find God? Find out at EzraProject.net. Pull up the video Looking for God in all the wrong places. 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