In this episode, David and Sophie sit with Jesus in the Temple during two revealing encounters that uncover the heart of God’s kingdom.
First, Jesus is challenged by the Sadducees about resurrection, exposing how systems of marriage, inheritance, and power treated women as property — and how resurrection points instead toward a restored humanity “like the angels,” rooted in dignity, mutuality, and life beyond domination.
Then, a sincere scribe asks Jesus what truly matters most, leading to a quiet but profound moment when Jesus says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” — because the King himself is standing right there. Together, these scenes invite us to see how Jesus fulfills Scripture by restoring the mutual, life-giving vision of Genesis 2 in the midst of a broken world.
In this episode, David and Sophie continue their slow unfolding of the Gospel of Mark by entering the heart of Jesus’ confrontation with the religious authorities in Jerusalem. As Jesus is challenged about his authority in the temple, the conversation explores what authority actually is—moving beyond titles and institutions into the deeper biblical meaning of exousia, authority that flows “out of being.” Together, they reflect on Jesus as the Beloved Son whose authority emerges from identity rather than position, and how this collision exposes the corruption and fear embedded in the temple system.
The discussion then turns to Jesus’ parable of the vineyard, the question about paying taxes to Caesar, and the powerful theme of image and iconography. David and Sophie explore how the image on the coin becomes a doorway into a much larger conversation about allegiance, identity, and what it means to bear God’s image. They reflect on images as windows into deeper realities—revealing how Jesus reframes power, authority, and worship by calling us to return not just a coin, but ourselves, to the One whose image we carry.
This week David and Sophie discuss Mark’s fig-tree and Temple “sandwich,” diving into how the withered fig tree illuminates Jesus’ prophetic action in the Temple and reveals a deeper question about spiritual fruitfulness. They unpack Jesus’ surprising shift into teaching about prayer, wrestling with what it means to “believe you have received” and why this passage often feels challenging or confusing. Their conversation moves between symbolic meaning and everyday experience, exploring how these texts invite us into a more trusting, open-hearted approach to prayer.
In this episode, David and Sophie explore the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, beginning with Blind Bartimaeus, whose restored sight becomes the final preparation for Jesus’ royal entrance. They discuss how Bartimaeus “sees” Jesus’ true identity before receiving physical vision and how this moment sets the stage for the crowd’s own, though partial, recognition of Jesus as king. David and Sophie examine the rich symbolism drawn from Zechariah 9 and Psalm 118 with the colt, and the spreading of cloaks. They discuss the temple as the meeting place between heaven and earth, the significance of Jesus as the bearer of God’s presence, and how the crowd’s cries of “Hosanna” both recognize and misunderstand his messianic identity.
In this episode, David and Sophie discuss the section of Mark where Jesus makes his final turn toward Jerusalem. After predicting his suffering and death, James and John’s make a request to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. In so doing, they expose the shadow side of leadership and being chosen. David and Sophie unpack the Greek words for “lord it over” and “authority” to reveal how Jesus subverts the world’s patterns of domination and once again redefines greatness as embracing servanthood.
In this episode, David and Sophie talk about the encounter between Jesus and the rich man who asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” They explore how this story connects to Jesus’ teaching about receiving the kingdom like a child and how it reveals that the kingdom of God is deeply relational - not about following a set of do's and don'ts but about loving God, loving neighbor, and being with Jesus.
They go on to discuss how Jesus always appeals to our deepest desires, offering not a list of rules to keep but a treasure to be found: the privilege of being with him. Together, they reflect on the contrast between the rich man’s possessions and the surpassing worth of following Jesus. We cannot outgive God and the promise of the kingdom is a hundredfold return on anything that we have left behind.
In this episode, David and Sophie explore the tightly linked passages in Mark 10 where Jesus is tested by the Pharisees about divorce and then immediately welcomes children into his arms. They reflect on how Jesus refuses to be trapped in a legal debate and instead redirects the conversation toward the condition of the heart. Jesus takes us back to Genesis 2 and the original vision of mutual partnership before patriarchy and the fall distorted human relationships in Genesis 3.
They consider how Jesus' reference to "hardness of heart" isn't a condemnation but a recognition of the need for both healing and growth. This shapes our understanding of divorce, what the process of softening the heart may look like and what this means for remarriage.
Next they encounter a living parable of softness: children who embody the openness, trust, humility, and attunement that define the kingdom of God. Together, these stories challenge us to consider what it means to live with softened hearts and receive the kingdom like a child.
In this episode, David and Sophie explore Jesus’ mysterious words about salt and fire. What does it mean to be “salted with fire”? Together they trace how Jesus’ imagery of salt, yeast, and fire all point to the same inner reality — the places in us that can rot from within and the grace that makes us whole again.
The “rot” he names isn’t moral failure so much as the slow decay of trust: the way ego, rivalry, and the hunger to prove ourselves can swell and corrupt the heart. Together, David and Sophie explore how the fire of God’s love doesn’t come to destroy but to refine, how salt preserves what’s real and alive, and how the security of a child who knows they belong points the way to wholeness. This is a conversation about becoming truly alive and letting the refining fire burn away everything false so that what remains is love that endures.
In this episode, David and Sophie explore the disciples’ growing rivalry as they argue among themselves about which of them is the greatest. Jesus responds not with rebuke but with redefinition and shows that true greatness comes through humility and service. He places a child among them as his living example, inviting his followers to take on the openness, vulnerability, and curiosity of a child.
David and Sophie reflect on what it means to be like a child, to receive a child, and to resist the pull of competition within the life of faith. The conversation moves from the disciples’ arguments with each other to John’s attempt to stop someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus continually points them away from rivalry and toward celebrating the wider work of God in the world.
In this episode David and Sophie journey down the mountain of Transfiguration and join Jesus and the disciples as they encounter a desperate father whose son is tormented by a spirit. We explore the clash between the scribes and the disciples, the father’s haunting plea “I believe, help my unbelief,” and the dramatic healing that follows. We unpack the symbolic meaning of fire and water and explore what it means that some healing happens in the context of prayer.
In this episode, David and Sophie linger on the mountain of Transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John glimpse Jesus unveiled in radiant glory. They reflect on what it must have been like to see him shining brighter than anything on earth, standing alongside Moses and Elijah, and how this vision confirmed yet also confused the disciples about his true identity.
The conversation explores Peter’s instinct to build tents, the Father’s voice declaring Jesus as the Beloved Son, and the command to “listen to him” in light of their struggles to understand a suffering Messiah. They also wrestle with the disciples’ question about Elijah, how John the Baptist fulfilled that role, and how the vision revealed Jesus as greater than both the Law and the Prophets, pointing to the mystery of glory through suffering.
In this episode, David and Sophie reach the pivotal moment in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus asks the central question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “Messiah,” but he does not yet understand what that title truly means. When Jesus begins to speak openly about his path of suffering, rejection, and death, the tension between Peter’s expectations for Messiah and Jesus’ unveiling of himself comes to a head. Peter embodies the role of “Satan.” We revisit Jesus’ earlier encounter with “The Satan” in the wilderness who, like Peter now, tempted him with the possibility of being a Messiah without suffering, rejection, or death.
We then reflect on Jesus’ haunting words about being ashamed of him and his words in “this adulterous and sinful generation.” What might it mean to be ashamed of Jesus today, in a world that often uses his name for political or cultural gain? What does it cost to follow the real Jesus, the Messiah revealed in his story, rather than the idol of Jesus as a means to gain power? We consider how we might experience the cross in our own lives when we choose to follow Jesus words and surrender power, reputation, or safety in order to be faithful to him.
David and Sophie have decided to take the rest of the summer off from the Book of Mark study. We'll regroup in the Fall and pick up where we left off with the powerful question Jesus asks in the next section: Who do you say that I am?
During the break, we invite you to keep engaging with the Book of Mark. Take time to review, reread, and reflect on what we've covered so far, and let it sink in.
Thank you, and we look forward to continuing the journey together in the Fall!!
In this episode, David and Sophie unpack the feeding of the 4,000 in Mark’s Gospel and how it echoes and complicates the earlier feeding of the 5,000. Why do the disciples still not get it? Why are they stuck thinking literally when Jesus is inviting them to think symbolically?
We explore what the numbers might mean (5 loaves, 7 baskets), the layers of meaning that never fully exhaust themselves, and Jesus’ pointed warning about the “leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.” What is it about yeast - the tiny agent of transformation or corruption - that makes it such a powerful symbol of spiritual danger?
Join us as we ask: what does it mean to let the symbol speak? And what might we be missing when we stay in surface-level thinking?
In this episode, we explore one of the most striking and boundary-breaking sections of Mark’s Gospel. First, Jesus travels into Gentile territory and meets the Syrophoenician woman - an outsider by every cultural and religious measure. Their conversation, which begins with a challenging metaphor about "dogs" unfolds into a powerful moment of faith, courage, and inclusion, as this remarkable woman claims her place in God’s story.
From there, Jesus moves on to the Decapolis, where he encounters a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. In a profoundly compassionate act, Jesus physically engages the man, breaking purity taboos and using his own spit to heal him - another dramatic sign that God’s kingdom is for those considered unclean or excluded.
Together, these stories show Jesus deconstructing the purity culture of his day and revealing a kingdom where faith, not ritual status, defines belonging. We’ll dive into the cultural background, the Greek wordplay, and how these encounters might speak to those today who feel like outsiders themselves.
In this week's episode of Mark Unfolded, David and Sophie take a reflective pause to look back on the first 14 weeks of their deep dive into the Gospel of Mark. Each shares five key themes that have stood out to them - threads that have emerged through the stories, questions, and conversations so far.
This episode offers both a meaningful review for regular listeners and an accessible on-ramp for anyone looking for a quick way to catch up. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're just tuning in, this is a great moment to step back, reflect, and see where the journey has taken us so far.
In this episode, pastor David Profitt and therapist Sophie Murphy explore one of Yeshua’s most radical teachings in the Gospel of Mark: what defiles a person. As the Pharisees confront Yeshua over tradition and ritual handwashing, we dig into the deeper tension between external religion and internal transformation. Why does Yeshua call out the Corban tradition? What does it mean to be a hypocrite? And what can we learn from the striking list of inner corruptions he names? Join us as we reflect on Yeshua’s call to focus on the inner life.
In this episode, pastor David Profitt and therapist Sophie Murphy dive into one of the most iconic moments in Mark’s Gospel - the feeding of the 5,000 and the mysterious scene of Yeshua walking on the water. We’ll explore the rich symbolism of the wilderness, where Yeshua draws the crowds like a shepherd calling his sheep, echoing the ancient promises of Hosea. We focus on Yeshua's deep compassion and what that says to us today. We'll also reflect on the haunting end of the encounter when Mark declares, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
What does it mean to misunderstand the loaves? Why does Mark frame this as a critical moment in the disciples’ journey of faith? And how might this parable of the loaves challenge our own understanding of divine abundance, spiritual sight, and the nature of the Messiah? Join us as we unpack the layers of this miraculous scene.
In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore the confrontation between John the Baptist and Herod Antipas. We revisit John’s identity as a prophet in the wilderness tradition - a man of deep conviction and ascetic discipline, living out his calling with courage and clarity.
In contrast, we examine Herod’s inner turmoil: a man who hears truth gladly but, like rocky soil, withers when trials come. We explore how themes of fear, false kingship, and prophetic faithfulness reveal the deeper spiritual struggle beneath the surface.
Along the way, we connect this story to the parables Yeshua has taught and see how his teaching is played out in the lives of all who encounter him.
In this episode, Pastor David Profitt and Therapist Sophie Murphy explore two deeply connected movements in Mark’s Gospel: Yeshua’s rejection in his hometown and the sending of the Twelve into the villages of Galilee. We reflect on why familiarity leads to offense, what it means to dishonor a prophet, and how hardened hearts block the work of the kingdom.
Next we turn to Yeshua’s radical act of sending his 12 apostles out two by two, with nothing but authority and dependence on hospitality. Along the way, we consider what it means to "rethink how we think", how to handle the emotional challenge of rejection, and the invitation to work with another person in partnership.