New Testament: Mark 7 to 11

Fifteen years ago I read the Old Testament (King James Version) and blogged it as I went. I always meant to keep on trucking, but, well, I didn’t.

Now, in January and February of 2026 I am going to read all 27 books of the New Testament (I have a passing familiarity with the Gospels, thanks to secondary school, and I did read the Book of Revelations at some point (fever dream, innit?)

The plan is to read at most ten pages a day, with rest days more frequent than old “1-in-7” for the Gospels through Romans, but then, because it all gets somewhat shorter, one a day for most of February.

Crucially, am blogging as I go.

Oh, and I am going to read Gore Vidal’s 1992 “Live from Golgotha” as soon as I am done with John…

Summary as if I were AI: 

Jesus is miracling here and there, and weirdly telling people “don’t mention it.”

By the end of this he is in Jerusalem and cruising for a bruising.

Historical – when written, by whom

See previous post. It seems to have been the first Gospel, and it (and another source, possibly), were the ah, ‘inspirations’ for Matthew an Luke.

Most poetic bits (ymmv)

8: 12 ¹²And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Most quotable bits

^{7: 6}He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

10:38  ³⁸But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: 

Jesus falls victim to the Streisand effect!

³⁶And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

Most “wtaf” bit(s)

Again with the timeline for the coming of the Kingdom of the Lord.

^{Mark 9: 1}And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

What it reminds me of (books/plays/jokes etc)

See the Borges short story… Various jokes for which I will Burn In Hell.

Further reading

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Chapter 7

The handwashing thing again (see Matthew)

7: 1-2 ¹Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. ²And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

⁶He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written,

This people honoureth me with their lips,

But their heart is far from me.

Talk (“of tradition”) is cheap

13 making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

He de-devils a young woman.

Joke: What happened to the man who did not pay his exorcism bill? He was re-possessed.

Jesus falls victim to the Streisand effect!

³⁶And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

Chapter 8

Loaves and fishes again (4k this time – supply chain issues?)

Jesus fed up with sign seeking

8: 12 ¹²And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Jesus spits in a blind man’s eyes

8: 22-23 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. ²³And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 

“Who Is Elias Gault?”

8: ²⁸And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 

Oh, it’s an Elijah thing – In the New Testament, Jesus would say for those who believed, John the Baptist was Elijah, who would come before the “great and terrible day” as predicted by Malachi.

Some English translations of the New Testament use Elias, a Greek form of the name. In the King James Version, “Elias” appears only in the texts translated from Greek.

Barny with Peter

8: 31-2 ³¹And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

Chapter 9

9: 1 ¹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

2 to 8 – Meeting God – as per Matthew and presumably Luke

9: 17-18  Disciple exorcisms haven’t worked…

 and one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; ¹⁸and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.  

Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?

9: 19 ¹⁹He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

Six impossible things before breakfast

9: 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  

This below is the sort of thing that pissed off Freddie Nietzsche

9: 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Don’t piss off hristians, or else…

9:  ⁴²And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

9: 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: .

Chapter 10

No wonder the Catholics found divorce problematic

10:9-12  ⁹What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ¹⁰And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. ¹¹And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. ¹²And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

10: 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God

Rich guy pissed off again…(same story as Matthew)

10:20-22   ²⁰And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. ²¹Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. ²²And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

10:25   ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  

10:38  ³⁸But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Jesus in Jericho – more miracles

Chapter 11

Now it’s okay to steal colts?  “God told me to do it”? Ten commandments much?

Curses a fig tree

Versus the money changers and dove sellers

11:17 “den of thieves”

Prosperity Gospel right there

11:24 ²⁴Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

They try to trap Jesus, he does Judo them

11:27-8 ²⁷And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, ²⁸and say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? ²⁹And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. ³¹And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? ³²But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. ³³And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

(btw, in both Matthew and as far as Mark as I’ve got, there’s several references to this – “intellectuals” and leaders having to consider the opinions of “the mob”.