The Uncultured Saints

Mark 15:33-41: Jesus Dies on the Cross > Jesus' Cry from the Cross When Jesus cries out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This isn't merely a cry of anguish but a public proclamation.  The Greek word suggests Jesus "shouted" or "proclaimed" these words from Psalm 22.  This fulfills OT prophecy while serving a dual purpose: Jesus experiences genuine forsakenness as He bears our sin, ye...

Mark 15:16-32: The Crucifixion The soldiers led Jesus to the palace, clothed him in purple, crowned him with thorns, and mocked him saying "Hail, King of the Jews!"  They struck him, spat on him, and knelt in false homage before leading him out to crucify him.  Irony The soldiers unknowingly proclaimed truth through their mockery.  Christ truly is King of Kings, and the crown of thorns represents...

Mark 15:1-15 Uncultured Saints Bible Study Jesus Before Pilot Pilate likely doesn't care about Jesus or Jewish religious disputes.  As a Roman proconsul dealing with occupied territory during times of insurrection, he's primarily concerned with security and Caesar's interests.  The charge against Jesus that he is claiming to be "King of the Jews" matters to him because it suggests political rebell...

📖 Mark 14:53-72 Jesus Before the High Priest Jesus is led to the high priest, where the entire council seeks testimony against Him.  There is irony throughout the passion narrative — even when trying to lie about Jesus, the accusers can't get their stories straight.  They struggle to find consistent witnesses, highlighting the mob mentality and one-upmanship among the accusers. The temple destruc...

📖Mark 14:32-52 ➡️ Jesus Prays in Gethsemane In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays with deep sorrow.  “Abba, Father,” He pleads, “remove this cup from me.”  It’s a window into His full humanity.  Jesus knows what’s coming: not just the nails and thorns, but the full wrath of God.  He’ll be abandoned, crushed under judgment meant for us.  It shows that we too are allowed to bring our fears to Go...

📖Mark 14:22-31 ➡️ Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper  Jesus gives His disciples bread and wine and declares, “This is my body” and “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.”   This moment isn’t just symbolic — it’s sacramental. Jesus isn’t speaking metaphorically; He’s delivering His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.   As Lutherans confess, Christ is truly present in...

A Bible Study of Mark 14:1-11 ➡️ The Pharisees Plot to Kill Jesus It was now two days before Passover. The chief priests and scribes sought to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him, yet feared causing an uproar during the feast.  Their need for secrecy spoke volumes — if they were truly doing God's work, why hide in darkness?  Since the beginning of Mark's gospel, they had been at odds with Jesus,...

➡️Mark 12:38-44 Jesus contrasts the ostentatious scribes with a poor widow's humble offering.  While wealthy individuals contribute large sums to the temple treasury, the widow gives just two small copper coins — all she has to live on.  This passage isn't merely about stewardship or tithing percentages.  Jesus is both commending the widow's faith and expressing righteous anger at a religious syst...

Mark 13 may appear frightening with its talk of the "abomination of desolation" and cosmic disturbances, but it actually contains profound comfort for Christians. When Jesus speaks of the "abomination of desolation standing where it ought not to be," He's giving us a sign.  Some interpret this as the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, while others see it pointing toward Christ's crucifi...

Bible Study: Mark 12:18-37 ➡️ Who Gets the Wife in the Resurrection? (18-27) The Sadducees, who didn't believe in resurrection, tried to trap Jesus with a scenario about a woman who married seven brothers consecutively.  They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection.  Jesus responds by explaining they misunderstand both Scripture and God's power.  In the resurrection, people "neither marr...

➡️Mark 12:38-44 Jesus contrasts the ostentatious scribes with a poor widow's humble offering.  While wealthy individuals contribute large sums to the temple treasury, the widow gives just two small copper coins — all she has to live on.  This passage isn't merely about stewardship or tithing percentages.  Jesus is both commending the widow's faith and expressing righteous anger at a religious syst...

➡️ The Parable of the Tenants Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who leased his property to tenants.  At harvest time, he sent servants to collect his portion of the fruit, but the tenants beat and killed them.  Finally, he sent his son, but they killed him too, believing they could take the inheritance. Jesus asked, "What will the owner do? He will destroy those tenants and give the vin...

Mark 11:12-25: Cursing the Fig Tree, Cleansing the Temple & Moving Mountains ➡️ Jesus curses a fig tree for bearing no fruit, even though it wasn’t fig season. At first glance, this seems unfair.  Some interpretations:  Creation is Broken: Some suggest the act reflects Jesus’ grief over a broken creation.  In a perfect world (like Eden), fruit trees would always bear fruit.  The fig tree’s bar...

Season 6 (or seis, whatever!) of the Uncultured Saints is HERE!   We're diving into Mark 11:1-11, the Triumphal Entry, and it's more than just a parade. Here's the lowdown: ➡️ The Colt: Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt, not a warhorse. Why? It's a sign of humility, showing His victory isn't about earthly power, but divine grace. He's not there to conquer like a typical king, but to offer a differe...

Jesus tells his disciples he’s going to die and rise — for the third time.✝️ Why don’t the disciples really get it? 🤔Can their brains just not fathom what he’s saying? Has God not opened their eyes just yet? They don’t yet fully grasp 🙈what it means to be the Messiah — that he has to die. Do we really get it? 🧠💭 We might understand that it happened objectively, but, subjectively, we sometimes...

A rich young man asks Jesus what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. ✨ ⛔The problem: he is attempting to justify himself by asking, “what must I do?” 🤔 But before Jesus answers his question, he calls the man out for calling him good. 🛑   Jesus wants to stop him from just throwing around the word “good” without acknowledging what it means. Good means perfect, holy, and divine — and only God...

The Uncultured Saints tackle two controversial sections of Mark 10:1-16. 📖 1️⃣ First, Jesus battles with the Pharisees (of course 😒), and then, he admonishes his disciples (sigh 😤). The Pharisees put Jesus to the test about divorce by asking, “Is it lawful?” 🤔 We like to ask questions such as, “Is it a sin if I do this or if I do that?” 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️ BUT, that is the wrong question. ❌ Whenever w...

1️⃣ Jesus predicts his dying and rising. ⚰️🌅  Did you know that Jesus told his disciples that he would die and rise? 😮  One of those predictions happens right here.👇 The disciples don't get it. 🤔  They've seen Jesus raise people from the dead, but they've never seen someone raise themself. 🧟‍♂️  Why is Jesus so secretive about their journey through Galilee? 🤫  The Uncultured Saints have some...

Were the disciples making idols of themselves?  In this week’s episode of The Uncultured Saints, we dive deep into.. The gospel of Mark 18 The believer’s unbelief And how prayer changes you Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive. Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.  #higherthings #lcms #lutheran #pra...

Peter saw Jesus' glory on the mountain, but even in that moment, he was terrified and unsure of what to say. 😨✨  Sometimes, we feel like we need to have all the right answers, but even the closest disciples struggled to understand everything. 🙃💡  The good news?  Jesus doesn’t demand perfection—He shows us mercy, even when we’re confused or afraid.  Here's the truth: faith isn't about always ge...

✨ **The Saliva Miracle: When Jesus Heals in Unexpected Ways** ✨ Imagine this: you're blind, and Jesus comes up to you.  Instead of a grand gesture, He spits on the ground, makes mud, and places it on your eyes.  Kinda weird, right?  Yet through this humble, messy act, sight is restored. 💡 Sometimes God works through things that seem weak or even strange to you and me.  We might not always get t...

If there is Christ, the right amount of miracles will be there, whether or not you see them. "We've got Jesus here in the land of the Gentiles... The disciples aren't dumb, right? We think they are, but it's not that they don’t think Jesus can feed people. It's that they don’t think He should feed these people. They're confused because this isn’t what they expected. They’ve seen Jesus feed 5,000 b...

🤔 *Pharisee feuds and defilement*—what even is that about?! 📖 In this week’s episode of ‘The Uncultured Saints’ Pastors Goodman and Lietzau explore… 💥 Why Jesus clashed with the Pharisees 🙅🏽‍♂️ What it means to be "defiled"  How Jesus redefines clean vs. unclean ## Jesus and the Syrophoenician Woman In Mark 7:24-30, Jesus encounters a Syrophoenician woman.  This interaction, on the surface, m...

Are traditions, especially in the church, a bad thing? 🤔 Traditions aren’t inherently bad.  They can actually be a very good thing! In fact, they shape our society and provide structure.  But what happens when we start elevating these traditions above the Gospel and God's commandments? In Mark 7, Jesus challenges the Pharisees who turned traditions into weapons, placing them above God's commandme...

🔎 Ever feel like you're drowning in life's chaos? 🤔 Remember, Jesus isn't just here to protect us from life's storms— He's here to make them powerless.  When He walked on water, He wasn't just showing off. 🌊  He was proving that death and fear have nothing on Him. 🚫 Picture this: the sea, which symbolizes chaos and uncertainty, becomes a sidewalk for Jesus.  He doesn't just walk by us in our s...