When Jesus encounters the blind man Bartimaeus son of Timaeus in Mark rsquo s Gospel he has just unveiled the last of the three Passion predictions in which he explains the suffering and death that await him in Jerusalem Jesus is leaving Jericho on the way to his destiny in Jerusalem and Barti

“Whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.” (Mk 10:44)

An elected county clerk in Rowan County Ky Kim Davis was jailed for refusing to grant marriage licenses She is required by law to offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples which she refused to do since it affronts her understanding of the nature of marriage as a Christian The situation has

In his teaching on divorce Jesus claims that the circumstances that allowed for divorce in the Mosaic law were due to the ldquo hardness of heart rdquo of human beings after the fall These laws were conditional Jesus says not God rsquo s intent ldquo from the beginning of creation rdquo Jes

"Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" (Nm 11:29)

It feels good to belong mdash to one rsquo s family to a group of friends to a team mdash to be part of something bigger than oneself Belonging creates feelings of comfort joy peace and purpose How good must it have felt to be chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles And to have an inkling then