Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson 2026

Daily Bread Luke 1 Luke 1 Introduction 1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Observation: Luke’s gospel is written to Theophilus, which means lover of God. It is debated whether this person is a real person or not. Some think this letter is written to all who love God. Luke is the first volume of Luke-Acts. Luke wrote both books and was with Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Luke’s gospel has many details similar to Matthew’s gospel, but also many more. His is probably the most detailed gospel. We also see in Luke a big emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit which is...

Daily Bread Mark 16 Mark 16 The Resurrection 1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said no...

Daily Bread Mark 15 Mark 15 Jesus Before Pilate 1Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. 3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." 5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. Observation: As we read about the last day of Jesus’ life, although Jesus is under control of the Jewish Leaders and then given over to Pilate, the ruler of the Romans, he seems to be the real one in control. When Jesus is asked if He is King of the Jews, he calmly replies, “yes”. And then when he is accused of many other things (I imagine they were mostly false) he said nothing. As the story goes on there is irony...

Daily Bread Mark 14 Gethsemane 32They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." 35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Observation: As we near the end of Mark’s Gospel, the shortest of the four, at 16 chapters, the climactic endi...

Daily Bread Mark 13 32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert[ l ]! 34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!” Observation: Jesus gives the disciples a foretelling of the future. He reminds them to not put their trust in buildings, but in things that will survive the end times. He gives several examples of what things will happen in the end t...

Daily Bread Mark 12 The Widow's Offering 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." Observations: As Jesus laments the many forms of hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders, he sits down to observe “offering time”. I’m sure many were trying to impress him with the large amounts they threw in. But Jesus takes delight in the poor widow, who puts in all she has, which isn’t very much. This is especially meaningful given that widows in that society if not taken care of by their family, had a very hard time...

Daily Bread Mark 11 Jesus Clears the Temple 12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. 15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'[ c ]? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" 18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they fe...