The Grave Robber (Baker Books, 2014) Mark Batterson’s most recent book is titled The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible. The book is based on seven miracles of Jesus reported in the gospel of John. Each miracle represents a different dimension of Jesus’ power. The prerequisite for a miracle is a problem, […]
“Lord . . . if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”- John 11:21-22 Mark Batterson states in Chapter 23 of The Grave Robber that many Christians only remember Christ’s resurrection at Easter. The other 364 days they live […]
“There is no pit too deep that God’s grace isn’t deeper still.”- Corrie Ten Boom “Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.”- Aldous Huxley As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 20 of The Grave Robber, he emphasizes that the ultimate goal of any request for a […]
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”- Psalm 139:14 “Science without religion is lame, and conversely, religion without science is blind.”- Albert Einstein As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 19 of The Grave Robber, he states that the undergraduate course having the greatest influence on his theology was a class on immunology he […]
“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.”- Luke 11:34 In Chapter 19 (“Never Say Never”) of The Grave Robber, Mark Batterson begins his discussion of Jesus’ sixth miracle in the gospel […]
“When they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.”- John 6:19 “What the eye sees is determined by what the brain has learned.”- Richard Restak In Chapter 16 (“The Water Walker”) of The Grave Robber, Mark Batterson observes that the […]
As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 15 of The Grave Robber, he comments on an eighth miracle, the miraculous catch of fish (John 21:1-14) , tucked away at the end of John’s gospel. This miracle followed Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples had been fishing all night without luck. Then Jesus told them to try the other side […]
“God won’t answer 10o percent of the prayers you don’t pray.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 10 of The Grave Robber, he observes that even though miraculous healing is the exception rather than the rule, if we assume God’s answer will be no, we don’t give Him a chance to say yes. Pastor […]
“Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”- Dallas Willard Mark Batterson points out in Chapter 9 (“The Seventh Hour”) of The Grave Robber that the distance the royal official traveled between Capernaum and Cana is a twenty-mile uphill climb at a five percent […]
In Chapter 8 (“God Speed”) of The Grave Robber, Mark Batterson states that Jesus’ second miracle- healing the royal official’s son- “redefined reality by defying the four dimensions of space and time. It was a long-distance miracle in real time.” Back in 1964, James Stewart Bell published a groundbreaking paper that disproved the principle of […]
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”- John 4:49-50 As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 7 of The Grave Robber, he cites the carefully crafted benediction of then Senate Chaplain Dr. Richard Halverson. Dr. Halverson believed his most important pastoral function was pronouncing this benediction, […]
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D. C. His latest book, The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible, spotlights seven miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John. Each miracle unveils a different dimension of Jesus’ power. Seven miracles are seven signs, each pointing straight […]