Gospels-Acts - Barbara Lynn Seibel

March 15, 2026March 14, 2026

What Does it Mean to Glorify God?

Before we can answer the above question, we need to define glorification.

But as usual the definition of glorification doesn’t tell us much: the act of glorifying or the state of being glorified. Giggling.

The definition of glorify, is a little more helpful: to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.

Today’s passage, Mark 2:1-12, shares a scenario that Jesus can heal so many people that four friends tear apart the roof to lower a paralytic down. The passage ends with the people amazed and glorifying God.

As you read the passage and answer the questions, keep the definition of glorify in mind.

What Does it Mean to Glorify God?

A Study of Mark 2:1-12 | Study Questions

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.^{^[1]}

Why were so many people gathering to be with Jesus in Capernaum? (See Mark 1:21-34)

³And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.^{^[2]}

Why did these men do this? (Again, see Mark 1:21-34)

⁵And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”^{^[3]}

How did Jesus interpret the actions of these men?

What did Jesus do that seems unexpected?

⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^{^[4]}

Were the scribes right or wrong about who can forgive sins? Why? (See Isaiah 43:14-25 and Daniel 9:9-19)

⁸And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ^{^[5]}

How did Jesus know what the scribes were thinking?

Why did Jesus tell the paralytic that his sins were forgiven?

Is Jesus saying that the cause of the paralysis was due to sin? Why or why not?

What does this scenario reveal about Jesus?

¹²And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” ^{^[6]}

What was unique about this healing in their minds?

Who was amazed?

How does this passage explain what it means to glorify God?

What Does it Mean to Glorify God?

A Study of Mark 2:1-12 | Application Questions

Who in the scenario from Mark 2:1-12 do you identify most with? Why?

What makes Jesus’ offer of forgiveness of sins more valuable than physical healing to you?

How does knowing Jesus has the authority to forgive sins enable you to glorify God?

Describe specific ways you glorify God in your daily life.

What Does it Mean to Glorify God? | Prayers of Faith

An example from James:

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. ^{^[7]}

An example from me:

Heavenly Father, we glorify your holy name with honor, praise, and admiration. Who else but you is able to forgive us for all the wrongs we do? Thank you for loving us, your creation, that You made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. In addition, You know our greatest need is not for our physical frailties to be healed but for our souls to be redeemed.
May we remember you are a compassionate God who wants us to know your love for us. The scriptures are full of examples of the actions you’ve taken to reach not just our minds but our hearts and souls to be captivated by Your amazing grace.
Thank you also for faithful friends who go the distance to bring us to You with words of encouragement, teaching, and acts of service. May our prayers for one another be fruitful.
Help us honor, praise, and admire You through all we do. Amen.

Take some time to write your own prayer of faith with honor, praise, and admiration to God and Jesus today.

Who in your sphere of influence can you encourage by sharing with them what you’ve learned about God and Jesus today?

What comments do you have to share below?

Warmly,

Barbara Lynn

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:1–2.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:3–4.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:5.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:6–7.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:8–11.

^[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mk 2:11–12.

^[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Jas 5:13–20.

December 21, 2025December 20, 2025

Have You Prepared Your Heart for Christmas? | Part Four

Are you familiar with the saying, “Home is where the heart is”?

What does this saying imply to you?

Does the implication change depending on whether you still live in the town where you were born or if you live thousands of miles away from your birthplace?

When I lost my husband to mental illness in July 2024, it was interesting how many people’s questions frequently revolved around whether I would move back to my birthplace or stay where I currently live. This question came from family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.

Obviously, this question arose from a place of care and concern since I am about a thousand miles from my family roots.

My mother has shared that she regularly responds that I’ve lived in my current location for twenty-some years now when she is asked if I’ll move back to where she lives. Often, people will then say to her, “Oh, her life is there then.”

I’ll share how I am answering this question in relation to the saying, “home is where the heart is” and the study of Luke 2:1-20 that follows at the end of this post.

December 14, 2025December 13, 2025

Have You Prepared Your Heart for Christmas? | Part Three

Alone time.

What comes to mind when you think about alone time?

Do you like the idea of alone time or dread it?

How do you spend your time alone?

Do you focus on hobbies or self-care activities?

Are your activities active or sedentary?

I realize some people reading this feel they never have time alone, while others may feel they are always alone.

But whether other humans surround us or we are by ourselves, we can trust that God is fully aware of everything about us.

And he can communicate with us while we’re going about our work or when we are resting.

How do I know this?

Consider the following passage when Mary, a young lady, experiences this incredible reality with an angelic visitor announcing she will bear the Christ child.

December 7, 2025December 6, 2025

Have You Prepared Your Heart for Christmas? | Part Two

Silence.

Do you like silence or avoid it?

Typically, beginning music students struggle the most in observing the silent parts in their pieces. As a former music instructor, I’ve witnessed this many times over the years.

Our natural tendency is to fill any silence.

Yet, when I was working full time in music, I seldom turned music on in my car or at home. I craved silence back then because I was seldom in silence.

Now that I’m no longer working as a musician, I frequently find it harder to concentrate at work on quieter days than when there’s a great deal of activity around me. Mainly because I hear every single sound around me and want to know what it is.

Why does silence make many of us so uncomfortable?

What does this discussion of experiencing silence have to do with preparing our hearts for Christmas?

September 7, 2025September 6, 2025

Responding to an Unexpected Question

A few days ago, I received an unexpected question in an email from a coworker.

This question caused me to pick up the phone and share my reaction with my coworker.

Now, it’s not uncommon for me to get lots of questions during my workday.

In fact, one time, as I was preparing to leave for vacation, I emailed all employees with the following subject line: Ask Barbara Not an Option.

I then explained in the email’s body that I would be away from the office with little access to the internet. Thus, “Ask Barbara” was not workable during the time I planned to be away.

This email generated a mixture of responses ranging from “good for you” to “what will we do while you’re gone?” comments.

But before I share the unexpected question I recently received and how I responded to it, I want to look at John 18:19-19:11.

After all, this is a Bible study blog.

July 16, 2025July 16, 2025

Brief Time Away Needed

This is just a quick note to explain why I missed my usual posting last Sunday.

The week before, I needed to limit my screen time because of an intense headache and light sensitivity along with fatigue.

I spent one entire day in a dark room just resting.

People keep asking me if I get migraines.

I respond that I’ve never received an official diagnosis of migraines.

But I frequently get barometric pressure headaches. The worst headaches are when it threatens to rain but then it doesn’t.

Thus, I try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet most of the time. But I’m certainly not perfect at it.

This past Monday, I resumed working on a post hoping to get a study posted today.

But then that afternoon, an intense wave of grief shut me down again.

July 6, 2025July 4, 2025

A Study on Luke 5:1-11

Have you ever been fishing?

My first memory of fishing is with my dad.

He cast a line with a rod and reel, then handed it to me to hold.

A bit later, I felt a tug on the line. We tried to reel it in, convinced there was something big on the line.

Turns out it was a baby turtle that had chomped on the bait and then wound the fishing line into a tumbleweed under the water.

Not the catch we were expecting.

Interestingly, my dad never took me fishing again.

Simon Peter also had an unexpected fishing experience.

April 27, 2025April 26, 2025

Why Did Jesus Walk to Emmaus?

In the immediate days following a tragedy, we are at first in shock.

Bewilderment is a common expression along with questions of why and how this tragedy could have happened.

The followers of Jesus experienced all of this after his crucifixion on a cross. (Luke 23:26-49)

But then something remarkable happened that caused even more bewilderment.

The women who went to anoint his body with spices according to their burial customs discovered an open and empty tomb. (Luke 24:1-3)

Angels appeared and informed the women that Jesus was alive, so they went and told the disciples and others. (Luke 24:4-10)

But the apostles did not believe the women. (Luke 24:11).

Peter, investigating their report, discovered things just as they said, but no angels appeared to him at the tomb. Thus, he then went home marveling at what this meant. (Luke 24:12)

Luke then turns his attention to two followers of Jesus, who left Jerusalem for Emmaus, sharing that Jesus joined them on their journey. Neither of these two were part of the lead apostles.

The question is, why did Jesus walk to Emmaus with these two followers?

April 13, 2025April 13, 2025

Have You Ridden a Donkey?

I am sure I have been around a donkey or two at a zoo or other wildlife preserve.

But I have never ridden one. Nor have I had to lead one anywhere.

In the last year of my earthly father’s life, he shared a story with me I had never heard before about a time he handled two donkeys.

He shared he was responsible for getting these two donkeys from one location to where his father was waiting for him.

At one point, the donkey he was riding stopped and refused to move forward. The other donkey also stopped. My dad said he did everything he could think of to get those donkeys moving again.

Donkeys have a reputation for being stubborn, which my father experienced firsthand.

What does this have to do with Matthew 21:1-11?

February 16, 2025February 15, 2025

Finding Your Opportunities for Boldness

How often do you rehearse what you wish you would have said after the fact?

Or maybe you have the opposite problem, you immediately speak and then wish you had remained silent?

I fall into the first camp most of the time.

Even as I was studying for today’s post, something triggered in me a tirade of anger about something that I have re-rehearsed far too many times. I sound, in my own ears, incredibly bold and powerful in this re-rehearsal of what I wish I had said.

I realize, though, that these re-rehearsals are temptations to focus on an unhealthy anger rather than a healthy boldness inspired by God.

What does this have to do with Acts 5:17-32?