Mark 12:28-34

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"28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.” 32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.” 34 When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions." ~ Mark 12:28-34

We return to our study of Mark 12 where another religious inquirer comes to the Lord Jesus with another question. Much of life is made up of the pursuit of the answers to our questions. And, although often frustrating, our questions are some of our greatest friends because they push us to pursue the Lord.

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?"

Whether sincere or not, the Lord Jesus answered the question of yet another religious leader of Israel. The question was: "Which of the commands is most important?"

Of the 613 commands found in the Old Testament, 248 were positive and 365 were negative. More don'ts than do's. No two rabbis agreed on which were the most crucial of the commands. There was always a debate as to which were the greatest. 

In v.29-31 of today's passage we read, "29 Jesus answered, 'The most important command is this: Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.’"

In response to the question, the Lord Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6 which begins with a command to love God. Loving God begins with giving our hearts to the Lord on a daily basis, especially when we lack understanding. Giving our hearts to God involves our worship of Him. Worship is ascribing worth to Him. We do so by believing His word, allowing it to define us on a daily basis.

What the religious leaders of Israel did not understand was they could not merit God's favor through their good behavior. No human, this side of the Fall, has ever loved God with his whole being. This is why the Lord Jesus came to be the Lamb of God who would take away the penalty of our sin and put us into a personal relationship with God.

We discover truth through observation. We see things, we feel things, we hear things, we read things about God, we observe, we experience, and truth comes to us first in our minds. That is why the Lord Jesus said that we are to love the Lord our God with all our minds.

Next, the truth impacts our emotions, or our souls, as it is listed here. Truth comes to our minds and then it moves to our emotions, and we begin to feel moved by the truth that our minds understand.

Next comes the will or the heart, as it is translated here. The word "heart" is used in several ways in the Scriptures. Sometimes it refers to the will, sometimes the emotions, but here it describes our will. We choose with our hearts or our wills. Once our will (heart) is moved, then we love God with our strength. Which means to give ourselves fully to what He says. 

In v.32-33 of today's passage we read, "32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God."

Our problems are potentially solved when we respond to God's love which is discovered primarily through His word within the arena of every day life. Understanding God's love positions us to turn our lives, including our blessings and our problems, over to Him. And, having experienced His love for ourselves, we are poised to love others naturally. 

God's love meets the deepest needs of our lives. In fact, when we try to meet our love needs through people, we find that those needs cannot be fully met, and we feel lonely. We can be with people who are trying to love us, yet be lonely. 

You will remember one of the last quotes made by the late Robin Williams, "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone." Our love needs are ultimately only met by God Himself and that is why we have to start with God.

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, 'You are close to the kingdom of God.' And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions."

The Lord Jesus commended this scribe, because the scribe understood that love is more important than ritual. That who we are is even more important that what we do, because what we do is determined by who we are. But, he had still not experienced the kingdom of God. He was close to salvation, but the scribe had not been apprehended by the truth. He didn't grasp the fact that our good works are not enough, our sin must be atoned for, and, we must be born again.

Of course, this is why the Lord Jesus came. All of those Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed us to the Lord Jesus who came to remedy our problem with sin which is what separated us from God in the first place. He came to earth to die so that we could truly live. He came to be separated from God so that we could love God and others.

Mark 12:18-27

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18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?” 24 Jesus answered, “Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God? 25 When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Surely you have read what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are wrong!” ~ Mark 12:18-27

In today's passage, we are told the Lord Jesus received a visit from the Sadducees. The word "Sadducee" literally means "the righteous ones." This group of "quasi religious leaders" did not believe in the resurrection. Like the Pharisees, they wanted to minimize the Lord Jesus, because His popularity was a threat to their comfortable and affluent lives. 

In v.18-22 of today's passage we read, "18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too."

 

The Sadducees were trying to show how ridiculous was the idea of the resurrection, so they presented a scenario to the Lord Jesus based on Deuteronomy 25 which called for a man to marry his brother’s wife in the event of his brother’s death. With this argument, they referred to a law in the book of Moses called the law of levirate marriage which was given by God in order to protect the widow, her land and the name of the family. And so a brother or a kinsman, a relative, could marry that lady, and then the family name would be preserved, and the inheritance would be passed on from generation to generation for that woman. 

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?"

Trying to minimize the Lord Jesus, the Sadducees asked Him who would be the husband of the woman in heaven, especially since she had been married so many times. Of course, they weren't on a journey to discover the truth, they were just trying to cause the people to no longer follow Him, especially since they benefitted the most from the sacrificial system at the temple. And, the Lord Jesus was a threat to that commerce based on what He had done in the temple a day earlier.

In v.24-26 of today's passage we read, "24 Jesus answered, 'Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God? 25 When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Surely you have read what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’"

In His answer the Lord Jesus made it clear that in heaven there will be no marriage. As someone who has been married to the same woman for over thirty years, this is a difficult one for me. Notice the Lord Jesus did not say that in heaven we will be angels, but that we will be like the angels. We will be like the angels in that we will not cohabitate and reproduce. In addition, we will not die.  So, there will be no need for reproduction in heaven.

At this point the Lord Jesus directed the Sadducees attention to Exodus 3:6 in order to establish His point. This is important because He knew the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Bible as the word of God. It seems Exodus 3:6 doesn’t argue for the resurrection of the dead. But, when we consider that God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob after they had died, it takes on a different meaning. Since God made an everlasting covenant with them, he will raise them from the dead so that they may see the fulfillment of God's promises.

There is a great principle being given here which I have found to be an encouragement down through the years, especially when it seemed that all hope was lost. The principle comes in the form of a quote which is: "God’s most striking victories come out of graves of apparent defeat."

According to v.27, the Sadducees understood neither the Scriptures, which teaches the resurrection of the dead, nor did they know the power of God, who can and will raise the dead to life. This was their problem, they were not accustomed to being defined by the God of the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul established this very important point: if we do not have the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not have hope.

I find it striking that group after group was trying to trip the Lord Jesus up, yet He spoke the truth to them and in so doing He held out hope to each group. His has always been self-giving love which is a product of such hope. The Lord Jesus is the same with us. He knows the quickest way to our hearts is through our wounds. And, it is these wounds which create our skepticism or they can assist our ability to see Him with our hearts. We are to some degree hard-hearted like these religious leaders, at times. And, yet, He keeps offering us hope. And, He rarely blesses us with only us in mind.

Hope must be garnered by us through the thicks and thins of life. We must admit that we, at times, struggle seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This honest struggle is necessary for us to be develop an authentic walk with the Lord and to be found anchored to His hope. Amid all of the negativity that we will face out in the world today, let's be poised to hold out this hope which is based on the truth of the resurrection from the dead for all those, who like us, are struggling, too. Like him or not, Napoleon brilliantly once said, "Leaders are dealers in hope."

From the book of Exodus, the Lord Jesus showed the Sadducees that there will be a resurrection and there will be an afterlife. While quoting from the burning bush passage, the Lord Jesus established that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were dead when God spoke those words to Moses regarding them. He didn't say, "I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," He said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Using the present tense, He established life after death.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are wrong!"

Since God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there has to be a resurrection from the dead. God is the God of the living because He is the God who conquered death. It was not enough for the Lord Jesus to die for us, but He also had to rise from the dead, proving His victory over the grave. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus changed everything. It is the resurrection of Jesus that promises us eternal life. I love that quote from C.S. Lewis who once said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

Mark 12:13-17

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"13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to trap him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, 'Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are. And you teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or not?' 15 But knowing what these men were really trying to do, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a coin to look at.' 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, 'Whose image and name are on the coin?' They answered, 'Caesar’s.' 17 Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.' The men were amazed at what Jesus said." ~ Mark 12:13-17 

Today, we continue our study of Mark 12 where the religious leaders were running out of ways to stump the Lord Jesus. In this passage the Jewish religious leaders sent a group of politicians, the Pharisees and Herodians, to try and make the Lord Jesus look bad by getting Him to comment on the politics of the day.

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to trap him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, 'Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are. And you teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or not?'"

The Pharisees and the Herodians teamed up in their attempt to nullify the Lord Jesus. But, the Pharisees were Jews who were against the rule of Rome in their land. And, on the other hand, the Herodians supported the rule of Rome in Israel. These two opposing groups, were unlikely allies who decided to lock arms in order to render the Lord Jesus powerless. The Pharisees hated having to pay taxes to Rome, whereas, the Herodians, enjoyed the opulence that the Roman taxes brought them. 

In v.15-17 of today's passage we read, "15 But knowing what these men were really trying to do, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a coin to look at.' 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, 'Whose image and name are on the coin?' They answered, 'Caesar’s.' 17 Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.' The men were amazed at what Jesus said."

The Lord Jesus asked these power hungry groups of "leaders" to give Him a Roman coin which bore the image of Tiberius Caesar and an inscription proclaiming him to be the "son of God". This coin, which had the image of Caesar on it, was a denarius which was equal to a day's wage for a Roman soldier or a day laborer. It was a small silver coin which was minted by the Caesar. Only the Caesar had the authority to mint gold or silver coins in those days. 

With this illustration, the Lord Jesus introduced a new angle. "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s." We are citizens not only of heaven, but we are also citizens of this country, and that means God wants us to pay taxes. Caesar has right to collect our money, and, God has the right to collect our worship.  

The resounding answer the Lord Jesus gave to these politically-minded groups was worship. Render to Caesar taxes and to God worship. We all have causes and we all seek to worship God. Our cause must be fueled by our worship, and our worship must never come from our cause. We are not to be defined by our cause but by our God. If we worship our cause, we will, like the Pharisees and Herodians, make the non-essentials our essentials.

The answer to all of our lives is worship, worship of the God of the Bible. Worshipers of God do not need power, like the Herodians, nor do we need to destroy power, like the Pharisees. Worshipers of God allow themselves to be embraced and defined by the culture of God.

With that, I think of a story that Max Lucado shares in His book, The Applause of Heaven. "It is a story about a man named Daniel. Daniel is big. He used to make his living by lifting weights and teaching others to do the same. His scrapbook is colorful with ribbons and photos of him in his prime, striking the muscle-man pose and flexing the bulging arms.

The only thing bigger than Daniel's biceps is his heart. Let me tell you about a time his heart became tender. Daniel was living in the southern city of Porto Alegre. He worked at a gym and dreamed of owning his own. The bank agreed to finance the purchase if he could find someone to co-sign the note. His brother agreed.

They filled out all the applications and awaited the approval. Everything went smoothly, and Daniel soon received a call from the bank telling him he could come and pick up the check. As soon as he got off work, he went to the bank.

When the loan officer saw Daniel, he looked surprised and asked Daniel why he had come. 'To pick up the check,' Daniel explained. 'That's funny,' responded the banker. 'Your brother was in here earlier. He picked up the money and used it to retire the mortgage on his house.'

Daniel was incensed. He never dreamed his own brother would trick him like that. He stormed over to his brother's house and pounded on the door. The brother answered the door with his daughter in his arms. He knew Daniel wouldn't hit him if he was holding a child. He was right. Daniel didn't hit him. But he promised his brother that if he ever saw him again he would break his neck.

Daniel went home, his big heart bruised and ravaged by the trickery of his brother. He had no other choice but to go back to the gym and work to pay off the debt.

A few months later, Daniel met a young American missionary named Allen Dutton. Allen befriended Daniel and taught him about Jesus Christ. Daniel and his wife soon became Christians and devoted disciples.

But though Daniel had been forgiven so much, he still found it impossible to forgive his brother. The wound was deep. The pot of revenge still simmered. He didn't see his brother for two years. Daniel couldn't bring himself to look into the face of the one who had betrayed him. And his brother liked his own face too much to let Daniel see it.

But an encounter was inevitable. Both knew they would eventually run into each other. And neither knew what would happen then.

The encounter occurred one day on a busy avenue. Let Daniel tell you in his own words what happened: 'I saw him, but he didn't see me. I felt my fists clench and my face got hot. My initial impulse was to grab him around the throat and choke the life out of him.

But as I looked into his face, my anger began to melt. For as I saw him, I saw the image of my father. I saw my father's eyes. I saw my father's look. I saw my father's expression. And as I saw my father in his face, my enemy once again became my brother.'

Daniel walked toward him. The brother stopped, turned, and started to run, but he was too slow. Daniel reached out and grabbed his shoulder. The brother winced, expecting the worst. But rather than have his throat squeezed by Daniel's hands, he found himself hugged by Daniel's big arms. And the two brothers stood in the middle of the river of people and wept.

Daniel's words are worth repeating: 'When I saw the image of my father in his face, my enemy became my brother.'"

Mark 12:1-12

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"1 Jesus began to use stories to teach the people. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress and built a tower. Then he leased the land to some farmers and left for a trip. 2 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then the man sent another servant. They hit him on the head and showed no respect for him. 5 So the man sent another servant, whom they killed. The man sent many other servants; the farmers beat some of them and killed others. 6 “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ 8 So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “So what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those farmers and will give the vineyard to other farmers. 10 Surely you have read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. 11 The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to us.’” 12 The Jewish leaders knew that the story was about them. So they wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away." ~ Mark 12:1-12

Today, we transition into Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus is found teaching the people. He used stories to help His audience grasp the concepts that He was imparting to them. Illustrations, especially real life illustrations, are useful at bridging the gap between the theoretical and the practical. This is largely why we like stories used in messages so much.

In v.1-3 of today's passage we read, "1 Jesus began to use stories to teach the people. He said, 'A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress and built a tower. Then he leased the land to some farmers and left for a trip. 2 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.'"

The practice in biblical days for imparting knowledge was largely done through oral means. The teacher would speak and his audience would listen. In fact, they listened more than they read. Even though most people read back then, it was an oral culture. Since the people learned most by listening, the rabbis became adept at telling stories. This is mainly why the Lord Jesus employed this dynamic form of teaching called storytelling.

The word "parable" means "to cast alongside of." It is a contraction of two words: "para" which means "alongside of" and "bolé" which means "to cast." The Lord Jesus cast alongside His teaching a story that illustrated His message. When He did this, the people were aided to understand the message better. In fact, illustrations bridge the gap between the message and the application of that message.

Interestingly, although we are told the Lord Jesus used stories to teach the people, indirectly, He was answering the question that the religious leaders had just asked in the previous chapter. Whereas it looked like the Lord Jesus had shut down the truth to the religious leaders, He continued to subtly offer them truth, even though the religious leaders were constructing a plan to have Him crucified.

In v.4-8 of today's passage we read, "4 Then the man sent another servant. They hit him on the head and showed no respect for him. 5 So the man sent another servant, whom they killed. The man sent many other servants; the farmers beat some of them and killed others. 6 “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ 8 So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard."

The Lord Jesus used this story to illustrate Himself as the owner and the heir of the vineyard. He was the Son sent by the Father. The vineyard illustrated the nation of Israel, and, the landowner represented God. And, the servants were the prophets.

In v.9-12 of today's passage we read, "9 'So what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those farmers and will give the vineyard to other farmers. 10 Surely you have read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. 11 The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to us.' 12 The Jewish leaders knew that the story was about them. So they wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away."

Through all of the teaching of the Lord Jesus, He made it abundantly clear that the religious leaders "religion" was a false religion. And, their authority was selfish rather than selfless which always presented them with a losing proposition. The Lord Jesus identified the religious leaders as guilty for rejecting the prophets who came from God. And, in the end of the story He was saying that the religious leaders would kill Him.

In this story the Lord Jesus changed metaphors, He began with the imagery of a vineyard and then He changed to the imagery of a cornerstone. He quoted Psalm 118 which was a prophecy of His death. The rejected stone is the rejected son, they are one in the same. As the cornerstone, the Lord Jesus is the most important part of the building. The cornerstone is that large stone that forms the foundation of the building which has to be perfect, because all the other stones are aligned according to the cut of the cornerstone. And so, as the builders would be very particular about how a cornerstone looked, they would reject a number of stones till they got the perfect cornerstone, because the symmetry and the stability of any building depends on how good and how well made that cornerstone is. The Lord Jesus is the perfect cornerstone that was rejected by the religious leaders of Israel.

When the religious leaders rejected God's rule in their lives, it did not end up well for them. In fact, somewhere along the way they rejected the word of God and they ended up losing their minds. The lesson for us is to be diligent daily to yield our wills to God, allowing Him to have His way in our lives. It is not that He is out to get us. In fact, He is out to help us. We were born in the clutches of an enemy who has always wanted to destroy us. He is intent on making us to think that his way is the way to freedom. 

The Lord Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." It is the truth about the Lord Jesus that sets us free. The religious leaders who rejected the truth were not all that aware that they were in bondage to Rome. They were not aware of the slavery that is far worse than that of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Romans. And, that is slavery to sin which is when we take our lives and futures into our own hands.

Discipleship under the Lord Jesus is the only true path to freedom. It is important to understand that true belief only comes from evidence. We never find real freedom until we examine the evidence that the Lord Jesus is who He claims to be. We must believe Him first, and that means examining the evidence about Him. Hundreds of thousands of people reject the Lord Jesus without ever really examining the evidence for who He truly is. 

Mark 11:27-33

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"27 Jesus and his disciples went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders came to him. 28 They said to him, 'What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?'29 Jesus answered, 'I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from God or just from other people?'31 They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, 'If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘It was from other people,’ the crowd will be against us.' These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, 'We don’t know.' Jesus said to them, 'Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.'" ~ Mark 11:27-33

Today, we return to our study of Mark 11 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus was there knowing full well that He was going to be crucified for the forgiveness of mankind's sin. Amazingly, the disciples were so far convinced in the idea that He was about to set up a political kingdom on earth that they had yet to comprehend that He was in to Jerusalem to die in obedience to God's eternal plan.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Jesus and his disciples went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders came to him."

Here, the Lord Jesus, yet again, encountered the religious leaders. We may think this is bad, however, as is the case with all of our trials, the difficulties of that day created the context whereby the disciples were being taught the culture of God. God has a unique way of utilizing the pains of our lives to build a platform from which we gain a greater amount of His wisdom. In addition, when we have gained His wisdom, we are granted a greater platform and subsequent audience.

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "They said to him, 'What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"

The religious leaders wanted to know by what authority the Lord Jesus taught as He did. They appeared to be the consummate learners when they asked their questions. Yet, over and over, they asked these questions trying to trip the Lord Jesus up and use His trip ups against Him. Of course, the Lord Jesus never tripped up. Sadly, the religious leaders came as close as one could to entering heaven, but their choice to reject the Lord Jesus sent them to hell.

Recently, I had a conversation with a young student at a local university. He made the point that he believes the education he is receiving is not what others have received in the past. While this may be true, his statement made me think of the essence of  education. The essence of education is learning. Wait, that is the essence of being a disciple which begins and ends with the pursuits that we engage in for the answers to our questions. Granted, we benefit from the learned, however, we truly maximize our learning when our questions fuel our pursuits. And, our questions are created by our hunger and our thirst. The religious leaders were served very poorly by their hungers and thirsts.

In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 Jesus answered, 'I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from God or just from other people?"

The Lord Jesus responded with a question, asking the religious leaders by what authority John the Baptist baptized the people. It is quite significant that the Lord Jesus asked about the baptism of John, not his ministry. You see, the baptism of John was something that had never been done before in Israel. John baptized repenters, yet he was not of the religious order. And, that is why the religious did not believe John because they were not willing to repent. And, John the Baptist baptized in the dirty and unpleasant Jordan River. 

By its very nature, the authority of John the Baptist came from God. When we speak or behave as we do, we do so on the authority that has been given to us by God, by self or by men. Our obedience is either to God, self or other people. And, John's authority came, as did the Lord Jesus,' from God.

In v.31-32 of today's passage we read, "31 They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, 'If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘It was from other people,’ the crowd will be against us.' These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet."

The religious leaders took the cowardly route out of this situation. Allegiance to Christ will always put us in the position to shirk being cowards, and when we do, we will grow in our authority regarding His message and the platform by which we speak authoritatively.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "So they answered Jesus, 'We don’t know.' Jesus said to them, 'Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things."

Pushed along by their cowardice disposition and narrow-minded ignorance, the religious leaders answered, “We don’t know.” And, in response to their answer, the Lord Jesus did not grant them more revelation which could have led them to repentance. This is the way truth is garnered by those who are committed to such eternal qualities as honesty, humility and obedience.

We must admit, there are times when we treat God as if He exists for us rather than us for He. In 1982, just after I became a believer in Christ, I took a job that I could not do. And, for the first time in my Christian existence, I felt like such a failure. I quickly realized that my problem was created by the fact that I did not seek God regarding whether I should take that job or not. I took the job because of the amount of money it paid. But, I could not physically do the job that I was hired to do. 

To make a long story short, after praying about where I should work, I was offered another job within a week. And, I worked at that job on and off throughout my college years. It turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in my young walk with the Lord. 

The reason we need God to call the shots in our lives is that He knows how to run our lives better than we do. The difference between these two jobs, other than about a fifty percent difference in pay, was I prayed regarding the second, and I have never regretted that choice. I'm still benefitting in my soul from that choice to ask God for His will to be done in my life because that day I formed a habit of talking with God regarding my decisions in life. I trust you have the wisdom to seek Him regarding your every decision that you will ever make in this life. You will not regret, I can guarantee it.

Mark 11:24-26

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24 So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you. 25 When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. 26 But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins. ~ Mark 11:24-26

Today, we come back to our  study of Mark 11 where the Lord Jesus has been instructing His disciples on what it looks like to have a personal relationship with God. In order to experience a personal relationship with God, it is a must to have conversations with Him.

We were created to worship and what we worship defines us. With that said, our prayers are essential to our worship. Martin Luther once said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” If we are to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord, we must be biblical in our prayers.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you."

We must approach God with a believing heart if we are to realize the life we truly want. In fact, in James 4:3 we read, "When you ask, you do not receive because the reason you ask is wrong. You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures." The assumption is that we are praying in accordance with God's will, and, if we are not, then, what is the point?

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins."

Anger clouds our judgment and distorts truth. On a biological level, the difference is easily understood in the way the human body responds to stress and to factors that cause anxiety, fear, rage, and defensiveness. Once triggered, the limbic system of the body kicks in and our biological defense kicks in. Of course, the real issue is the choice to forgive.

There is always a relationship between vertical forgiveness and horizontal forgiveness. If we have been forgiven of the greatest debt that would keep us out of heaven forever, we unwise to hold onto our grudges towards others. Having experienced the grace of God for ourselves postures us to recognize the utter futility of choosing to not forgive another.

The greatest hindrance to having faith in God is our pride. The type of which refuses to forgive others. Pride is like a tsunami that consumes our whole life. All we can see is that big storm before us, blocking the way of God in our lives. In Psalm 66:18 David wrote: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” As believers in the Lord Jesus, we have been forgiven of our sin in total. However, when we choose not to forgive others, we will lack the power to remove the mountain of unforgiveness.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins."

Holding onto a grudge and choosing not to forgive someone will impede our prayer life. But, when we forgive, it doesn't take long to recognize the real life that flows from God into our grace defined lives. Someone once said, "Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for your enemy to die." The one thing that blocks the flow of the life of God in our lives is this unwillingness to forgive. Israel missed out on this life because it would not forgive the Romans.

Instead of humbling themselves, Israel gathered its robes of self-righteousness about it and looked with pride up to God and said, "I thank God I am not like these other people." God says that is what ends life. And, not just a nation, this is what ends the spiritual life of an individual.

The evidence that we know our sins are forgiven us is that we are quick to forgive others. When the Lord Jesus said if we do not forgive others we will not be forgiven by God, He did not mean we will lose or forfeit our salvation if we do not fully forgive every single person who wronged us. In fact, the "forgiveness" mentioned here is not about eternal salvation, at all. Rather, this is relational forgiveness. The parallel for this would be offending or sinning against one's spouse, without asking for forgiveness. That would hurt a marriage relationship, and result in distance or separation, but not an utter end to that commitment. 

Our salvation is dependent solely on the work of the Lord Jesus, on the cross, not our ability to remember every single sin and repent of them. God designed us for community, honesty, and humility. If we sin against someone else without asking for their forgiveness, we sin against God. If we stubbornly refuse to forgive others, we're not reflecting appreciation for the forgiveness we, ourselves, have received.

Mark 11:20-23

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20 The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his followers, they saw the fig tree dry and dead, even to the roots. 21 Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! The fig tree you cursed is dry and dead!” 22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you.” ~ Mark 11:20-23

The measure of any society is its worship because it is whom we worship that defines us and determines our eternal destiny. This is why the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree in our previous study and He went into the temple and drove out those who were insincere. As we have pointed out before, the fig tree was a metaphor of the unbelieving hearts of Israel's people.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his followers, they saw the fig tree dry and dead, even to the roots."

The next day was Wednesday of the passion week. When the Lord Jesus and His disciples passed the cursed fig tree, it began to be more and more clear to the disciples why the Lord cursed the fig tree. They began to see that the religion of the Jews had been corrupted as evidenced by the activities in the temple the day before. And, just a few days later, when the temple curtain before the Holy of Holies was ripped from top to bottom, they would note that these activities were from God who was dismantling the false worship of Judaism.

True worship was and is possible, but no longer at the temple. And, after the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it became clear that true worship only happens in the shadow of the cross. It is the cross of the Lord Jesus that makes sense of those things in our lives that aid our worship of God. Those things are mostly unwanted by us and they all find their origin in our hunger and in our thirst for that which is substantive.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, 'Teacher, look! The fig tree you cursed is dry and dead!'"

Here, Peter began to recognize the relationship between the fig tree and the cleaning out of the greedy in the temple. Much of our existence upon this earth is made up of connecting the dots. We are able to do this because we are relational beings. Relationship is such a great concept and reality from God.

Before His crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord Jesus told His disciples that He must die in order to connect the sinful hearts of man to the holy heart of God. He explained that though He was leaving this world, His followers would not be left alone or without power. 

In John 14:25-26 the Lord Jesus said, "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

The Holy Spirit works in and through us to connect the dots in life between our heart and God’s. He’s the connector between our problems and God’s solutions. When we humbly go to God in prayer and ask Him to help us take the next step, or make the next decision, or choose the next response, He will faithfully lead us to the next dot with wisdom through the power of His Holy Spirit.

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, Go, fall into the sea. And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you.'"

When the Lord Jesus explained to His disciples the cursing of the fig tree. He did not provide the secret of how to curse a fig tree, He provided the secret of how to live so as not to be cursed. The fig tree was an analogy of the people of Israel who were cursed because they had substituted vibrant faith in the God of the Bible with empty, meaningless religious performance. The Lord Jesus was not giving a formula for throwing mountains into the sea; He was underscoring the imperative of placing our faith in the God of the Bible. He knows that we all struggle with mountains which oppose our faith. Their hunger and thirst had not served them well.

The main subject in this section is prayer. Essential to worship is prayer which is essential to our existence. If we are to become totally dependent on the One whom we cannot see, we must be given to having personal conversations with Him daily. This is where our hunger and thirst factors into this process. 

Like the woman at the well in John 4, we long for meaningful interaction. The Lord Jesus had come to save this woman from her own slavery, not just from loneliness but from sin and death. The Lord Jesus offered to quench the thirst that she had probably never recognized. Her dry mouth and the distant well were not her only problems. Even her five husbands and her present de facto were only symptoms of the problem. 

The ultimate need of the woman at the well was not to be in the arms of the perfect bachelor but in the arms of the loving God who created her. She had a God shaped hole that no man could fill. She had made the most common mistake: she had turned her men into gods, and as every woman soon realizes, men make lousy gods. Her greatest need was for eternal life, to know the true and living God, and his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Only an honest relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ fulfills. Unlike the woman at the well, the people in Israel in that day had not been served well by their hunger and thirst. They had become religious.

As illustrated in that cursed fig tree, the ultimate judgment of God is coming. The cursing of the fig tree was the first destructive miracle in the Gospels, all the rest are constructive: casting out demons, healing diseases, raising dead people, feeding multitudes, stopping storms. And, it was a precursor of what will come at the end of time as we know it.

In the Babylonian Talmud we are introduced to a rabbi who was able to teach a difficult passage, or who could solve a difficult riddle or a problem. The talmud refers to that person as the "rooter up of mountains." This is the background to the statement made by the Lord Jesus in v.23.

Through this old analogy, the Lord Jesus was saying that removing obstacles to a life of faith in the God of the Bible so as to avoid the curse is what this is all about. True worship has always been on God’s terms, but now the terms have changed in this one fundamental respect. True worship is not about a place but a person. It’s not about Jerusalem but the Lord Jesus. There is not a place on the face of the earth, nor a building, nor part of a building that will bring us into the presence of God. The question is not where we worship but whom we worship. The old has gone and the new has come.

It’s not the nature of faith here that is the issue, it’s the character of God that is the issue. All of our prayers must begin with His honor, His kingdom, His will be done. Our faith and our words spoken in faith have zero power. God has all the power. Our faith in Him is only a way to activate His power within the framework of His purposes for our lives. And, the issue here is whether we believe God or whether we doubt God. Don’t doubt; believe. And believe that what He says is going to happen, and it will be granted. The Lord Jesus was calling for faith: faith in the power of God, not in our power to believe.

Mark 11:15-19

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15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts 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, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. ~ Mark 11:15-19

Today, we come back to our study of Mark 11 where the Lord Jesus has traveled back to Jerusalem with His disciples. In our previous study, the Lord Jesus had drawn attention to a fruitless fig tree which actually was a picture of the unbelief of Israel. 

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts 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, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts."

This was the second time the Lord Jesus had gone into the Temple in order to confront the corruption therein. According to John's Gospel, three years before, at the very beginning of His ministry, the Lord Jesus had entered this very same temple and had swept out the moneychangers in a very similar fashion. The merchants were wrongly taking advantage of the people by selling to them over priced animals as a "service."  In addition, the money-changers provided another "service" because they only accepted the official temple currency. As a result, the money-changers and the merchants were making an excessive profit at this business, and the Lord Jesus was there to address it and bring an end to it.

Although the Lord Jesus had cleansed the temple at the beginning of His ministry, the merchants and money-changers did not learn their lesson. In fact, they never really ceased their corrupt practices, and now, they were about to face the music. Due to their corruption, the Lord Jesus overturned their accoutrements of worship. 

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "And as he taught them, he said, 'Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'"

In this verse the Lord Jesus quoted Jeremiah 7:11 where Jeremiah was predicting the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of the first great temple. The judgment of God through the Babylonians came because the people had turned the temple into a den of robbers. The picture here is of thieves who all along the highways, held up in caves, would leap out and rob and plunder the unsuspecting. That’s what the temple had become; it was a place where thieves came in and felt safe. These who were rebellious against God felt safe in the place known as the house of God. 

In addition, the people who were in Jerusalem at that time were coming from all over to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It was not conducive for them to bring their animals from their homes to sacrifice, so, they would have to buy one of the animals at the temple. And, the animals that were needed for worship were highly over priced. They came with foreign currency and they needed the temple currency. And, the money-changers charged them exorbitant fees to exchange their money for the temple currency. The money-changers and the merchants were thieves who took advantage of the situation and the people's desire to worship God. This explains the words the Lord Jesus used while driving them out of the temple area.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."

The actions of the Lord Jesus shocked the religious leaders who were "the keepers of the temple." It shocked them because the sacrificial system was at the very heart of their worship, and, the Lord Jesus came in and put a stop to their heartless greed.

The religious leaders of Israel were motivated by fear. It is in the context of fear that lawlessness excels. The religious leaders were panicked because of the popularity of the Lord Jesus and the threat He posed to their kingdom. They were afraid of Him because His power was greater than theirs and His influence was greater than theirs. The jealousy and fear of the religious leaders caused them to want the Lord Jesus dead. And, that was key because from the foundation of all creation the Lord Jesus Christ was slated to be the Passover Lamb that year for all of eternity.

These events all led to the religious leaders wanting to find a way to kill the Lord Jesus. They had arrived upon the point of no return. They no longer put up with anything the Lord Jesus did or said from that moment onward. This sealed His death, but, it also sealed the destiny of those willing to depend upon Him for salvation from sin. The corrupt religious leaders thought they were getting rid of the Lord Jesus, but it was He who was setting the stage for His sacrifice to be made for the forgiveness of our sin.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city."

Once again we are given a subtle metaphor about the spiritual condition of the religious community in Israel. I find it sad that a person can live their whole life thinking they are earning God's acceptance through their "goodness," only to get to the end of their lives to discover they were never on the side of the Lord. This is why the Lord makes such a big deal out of our faith. And, only faith placed in the work and the goodness of the Lord Jesus makes us right with God.

Mark 11:12-14

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"12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. 13 Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this." ~ Mark 11:12-14

As we come back to our study of Mark 11, we notice that it was Tuesday morning and the Lord Jesus was on His way back to the Temple in Jerusalem with His disciples. In the Old Testament, the Temple was known to be the dwelling place of God for those who sought Him. Daily we must be on pilgrimage to discover God, but we no longer have to go to the temple in Jerusalem to find Him. Daily our hearts must be eager to practice God's abiding presence and to be defined by Him. 

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry."

Today's story begins with hunger, the hunger of the Lord Jesus. And, it was out of this context that some very important truths are accentuated in this chapter. Before we consider those truths, let's think about the fact that the Lord Jesus hungered. This was not the first time He hungered. In fact, just after His forty days and nights in the wilderness, He emerged from the wilderness hungry.

Many make too much of the Devil and they see him everywhere and in everything, and their resulting fascination with evil is unhealthy. We must never be preoccupied with the enemy, for when we do we fall into his trap of distraction from the Lord. We must be fixated on the Lord in order to know Him for ourselves and to better be able to make Him known. This is partly why the Lord Jesus was hungry, to create a platform for God to show up in that context. This is why bad things happen in our lives and rather than being enamored with the trial, we must be reminded that God is doing something and we want to factor in on what He is doing around us.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs."

In that part of the world there is an early edible but smaller fig that grows during the springtime of the year. That smaller edible fruit when it shows up on the fig tree is a harbinger of another production of the fruit that will come later on in the summer. If there are no early figs, there will be no figs later. That day in Bethany the Lord cursed that tree because it produced no fruit.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this."

Many have been amazed at the fact that the Lord Jesus cursed this tree. It seemed so unlike Him to do this for He did not come to condemn. This is the only miracle in the entire ministry of the Lord Jesus wherein He pronounced judgment on anything. It seemed so strange that He treated the tree for having no figs. But, as we have pointed out already, a fig tree has two kinds of figs; one comes in the Spring and the other in the Summer. And, if a tree does not produce Spring figs, it will not produce Summer figs.

That tree that day was a symbol of the nation Israel. The reason the Lord Jesus cursed that tree was so it would be a visual parable of the condition of the people of Israel. Judaism had become a false religion, and all false religions are nothing but leaves, no fruit, just leaves. That tree was an analogy of unbelief.

Only our spiritual hunger for God and His culture makes sense of this story. When we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives, He began a deep work in our hearts that we can not refuse. Hungry people hope for miracles. Our physical hunger is, in a real sense, a precursor to our spiritual hunger. We must not ignore our spiritual hunger. Most would lead us to believe that once we have invited Christ into our lives that our lives will be easier. This is not the case. In fact, my life got harder and more difficult after I became a believer in the Lord Jesus. 

When we look closely at what the Lord Jesus taught His disciples about discipleship, we recognize our difficulties will increase. Our difficulties increase because the internal threat of ourselves becomes more apparent to us. Rather than blaming our problems on others, the training the Lord offers causes us to recognize that we, more often than not, are the real source of our problems. When we were not believers, we were blind to our defects. Now that we follow the Lord Jesus, we are vividly aware of our defects, because the Holy Spirit calls attention to them and attempts to sift them out of our lives.

Spiritual hunger and thirst are drivers of spiritual fullness. Only those who are hungry and thirsty get filled. This transformation requires a long and challenging journey. This process will not be overnight, and actually, it will never be perfected this side of heaven. The good news is none of this journey will we take alone. The Lord will always be our close companion for all of eternity. And, because of this, He will walk us through this process of transformation as we choose to yield our broken lives to Him on a daily basis.

Mark 11:7-11

Mark 11:7-11 PODCAST

"7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!' 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve." ~ Mark 11:7-11

The kingdom of the Lord Jesus is not what is expected. He fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophesies, yet, the kingdom that He offered took everyone by surprise. His kingdom is a different kingdom because honesty cuts through deception and creates a healthy environment wherein the oxygen of truth can heal what deception has decayed. His is a kingdom of selflessness and truth. His is a kingdom that is not of this world, it is of a world where righteousness and truth reigns in and through the hearts of it's people.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it."

In those days, the Romans had what they called a triumphal entry. If a king won a battle, managing to kill at least five thousand enemy soldiers, he was entitled to a triumphal entry where he would be paraded in front of the people along with the treasures and captives he had collected.

The triumphal entry of the Lord Jesus was quite different than that of the Romans. This was the first and only time the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to publicly be proclaimed the Messiah. In Zechariah 9:9, five hundred years before this event, the prophet Zechariah issued a prediction that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. And, His eventual victory was waged on the cross where He conquered sin and death. It was through His victory that He made it possible for all who would believe in Him as our Savior to be at peace with God.

In v.8-10 of today's passage we read, "8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

After the two disciples procured the colt, the Lord Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on it declaring peace. Many in the crowd responded by spreading their coats on the ground, and others palm branches. Palm branches were a common object lesson for victory in that day. As the Lord Jesus rode toward Jerusalem, the people surrounded Him and hailed His approach with shouts of Messianic praise. The people hailed Him as their Messiah as long as He did for them what they wanted. And when He didn’t, they turned on Him and cried out for His crucifixion. 

Some 700 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah predicted that worshipers would come to Jerusalem with "joyful shouting" along the "Highway of Holiness." The Lord Jesus' arrival, however, was a giant letdown for most. When dignitaries visited Jerusalem, officials would welcome & honored them by escorting them to the temple. No one welcomed the Lord Jesus, nor did they escort Him to the temple. He journeyed to the temple without an escort from any dignitary.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve."

This was an official visit of the King of Israel, an inspection tour of the heart of the nation. He went into the temple, where the very heartbeat of the nation was throbbing, represented in the worship that was lifted up to God. And, He looked at everything and he saw commercialism, moneychangers, exploitation, corruption, and injustice. He saw that religious ceremonies were being carried out without any meaning whatsoever. But, He did not say a word. Nobody noticed this was an official tour of inspection by the King. And, then He left.

The hour was late, both literally & figuratively. The departure of the Lord Jesus from the temple echoed the departure of the glory of the Lord from the temple in a vision of the prophet Ezekiel. Likewise, the Lord Jesus departed to the east and stayed in Bethany, on the Mount of Olives.

According to Revelation 19:3, the Lord Jesus will come back a second time, at the end of the Tribulation. Next to the subject of faith, no subject is more discussed in the Bible than the second coming of Christ. When He returns, He will not come riding on a donkey, He will return riding a white horse which represents purity and victory for the rider is holy and will go forth to be the triumphant conqueror. In the gospels, the Lord Jesus wore a crown of thorns placed on Him by the Romans. But, at His second coming, He will wear on His head many victor crowns. Whereas He came first as the Lamb, at the end of time as we know it, He will come as the fierce Lion of Judah to vanquish His enemies. And those who will follow Him will be the saints who believed in Him for salvation from sin and death.

Mark 11:1-6

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"1 Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 He told them, “Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, ‘The Lord needs it and will soon bring it back.’” 4 The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it, 5 some of the people standing there asked, “Why are you untying the donkey?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said, and the people let them take it." ~ Mark 11:1-6

Today we transition into the Mark 11, which begins the final week of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus. The disciples were still expecting the Lord Jesus to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, even after He had repeatedly told them that He was going to Jerusalem to die. This underscores the theme of Mark which is the Lord Jesus Christ is the Servant of the LORD. The first ten chapters of Mark present the Lord Jesus as the Servant of the LORD.

In Mark 11 the direction of Mark's gospel takes a bit of a turn where the emphasis is more on the Lord Jesus as the suffering Servant. Three-fifths of of Mark's gospel is devoted to what we're about to read, the final week of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. When we look closely at the eighty-five chapters in the four gospels, we notice that twenty-nine of them give us the details of the final week of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus before his death, burial, and resurrection. And, thirteen of those chapters concentrate on the final twenty-four hours of His life on earth. 

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 He told them, 'Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here.'"

After reaching Bethphage, which means "the house of unripened figs" and Bethany which means "the house of dates," the Lord Jesus told two disciples to go to the next village to retrieve a donkey. He does this in order to make preparations for the fulfillment of a prophecy found in Zechariah 9 which was given some five hundred years before. That passage includes a prophecy that the king would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. In the ancient world, leaders rode into town on donkeys denoting that they came in peace.

A subtle contrast was provided in the context of today's story. Bethphage was woeful in their response to the revelation they had been given by the Lord. Thus, they were defined by their unbelief. Bethany was quite consistent in their positive response to God's revelation. The names of these two towns speak for themselves. Through this contrast we are provided a picture of what our heart response toward the Lord should be on a day to day basis. We should be like Bethany and this young donkey, obediently responsive to the point of factoring in on all that the Lord is doing in our world.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, ‘The Lord needs it and will soon bring it back."

That phrase "The Lord needs it" is surprising. God "needs" something? It reminds us of that passage in John where we are told that the Lord Jesus needed to go through Samaria. He needed to go through Samaria in order to obey God, so that the woman at the well would be given the option to respond to Him as her seventh man. And, with an eventual willing heart, she responded with great belief in the Lord.

God works on the principle of partnership. He has chosen to partner with us to accomplish His work on this earth. There is always a powerful work that will be accomplished through His community, and, we can be a part in it only if we have willing hearts. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confuse the wise." 

The Scriptures tells us that the Word of the Lord will be accomplished. What He has said will happen just the way He said it would. God lives in eternity and He knows the beginning from the end. We are wise to be defined to what He says is truth. Being defined by Him is not a chore, it is a blessing because what He says will come to pass. Quite frankly, it is unwise and quite foolish to not obey what God has said.

This is why the Lord borrowed that donkey that day. When God says that His Word will not return to Him void, we can bank on it. God always has specific intentions for our lives, and those intentions dove tail with His Word to us. For us, our responsibility is to be willing of heart. We must be responsive to what His word says by walking in it and obeying it. When this happens, it is then that we are being defined by Him.

In v.4-6 of today's passage we read, "4 The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it, 5 some of the people standing there asked, “Why are you untying the donkey?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said, and the people let them take it."

All three of the Synoptic Gospels tell us no one had ever sat on this young donkey. An unbroken young donkey is not easy to handle. In fact, they are wild. It would have bucked like crazy when anyone would have climbed up on him. It would have reacted negatively and obstinately to having a blanket thrown on its back. Yet, that donkey carried the Lord Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem quite calmly. 

Our problem is we exchanged the truth about God for a lie. As a result, we now worship the created, namely ourselves, rather than the Creator. We are enslaved to our sinfulness, not realizing we are enslaved to the devil himself. Our idols promise freedom, but we are so often defined by the fallen that we have gone from being image bearers of God to being image makers of ourselves.

The key is to be defined by the God of grace. And, when this increasingly happens and we learn to trust His culture more than our own, we will stand in His grace. And, in the wake of His grace which has brought about our redemption, we will learn to subdue the created and not be subdued by it. When we look at the wrath-absorbed body of the Lord Jesus on the cross and His perfect obedience to God's Word, we will be fueled to be correctly defined by Him for His kingdom to come.

Mark 10:51-52

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51 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!” 52 Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” Right away the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus. ~ Mark 10:51-52

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 10 where the Lord Jesus had been teaching His disciples His ways and culture. In addition, the Lord Jesus entered the town of Jericho and entered into the life of blind Bartimaeus whom the Lord Jesus was showing how to overcome a victim's mentality. Here was a man who was conscious of his blindness, whereas the disciples who were with the Lord Jesus for three years were not all that aware of their blindness.

At this point in the story Bartimaeus, he had yet to see the difference between physical sight and spiritual sight. With the physical we see this world, while with spiritual sight, we are postured to begin to see God. One we see with our eyes while the other we see God with our hearts.

In v.51 of today's passage we read, "Jesus asked, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man answered, 'Master, I want to see!'"

Bartimaeus desired to see. Like the disciples of the Lord Jesus, he did not know what it meant to see God with his heart. From the book, The Little Prince, we are given this quote: "Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

The question the Lord Jesus asked Bartimaeus that day in Jericho was the same question He had posed to James and John earlier. The Lord Jesus asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" As He did with the disciples, God became the true servant and the true slave of a debased, lowly outcast. The Lord Jesus never ignores the cry of the heart of a desperate sinner. 

In response to the question the Lord Jesus asked him, Bartimaeus, according to Luke 18, said, "Lord, Master, Lord," then he made his request of the Lord Jesus. Bartimaeus recognized the Lord Jesus as his Master and his Lord. Bartimaeus arrived there after having been blind for so long. Like you and I, Bartimaeus had to be driven to desperation to call out to the Lord as he did. As a result, the Lord Jesus subjected Himself to be the servant and the slave of a nobody. 

In v.52 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” Right away the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus."

Bartimaeus was given more than physical eyesight that day, he was introduced into a personal relationship with God. The Lord Jesus used the verb from which we get our English word for "saved." The Lord Jesus literally said to Bartimaeus, "Your faith has saved you."

The Lord Jesus could have used the word that is strictly used in the gospels for healing, but, that was not the word He used here. He used the word sōzō which explains why Bartimaeus went down the road with the Lord Jesus afterwards. According to Luke 18:43, "He was following Him on the road, glorifying God." That day, blind Bartimaeus, the once hopeless beggar, became a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

In v.52 we read, "Right away the man could see." 

Strategically, the first thing that blind Bartimaeus could see after he was given sight was the Lord Jesus. So often we do not get an accurate visual of the Lord because this world blinds us to His reality. This is why we must be ardent in not allowing this world to define us. This world is so caught up in the clutches of the fallen that it dims our hearts ability to see God regularly.

All of the people there that day saw the unfolding of Bartimaeus' story with the Lord Jesus. And according to Luke 18:43 we read, "When all the people saw it, they gave praise to God." The ripple effect of our personal relationship with the Lord is what this life is really all about. We can count the seeds in an apple, but we can’t count the apples in a seed. This is a mystery that only eternity will spell out for us to see.

All of this is possible because we all have been approached by the Lord Jesus somewhere along the road in our lives. In our blindness, in our desperation, He passed by, and our hearts were awakened, and we cried out for His involvement in our lives. And He heard our desperate and helpless cry.