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.'"
Friday, August 26, 2022
Mark 11:20-23
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.'"
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Mark 11:15-19
Click here for the Mark 11:15-19 PODCAST
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.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Mark 11:12-14
"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.
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Mark 11:7-11
"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.
Monday, August 22, 2022
Mark 11:1-6
"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.
Friday, August 19, 2022
Mark 10:51-52
Click here for the Mark 10:51-52 PODCAST
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.
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Mark 10:46-50
Today, we continue our study of Mark 10 with the story of blind Bartimaeus. Strategically, as is always the case with God, this story happens on the heels of the Lord Jesus training His disciples in His culture. In fact, in the preceding verses He was teaching them about what greatness looks like in His eyes.
In order to not give safe haven in our souls to a victim's mentality, Bartimaeus focused on his assets.
We lack a victor’s mentality when we focus on and are defined by our deficiencies. Most of us spend more time complaining about being blind than focusing on the asset of being able to hear with both ears. Bartimaeus was blind but his hearing was excellent. This verse informs us that he heard that the Lord Jesus was approaching. Bartimaeus couldn’t see, but he could hear and he used that one asset to get to the Lord Jesus. This is the posture of an overcomer.
In addition, to being able to hear, Bartimaeus could also speak. In this verse we see Bartimaeus crying out to the Lord Jesus. In fact, he cried out "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!," so much even the disciples were telling him to be quiet. Bartimaeus lived in the cursed place, he had a cursed name, and, the world around him tried to make him believe that he was cursed with blindness. But, over and over, he cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”
If we conclude, like Bartimaeus, that the Lord Jesus is the answer to our questions, then, we must learn what our assets are and use them effectively to get His attention. If we want to attract the attention of heaven, we've got to to start with admitting that we are helpless and that we need His help. And in order to accomplish this, we must concentrate on our assets instead of our handicaps.
In order to not give safe haven to a victim's mentality, Bartimaeus had to focus on his assets. In addition, he had to overcome the opinions of others.
Bartimaeus was told repeatedly to "be quiet." If he had listened to the crowd, he would have remained blind. It is interesting to note that chiming in with the larger crowd that was gathered there that day in Jericho were also the disciples of the Lord Jesus. Even church folk have been known to discourage us from the Lord. And, if we want to experience real life, we must be defined by God rather than being overcome by what others say.
The only way that Bartimaeus could get the attention of the ONLY ONE who could help him was to "cry out" to Him repeatedly. And, because Bartimaeus was not defined by the myopic opinions of others, he was able to get the attention of the Lord Jesus.
The very same people who told Bartimaeus to "be quiet" were told to tell him to "come to the Lord Jesus." This is a part of overcoming the opinions of others who would under define us if we let them.
In order to overcome a victim’s mentality, Bartimaeus had to focus on his assets, ignore the opinions of others, and he had to throw off that which kept him from the Lord Jesus.
This is the final healing the Lord Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. His miracles began in a little village next to Nazareth called Cana where He turned water into wine. It ended here a few years later with giving sight to a blind mind.
In those days, throughout the Middle East, beggars wore camel’s tunics. Made of camel’s hair, this tunic was used for protection from the elements, like the wind and the sun and the rain. Blind Bartimaeus sat by the roadside covered with his camel's tunic. That tunic was not only a protection from the elements, it was also something he had trusted in in others ways. When the Lord Jesus came along in v.50, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak in order to get to the Lord Jesus.
Being an overcomer involves these three things: focusing on our assets, overcoming the opinion's of others, and removing anything in our lives so that we can get to the Lord Jesus.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Mark 10:41-45
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Mark 10:35-40
Monday, August 15, 2022
Mark 10:32-34
Friday, August 12, 2022
Mark 10:28-31
Click here for the Mark 10:28-31 PODCAST
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” ~ Mark 10:28-31
Today we return to our study of Mark 10. In context, the Lord Jesus had just told the Rich Young Ruler to give away all of his possessions and come and follow Him. To that the Rich Young Ruler went away sad. On the heels of that, the Lord Jesus took the opportunity to teach the disciples another aspect of His culture.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Then Peter spoke up, 'We have left everything to follow you!'"
When we come to that place where we recognize the identity of the Lord Jesus, we lose sight of all but Him. It took the death of my mom when I was five years old and the death of my dad when I was seventeen years old for me to get to this place. And, the moment I saw it, I was changed. I found that my appetites and my aims began to change. I did not stop sinning, but when I did, I felt different about it than I had before. At that point there was nothing more important to me than to know the Lord for myself. It was a gift, the gift of salvation whereby my spirit was made alive to Him.
Peter and the other disciples had left everything in order to follow the Lord Jesus. But even though Peter had been changed, he still lived out of his poor theology, and this is why he made the statement as he did. Peter was living out of what he left rather than what was before him. He had just heard the conversation the Lord Jesus had with the Rich Young Ruler, and, when we consider Matthew 19:27, Peter was really saying, "So, we left all to follow you, what do we get for it?" He was not fully aware of the salvation that he had been given.
Peter and the disciples wrongly thought they actually had to divest themselves of their fortune and take a vow of poverty in order to serve Christ. They were so saturated in the culture of their world, they thought they were earning greatness. Of course, they had not been born again yet.
Greatness is not earned, it is realized as we learn to say "no" to self and say "yes" to the leading of His Spirit. It is a posture, not a right. To experience the life the Lord Jesus died to give us, we will have invested in that which is substantive and real and purposeful.
In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 'Truly I tell you,' Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.'"
Here, the Lord Jesus reminds the disciples that they had gained a personal relationship with God whom they did not previously know. And, they were given it before they started following the Lord Jesus. When we focus on the leaving, we miss the point. The point is where we are going. The point is that we now follow God. The point is that we have come home to the Father and our eternity is set in the best possible way.
The Lord Jesus was addressing the attitude we have toward the things of this world. For the believer in Christ, all of this is the result of having been born again and awakened to God's culture. The key to His culture is that we recognize that our possessions were given to us not for our benefit alone. Our possessions were given to us in order that we might invest them to advancement of His work in the hearts of everyone we meet here on this earth. In fact, to the extent that we desire to give this gift away is the extent to which we believe it.
In Matthew’s account of this story, the Lord Jesus said, "I tell you, you who have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man will sit on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
During the millennium, the thousand year reign of Christ on this earth after the Tribulation, the disciples will reign with Christ as will all redeemed believers. Soon, all the pretentiousness and facades of people will be stripped away. And many who are last, who apparently have not given up much at all, but because they have had the right attitude about their possessions, will be first of all. And many who seemingly have given up many things, and have gained a reputation as having sacrificed for the cause of Christ, will be told to take the last seat, because they really have not given up much at all.
In v.31 of today's passage we read, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
When this phrase occurs in scripture, it refers to the fact that one’s position in this life does not give a person an advantage in gaining eternal life. Every time the Lord Jesus used this phrase, the message was the same. It does not matter who we are in this world or what we have done, eternal life is for those who believe in Him. Those who are "first" in this life will not obtain eternal life unless they trust in His finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of their sin.
There will be many surprises in heaven. Those who have been despised and rejected in this world will be valued by God, but only because they placed their faith in the Lord Jesus. Just because someone was poor in this world will not make them right with God in the end.
Jim Elliot, one of those five missionaries who gave their lives so that the Auca Indians of Equador would come to know God once said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to keep what he cannot lose." Whoever desires God will increasingly be inwardly free from religion, the dominance of pride, and, confidence in personal goodness. The person that does this will be prepared to serve in the greatest capacity the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords for eternity.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Mark 10:23-27
Click here for the Mark 10:23-27 PODCAST
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:23-27
Today, we return to our study of Mark 10 where the Rich Young Ruler just walked away from the Lord Jesus with sadness in his heart because the Lord Jesus had just challenged him to stop trusting in his riches. Sadly, the fact that the man first came to the Lord proclaiming he lacked something proved his wealth was not fulfilling him. More sadly, when the Lord Jesus challenged him, he could not let go of the grip that his wealth had on him and he walked away from the only One who could fulfill him.
In v.23 of today's passage we read, "Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!'"
Affluence can create in us a mindfulness for secondary values. Rich people tend not to be worried about from where their next meal will come. Rather, they tend to be concerned about how the food will taste. Rich people tend not to be concerned about whether they will have a roof over their head and clothing to wear, they tend to be concerned with fashion and style and decor. Riches tend to transfer our concern from the necessary things of life to the secondary things of life. This destroys the simple nature to our personal relationship with God.
Some translate the Lord to have said, "It is impossible for a rich person to get into heaven." This is not a good translation of this sentence. Rather, the Lord Jesus literally said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" And, due to the fact that it is harder, the Lord Jesus highlights a few dangers that wealth and affluence can bring into our walk with Him. Most think that the wealthy are overprivileged, but, I say they are wrong. In fact, in reality, the wealthy are underprivileged. They are more likely deprived of deeper intimacy with the Lord, because it is the deeper struggles in life coupled with in-depth interaction with Him through His Word that we are afforded the possibility of deeper intimacy with Him.
In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.'"
In Luke's account of this story, Luke used the Greek word which means "the eye of a surgeon's needle." So, the Lord Jesus was not referring to a literal four foot gate that camels could not enter through in Jerusalem as some have suggested. Nevertheless, the illustration serves a good understanding of what the Lord Jesus was teaching that day. Wealth can hinder ones advancement toward God as it did in the case with the Rich Young Ruler. Wealth is a gift from God, but not a sign of membership into God’s family.
In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, 'Who then can be saved?' 27 Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'"
The disciples found this so difficult to wrap their brains around because they were raised in a Jewish culture which taught them to believe that if somebody has wealth, it is because God has greatly blessed them due to their righteousness. But, what is a human impossibility is a divine certainty, because salvation is a free gift from God.
It is not our devotion to God that saves us. When we stop depending on ourselves and our resources, we open ourselves up to the wonderful grace of God. And, His grace is the greatest change agent this world has ever known. However, it is not the change that grace brings about in us that makes us right with God. It is only the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary that bridges that enormous gap that man's sin created between us and God.
Finally, God is the only One who can make us fully what we cannot become on our own: children who enter into a personal relationship with Him and are learning to trust Him daily. When we enter into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, He will move us to the point of abandoning our understanding of how life should work apart from Him. When we have done that, we will not only get our relationship with God right, but also our relationships with others, as well.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Mark 10:17-22
Today, we return to our study of Mark 10 where we see a great contrast to the lessons the Lord Jesus had been giving to the disciples up to that point. The Lord Jesus had just taught the disciples the value of child-like faith and dependency upon Him. If we are to grow in discipleship with the Lord we must embrace our need and dependency upon Him.
This man claimed to have kept some of the commands, but he did not understand that his obedience could not earn the favor of God. In addition, even though he had obeyed some, he lacked obedience to most of them. This very wealthy man had never become like a child; he had not come to an end of trusting in himself and in his wealth, thus his wealth and supposed goodness had kept him from being "born again" and entering into a personal relationship with God.
Tuesday, August 09, 2022
Mark 10:13-16
Today, we continue our study of Mark 10. Earlier, the disciples were mistakingly debating which one of them would have the greatest spot in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. Meanwhile, the Lord Jesus took a child into His arms to teach them about His ways. This came on the heels of the Lord Jesus confronting the disciples for trying to prevent someone from casting out demons whom they thought did not belong to their inner circle.
The Lord Jesus was not particularly pleased that His disciples, who were trying to prevent children access to Him, were not getting the point that He was illustrating. He regularly allowed children to come to Him and, when they did, He gave them His complete attention. The value of a person is truly seen in how he treats the lowest among us.
The Lord Jesus had taken several children in His arms, and blessed them. In doing so, He was granting His disciples the possibility of a deeper knowledge of His way of thinking. He was demonstrating that His kingdom belongs to those who are cognizant of and motivated by dependency on the Father who is in heaven.
Only God can convert an adult into child-likeness. In order to do so, our inability must be revealed to us, resulting in the humble reception of His free gift. We find it very difficult to receive grace, and, we hold tightly to the idea that we must contribute to the gift of salvation. Even after we have been believers for quite some time, we have found it difficult to wrap our souls around the concept of God's unmerited favor. This is diabolical in nature. And, it explains why we struggle with the whole concept of faith.
As a result, we struggle with the idea that God requests to orchestrate the events of our lives. We struggle going belly up with Him because it is a vulnerable position. And, due to our warped perspective, God must at times show us our total bankruptcy in order for us to get His way of thinking and living. Becoming like a child requires admission that we need help and that we are not what we usually project to others. Being childlike is coming to the place that we are more and more aware of our utter need for God's help and crying out for it.
When we become increasingly vulnerable with God and we experience His grace, we naturally desire to allow God to be, by definition, the Supreme Being in our lives. Child-like faith is always required for this to happen. And, childlike faith is not childish faith. Childish faith refuses to grow up. We grow up in our faith by accepting the idea that we do not manufacture our growth, He does that. And very often it is painful letting go of dependency upon self. The role we play is to practice the child-like faith that is dependent on Him to do what is necessary in and through our yielded lives.