Friday, September 09, 2022

Mark 13:1-5


1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, “Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are! How big the stones are!” 2 Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.” 3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple, he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to happen?” 5 Jesus began to answer them, “Be careful that no one fools you." (Mark 13:1-5)

Today, we transition into Mark 13 where the main theme is the teaching of the Lord Jesus on the End Times. This chapter begins with the temple. You see, I find it very interesting to discover that the Lord Jesus Himself never entered the temple itself. He only went into the outer court. Only selected priests were allowed into the temple sanctuary. And only the High Priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement, could go into the Holy of Holies in the inner sanctuary of the temple. 

The temple that existed when the Lord Jesus walked this earth was called the "second temple" because the "first temple," which had been built by Solomon, was completely destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC when they overthrew the kingdom of Judah and took the remaining Jews captive. After almost 60 years in captivity the Persian Emperor Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, led by a man named Zerubbabel. For this reason the second temple was also sometimes called “Zerubbabel’s Temple” because he was the one who began its construction.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, 'Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are! How big the stones are!'"

Mark 13 is the longest section in Mark where the Lord Jesus preached a sermon. We call it the Olivet Discourse. The whole chapter is the message of the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Olives speaking about the End Times. 

One of the disciples, as they were leaving the temple, spoke of how big and beautiful the temple was. Right was that disciple about the temple for the temple complex was one-fifth of the total landmass of the city of ancient Jerusalem. The temple of their day covered thirty-six acres. It took eighty thousand laborers over eighty years to build the temple. The pinnacle of the temple or the southeast corner down to the Kidron Valley was 158 feet tall. It was huge. 

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground."

In response to the disciples statement about the temple, the Lord Jesus weaved together a near prediction of the destruction of the temple that happened in 70 AD, and, a far off prediction about the end of the world, the coming of the Antichrist, the great tribulation, all of the happenings on earth written in the book of Revelation. The Lord Jesus did this because these disciples were not thinking in terms of 2,000 years later, they were thinking in terms of like a week or a month from then. But, it is obvious that the Lord Jesus anticipated and knew there was going to be quite a length of time between the now at that time and the then that would come at the end of the world.  

The Jews believed that the existence of the temple in Jerusalem was the evidence of God's blessing upon the nation. But, the Lord Jesus said these stones, as great as they were, will be cast down, and the temple would be destroyed. His answer bothered Peter, James, John and Andrew, who later went to Him inquiring when will be the sign of these End Times. 

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple, he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to happen?"

The disciples had been with the Lord Jesus for three Passovers, and, for them to think that the dwelling place of God, the temple, was no longer going to be, it was difficult for them to believe and accept. In order to understand this passage, here in Mark 13, we must read Matthew 24-25 and Luke 21. God determined that each of the gospel writers would select certain things he wanted to emphasize. This was the Lord's way of giving us a more complete understanding of what the Lord Jesus taught that day.

Matthew makes a great deal over what happened to Israel. Luke is the only one who tells us of the fall of Jerusalem, and the subsequent captivity of the Jews and domination of the city by the Gentiles. Mark is the one who emphasizes the danger to faith which is going to arise in the age which follows the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Jesus began to answer them, “Be careful that no one fools you."

The phrase "be careful" is the Greek means to see or to be very aware of or literally "stay awake." The word the Lord Jesus used for "fools" means to deceive or to cause to wander away from. The Lord Jesus was saying, "Deception will mark history, beware of it." 

As I am sure that you know, there is the law of motion that says, "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." There's also that same law in the spiritual realm: every divine action brings an opposite satanic reaction. If there's truth, there's going to be lies. If there's veracity, there's going to be deception. 

We must be so attentive to the word of God that the deceptive powers of the enemy, which are increasingly great, must not distract us from the Lord Himself. In today's passage, the Lord Jesus was training the disciples to think like He. This is always  the beginning point of every believer's sanctification. You will remember that justification is a one time event. It is when we were made right with God by believing that His Son's death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process whereby God is changing us from the inside out, and He starts this process by correcting the way we think. It is through the process of sanctification that God imparts to us His culture and wisdom which enables us to recognize the deception of the enemy.

The disciples had long been taught wrongly to value the wrong thing, in this case the temple. You see, the value of the temple was who was inside it, the LORD Himself. He is to be our first love. He is to be our first God before all others. So, today, we do well to lay down our lives before Him, and, in so doing we do well to value nothing more than we do Him for that which we value the most will define us.

Thursday, September 08, 2022

Mark 12:41-44


41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two copper coins, which make less than a penny. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” ~ Mark 12:41-44

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem and it was the last week of His life on earth. In context, we have read about the contrast between the life defined by the flesh or religion and the life lived by faith in the God of the Bible.

The whole purpose of life is to be led to this ultimate truth: that God is the One who loves us and He is the only One who can fully satisfy us. The problem with this truth is we will not realize the fulness of it until we get to heaven and are snatched out of the sphere of the effects of sin upon us. 

God's love meets the deepest needs of our lives. I find that many resist this truth. We resist receiving love from God because we are so insistent that it come from people. But, when we try to meet our love needs by people, we discover those needs cannot be fully met by them. And, that reality leaves us feeling alone or lonely. We can be with people who are trying to love us with all their hearts and yet feel lonely. Love needs are met only by God Himself and the design of living in this fallen world is to be convinced of this most profound truth.

In v.41 of today's passage we read, "Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much."

The religious performance among the religious leaders of Israel had reached such an absurd level that some of them, before they made their contributions, actually summoned a trumpeter to go before them to get everybody's attention. Then they went up to the treasury and proudly deposited their coins, garnering the attention of all who were present.

In v.42-44 of today's passage we read, "42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two copper coins, which makes less than a penny. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.'"

Although there were many others who gave more, this one poor woman was the one who really caught the attention of God. She was the only one who moved the heart of the Lord Jesus. Her poverty in this world enabled her to see her rich status in the next. Even though her contribution to the kingdom of God was small, the equivalent of less than a penny today, this unnamed and unknown widow captured the attention of the Lord Jesus. She put in two tiny copper coins that added up to less than a penny; but because she loved the Lord her God with all her heart, all her soul, all her strength, and all her mind, she gave it. This led the Lord Jesus to say, "She has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury."

Religion, if we let it, will convince and enslave us to believe that God wants some kind of activity from us in order to be acceptable to Him. We think that the way to serve God is to do showy things, to win a lot of people to Christ, or to expend our energies in ways noticeable to others. Yet, the Scriptures tells us that the only thing that pleases God is the Lord Jesus Himself. 

God always looks at and accentuates to us our hearts. As we see with this woman, nobody was watching her, yet, God says the kingdom of God is advanced most by her heart response to Him. The Lord Jesus has always had an eye for the insignificant among us. But, who wants to choose insignificance?

The difference in this poor widow was she was being defined by the God who embraced her through her misery which enabled her to see as He does. This is one of those times when less is more. This widow is a clear example of the teaching that the Lord Jesus had previously given: "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength." This "poor" woman "gave out of her poverty, she put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." The rich didn't miss a cent of what they gave that day, but, this poor woman didn't either! She didn't miss it because she was defined as complete or whole through the grace of God. 

Earlier, the Lord Jesus taught "whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it." It may look to some as if she had thrown away her "whole" life, but the Lord Jesus saw in her surrender what His call requires of us if we are to go deep with Him. She "lost" her whole life to gain intimacy and dependency upon the God of all creation. Giving our "all" means giving in ways that we will find discomforting. Perhaps the time to give more is when we feel least comfortable about giving more.

When we seem to be throwing away our lives, we’re saving it. We don't save it, it is made whole by having been made whole by the God of the Bible whom we are learning to trust with each and every passing day. It is then, we discover that we are being saved from constantly worrying about things that end up in the don’t matter and don’t last category, like the little money that we have. 

"The Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, became poor so that we through his poverty might become rich." The greatness of Christ is most profoundly understood in His willingness to stoop to take notice of the insignificant. Because the Son of God emptied Himself, therefore, we can say with Paul, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."

Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Mark 12:38-40

Click here for the Mark 12:38-40 PODCAST

38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. ~ Mark 12:38-40 

Today, we return to our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus has been highlighting why the religious leaders of Israel were so close to the kingdom of God, yet they lacked what was essential: a personal relationship with God. 

In context, the religious leaders had unsuccessfully pummeled the Lord Jesus with question after question in order to get Him to say something that they could have used against Him. At this point in the narrative, they had concluded that they needed a different approach. As it turned out, they bribed Judas Iscariot to betray Him. It was clear that the religious leaders of Israel were corrupt. 

When the Lord Jesus wiped out their corrupt business in the temple just the day before, many of the regular people were attracted to Him because they knew the corruption of the religious leaders. They knew they were paying ten times the price they should pay for a sacrificial animal. They knew they were being over-charged in the exchange of coins when they brought their temple tax offering. And, the Lord Jesus even said, "This is My Father’s house, it’s to be a house of prayer, but you turned it into a den of thieves."

In today's passage the Lord Jesus was, yet again, in the outer court of the temple, teaching in the court of the Gentiles which was a gathering place for all ethnic people, Jews and Gentiles. Closer toward the temple itself was a covered porch known as the court of the women where the people would linger after the sacrifices were made just to worship or to spend time in God's presence. One of the chambers was called the chamber of the silent. Around the chamber of the silent were thirteen trumpet-shaped boxes where people would pay their tithes.

It was into one of those boxes that most of the worshippers gave anonymously without fanfare. It was also a place where the poor received financial help without being embarrassed. But, as always, there were those who loved to give lots of coins so others could hear the coins drop one after another. They did so that others would notice their generosity. They gave for the effect of notoriety, and, the Lord Jesus was there watching.

It was at that point that the Lord Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes." In saying those words He was warning against religion which is rules without reason. It is a system without substance. It's belief without Bible. Those most at odds with the Lord Jesus  were the religious. They sought to put Him to death. This explains why the harshest words of the Lord Jesus were designated for the religious, especially the religious leaders. 

It was religion that motivated the Crusades, two hundred years of history from 1095 AD to 1291 AD that pitted belief system against belief system at the point of the sword. It was religion that brought civil conflict to Ireland between Catholic and Protestant for years. It was religion that brought airplanes into New York's Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. It was religion that motivated ISIS to take Christians and behead them on the beaches of Northern Africa, and also, it was religion that motivated them to put other Muslims in cages who didn't agree with their religious beliefs and burned them to death. 

Described in the remainder of this passage is the endless road that religion or false godliness leads. The problem is, like the proud, we know the lure of religion which leads us into the wicked den of self-worship. Pride and arrogance are tangled up in self-worship and it is the very essence of sin.

The robes that the religious leaders wore went all the way to the ground. They were fancy, unique and expensive. These robes had tassels on them, little reminders that they belonged to God and were accountable to His Word. As the centuries passed by, the religious leaders of Israel decided that these were the symbols of their glory, not God's glory. This caused people to inaccurately conclude they the religious leaders were holy. 

Luke tells us that the religious leaders loved the symbols of their glory. In fact, they were so exalted in their own minds that it was more punishable to act against the words of a scribe than the words of Scripture. They had exalted themselves over the Word of God.

Like the religious leaders of Israel, when we base our relationship with God on our ability to perform spiritual duties, we deny the power of God's grace in and through our lives. God does not love us because we dress a certain way, pray, read our Bibles, attend church or witness, yet, millions think God is mad if they don’t perform these and other duties perfectly. As a result, for those who yield to religion, they struggle to find true intimacy with the God who created them. 

Like the religious leaders of Israel, when we are religious we deceive ourselves into believing that we can win God’s approval through a religious dress code, certain spiritual disciplines, particular music styles and even doctrinal positions. And, religious people rarely interact with nonbelievers because they don’t want their own superior morals to be tainted by them. When we ingest this poison, we typically struggle with sinful habits ourselves, sinful habits that we cannot admit to anyone else.

When we get to the point that we hate religion that we know to be in us, we can be assured that this a step in the right direction. This is what separates the authentic from the religious. This disposition that is in all of us is a mere reminder that we desperately need the Lord Jesus, the Lord of Grace, to be the only One whom we worship. And, when we get to this point in life, we become increasingly aware that it is He who puts all of our enemies under His control, even the sinful desires within us which clamor for the notoriety from others that we know to be still in us.

Tuesday, September 06, 2022

Mark 12:35-37


35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. ~ Mark 12:35-37

Today, we return to our study of Mark 12 where the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem. 
As the Lord Jesus spent time in the Temple court just days before His death, He was repeatedly confronted by the antagonistic religious leaders of Israel. Their questions were attempts to trap Him in His words, but one after another He turned the questions back on them. After their questions had run out the Lord Jesus took an opportunity to ask a question of His own. And while He could have used this chance to shame or embarrass them, instead He asked a question that pointed them to toward the truth. Their questions came from wicked hearts with wicked intentions, but His’ offered them the chance to see clearly.

In today's passage, we are given a brief conversation that the  Lord Jesus had with the people in the temple. It was Wednesday of His final week on earth and He asked the people the most important question He could ask them. No one answered His question. His question was in response to the question the religious leaders had asked back in Mark 11:27, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?"

In that question they referred to what He had just done the day before in the temple when He threw out those who were greedily making huge profit from the worship system that was there. Responding to them, the Lord Jesus asked yet another question which was a quote from Psalm 110:1 which reads, "How can the Messiah be David's Lord and still be his son?" In Hebrew it reads, "Yahweh said to Adonai." Both Yahweh and Adonai are terms for God, and, the literal rendering of this portion of the verse is: "God said to God.

David, according to the Lord Jesus, would never have called a mere physical descendant of himself his Lord. But, in Psalm 110:1, David called him his Lord. The Lord Jesus posed the obvious question, "Why do you call the Christ the Son of David when David called Him Lord?" Graciously, the Lord Jesus was showing the religious leaders that the Messiah is more than a physical descendant of David, that He is God Himself. 

The answer to this question the Lord posed to the religious leaders, of course, is found throughout the Old Testament. It is not that God has not told us. All of the promises in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah are grounded in the Abrahamic Covenant and expanded in the Davidic Covenant. The problem was that the Jews assumed that the Messiah would be a human being and nothing more, and that He would use power that was beyond any king that the world had ever known. They did not see the Messiah as the Savior of individual souls, they arrogantly saw Him as the Savior of the Jews only. 

The identity of the Lord Jesus is the most important thing in all of life. My mind goes to John 8:46 which reads, "Can any of you prove that I am guilty of sin?" In context, the Lord Jesus was having a heated conversation with the religious leaders and He asked them this question. Perhaps the loudest display of Christ' divinity is the silence of these men to this most important question from the Lord Jesus. And, of course, there are many other arguments for the divinity of Christ: the many prophecies He fulfilled, the many miracles He performed, and the fact that He rose from the dead.

Today's passage provides for us the final invitation the Lord Jesus gave to the religious leaders of Israel. This was one more moment in which the people could have ceased their open rejection of their promised Messiah. The Bible is very clear that the Lord takes no pleasure in the damnation of the wicked. In fact, in Luke 19, we read of the Lord Jesus looking out over Jerusalem and He wept because it had largely rejected His salvation.
Sadly, v.37 ends with, "The large crowd listened to him with delight." They didn't fall on their faces in the presence of the incarnate God. They were entertained by God and they missed Him and they ended up in hell. How sad are those words. The people there that day were so resolute in the darkness of their own sin that they couldn’t see the light when He was shining in front of them. 

Monday, September 05, 2022

Mark 12:28-34


"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.

Friday, September 02, 2022

Mark 12:18-27

Click here for the Mark 12:18-27 PODCAST

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."

Thursday, September 01, 2022

Mark 12:13-17

Click here for the Mark 12:13-17 PODCAST

"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 worshipWe 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.'"

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Mark 12:1-12


"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 "bolĂ©" 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. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Mark 11:27-33


"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.

Monday, August 29, 2022

Mark 11:24-26

Click here for the Mark 11:24-26 PODCAST

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.