Mark 11:27-33

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:24-26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:20-23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:15-19

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

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

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:12-14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:7-11

Mark 11:7-11 PODCAST

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 11:1-6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 10:51-52

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 10:46-50

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46 Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” 48 Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!” They called out to the blind man and said, “Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” 50 The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus. ~ 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. 

From here on, from Jericho on into the final week of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus, there are no stories of conversion. There are, however, at the very end, two unique conversions that occur right when the Lord Jesus was crucified: the thief and the centurion. But in the last week before His death, no conversions are recorded. 

In v.46 of today's passage we read, "Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road."

Bartimaeus was not known for his greatness. As we will see, he had a lot going against him in life. In fact, he lived in Jericho which means “cursed.” The Lord Jesus had a habit of going to places that others avoided, while the religious leaders of Israel complained because He spent time so much with sinners & tax-collectors. 

"Bartimaeus" means son of a dirty man. He lived in a cursed city, his name meant son of a dirty man, and he was a blind beggar. And you thought you had it rough. The story of blind Bartimaeus teaches us three valuable lessons about how to overcome a victim's mentality.

In v.47 of today's passage we read, "When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!'"

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 v.48 of today's passage we read, "Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me!'"

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.

In v.49 of today's passage we read, "Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him over!' They called out to the blind man and said, 'Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.'"

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 v.50 of today's passage we read, "The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus."

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.

Mark 10:41-45

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41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ~ Mark 10:41-45

Today, we return to our study of Mark 10 where James and John had just requested of the Lord the most prominent spots in His Kingdom. James and John, along with Peter, were at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus on top of Mount Hermon earlier. And, as a result they were allowed a privileged inside view of the Lord and the future. Rather than developing humility in them, the experience caused their sense of importance and their pride to soar. 

In v.41 of today's passage we read, "When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John."

The other disciples were furious in response to the request made by James and John. Their indignant disposition was fueled by the fact that they thought they were being relegated to second fiddle. No matter who we are, we have all struggled with this same problem. When we are defined by our sinful, self-promoting, arrogant ambition, we are naturally defined by the flesh. What we all need is God's definition of leadership. Unfortunate for us, His definition leads us to being the second fiddle. Choosing to be defined by the fallen led the disciples to argue even during the last supper. Meanwhile, the cross awaited the Lord Jesus. 

In v.42-44 of today's passage we read, "42 Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.'"

It is not God who trains us to position ourselves for status and notoriety, we were born with this fallen condition. I've seen this even among Christians, not realizing that we are all the personal property of another. We are His servants and slaves. The Lord used the words diakonos and doulos translated servant and slave. A diakonos is a call to a life of serving others rather than self. A doulos is a call to become the slave of the master, the Lord Jesus Himself. By using these two different words, the Lord Jesus revealed that our ability to be a servant/leader comes out of choosing to be His slave or to play second fiddle. Out of such a posture, we discover how to truly lead others. 

According to God's culture, true authority arises out of serving others. When we are willing to give ourselves to meet another's need, something remarkable happens. A bond is created with that person. The selflessness with which we operate garners trust and creates in those whom we serve the desire to respond in like manner. This is the only way authority is realized, but we must not be motivated by gaining a following. Those who have authority are those whom people have learned to respect and trust because they have been served by them.

The world approaches leadership as if it were a pyramid. The guy on top is on top of the pyramid, and the lesser are below him in the pyramid. The Lord Jesus turned the world's approach upside down. The Lord Jesus used the words "servant" and "slave" to describe His approach to leadership. This just underscores the fact that we arrive upon the correct definition of things when we go God's way. All other approaches take us by the hand and usher us into the presence of self being enthroned. And, self will always wreck what was at one time potentially good.

In v.45 of today's passage we read, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Christ leads by serving. Those who want to turn it around have no true following. The Lord Jesus lead by serving and served by laying down His life for us. This is what grips our hearts to follow Him. It was at His cross that we saw the culmination of His great selfless love for us. 

The word used here for "ransom" means “the price paid for the release of a slave.” This is the only place this word is used in the Scriptures along with Matthew 20 which is a parallel passage. He gave His life as the price paid for the release of a slave. We were the slaves for we were enslaved to sin. And, He paid the ransom to God for God is the judge who had to be satisfied. It was God who had to be pleased or propitiated. 

The path then to glory in God’s kingdom is through humble, selflessness that leads to sacrifice. We only get to the place of leadership by seeing ourselves as servants and slaves. And, the Lord Jesus is the ultimate picture of the servant and slave. The One who had every right to authority became the One who gave up everything to meet our needs. 

God does not need our service. He is so compete and so self-sufficient and so overflowing in power and life and joy, that He glorifies Himself by serving us. The Lord Jesus was enabled to be our servant by being the slave of the Father in Heaven. He did this by taking on a human body and seeking us out and then telling us that He did not come to get our service, but to be our servant. This demand of His for us to be His servants comes out of His knowledge that leaders serve. This command, as are all of His commands, are for our benefit. We can go with the world's way or we can go with God's way. I dare say God's way is far more effective.

Mark 10:35-40

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35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” ~ Mark 10:35-40

Today, we return to Mark 10 where the Lord Jesus continued to provide for His disciples a crash course on discipleship. Up to this point in the narrative, there had been quite a clash between the thinking of the disciples and that of the Lord Jesus. The disciples idea of greatness and that of the Lord Jesus could not have been more different. Where as greatness to the disciples looked like being in the place of preeminence, greatness to the Lord is seen as leastness.

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. 'Teacher,' they said, 'we want you to do for us whatever we ask.'"

The sons of Zebedee, James and John had their eyes on the positions of greatness, and, this is why they were fearful. According to Matthew's Gospel, it was the mother of James and John who made the request. They were asking for something which the Lord Jesus had given them every reason to ask for, just a few days before. In Matthew's account of this story, the Lord Jesus had promised them that when He came into His glory they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what they had in mind as they walked up to Jerusalem, but their idea of the thrones they were to sit on and the Lord's idea of those thrones were quite different.

In v.36-37 of today's passage we read, "36 'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked. 37 They replied, 'Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.'"

When we are at the helm of our lives, we instinctively know that there is much to fear. When we experience God's sovereignty, we begin the process of being freed from fear to faith in the God of the Bible. The more we risk His faithfulness, the more we experience His faithfulness. And, the more of Him we see and experience, the more we are granted stability in our souls.

In v.38 of today's passage we read, "'You don’t know what you are asking,' Jesus said. 'Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?'"

Here, the Lord Jesus used two items to help us understand what He was facing: a cup, and baptism. The cup symbolized the realm of ones experience, the circumstances into which we find ourselves. In the Old Testament the figure was also used of things which are not so joyful. Jeremiah speaks of Israel as having to drink the cup of the fury of the Lord at his hand. This cup of fury was their lot due to their sinfulness.

Of course, for the Lord Jesus, the metaphor of the cup and baptism represented the cross upon which He would hang and die. This cup was given to Him by His Father, and, He eventually drank it that our sin could be forgiven. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemene, He prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but yours be done." The baptism was also a metaphor to illustrate how He would be overwhelmed by the flood of the judgement of God on our behalf. 

In v.39-40 of today's passage we read, "39 'We can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.'"

The disciples responded to the question from the Lord Jesus as to whether they could drink the cup with, "We can." Often in the Gospels these two were referred to as "the sons of thunder" giving indication that they were tough guys. It does not matter how tough any of us are, we will never be able to provide forgiveness of sin for all of mankind. They had not connected all of the dots, thus they responded out of their ignorance. But, as history shows, both James and John served very important roles with regard to the advancement of the gospel in this world.

When God is at work in our lives, He always starts with us, not with events. He shapes our lives to fit the circumstances. When we take control of our lives, this process is reversed and we never get the results we want. And, it is then that fear begins to set in. Like us, the disciples had a poor understanding of the cup and the baptism of which the Lord Jesus spoke, therefore they concluded the wrong thing about their abilities and the purpose of their lives at that moment. After losing the Lord Jesus they learned to depend upon Him more. This is greatness in the eyes of the Lord: when we are most dependent upon Him.

 

As it turned out, James was the very first of the apostles to be martyred, as recorded in Acts 22. And, John was the last of the Apostles to die on the Isle of Patmos. These two brothers formed a parenthesis of martyrdom among those early disciples. All of the disciples, as it turn out, were put to death for the sake of the Lord Jesus. When we get to the place where we recognize the enormity of our salvation, we too will recognize the blessing of laying down our lives not for the forgiveness of our sin but for the advancement of the good news the Lord Jesus came to provide.

Mark 10:32-34

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32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” ~ Mark 10:32-34

Today, we return to our study of Mark 10 where the Lord Jesus was leaving Galilee and leading His disciples toward Jerusalem where He would eventually be led to His crucifixion. Crucifixion, as may already know, was a method of capital punishment popularized by the Romans in which their victim was nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation.   

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him."

The disciples were "astonished," and, the others who were following them were "afraid." They held these dispositions because according to Luke's account, the Lord Jesus had "set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem" to face eventual death. The difference between the disposition of the disciples and the others was due to the fact that the others had less information than the disciples had, and, they did not understand what the disciples understood, so they were afraid. The word "afraid" refers to a kind of fear that is a baffling kind of fear. They were struggling with more confusion because they lacked understanding. Fear grows in the context where we lack information. 

In 1 John 4:15-18 we read, "15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

The pain and the frustrations of this life are not from God but from the one who rebelled against God. But, God has been known to use our pains and frustrations to mature our understanding of His committal love He has for us which frees us from our fears. And, when we have come to know the love of God, we are positioned to see things differently. The Apostle John tells us that we are completed by this mature grown up kind of love that only comes from God. 

The word "complete" means lacking nothing or mature. And, the more we grow in our understanding of God's love for us, we will be less and less controlled by fear. Love is more cerebral than it is emotional. Love is a choice. Shakespeare once said, "Love is not love which alters when it alterations finds." That's a great quote which underscores that true love endures. True love is the type of love that makes someone stick with a person through thick and thin. This is the type of love that God has for us.

Even though the disciples and those following the Lord and His disciples were trained in Judaism, they lacked the ability to connect an accurate interpretation of Scripture with the realities of their lives. Under the influence of the religious leaders of Israel at that time and their bizarre understanding of God, this crowd did not really have a good understanding of God and His ways. This is why discipleship is so important.

It was almost Passover time, and, there were lots of pilgrims from around Israel going up on all the roads from all the villages to worship in Jerusalem. Long ago God had given the Jewish people three mandatory pilgrimage feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. It was Passover, and since there were so many people, the Lord took His disciples aside from the crowd in order to give them an insiders understanding of the things that would go down in Jerusalem once they arrived there.

In v.33-34 of today's passage we read, "33 'We are going up to Jerusalem,' he said, 'and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.'"

Here, the Lord Jesus added three new details to the information He had already given the disciples: that they would mock Him, spit on Him, and flog Him. And then He reiterated "three days later he would rise." This statement, like the previous two times He had told them this went right over their heads of the disciples. The disciples did not expect the crucifixion, so, this idea about His resurrection made absolutely no sense to them.

The fact that the Lord Jesus had now told His disciple these details three times, including the way they would kill Him by crucifixion, proved this was a planned event. According to Revelation 13 the Lord Jesus was "the Lamb slain before the foundations of the earth." The Lord Jesus was not a victim of anything. His death was a planned event long before anything was created. The first words in the Gospels that ever came out of the Lord Jesus' mouth were, "I must be about my Father’s business." The last words ever to come out of His mouth before His death, "It is finished." He knew exactly why He came to this earth, and, He did it to provide for you and me and anyone who would believe in Him deliverance from the domain of darkness and to be transferred into the light of His incredible love.

Mark 10:28-31

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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.

Mark 10:23-27

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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.