Week 15

Monday, April 7

Mark 8:27-9:13

         

Commentary

            Our reading today brings us to a key moment in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus’ public ministry lasted about three years and at this point we are in the last few weeks or so before Jesus’ death on the cross. The disciples had been with Jesus for a couple years now, getting to know him, hearing him teach, witnessing his miracles, and more. Jesus asks the disciples who people said he was and, of course, the popular opinions were all wrong. When Jesus asks the disciples who he was, Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the Christ, the promised, God-anointed Savior. Jesus responds to this with charging the disciples to keep them to themselves, likely so Jesus could avoid further public disdain or an early execution.

Jesus then explains what being the Christ entails: suffering greatly, dying, and rising from the dead. Peter immediately rebukes Jesus – Peter could not imagine a suffering, seemingly defeated Christ – and Jesus in turn rebukes him so harshly that he calls him Satan! There can be no salvation without a sinless Savior who suffers and dies on our behalf, and, as Jesus explained, we cannot be saved unless we deny ourselves and follow in his footsteps.

Finally, we see the Transfiguration of Jesus, when he is transformed into shining brilliantly with his divine glory and shown to be greater than even Moses, the law-giver, and Elijah, the greatest prophet. As three disciples are left with Jesus alone, so we are left with Jesus alone to save us. We cannot work our way to God through the law, nor can we fulfill God’s promises of salvation. The joyful, glorious news of the gospel is that Jesus came to perfectly obey the law on our behalf, die for our sins in our place, and fulfill all of God’s promises to save and glorify his people.

 

Application/Discussion

1. How does the idea of a suffering Savior go against our preferences or expectations? Why do we need a suffering Savior?

2. While they cannot save us, the Law and Prophets continue to serve as part of God’s perfect Word. What is the relevance of the Old Testament Law for Christians today? What is the relevance of the Prophets?

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for Jesus coming to be our Savior and substitute and fulfilling God’s promises.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in forsaking the world and the flesh, obeying God, and trusting God’s promises.

3. Pray for the salvation of a lost person you know well and ask the Holy Spirit to give you an opportunity to share the gospel with him or her.

Tuesday, April 8

Mark 9:14-41

Commentary

          While Jesus and the three disciples of his inner circle were on the mountain, the rest of them were trying (and failing) to cast out a demon. The disciples were trying to do this ministry without Jesus and, as Jesus observed, without prayer. We cannot fight our battles, or others’ battles, on our own. We need to rely on the Lord, for he alone can save us. The father of the demon-possessed child shows remarkable humility and wisdom when he says, “I believe, help my unbelief!” We may know we need God’s help, yet struggle with trusting he can and will help. Whatever doubts or worries or sins come upon you, cry out to God for help and he will answer! This is what Jesus means by saying that everything is possible for the one who believes – the one who believes relies fully on God, who can indeed do anything.

          Jesus then again predicts his death and still, the disciples do not understand. The way of Jesus is the way of humility, service, and putting God above self. Those who follow Jesus should love and support other Jesus-followers rather than being jealous when they steal their thunder.  Jesus tells us and shows us through his little friend that godly ambition is characterized by humility, servanthood, and regarding even the least noticed of the world as important. Jesus had godly ambition – he said his mission was to seek and save the lost. And how did Jesus do this? Through humility, servanthood, and sacrifice. Just as we called to follow Jesus in suffering, we are called to follow Jesus in servanthood.

Going Deeper

The New Testament gives us no prescription for casting out demons, or even identifying when the demonic is involved in a situation. Some folks tend to downplay the existence of supernatural opposition and demonic oppression, while others expect to find a demon under every rock. Whatever we may feel about these situations, we should be prayerful and reliant on God. We should also remember that our spiritual health is just as, or more, threatened by habitual sin, ignoring church involvement, prayerlessness, and things like these than getting the heebie-jeebies or going crazy.

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for his perfect strength to heal, forgive, and sustain us.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in trusting and relying on God in every situation.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help your church in pursing the Great Commission and unity with all the saints.

Wednesday, April 9

Mark 9:42-10:12

 

Commentary

In our reading today, Jesus emphasizes the seriousness of sin and our responsibility to use what God gives us for his glory. These verses show us how we should pursue godliness – we let nothing get our path and we do not impede other’s faithfulness. Jesus again talks about the “little ones” – if we keep them from following Jesus, we would be better off violently drowned in the sea. In a striking illustration he also used in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that whatever causes us to sin, we should cut it off because it is better to pursue God without these distractions than to let these distractions lead us away from God. Hell awaits the enemies of God. If you live your life like an enemy of God, yet claim to be a Christian, you need to be honest and repent. If someone you know lives like that, you need to love that person enough to hug and pray and encourage him or her to turn to Christ. We are called to be salt, to preserve and season the lost world around us. We can only do this if we are turning away from sin and pursuing God.

When Jesus goes elsewhere and teaches publicly, the Pharisees then ask Jesus a question that reflects the exact opposite attitude of what Jesus had just described to his disciples. Jesus said to forsake everything to follow God, the Pharisees asked what they could get away with and still follow God. They ask about divorce and while the Law did have provisions for divorce if one spouse had been unfaithful, Jesus explains that God gave this clause only because of the stubborn sinfulness of human hearts. God designed marriage to be an unwavering, faithful covenant between one man and one woman. Divorce ruins this God-designed covenant partnership and is only permissible if one spouse has already marred this covenant.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Is there anything in your life that tempts you to sin regularly? If so, what steps will you take to obey God rather than give in to these temptations? Far better to live in godliness without a cell phone or that crass music than it would be to live in sin with these temptations!

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for Jesus denying himself and suffering to the point of death for our salvation.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in putting God’s kingdom first and resisting temptations.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to cultivate faithfulness, humility, and godliness in your marriage, or the marriage of someone close to you.

 

Going Deeper

You can also learn more about what the Bible teaches on divorce from these articles:

·       https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-did-jesus-teach-about-divorce-and-remarriage/

·       https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-metaphor-of-christ-and-the-church

·       https://cbmw.org/journal/grounds-for-divorce-why-i-now-believe-there-are-more-than-two/

Thursday, April 10

Mark 10:13-52

 

Commentary

This passage teaches us how our treasure should be in heaven, not on earth. The story of man who asks Jesus how to have eternal life is sandwiched between two warnings about how salvation is received from God, not earned by merit. Jesus teaches that we should approach God in child-like dependence and humility. In stark defiance of this attitude, the rich man who approaches Jesus wants to earn heaven just by doing enough good deeds. We cannot make up for our sin and we cannot avoid further sinning – and if we say we have not sinned, we have at least been prideful. Jesus tests the man by asking him to sell his possessions and exposes that the sin of greed has taken hold of this man’s heart. This man may have kept some of the other commands (though surely imperfectly!) but he certainly forgot the first: “have no other gods before me.”

Jesus explains to his disciples that it is impossible to enter God’s kingdom if you are hanging on to worldly wealth, yet in God’s kingdom, we will receive incomparable blessings. After this, James and John show that they have missed the last few lessons from Jesus. Instead of humbly receiving the great blessings promised to them, they arrogantly asked Jesus to do whatever they wanted. Jesus tells them they cannot drink the cup he drinks – they cannot die for the sins of the world on the cross, and those who follow Jesus should humbly serve each other.

Finally, we see Jesus’ last healing miracle. This helpless man, despite the scorn of everyone around him, persisted in pleading for Jesus’ mercy. Unlike James and John, he was not bossing Jesus around, he was asking for mercy, help that is not deserved. Jesus heals the man because he is merciful to the humble. Like Jesus explained when he was with the children, the kingdom of God cannot be earned or bought, it must be humbly received. When we do humbly receive the gift of salvation, we are not only saved from Hell, we are guaranteed family, riches, and blessings untold and for eternity.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Jesus wants the children to come to him – are you sharing his Word with your kids, your grandkids, or the kids at church? They can understand far more than we expect and they need the gospel even more than the alphabet or life lessons or writing!

2. Why would it particularly difficult for the very rich to humble themselves and receive salvation compared to anyone else?

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for Jesus laying aside his heavenly comfort to die for us and provide us with the vast wealth of his salvation and blessing.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in trusting God for provision, finding contentment in your circumstances, and using your resources for God’s glory.

3. Pray for the salvation of two lost people you know by name.

Friday, April 11

Mark 11

Commentary

This is Mark’s account of the famous Palm Sunday, Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem on the week of his death. Jesus gives his disciples instructions to prepare the way for him to enter town. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a young donkey, just as Zechariah prophesied, knowing that he was entering Jerusalem to die at the hands of his enemies. The world would expect a king to come in on a warhorse with a crown and a sword to liberate Israel from Rome, but King Jesus comes on a young donkey ready to lay down his life to liberate us from our sins.

The crowd cries, “Hosanna,” which means “Save us” or “Save, I pray.” The crowd had a lot of religious fervor, but not a lot of true spiritual understanding. They even cried out for David’s kingdom, not God’s – they just want someone to kick out Rome and sit on a throne for them. They did not have true understanding or reverence; if they did, they would have opposed Jesus’ crucifixion instead of being silent or supporting it at the end of this week.

Jesus then goes to the temple and chases out the money-changers. These were opportunists who had turned the court of Gentiles, the only place Gentiles could worship, into an animal market where they price-gouged animals for the temple sacrifice for those who traveled to Jerusalem and did not bring sacrifices or could not afford to raise their own animals. Jesus leaves the temple after this; the temple is not needed anymore. The temple was only a placeholder, a shadow of what was to come. Jesus came to Jerusalem to die as the great and final sacrifice for sins and through his forgiveness, the Holy Spirit dwells inside the hearts of believers and makes them God’s temple.

Jesus then curses a fig tree – while this seems bizarre, it was a physical metaphor for what Jesus had just done in the temple. It was not fig season, but the tree was trees should have had the buds of figs. The fig tree represents the people of Israel, specifically the religious and cultural elites. Like the fig tree, it was not the “season” for the fullness of Israel’s fruit yet – that would come after the Resurrection – but, Israel still should have showed readiness for Jesus’ coming. Instead, we see the temple has become a place more about profit than worship and the Israelites want saving from political enemies more than their own sin. Jesus’ disciples, in contrast, are to be spiritually fruitful by trusting in God and relying on him.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Are you spiritually fruitful and reliant on God? Are your desires in tune with God’s plans and focused on his glory? How can become more faithful and fruitful?

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for sending Jesus to be our sacrifice and make us into his temple.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in relying on God, making godly priorities, and being fruitful.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help for your church to be godly, fruitful, and in line with God’s priorities.

Saturday, April 12

Mark 11:27-12:27

Commentary

          In our passage today, the religious leaders repeatedly try to entrap Jesus with trick questions, but are foiled again and again. The chief priests and scribes ask if Jesus did things on his authority or God’s. If Jesus said he did things on his own authority, they could condemn him as a false prophet and if he did things on God’s authority, they could condemn him with blasphemy. Jesus responds with his own question: did John baptize on his authority or God’s? The religious leaders were trapped – they had ignored John as if he was not from God, but the people revered John as if he was from God. The religious leaders do not dare to answer, so Jesus does not answer their question.

          Jesus does, however, tell a parable. In the parable, God is the one who builds the vineyard, Israel, picking up on repeated imagery from the Old Testament. The tenants are the religious leaders of Israel. The religious leaders, whether the corrupt priests and false prophets of old or the Pharisees, scribes, and priests of Jesus’ day, repeatedly failed to listen to and mistreated God’s messengers, even his own Son. The vineyard owner would destroy the wicked tenants and give the vineyard to others, just as God was going to overthrow the religious leaders and establish the rule of his apostles and church. The Pharisees then team up with the Herodians, zealous supporters of Rome, to entrap Jesus with a question about taxes. The Israelites hated Rome and its tax collectors, who extorted them for even more money than the already high taxes. Jesus gives a simple answer that would be unpopular, but is hard to dispute – Rome issues the money, so that money is due to them.

          Finally, the Sadducees, the smaller sect of religious leaders with a looser interpretation of the Scriptures, try to trap Jesus. They did not believe in the afterlife and they thought they could prove the absurdity of the concept. If the Law permits someone to remarry after his or her spouse dies, who would someone be married to in heaven if she has had several husbands die? Jesus, however, points out marriage is not eternal; instead, like the angels, we will be solely devoted to the service and worship of God. Further, he says that God is the God of the living, not the dead, and so heaven surely does exist. We will live eternally, whether in heaven or in hell, and the determinative factor of our fate is whether we humbly submit to Jesus as Lord, or stubbornly refuse him.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Have you considered that we will not be married in heaven before? How does the Bible’s metaphor of the Church as the bride of Christ play into this truth?

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for the salvation and eternal blessing that is offered to us thanks to the sacrifice of Christ.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to humbly submit to God’s Word and rule.

3. Pray for the salvation of two lost people you know by name.

 

Sunday, April 13

Mark 12:28-44

 

Commentary

Our passage today begins with another question from a religious leader, which Jesus answers quite thoroughly. He says that the greatest commandment is actually two: love God and love fellow man. Jesus did not come to throw out the Law, he came to fulfill it. What is surprising here is not that Jesus summarized the law as love of God or love of neighbor. Rabbis would’ve given similar answers, but as far as we can tell, not together like this. In other words, no rabbi until Jesus had combined love of God and love of neighbor. Love of God must come first, but love of neighbor should follow love of God. We cannot truly love others without loving God, but when we love God, that love should lead us to love others.

Jesus’ reply to this question, and the ones preceding it, astonished the watching crowd. They had no more questions for Jesus, no more traps to lay or challenges to pose or even genuine inquiries, but Jesus had a question for them. Jesus quotes Psalm 110, where David writes that the Lord speaks to another character who is to sit on David’s throne and is also called Lord. Essentially, Jesus is asking them how the Christ could be greater than King David if the Christ was a mere man. The answer, of course, is that the Christ is both fully man and fully God.

Finally, Jesus condemns the scribes and highlights an example of true godliness. The scribes loved to look down on others, think highly of themselves, and dress like it. In contrast to this arrogance and self-righteousness, the widow at the temple gives everything she has to God. In a much greater way, Jesus gave his very life to God to make the way for both the humble widow and the arrogant scribe to come to God in repentance and faith.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Why is love of God and love of neighbor a fitting summary of the Law?

2. Why can we not properly love others without properly loving God? How is God’s Word a needed guidebook for how we are to love others?

 

Points of Prayer

1. Thank God for Jesus laying down his life for us in sacrifice and for his resurrection in victory.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in being fully devoted to God and lovingly serving others for his glory.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to draw the lost around you to faith in Christ and to help you be a humble example of godliness and a bold gospel witness.