Tag Archive | christianity

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/2) Mark 15:21-32

Mar2

A 5-day per week study.

March 2 – Reading Mark 15:21-32

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And they led Him out to crucify Him.”  Mark 15:20b

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The Gospel according to Mark 15:21-32

  • The Jewish leaders said, “He deserves death!”
  • The crowd said, “Crucify Him!”
  • Pilate said, “Ok, then. “Scourge and crucify Him.”

The verdict is agreed upon. A horrendous death is to be done to the precious, sinless Son of God.

Little did they all know that this event had been planned by the Trinity before the world was created. For US!  For our salvation.

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Vss. 16-20.

Jesus is humiliated, mocked, and scourged by the hardened soldiers of Governor Pilate.  His back is torn to shreds, dripping blood. They force the heavy crossbeam of the executional “tree” onto His back.  He staggers and takes the first step on the Via Dolorosa (Way of suffering).

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Vs. 21.

Jesus falls under the beam’s weight, and the soldiers grab and force the nearest man, one Simon from Cyrene, to pick up the beam and carry it. Jesus follows.

(NOTE:  Mark mentions that this Simon, a Jew from North Africa, in the Holy City for Passover, is the father of Alexander and Rufus.  Why is this noted?  Later, at the end of his letter to Rome, Paul sends greetings to Rufus and his mother.  He calls Rufus “brother,” who was evidently saved after his father’s contact with Jesus. Paul also says that Rufus’ mom, Simon’s wife, had cared for the apostle at some point. Mark later ministered with Paul in Rome, and could also have known this family.)

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Vss 22-28.

Mark is very succinct in his account of the crucifixion of Jesus. It’s almost as if he can barely stand to write about it at all.  He might have been there in person as a teenager, or, again, this might have been from Peter’s point of view, who, after his denials of Jesus only hours before, was standing way far off on Golgotha’s hill.

  1. The soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh (a narcotic-type mix that would have deadened the pain).
  2. Jesus refused the drink.
  3. They crucified Him.
  4. They nailed His hands to the crossbeam and nailed his feet to the post. Then it was raised and set into a dug hole.
  5. The soldiers divided his clothes among themselves and cast lots for his robe.
  6. It was 9:00 in the morning.
  7. The inscription of the charge against Jesus was, “The King of the Jews.”
  8. They crucified two robbers with Him; one on the right, the other on the left.

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Vss 29-32.

Those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha!  You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross.“

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked Him to one another, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”

Those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him.

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(But… we know “WHO” it really was that was taunting Jesus to come down from the cross. It was that unholy one, the devil, speaking through these oh, so self-righteous men.   Satan knew that Jesus’ death was a mere “bite on the heel” by the serpent.  But Jesus, dying on that cross, and then His glorious rising from the dead, would be the heel crushing of the serpent’s head.  (Genesis 3:15)

Jesus HAD to stay on the cross. He HAD to be accursed of God, experience the wrath of God for sin, and make the payment for our sin – death.  But in the resurrection, God, His Father, showed His pleasure with the accomplished work of Jesus, and raised Him back to life. Sorry, Satan. You have only limited power for a limited time.) 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/23) Mark 14:1-26

Feb23

A 5-day per week study.

February 23– Reading Mark 14:1-26.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”  Mark 14:25

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The Gospel according to Mark 14:1-26

Chapter 13 on the destruction of Jerusalem and the “End Times” was sparked by one of the disciples’ comments about the Temple’s magnificent stones.  Jesus told them that not one stone would be left on another, and in 70 A.D., that’s exactly what happened.  This would be proof that Jesus’s other prophecies about the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and His glorious second coming in the clouds would also come to pass.

It was a lot to think about, but the disciples probably promptly forgot it for the time (like they had of Jesus’ 3 times predicting his death and resurrection).  They were still thinking that Jesus would soon declare himself KING, and that they would help Him rule the Kingdom.   Alas…

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Vss. 1-2.

A quick note that even though Jesus had left the city, the religious leaders were still very angry with Him. They were mulling over ways they could arrest Him by stealth, and KILL Him.  But, they thought, not during Passover, because the people would cause a great uproar.  (Ha!  The best laid plans of mice and men!  Little did they know that Jesus would indeed be arrested and then killed on Passover.  And that the crowds would be the ones shouting, “Crucify Him!”)

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Vs.3.

This is the only time that “Simon the Leper” is named in the Bible.  Although he still carried the title of “the Leper” to distinguish him from other Simons in town, he had been totally cured, probably by Jesus. (No person suffering from leprosy could come near, let alone host a meal for other people.)

Some have thought that Simon was the father of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and that this was HIS house, but that he’d been absent on other occasions when Jesus visited because of his disease.  Regardless of this, we do know from John’s account in chapter 12 that the woman there was Mary.

While Jesus and the disciples were reclining at dinner, this young woman (Mary) came in, broke an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, and anointed Jesus’ head. (John’s account says she also anointed His feet and dried them with her hair.)

This was a total act of love on Mary’s part. She thought nothing of the expense.  Consider:  she had often sat at Jesus’ feet, hearing His teaching;  Jesus had healed her father of leprosy;  and Jesus had raised her brother back to life from the grave.  She had long ago given her heart, soul, and spirit to Him.  What was an heirloom jar of perfume?

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Vss. 4-9.

What was an heirloom jar of perfume?  Well, it was a year’s wages!! (Think of that amount today for an hourly worker!)  Some of the disciples were indignant.  “Why was this not sold and the money given to the poor?”

Seriously?  The poor?  You KNOW who brought this up.  It was Judas.  He was the group’s treasurer.  He carried the money pouch and paid for expenses (and yes, donated some to the poor).    John 12:6 says of him, “He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybags, used to help himself to what was put into it.”  Tsk, tsk, tsk.  

Jesus, of course, knew this.  And He swung back hard in defense of Mary.

“Leave her alone!  Why do you trouble her? 

She has done a beautiful thing for me.  You will always have the poor, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have Me.  She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 

And truly, I say to you, whenever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Of course, what Judas is about to do will also be told of him whenever the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world.

Did you catch Jesus’ statement?  “She has anointed my body beforehand for burial.”  Again, the disciples didn’t seem to notice.  I mean, if Jesus was going to be buried, it meant He was going TO DIE!   But, Mary, sitting and learning at Jesus’ feet all those times, HEARD him.  And she believed.  And she offered her expensive perfume to pre-anoint Jesus’ body for that burial.  It not only proved her love but also her faith.

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Vss. 10-11.

“Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them.”

He just could not take it.  Not only the sight of all that money “wasted” on Jesus, but also the fact that Jesus honored the woman and the act… and at his expense.   He could have HAD that money.  Well…..  he knew where he could get some ready cash.  “Just you wait, Jesus!” he might have thought, as he headed back into the darkened city.

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Vss. 12-15.

It was the first day of Unleavened Bread-Passover, and Jesus sent two of his disciples into the city to prepare the room where they would eat the Passover meal.  How would they know where to go?  Jesus gave them a sign, like finding the donkey and its mother tied up a few days earlier.

This time, they would see a man carrying a jug of water.   You might think that this would be happening all around the city.  But no.  It was a woman’s job to fetch and carry water.  To see a man doing it would be highly irregular.  So HE would be the one they should ask.  That man would show the two where the room was, and they would set about preparing it for that evening’s meal.

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Vss. 17-21.

(We will learn much more about what happened in that upper room when we study the other Gospels. Mark is very brief.  “Just the facts,” he seems to say. They are: the betrayal announced and the bread and wine.  And that’s that. (Remember, Mark, is probably getting all those facts from Peter’s point of view.)

And so, the disciples reclined around a spread of Passover food and ate.  At one point, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”

Talk about dropping a bombshell!

They all began to be sorrowful and, one by one, asked him, “Is it I?”   (Isn’t it heartbreaking, that they all believed their hearts could have betrayed Jesus!  We all could, and have.)

Jesus answered, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.  The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better if he had not been born….”

The other Gospels make it clear in several ways that it was Judas Iscariot. (We’ll study them one by one this year.)  And Judas leaves the room.

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Vss 22-26.

Then Jesus institutes “The Lord’s Supper.”  This is what is celebrated in churches today, “in remembrance of Jesus” and what He did for us on the cross.

First, Jesus took up the bread and blessed it. He gave it to them and said, “This is my body.”

Next, He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them for all the drink of it.  “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

(Cups of wine and the Matso bread are common in the traditional Passover meal, even today.  The Jews remember their escape from Egypt, when, with the blood of the Passover Lamb painted on the sides and tops of their doors, they stood dressed and ready to travel, eating the lamb for sustenance.  There hadn’t been time for the bread to rise, so they were eating it unleavened.   Soon, they would be delivered from slavery and become a Nation to God!

This is what the Lord Jesus was purchasing for them with his own blood – deliverance from slavery to sin and Satan, and transformation into the true children of God.

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“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/18) Mark 12:28-34

Feb18

A 5-day per week study.

February 18– Reading Mark 12:28-34.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“You are not far from the Kingdom  of God.”  Mark 12:34b

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The Gospel according to Mark 12:28-34.

Jesus has been matched up with the various sects of Judaism. The chief priests, scribes, and elders accused Him concerning the radical clean-out of the Temple courtyard. The Pharisees and Herodians tried to catch Him up about paying taxes.  The Sadducees thought they had Him with that portion of Deuteronomy about a dead man’s brother marrying his widow, and life after death.  But Jesus knows the hearts of men. He can see right through their connivings and traps.  He can confidently tell them, “You are wrong.”

And so, when a lone scribe approaches Jesus, He is anticipating something different.

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Vss. 28-31.

A scribe (an expert in Old Testament Scriptures and often associated with the Pharisees) had been watching these encounters with Jesus.  He saw how Jesus had “answered them all well and with astonishing authority.”  He came up to Jesus and asked a question.

Now we don’t know his heart, so we don’t know whether this was one of those “test” questions meant to trap Jesus, or if he wanted to solidify what he was beginning to realize about Him: that He was a true prophet.

And so, without any “buttering-up,” he said, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Seeing the scribe’s sincerity, Jesus answered, “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  AND the second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

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  1. (NOTE:  If you review the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, you will see that this FIRST “great commandment” encompasses the first FOUR of the ten.  The SECOND “great commandment” that Jesus quoted to the scribe takes in the remaining SIX of the ten commandments.  Go and check them now, if you want.  Exodus 20:1-17.)
  2. (NOTE: Jesus also taught “who” was a person’s neighbor – basically everyone, including your enemies – in the parable of the Good Samaritan.  He also came right out and said, “Love (and pray for) your enemies,” in Matthew 5:44.)
  3. (NOTE: Later, Jesus expands again on the second great commandment for His disciples (and all believers to follow) in John 15:12-13.  He says, “This is my commandment, that you love ONE ANOTHER as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”   This is the second great commandment, magnified.)

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Vss. 32-34.

The scribe heard Jesus speak the two greatest commandments (Wow, did they sound like the voice of God to Moses on Mt. Sinai?) and agreed. I can almost see the scribe’s body relax, any confrontational stiffness leaving him, as He heard the words so close to his own heart come from Jesus’ mouth.  I believe it was as if the two of them were alone, cocooned off from the crowds, speaking God’s heart back and forth to each other.

“Teacher, You have truly said that He is One, and there is no other besides Him.”  That must have brought joy to Jesus.

The scribe continued in wisdom, “And to love Him with all the heart, understanding, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

(Yes, hadn’t God told King Saul the same thing, through Samuel? “To obey is better than sacrifice.” See 1 Samuel 15:22.)

Jesus looked on the scribe with compassion because he had answered in this way.  “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  An encouragement that I pray the scribe followed through on.

After THAT, no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

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Are those two great commandments the center of my own life?  Or do I use my time up on the outward actions of “good works” or, as the scribe said, “burnt offerings and sacrifices?”  Those are good, yes.  But what is in my heart?

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/17) Mark 12:13-27

Feb17

A 5-day per week study.

February 17– Reading Mark 12:13-27.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Mark 12:14b

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The Gospel according to Mark 12:13-27

The religious leaders have been confronting Jesus ever since His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. “Tell the people to stop cheering!”  ” Who gave you authority to clear out the Temple?”  “Are you saying WE are the wicked tenants?”

Now, a different set of leaders approaches Jesus.  Two completely opposite sects: the uber strict, law-keeping Pharisees and the Roman-tolerant Herodians will now “test” Him. Later, the life-after-death-denying Sadducees will try their hand at a trick question.  But don’t worry.  Jesus can handle them all.

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Vss.13-17.

Having been defeated in confrontation and enduring a stinging parable against them, the chief priests, scribes, and elders sent some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to “trap Jesus in His talk.”

These came with flattery, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. You are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.”  (Choke, choke, gag, gag!)

Then came the question to trap Him between a rock and a hard place.  “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Should we pay them, or should we not?”

If Jesus said, “No,” which would please the Pharisees, He might be arrested by the Romans.  If He said, “Yes,” then the people would rise up in protest.   The questioners leaned back in smug pleasure.

‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it,” Jesus said.

The coin was produced, and Jesus held it up for all to see.

“Whose likeness and inscription is this?” He asked.

“Caesar’s.” They said, not realizing they were falling into the very trap they laid.

Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 

And they marveled at Him!

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If you want to look further into a Christian’s obligation to the leader of the country where they live, check out:

  • Romans 13:1-7. “…be subject to the governing authorities.”  “…pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God…”   “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue… respect… honor…”
  • 1 Peter 2:13-17. “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor… or to governors…”   “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
  • Genesis 1:26-27. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”   (So, as we bear God’s own image, we are to give to HIM what is due Him.)

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Vss. 18-27.

As the Pharisees and Herodians leave, a group of Sadducees arrives.  (Remember they do NOT believe in life after death – that is why they are Sad, you see.)

These are the wealthiest Jewish leaders and include the High Priest, the chief priests, and almost all of the ruling body, the Sanhedrin.  They have loads of (ill-gotten) money now, so why should they hope for Heaven?

They consider ONLY the Torah – the five books of Moses – to be scripture.

Their long, complex question concerns life after death, specifically the “resurrection,” presumably to Heaven.  They are taking it from one point in the Mosaic Law. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6) 

In these verses, God made a provision for widows to preserve tribal names, families, and inheritances in the Promised Land before Israel even entered Canaan.  In it, a widow without children could marry her dead husband’s brother and have a child, which would bear the name and inherit the property of her former husband, and so carry on his place.  (Actually, Boaz did this for Ruth, in the book of that name. Check it out.)

These priests knew that Jesus highly regarded the scriptures and thought He couldn’t disagree with them on this, and they would defeat his teaching on the resurrection.

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They began,

“Teacher, Moses wrote that ‘if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife with no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.”   

All is well and good, so far, but they continue.

“There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died, left no offspring.  And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring.  And the third likewise.  And the seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.”

Okay, this “could” happen, though pretty unlikely.  But the Sadducees’ assumption that followed was the real kicker. THIS would stump Jesus for sure!

“IN THE RESURRECTION, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

“Heh, heh, heh,” they thought as they leaned back and clasped their golden-ringed hands across their bulging bellies.

But, whoa!  Jesus smacked right back.

“The reason you are wrong is that YOU KNOW NEITHER THE SCRIPTURES NOR THE POWER OF GOD. 

Point one:  “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage in Heaven, but will be like the angels. 

Point two:   “As for the dead being raised, HAVE YOU NOT READ IN THE BOOK OF MOSES (what a dig!), in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to Moses, saying, ‘I AM the God of Abraham, the God of  Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  He is NOT God of the dead, but of the living.  You are quite wrong.”

Whoa!  Talk about a slap in the face.

But they will have their vengeance… After Jesus is arrested, He will be tried in the High Priest’s home and then before the Sanhedrin.

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One more group will test Jesus with a question in tomorrow’s reading.  You will be surprised at how Jesus responds.

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/16) Mark 12:1-12

Feb16

A 5-day per week study.

February 16– Reading Mark 12:1-12.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenents and went away.”  Mark12:1b

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The Gospel according to Mark 12:1-12.

Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey to the wild acclaim of the people.  Their King had come!  He was going to end Roman rule and free Israel.  But, early the next morning, Jesus had instead ended the Sadducee-approved buying, selling, and money-changing in the Temple area.

The next day, these men had accosted Him, demanding to know on whose authority He had done such a thing.  When they refused to answer His question about John the Baptist, Jesus refused to answer their question.  Again, their fear of the adoring crowds kept them from arresting Jesus.

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Vss.1-5.

It is still the same day, a few minutes later, and Jesus spoke TO THEM in a parable.

(Remember, earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that He taught in parables because of the hardness of the people’s hearts. They would not receive truth, so He veiled it in stories.)  He did that here, looking directly at the chief priests, scribes, and elders as He spoke.  They KNEW this parable was directed to them, and they fumed.

The Parable of the Tenants would have instantly reminded these teachers of Israel of Isaiah 5:1-7.  Please DO read this now!)  

They understood that the vineyard represented Israel, and the tenants were a picture of THEM.

Jesus’ parable told of evil, greedy tenants who wanted ALL the harvest for themselves, not just the 10% they earned.  So, as each of the slaves that the landowner sent to collect his portion of the profit arrived, they beat him up or killed him.  MANY of them.

This, of course, represented the many prophets God had sent to Israel and its leaders to correct their evil ways, and to “collect” the love, obedience, and worship He so rightly deserved.  The religious leaders had ignored the prophets and many times killed them. (Read Matthew 23:34-36)

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Vss. 6-9.

Jesus then tells them that the landowner had ONE SON (a picture of Himself) whom He finally sent to get the “harvest” He deserved.  But the wicked tenants, seeing this as their last chance, KILLED THE SON.  “Now… it’s all ours,”  the thought.  THEY THOUGHT!

This evil vividly depicts what the chief priests and elders were going to do to Jesus in just a couple of days.  HE knew it.  He’d told his disciples three times (Had they heard at all?).  And in the minds of these religious leaders, that was JUST what they wanted to do … if they could only figure out how to do it.

Then Jesus said something in the parable that I’m sure the Jewish leaders did not understand.  “The tenants would be destroyed, and the vineyard would be given to others.”

Yes, Jesus would be crucified, but He would be resurrected.  His church would begin and grow from the small band of Spirit-empowered followers with Him.  Churches would be established where believers would worship and glorify God.   AND … in a mere 40 years, Jerusalem would be destroyed, along with the Temple, the sacrifices, and all the priesthood.

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Vss. 10-12.

Jesus then quotes Psalm 119:22-23.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Jesus connects the Son that the tenants killed to the “Stone” (Himself)  that the builders (religious leaders) rejected.  The resurrected Son would be the Cornerstone of the church, upon which the prophets and apostles would build.

The religious leaders fumed.  They seethed.  They WANTED to arrest Him, but, once again, feared the people.  So, they left Him and went away.

(But they would soon come at night, when no crowd’s adoration could protect Him.  And they would have their way with Jesus, just as the evil tenants had with the landowner’s son. )

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Just as God had planned it all from eternity past.

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/9) Mark 10:17-31

Feb9

A 5-day per week study.

February 9– Reading Mark 10:17-31

Read and believe in Jesus.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Mark 10:17b

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The Gospel according to Mark 10:17-31

Last time, Jesus taught about divorce, man’s hardness of heart, and adultery. Then He gathered up children into His arms and taught that His Kingdom was made up of such tender souls as these, who openly desired and received Him.  His disciples were confused.  They will be even more confused after the encounter they watched in today’s reading.

(NOTE: Having a list of the ten commandments before you today might be helpful. Exodus 20.)

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Vss. 17-18

The man who met Jesus today is the kind of person that society admires and envies.  He is generally referred to as “the rich young ruler.”  Think about that.  He had mega wealth.  He had youth.  He had power. He had it ALL.  Most of us would be happy to have just one of these.  And yet, this man had a discontentment in his heart.  He knew he lacked something.  Something that he couldn’t buy, achieve through his strength, or demand to be given to him.

“Good Teacher, what must I DO to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answered him with a question, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”  

Jesus was not saying that HE, Himself, was not good. In this statement, Jesus was pointing the young, rich, and powerful man to the first commandments.  #1 Thou shalt have NO OTHER gods before the LORD, and #2 Worship only God, never any idols you make.  God alone is good and due our worship.  We’ll find out later just what this man “worshipped.”

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Vs. 19 with Romans  13:7-10

Then, Jesus points this young man to the other commandments. #6 Do not murder, #7 Do not commit adultery, #8 Do not steal, #9 Do not bear false witness, and skips to #5, Honor your parents.

In both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts, #10 is omitted altogether, but Mark says, for #10, Do not defraud.  Defrauding someone is causing shame or dishonor to be brought upon them, their reputation (name), or their integrity.  (Basically, this is commandment #3. Do not take the NAME of the Lord in vain. 

Jesus probably didn’t say, “Do not covet,” because that was actually the young man’s basic sin.  He coveted wealth and the power it brought.

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Take a minute to read the verses in Romans, where Paul says, Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments (he names some) are summed up in this word: ‘Love does no wrong to (doesn’t DEFRAUD) a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.'”

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Vss. 20-22.

Okay, back to Mark.  The rich, young ruler looked at Jesus sincerely and said, “Teacher, all these I  have kept from my youth.”  He saw no fault, no sin in himself.

Jesus looked at this man, so blessed in life, and “trying” to be a good person, and He loved him.  But it’s clear that the young man missed what Jesus said at the beginning, “Only God is good.”

“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, AND YOU SHALL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN, and come follow me.”

Now, selling all our possessions and giving the proceeds to the poor does not make us eligible for Heaven.  Jesus knew the man’s weakness.  His wealth, greediness, covetousness… and of course, the power all that wealth brought was VERY IMPORTANT to him.   TOO important for him to give up… EVEN to have eternal life.  Wow.

Disheartened, the young man walked away with his head down and shoulders slumped.  He was sorrowful … because of his “great possessions.”

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(What about us?  The “thing” we lack before coming to Jesus is the acknowledgment, confession, and forsaking of our sin. HE must be the most important thing to us.  After we confess and forsake sins, we can joyfully “follow Him.”

I John 1:9: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”

Romans 10:9-10: “For if you confess with your mouth that JESUS IS LORD (in your life, not possessions, etc.) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

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Vss. 23-31.

The disciples had watched this scene silently (perhaps enviously), but I’m sure their thoughts were now all over the place.  They viewed that young man as a blessed and law-keeping, righteous person.  His walking away confused them.

“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus said, shocking those twelve men around Him. The belief of that day was that wealth was a BLESSING of God to show He was pleased with you.  Now, Jesus was saying it was a “hindrance.” They just couldn’t take it in!

So, Jesus repeated for them, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Astonished at this concept, they cried out, “Then WHO can be saved???”

Jesus must have just looked at them until they quieted down.  Then, “With man it is impossible.  But not with God.  For all things are possible with God.”

Peter blurted out the mixed feelings of his heart, “Well, WE have left everything and followed You….”

Jesus smiled at his chief disciple, then looked around to the others.  “Truly, I tell you, there ia no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children, or lands for MY SAKE and for the Gospel’s …. who will not receive a hundredfold NOW in this time, houses, bothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands (WITH persecutions,) and in the age to come… eternal life.

Did the disciples feel better?  Understand more?  Feel assured?   A hundredfold, NOW??   Their minds buzzed.  Did they think of their homes and families back in Galilee?

Unknown to them, these disciples (except Judas) would travel a whole lot farther for the Lord and for the Gospel before they died. They would feel the sting and cut of persecution, but God would supply all their needs in the houses and provisions of other believers on their travels.  And then… ETERNAL LIFE with Him!

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Did the rich young ruler ever forsake all and believe in Jesus?   I hope so.  

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/30) Mark 8:1-21

Jan30

A 5-day per week study.

January 30 – Reading Mark 8:1-21.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And He said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?'”  Mark 8:21

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The Gospel according to Mark 8:1-21.

Jesus and the disciples are perhaps still in the Decapolis region on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. (See your Bible map.) It’s a mostly Gentile area. It looks as if Jesus has been traveling around, and a crowd of people has been following Him. He’s probably done a lot of healing and hopefully some teaching as well.

It’s a seasonally dry area with barren soil and dried grass (not like the green grassland where Jesus fed the 5,000, see Mark 6:39).  And Jesus has compassion for this crowd. (Those who had come a long distance probably had food to begin with, but now it was all gone.)

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Vss. 1-10.

As in the other crowd-feeding, Jesus asked His disciples what food they had. They were discouraged to find but seven loaves (rolls) and a few small fish. 

(Now, WHY didn’t they remember the miracle Jesus had done not so long ago and EXPECT Him to do likewise?  Did they so easily forget that astonishing miracle??)

After Jesus gave thanks to His heavenly Father and distributed the food in an orderly manner, there were seven LARGE baskets of pieces left over.  These were not lunchbox-sized baskets as before, but BUSHEL baskets.  A whole lot more bread and fish than they began with. 

THEN Jesus sent away the crowd, their bellies now full and their strength renewed.  He and the disciples got into a boat and sailed straight across Galilee to the area of Dalmanutha (near Magadan or Magdala).

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Vss. 11-13.

They’d hardly stepped off the boat when some Pharisees came and began once again to argue with Jesus.  They wanted “a sign from heaven” to prove that He was the Messiah that He claimed to be.  Yes, Jesus had done tons of miracles (signs),  but they wanted something else, something supernatural from on high.  (An astronomical sign? God’s audible voice? What?)

Jesus knew they weren’t struggling to BELIEVE.  No, they were TESTING Him, to find a fault that they could run back to Jerusalem with.

Sighing deeply, Jesus said, “No sign will be given to this generation!”

With that, Jesus led the men back into the boat, and they went north to Bethsaida.

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Vss. 14-21.

On the long sail to Bethsaida, the disciples realized they had once again forgotten to bring the bread. (What IS the matter with them???)

With that on their minds, Jesus’ words confuse them. He said, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Huh? 

Truly, the disciples had their minds on physical things, while Jesus was thinking of spiritual truths.

(This is so often my own case. I tend to ponder and worry over earthly problems, while Jesus wants me to “set my mind on things above.” Colossians 3:2)

The disciples were thinking about bread to eat. Jesus was thinking about leaven to avoid. 

So…. what WAS Jesus talking about?  He was thinking about the acid conversation He’d just had with the Pharisees. Their stubborn hearts questioned His mission and denied the good news of the Kingdom He was bringing.  They were like leaven spreading in a lump of dough. Not the good everyday bread, but that of Passover, symbolically His body, free from sin. 

Trying to elevate their thoughts, Jesus fired eight questions at them.

  1. Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?
  2. Do you not yet perceive or understand?
  3. Are your hearts hardened?
  4. Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?
  5. And do you not remember?
  6. When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?  Twelve.
  7. And the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?  Seven.
  8. Do you not yet understand?

Did they?  Do we?

The “leaven” of the Pharisees was their false teaching and their hypocritical behavior. The “leaven” of Herod was his immoral, corrupt conduct. 

How to beware of these?  Keep ourselves buried in God’s Word and the teaching of our Lord Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/29) Mark 7:24-37

Jan29

A 5-day per week study.

January 29 – Reading Mark 7:24-37.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden.” Mark 7:24b

After the open confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes about the washing of hands, Jesus gave a simple explanation to the people and further details to His disciples in private about what actually defiled a person.

Then he left the city.  He even left Israel, walking far up the coast into what is today Lebanon.  Jesus probably wanted quiet time to rest and further prepare His disciples.  He did not plan any ministry there.

But our Lord always responds to faith.

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Vss. 24-30. (with verses from Matthew 15:22-25)

Jesus barely had time to take a breath when a Canaanite woman approached Him, crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.“

(NOTE: “Son of David” was a Messianic title, so she definitely had heard about Jesus.) 

Jesus did not answer or pay any attention to her, but she kept up her crying. 

The disciples asked Jesus to “Send her away!“

Finally, Jesus spoke, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and knelt at His feet. “Lord, help me.“

“Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus said, not unkindly.

“Yes, Lord,” she said. “Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

This unusual conversation was Jesus testing the Gentile woman’s faith, seeing it grow with each statement she made. 

Yes, it was Jesus’ responsibility to offer God’s blessings of redemption and salvation to the Jews first.  Yes, the Gentiles would be offered salvation later as well. (Jesus commanded the disciples to go and preach to all the world after His Resurrection.)  

And Jesus did not use the word for “dogs” that the Jews used in a derisive way towards Gentiles. He used the word for children’s “pets” or “puppies.”

Jesus answered her persistence, “For this statement, you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.”

‘”O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” (Matthew)

She went home and found the child lying in bed, the demon gone!

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Vss. 31-37.

“Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.”

If you have a Bible Map, you will see that Jesus did have some time alone with his disciples, though it might have been while walking, hiking, or camping out.  Jesus first went from Tyre to Sidon (about 20 miles north).  From there, He went east through the low mountains and crossed the Jordan River.  Then he went south along the eastern shore of Galilee down to the area of Decapolis (Ten Cities). 

It was in this “Greek/Gentile” area that the demoniac (remember the man with a legion of demons Jesus cast into the pigs?) went and told everyone about how Jesus delivered and saved him.

And the people brought to Jesus a man who was both deaf and a mute, begging Him to lay His hands on him and heal him.

Jesus took the man aside privately (hoping to avoid crowds?).  Using His own kind of sign language to show the man what He was going to do, Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears, and after wetting his fingers with spit, touched his tongue. 

Jesus said, “Be opened!” (in Aramaic) and instantly the man could hear and speak. 

Jesus told them NOT to tell anyone about the healing. (yeah, right!)  This also was Gentile territory, and He’d healed another Gentile. But Jesus’ intention was not to have a public ministry among them. 

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(NOTE: Chapter 8 says Jesus once again has a great crowd gathered around him. It’s here that He again multiplies bread and fish to feed 4,000.  This may have been while they were still in Decapolis, after the deaf-mute man was healed.)

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I am so thankful that Jesus lovingly healed these two Gentiles, since it showed that His heart was for “us” too.  Our time would come, and it did.  Praise God.

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/6) Mark 2:1-12

Jan6

A 5-day per week study.

January 6 – Reading Mark 2:1-12.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Mark 2:5

 

The Gospel According to Mark 2:1-12.

Vss 1-2.

Jesus, and a few disciples, had been away preaching and casting out demons throughout all Galilee for several weeks or months. Then, after the glorious healing of the leper, Jesus had gone into seclusion for a bit because of the crowds thronged Him. 

Now, He had returned to Capernaum, to Peter’s house, and after a few days … it was reported that He was back.  Immediately many came to hear and be healed. They pushed into Peter’s house till it was packed like sardines, and they crowded around the door to try and hear Him. 

In that crowd, were some Scribes who had mananged to come inside. They were “sitting” and watching Jesus with hawk eyes.  And Jesus preached “the word.”  (The Gospel of grace, faith, and forgiveness.)

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Vss 3-5.

In Capernaum, there lived a man who was paralyzed in his legs. We aren’t told if this was an injury or a birth defect.  But this man was very fortunate. He had four friends, perhaps former co-workers, who cared about him deeply. They heard that Jesus, the miracle-healer, was back in town.  They got a stretcher for their friend and jogged (double-time) to Peter’s house. 

But before they got close enough to even hear Jesus speaking inside, they saw the crowds straining and pushing around the door. 

Perhaps they stopped, took in the situation, speaking among themselves. What to do?  Should they wait outside till Jesus came out?  Did the paralytic tell them to just take him home, that maybe later….

But no!  One had spied the steps leading to the roof of Peter’s house. (It was a flat place where the family could sit or sleep when it got too hot inside.)  The friends nodded. They went around the house and carefully carried their friend up the steps.  Once there, they began removing the roofing material, surely laying it aside neatly so they could later repair it.

Inside, Jesus was aware of their efforts.  Soon everyone was, as an opening appeared in the ceiling. Gasps? Dismay? Outrage? 

But Jesus saw something else.  He saw THEIR FAITH.  And as they let down the paralyzed man, Jesus said to him, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

(Was there joy on the man’s face?  Was THIS his main problem, the one that haunted him even more than his useless legs? What joy he must have felt!) 

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Vss 6-9.

Ah, but those Jewish scribes.  What were they thinking?  You could tell by their faces they weren’t happy. 

One was thinking, “Why does this man speak like this?“

The second one, “He is blaspheming!”

The third one, “Who can forgive sins but GOD alone??”

Just like Jesus could see into the paralytic’s heart, he saw the darkness in these men’s hearts.

“Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk?’  But, that you man KNOW that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

The man, whose sins were forgiven, rose and immediately, picked up his bed, and went out before them all.  The parting crowd was amazed and they glorified God.  They said, “We never saw anything like this!’“

 

(And of course, the friends of the man ran down the steps two at at time. The embraced him and joined in glorifying God. 

Yes, I think later they returned and repaired the roof.)

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(Back to the question Jesus asked the Scribes.  “Which is easier TO SAY?”  This is different from, “Which is easier TO DO?”  Anyone could say anything, but did that make it true?   Jesus had backed up His words with actions. The Scribes didn’t believe their EARS, but they had to believe their EYES.

The paralyzed man of course believed his ears at both things Jesus said. And so did his friends.  He was forgiven.  He was healed.   And he had acted on both. He got up and went home, a forgiven man.

Oh, Lord! for FAITH to believe ALL You say to us in Your Word! Like You said to Thomas, ‘Blessed are those who don’t see and yet believe!’)                                       

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/1) Mark 1:1-15

Jan1

A 5-day per week study.

January 1 – Reading Mark 1:1-15.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“…Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Mark 1:14b-15

 

The Gospel According to Mark (and probably Peter)

“John Mark” was a close companion of the apostle Peter. It was to Mark’s mother’s home that Peter went when the angel miraculously released him from prison.  Like Paul with Timothy, Peter called Mark, “my son.” (1 Peter 5:13)

We all remember how the youthful Mark accompanied his cousin Barnabus and Saul on their first missionary journey, and how when the trip had only just begun, Mark quit and went home.  This was a black mark on Mark for Paul, and he said “No,” when Barnabus suggested taking him on the second Missions trip.  Paul ended up taking Silas, and Barnabas took Mark with him to his home on Cyprus.  With a name like “encourager,” Barnabas probably patiently trained and taught the young man to be useful in ministry. 

Mark later became a valuable help to both Paul (Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:11) and Peter, who, himself, knew what it was like to fail. It was probably from this close assocation and listening to Peter’s account, that Mark got the details about the life and ministry of Jesus. Peter might even have dictated some of it to John Mark.  Mark is sometimes called “the memoirs of Peter.”  

The Gospel was probably written while both Peter and Mark were in Rome. His gospel was for Roman believers, probably mostly Gentiles.  Since Christians were under intense persecution in Rome, Mark presents Jesus as “the Suffering Servant,” emphasizing Jesus’ deeds and service more than His teaching. 

 

Mark 1:1-15.

Vs. 1. The “gospel” means “good news.” Mark’s book is the good news about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah),

 

Vss 2-3. Right off the bat, Mark quotes Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1) about the coming of John the Baptist. There is no mention of John’s birth, or the geneaology and birth of Jesus. Mark gets right to the topic.

(You’ll notice that this story moves rapidly. It’s a book of action. Mark often uses the word, “immediately.”)

 

Vss. 4-8. Mark moves quickly from “a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord” to John the Baptist, in the wilderness, proclaiming repentence and baptism as a way to prepare hearts for the coming Messiah. He also portrays John the Baptist as a prophet, looking a lot like Elijah. And, amazingly, “all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem went out to him to confess their sins and be baptised.”

 

Vss 9-11.  And suddenly Jesus shows up.  He walked all the way from Nazareth to the Jordan River in Judea to be baptised.

Now in Mark, we see no objection by John to baptising Jesus.  It’s like Mark is saying, “You can read about that in the other gospels. The main point is that He was and John did it.” 

Oh, and that beaufiful sign of approval from God – the Spirit decending like a dove on Jesus (from a ripped open sky – did you get that?).  It was affirmation that Jesus’ most important, world-changing, 3-year ministry had truly begun.

(And from the other Gospels, we know that the dove also affirmed to J the B that Jesus truly was the “Lamb of God” who would take away the sin of the world.)

 

Vss 12-13.  Mark says that “IMMEDIATELY the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. (You wonder if he was still dripping wet from the baptism!!)  He was out there 40 days. Satan tempted Him. There were wild animals there too.  Oh, and angels ministered to him.

(There is no mention of Jesus’ powerful, reflecting answers taken right from the Old Testament (See Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.)  I missed that, for it teaches me how to respond when I’m tempted by “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”)

 

Vss 14-15.  With John’s main job done (preparing the way for Jesus, identifying Him, and baptising Him), the prophet is now arrested by Herod, who hated his “yakking about my marriage to my niece!”  (We’ll see more about John and Herod in chapter 6.)

With this, Jesus moves north to Galilee. 

(Jesus did minister some in Judea/Jerusalem before this, including cleansing the Temple, and His midnight meeting with Nicodemus. He also encountered “the Samaritan woman at the well” on His way to Galilee.) 

But Galilee will see the majority of ministry by Jesus, interspersed by trips to Jerusalem for the Jewish Feasts/Festivals, some of which Jewish men were required to attend.  

Here Jesus began proclaiming “the gospel of God,” saying, “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”

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WHAT time was fuliflled? 

Take a peak at Daniel 9:25.   “Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of the Annointed One, a Prince, there shall be seven weeks.“

Seven weeks? That is seven weeks of years = 490 years.   Counting from when God stirred Cyrus, King of Persia, to allow the exiled Jews to return to the Holy Land to rebuild the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23), until the coming of the Messiah (Jesus), would be 490 years.  And it was.  John the Baptist had been the first prophet of God to speak to Israel in over 400 years. And he had announced the coming of the Messiah, the Annointed One.

Jesus’ message?  Repent and BELIEVE.

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