The Gospel of Mark: What I learned
Each day I pray over insights or convictions from our reading. Not all insights and convictions go into that prayer, so I recorded them here for Mark as I read each day.
See also the outline of Mark.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus’ time on earth was only the beginning of His Gospel
“As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, “MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.” John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Just as Jesus fulfilled Scripture, John fulfilled Scripture as His messenger.
“they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.”
John preached a baptism of repentance; confession of sins was part of the response to his message
“he was preaching, and saying, ‘After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’”
John was Jesus’ messenger
“Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’”
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the triune God, appeared at Jesus’ baptism
God the Father also spoke audibly from heaven
“the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness…forty days being tempted by Satan…angels were ministering to Him”
Mark covers concisely what Matthew covers in more detail
“after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”
when John’s time as messenger had been completed, Jesus began preaching the exact same message of repentance that John preached
Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John and immediately they followed
“They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
immediately, Jesus went to teach God’s chosen people
the scribes taught what they learned from their investigation of the Scriptures; Jesus taught as the Author of the Scriptures.
“there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’
Who Jesus was would mean His death sentence, which may be part of the reason He forbid it to be proclaimed
“Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.”
Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever…He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her”
“they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons”
“He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”
This goes to my theory that Jesus was delaying revelation of Who He was until it occurred in His timing, because it would mean His death
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
We can learn from this practice modeled by our Savior
“‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’”
Healing was not the primary purpose for His coming; He came to reveal Himself as the Way to the kingdom of heaven
“And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”
It’s interesting that demons were present in the synagogues
“a leper came to Jesus…‘If You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”
“He said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
Jesus followed, and advised following, the Mosaic Law
Mark 2 (Day 49)
“they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men….they removed the roof above Him; and…let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’
the faith of others was rewarded in this man’s healing
“But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?’”
if they reasoned correctly, they would have had to conclude that Jesus was God; the answer to the question was demonstrated before them
“‘Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”; or to say, “Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’”
Jesus’ miracles demonstrated His authority as God
“When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?’ And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
it is sinners that Jesus called to respond to His message to “repent and believe in the gospel”
“‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”
the imagery of the bridegroom was first introduced in Isaiah 62:5, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.”
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
This is difficult imagery for us to understand, but Jesus is demonstrating the incompatibility of the Old and New Covenants.
“He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. The Pharisees were saying to Him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’ And He said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?’”
Jesus justifies David for this action that was “unlawful”
“Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
We do need to recognize the Sabbath is a gift to us. We also need to recognize that it is Jesus who judges our actions.
“They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him….And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?’ But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.”
hardness of heart: The Pharisees thought they were following God’s Laws, but they missed the heart of them, and demonstrated no love for Him or others.
“Jesus withdrew”
He did not engage with the Pharisees. He continued the ministry that He came for
“Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’”
Mark consistently makes this point
“And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.”
I repeat that I believe Jesus did this because He was in the control of the timeline of this admission, which would His condemnation of death.
“He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.”
He had tasks for His disciples, but He also simply wanted them to “be with Him”
“And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses.’”
Sometimes service means busyness.
Even Jesus’ family did not understand Him and His purpose.
“The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons”
“‘Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’”
Ascribing to demons what is the work of the Holy Spirit is an unforgiveable sin.
“His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him.”
Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.’”
Jesus’ loyalty was to God His Father and to His followers over the customs of family loyalty
our loyalty is to God before family, and we are part of His family if we do His will
Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed (with Jesus’ explanation):
“the sower went out to sow” means “The sower sows the word”
“some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up”
“These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them”
As Pastor Greg preached, this should sober us that our enemy lurks to snatch away the good that is placed before us
Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away”
“when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away”
“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop”
”these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful”
“Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
“they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold”
may we accept the word we hear
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”
“To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN”
there is always an opportunity to turn and be forgiven if we are willing to open our eyes and ears
“A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.”
the context seems to imply that the mysteries of heaven are not hidden if we are willing to look for them; the light is shining if we have eyes to see
“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear….Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
we can have ears to hear and we will be rewarded with more understanding if we take care what we listen to
“The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.”
We spread the seed of His word; God does all the mysterious rest that makes it bear fruit
“How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE”
birds in branches eating fruit is not a good thing and something we must be vigilant, so that God’s word will bear fruit
“With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples”
If we are willing to hear, we are rewarded with understanding as His disciples
“‘Let us go over to the other side’….there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion….‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”
He said they would get to the other side. While they were concerned (perceiving their fate incorrectly, He was not). Why are we afraid? Do we have no faith that His promises are true?
“They became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
“They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.”
it’s important to note this location because, in today’s reading, Jesus is asked to leave this country, but later He is welcomed there
“immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him….Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!’…And He was asking him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said to Him, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’”
Mark continues the theme of noting Jesus’ interaction with demons
“Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, ‘Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.’ Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea….And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind… and they became frightened….And they began to implore Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, ‘Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”
Two reactions to Jesus:
when He was asked to go away, He did
the healed man wanted to go with Him, but Jesus told him go and testify about what the Lord had done for him, which he did (and which likely impacted the people welcoming Jesus on His return)
“Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue…And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.’ And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”
just as Aaron and Miriam were jealous of Moses, people have a hard time accepting that God is working through someone familiar to them
Jesus performed miracles of compassion in Nazareth, but I wonder about “He could do no miracle there.” Was it because they would reject the signs of His authority there, so it was somewhat “pearls before swine”? This also speaks to our faith in Who Jesus is being the type of faith that results in healing.
“He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits….They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.”
Here is Mark’s emphasis on the demonic again.
Jesus disciples’ message was the same as John’s and Jesus’: repent
“Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’”
Seems a reasonable example that we can speak what is true and right to authority, even if they don’t share our faith (understanding we may suffer consequences, as John did)
“Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man”
men can recognize truth and still fail to accept truth
“Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee…when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.’…And she went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’…And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her.”
men without courage can do evil things to please others and to save face
“The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.”
sometimes ministry is busy and there is not even time to eat; may we trust that He will give us rest and food at the proper time; interesting that the story that follows is one in which Jesus miraculously provides food
“The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”
Though they were seeking rest, Jesus still had compassion on the crowds that followed, and fed them with teaching and with actual food
When the disciples told Him to send the people away to get something to eat, “He answered them, ‘You give them something to eat!’”…And He said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go look!’…He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them”
He can multiply what we have so we can minister to others, with an abundance left over
“They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.””
After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray….He came to them, walking on the sea…they all saw Him and were terrified….‘Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.’ Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”
We can be slow to understand Who Jesus is, despite even His miraculous revelation to us
“they came to land at Gennesaret…immediately the people recognized Him…Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.”
I love this reception back to this place where He had been sent away after He cast the demons into the swine, likely because of the testimony of the healed man
“the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.”
Moses spoke the Law as given to him by God, but the religious authorities added to the rules, requiring men to follow the rules of men as if they were given by God
When the Pharisees asked the disciples why they did not follow these traditions, Jesus said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men….You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition….invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
We have a nature like theirs. We like to control others with rules. We do this with the commands of God, but, even worse, we try to control others with our ideas of what pleases God, when we really do not understand what pleases God.
“Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
We are being trained with, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear,” to look for Jesus’ deeper meaning, enabled by the Holy Spirit. He is letting the crowd, and us, know that the Pharisees were teaching incorrectly. The Pharisees had taken the Law of Moses, given to him by God, and added to it, adding rituals of cleaning hands and vessels that God had not commanded
“His disciples questioned Him about the parable”: ‘whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated’ (Thus He declared all foods clean.)”
God’s dietary laws explained what the nation of Israel could eat and not eat, by using the words, “it is unclean to you” (Leviticus 11:4). This implies protection, perhaps from something that could make them ill. But even under the Mosaic Law, eating the food did not make them unclean or defiled, requiring separation, cleansing, and sacrifice to make them clean again. The Pharisees missed this. And they added to it, implying even failing to wash hands or vessels could make someone unclean.
“That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
It is our sin that defiles us, making us unclean. We need the blood of Jesus which atones for and cleanses us from all sin.
in the region of Tyre, a Gentile woman, of the Syrophoenician race, came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and asked Him to cast the demon out of her daughter:
“He was saying to her, ‘Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered and said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.’ And He said to her, ‘Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.’ And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.”
She may not have intellectually known the actual promise to Abraham that in him all the nations would be blessed, but she knew the spirit of it in her heart, trusting that Jesus could bless her, a Gentile, also. Jesus rewarded her for this faith.
He returned to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis [near Gennaseret again], and they “brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ that is, ‘Be opened!’ And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.”
People definitely did not abide by His orders not to tell anyone. What do we not abide by when it doesn’t make sense to us?
“They were utterly astonished, saying, ‘He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’”
This refers back to Old Testament prophecy, confirming He was the Messiah.
“there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, ‘I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.”
Jesus had compassion on them because they had been with Him
repeating the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, He fed 4000, using His disciples to take what they had and serve it to the people
“He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there”
He directs us to take what we have and serve it to the people
“The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, ‘Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.’”
When Jesus responded to the temptation of Satan in the wilderness, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:16a, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” Jesus is God, so the Pharisees violated this by testing Him, when the signs He had already displayed were adequate to prove Who He was. In the same day we read these passages in Mark, we read, “how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?” (Numbers 11b), regarding the sons of Israel in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt.
“He was giving orders to them, saying, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’…‘Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand….When I broke the seven for the four thousand….And He was saying to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’”
The disciples still did not understand His ability to provide, nor did they understand His warning against the teaching of the Pharisees and authorities.
“‘who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And He warned them to tell no one about Him. And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter plainly.”
I keep repeating that Jesus’ claim to be the Christ would result in His condemnation of death, and He was in control of the timeline of that claim and of His condemnation.
“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’”
Peter had a heart of love. We can have a loving heart, but still miss God’s interests, setting our hearts incorrectly on man’s interests. Jesus points to the eternal perspective, not the temporal, worldly, perspective that often distracts us.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’”
This is the eternal perspective. Whatever we can gain in this life is not worth the cost of our soul.
“Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them….Elijah appeared to them along with Moses….a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’”
“He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.”
“They asked Him, saying, ‘Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ And He said to them, ‘Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.’”
“‘Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit….I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.’ And He answered them and said, ‘O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!’….’if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘ “If You can?” All things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief’….He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again’….Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.”
“His disciples began questioning Him privately, ‘Why could we not drive it out?’ And He said to them, ‘This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.’”
Why could we not drive it out? Perhaps they were focused on their own spiritual gifts and not Him who possesses the power over demons.
“‘If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’ Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.’”
“John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”
“‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.’”
“‘If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.’”
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’”
The entirety of this exchange of Jesus’ with His disciples is somewhat perplexing, but it helped me to read Jesus’ conclusion first: “be at peace with one another.” We look for excuses not to be at peace with one another, especially within Christ’s church on earth. [E]veryone will be salted with fire. [H}e who is not against us is for us. Our life following Jesus is difficult enough. He has promised us persecution and tribulation from without. I think Jesus is cautioning us not to fight unnecessary battles with other followers. I don’t know how salt becomes unsalty, but I do know Jesus told us to be the salt of the earth, so may we be cautious against that which makes for our good flavor in the world.
“He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan”
Jesus’ time of ministry in Galillee is over and He is moving toward His crucifixion in Jerusalem
“crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.”
Jesus said He came to teach and that was His custom
“Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He answered and said to them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.’”
I looked back at Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Moses spoke to what was to be done IF a man wrote a certificate of divorce. He did not command that one be written. As Jesus said, Moses addressed the circumstance because of the sins of men, because of their hardness of heart. Jesus’ clarifies God’s plan from the beginning of creation.
“He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.’”
Jesus clarifies the exception for reason of unchastitiy or immorality in Matthew 5:32 & 19:9
“whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all”
It helps me to meditate on the innocent, trusting, accepting child who does not argue or question.
“One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
The rich young ruler wanted to know the minimum requirement for entering the kingdom of heaven, but Jesus asks us to be willing to give all we have in this life for Him.
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!…With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
God can transform our hearts to be willing to sacrifice what we have in this life to follow Him.
“Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Don’t miss that we receive persecutions in this life
We also receive houses and family and farms, because the entire church of God on earth becomes our family, welcoming us into their homes
AND we receive eternal life
“They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful.”
They were fearful as they followed Jesus to Jerusalem, but they followed, amazed at His courage.
“He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him”
“James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, ‘Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You….Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking….The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
I’m convicted by their demand of Jesus, and by His telling them, “You don’t know what You are asking.” How often are we guilty of this?
He does tell them they will be killed like He was killed.
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
“slave of all?” Do we understand our calling in Christ?
“as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’…And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’…Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”
He knew who Jesus was, he asked for mercy, he responded enthusiastically when called, Jesus asked him what he wanted, he was rewarded with healing for his faith, and he followed Jesus. He is a good model for us.
“As they approached Jerusalem…”
which means Jesus is intentionally approaching His crucifixion
“They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!’”
Their sentiment was right. Their understanding of the timing was wrong. His kingdom is still to come.
“The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him”
Jesus’ crucifixion is the climax to this whole conflict that Mark has highlighted.
“Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.’]”
When we consider the faith that moves mountains, we should consider the context of Jesus’ words and His reminder to have faith in God and to forgive others.
“I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.’ They began reasoning among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” He will say, “Then why did you not believe him?” But shall we say, “From men”?’—they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. Answering Jesus, they said, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’”
We should not be so quick to demand answers from Jesus when we are unwilling to do what He asks.
“‘A man PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESS AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers….And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those vine-growers said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!” They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others’…..they understood that He spoke the parable against them.”
The religious authorities of Jesus’ day fulfilled this parable because they cared more about their station than His truth. They falsely believed they had power over the Son of God.
“Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement.”
They were willing to use the power of the Romans against Him, trying to trap Him in undermining the authority of the Romans.
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
May God give us wisdom in how to do just that.
When the Sadducees asked about whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection, when she had successively married seven brothers to fulfill the law of Moses to raise up children to a brother who had died, Jesus asked them:
“Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?”
This is a caution to us as well. Do we understand the Scriptures and the power of God?
“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living”
We can trust in His promise of resurrection and eternal life.
“One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, “HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 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.” The second is this, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to Him, ‘Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
I’ve always concentrated on Jesus’ answer to this question, but not on the scribes’ disrespectful asking of it, trying to put Jesus to the test on His knowledge of the Law.
“When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”
The scribe knew the Law, but still did not understand the kingdom of God.
“After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.”
As wrong as it was to put the Son of God to the test, He passed all the tests.
“How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?…David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?”
They failed to understand Jesus as fully God and fully man, descendant of David.
“Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
Just like the scribe that questioned Jesus, they know the entirety of the Law, yet their hearts are hardened. They are not ignorant, so are held accountable for greater condemnation.
“Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’”
After the lesson given by the conversation between Jesus and the scribe describing the two greatest commandments, and how they fulfill the Law, this widow demonstrated it, giving more than what was required by her in the Law, in fact, giving all, and demonstrating faith in God’s provision.
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
These words of Jesus were distorted and used against Him when He was falsely accused before the chief priest.
“what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”
“See to it that no one misleads you.”
“You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
“when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand)”
“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.”
“false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.”
“after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.”
“And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.”
“learn the parable from the fig tree:…when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”
“Be on the alert!”
Mark 14 (Day 71 & Day 72 & Day 73)
“Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him”
“While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.”
“And they were scolding her. But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.”
We do scold each other. May we do as Jesus leads, disregarding the opinions of men, knowing He is our defender.
“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.”
Jesus told us as fact that we will always have the poor with us. But we can do good to them whenever we wish.
'“she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
This promise has been kept because we know her story.
“Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them.”
“On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed… they prepared the Passover….‘one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me….the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’”
Jesus tells us Judas’ fate. Contemplate that it would be better never to be born than to go to hell.
“While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’”
the blood of Old Testament sacrifices were “poured out.” Jesus’ blood was the sufficient sacrifice, atoning for sin once and for all.
“After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
“You will all fall away….But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
He knows our weaknesses, and stands ready to forgive and restore.
“Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
We should know our weaknesses too, and that only by His grace are we strong.
“Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
May we learn to pray as He did, knowing all things are possible with God but submitting our will to His.
“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Our weakness is a theme in this chapter.
“this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.”
“A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.”
Such an interesting part of the story. Those who seized Jesus had no compassion, but Jesus had compassion that no one but Him was seized.
“They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together….Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent….The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?’ But He kept silent and did not answer.”
Jesus did not defend Himself against false accusations.
“Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am’”
accusations that Jesus never claimed to be the Christ aren’t true
‘“and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.’”
Jesus quoted Scripture prophesying about Himself. They knew this Scripture and the significance of it.
“Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”
It was Jesus’ claim to be Christ for which they condemned Him to death. He was condemned for the truth.
“Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, ‘Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ And he began to weep.”
Unlike Jesus, Peter could not stay quiet when questioned by men, resulting in sin and regret.
“Pilate questioned Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ And He answered him, ‘It is as you say.’”
Jesus was finally willing to admit who He was, controlling the timing by which He laid down His life.
“The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, ‘Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!’ But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.”
Jesus only answered the charge that was true.
“The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection….the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.”
The chief priests violated the Law of God by asking for the release of a murderer who should have been killed under the Law.
“Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”
“The soldiers and the whole Roman cohort…After they had mocked Him…they led Him out to crucify Him.”
“It was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, ‘THE KING OF THE JEWS.’”
“They crucified two robbers with Him….And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors.’”
“Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him”
“the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves”
“Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”
“When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’”
“And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”
“Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus….Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.”
Mark 16 (Day 76)
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him….they saw that the stone had been rolled away….Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe….And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.”’”
[“Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons….When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.
“After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
“Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.”
May we not be so slow to believe what He has told us.
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.’”
Our belief matters.
‘“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’…they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”]
signs are confirmation that the Lord is at work
[“Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”]
Thanks be to God.
Thank you Dr. Milhoan. Peace.