Matthew 22 and Mark 12

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

The wedding banquet:

  • The “king” represents God the Father.
  • “His son,” the bridegroom is Messiah.
  • The “wedding feast” is the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • The “servants” are the Prophets

The Servants announced the coming of the banquet and urged those whom God invited (The Jews) to prepare for it. However, most of those who heard about it did not respond to the invitation.

Here is the best part…now think about this: A king invites guests to a banquet and they refused to come!  Only THE KING of Kings would ask again!

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

(The Lord came first for the Jew, then to Gentiles)

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. ❤️

Now the hard part: “a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.”

The “man” who did not wear the proper garments was unprepared for the banquet. (Jesus wants us to BE PREPARED)  In that culture, the proper garment was just clean clothes. However, the host often gave special garments to the invited guests, which they wore for the celebration.

Isaiah 61:10 says:

I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

Some think they can plead their case, or get into Heaven on their own merit or good deeds will be thrown out into the darkness.  We cannot dress ourselves.

Imperial Tax to Ceasar:

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. 

The Herodians were a non-religious Jewish party that supported the dynasty of Herod and the general policy of the Roman government. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were members of an ancient Jewish sect who believed in the strict observance of oral traditions and the written Law of Moses. They didn’t believe that Christ was the Messiah, despite His many miracles during His earthly ministry. Although Herodians and Pharisees were at opposite ends of the political spectrum, their common hatred of Christ was enough for them to join forces to try to destroy Him.

It was a trick question. If Jesus answered, “No,” the Herodians would charge Him with treason against Rome. If He said, “Yes,” the Pharisees would accuse Him of disloyalty to the Jewish nation.

A Denarius was a Roman coin that had Caesar’s face on one side and on the back, it had Caesar wearing priestly garments with the words “Son of the Divine”  (what???).  Obviously, the Jews were majorly offended by this (as I am too).

Severus Alexander Silver Denarius Emperor at Altar Rome RIC 70 Scarce gVF

 

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”  Jesus turned a lose/lose question into a win/win answer!  He was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms.

Marriage/Resurrection

23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.

What in the world?  I picture them in a “tag-team” game…”Tag, your turn”.  So the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, angels, the supernatural, and ONLY adhered to the first 5 books of the Bible (The Torah).  So we know the Sadducees are going to ask what they think is a ridiculous question as a trap BUT you can be certain Jesus will quote from the Torah every time to the Sadducees to shut them up!

They ask a question about the resurrection wrapped in a Law (Deuteronomy 25).  They think they can trick Jesus because they don’t believe in the resurrection so how can it be wrapped up in law?  So this concept of marrying brothers is actually true.  It is called Levirate Marriage.  Levirate marriage is literally a “marriage with a brother-in-law.” In ancient times, if a man died without a child, it was common for the man’s unmarried brother to marry the widow in order to provide an heir for the deceased. In ancient Israel, the passing on of the family name and the inheritance within a tribe was very important.

After he answers the question he adds on a major reference from when Moses was standing at the Burning Bush (of course he quotes the only author the Sadducees read…MOSES) (Exodus 3:6)

31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you,32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

It doesn’t say “I WAS”, it says “I AM”!

I know this is a long post so I will skip to Mark 12

  • ✅ The parable of the tenants.  (after the other day’s read you should be able to substitute them in your head)
  • ✅Imperial Tax
  • ✅Marriage/Resurrection

The Greatest Commandment

“Tag-your turn”.  They tagged in a Lawyer.  He is an expert on the Law!  So he asked him-

“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Well, that’s a hard question!  At this point, the Pharisees and Scribes had written laws to protect the law.  There were 613 Laws!!  (all offshoots from the 10 Commandments).  How can he pick the right one out of 613?   How you ask?  Easy, He is God.

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Two verses in the Torah were merged together.  Deuteronomy 6:4 “Shema” is the Hebrew word that begins the most important prayer in Judaism “To hear”.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

and Leviticus 19:18-19

18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

19 “‘Keep my decrees.

These two verses sum up the 10 commandments.  Commandments 1-4 are “vertical”.  Honoring God.  Commandments 6-10 are “horizontal”.  Honoring others.

Holy Bible – The Ten Commandments | Healing ministries, 10 commandments, Ten commandments

 

 

Mark 11 and John 12

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

✅ Mark 11- even though it was been covered, I did some extra research so I can learn something new every time.  Why were palm branches used?  Well, here is what I found out… If you read the post about the ‘400 Years of Silence’, the Maccabees overtook Antiochus,  releasing them from his captivity.  When they celebrated their independence from him, they used Palm Tree branches.  As Jesus made his first pubic profession as king (riding in on a donkey) the crowd yells Hosanna! The Hebrew words yasha (“deliver, save”) and anna (“beg”) combine to form the word that, in English, is “hosanna.” Literally, hosanna means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!”.  The people want to be saved from the Romans and be independent.  They were ready for Jesus to once again make them a nation!

If you go back to the Luke account-it now makes sense WHY Jesus wept when they were quoting Psalm 118-Hosana.  He knew that they thought He was coming as a King to bring them independence.  So it says back in Luke 19:

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

  • ✅Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King
  • ✅ Fig Tree
  • ✅ Jesus clears the temple
  • ✅ Authority questioned

 

John 12-Jesus anointed in Bethany

So this is actually taking place at Simon’s house.  Simon was a leper that Jesus healed.  Can you imagine the dinner small talk “Dude, my skin was so rotten my fingers were falling off-and Jesus healed me” “Oh, yeah…well I was dead for days- so beat that!!”

You have to just take a moment to feel all the characters in this scene.

  • Martha-her gift is serving
  • Mary-the worshiper
  • Judas-the greedy one
  • Lazarus-the witness
  • Simon (not mentioned in this book)-the testimony
  • Crowds-indifferent, looking for entertainment
  • The Jewish leaders-The unbelievers

Sounds like my house on a Friday night to be honest.  I could write a lot about this passage but for today, I am going to let you sit with it.  I really want to save time for the last verses.

✅ Jesus predicts his death

Verse 37-50

37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Do you know where in the Bible this is quoting??  Flip to Isaiah 53:1 (I attached it here starting at 52:13)😢. Then,  a very difficult scripture is quoted.  Jesus then quotes Isaiah 6

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

This is hard to chew on.  Think of it this way:  Do you remember back in Exodus the Pharaoh’s heart was hardened by the Lord?  The Lord did this AFTER Pharoah had already made his choices.  The Lord had a plan to free HIs people and to do what He needed to “debunk” all the false gods.  Not 4 of them, not 6 of them…ALL 10 so that He could prove there was only ONE God.   WELL, we have the same concept here. After 3 years of the most amazing teaching, healing, and fulfilling detailed prophecies, many still did not believe.  We are DAYS away from the Cross.  So now what??

For those that were invited, the door is now closed.  He hardened their hearts.  It is time.  Jesus needs to be rejected by both Jew and Gentile.  If the Jewish leaders suddenly believed, then Jesus would be dying just for them.  If the Gentiles suddenly believed, then Jesus would be dying just for them.  He came to die for all.  So just like the Pharoah’s heart was hardened right at the end, so now are those that were invited to believe are “blinded” from seeing who He is.  It is time now to be crucified for those that do believe, both Jews and Gentile.

If you glazed over this you missed something HUGE:

44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

The Law of Moses makes it punishable by death to blaspheme the Lord’s name.  Jesus is saying I AM not just Jesus, I AM God.  Since they do not know this is true, they can convict Jesus for the death penalty, find him guilty in their “blinded eyes” BUT be innocent (sinless) of any accusation since HE IS GOD.

They don’t have to trick him anymore…they don’t have to try to find a way to arrest him.  Jesus did it for them with this statement.  He gave them the “arrest” statement and yet remained sinless doing it.

Jesus ends this teaching with a reminder that the 1st coming is not a time of judgment.  However, when He returns, the 2nd coming, there will be a Judgement.  You and I live in between the two time periods.

47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

 

Luke 18:15 ff and Luke 19

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

If I put a ✅ that means we covered in another Gospel BUT read it because each Gospel takes a different view.

  • ✅ The Little Children
  • ✅ The Rich Man
  • ✅ Jesus predicts his death for the 3rd time
  • ✅ The Blind Beggar

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

So evidently this is one of those stories that they teach kids at church with a song.  I didn’t grow up in the church so I have no idea what the pastor refers to.  Oh, and can I just say for the record, don’t start a sentence with “You know the story of…”  I hear Pastors say that all the time and it made me feel like I was literally the only one in the room that never heard it.  “You know the story of Nicodemus coming at night….The Prodigal Son….The Road to Damascus….”  NOPE!  They were all new to me.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

  • Jericho was a very wealthy town.  Herod the Great had built a “resort-like” town there for Holidays. (Tax collectors would most definitely be hated there…no  one likes paying taxes less than the wealthy 😂)
    • Taxes:
      • Poll tax (just for breathing the air Rome owned I guess)
        • age 14-65 for males
        • age 12-65 for females
      • Income Tax-10%
      • Road Tax
      • Harbor Tax
      • Fish Tax (per net AND per fish)
      • Ground Tax-1/5 all grain and wine went to Rome
      • Cart Tax- (taxed per WHEEL)
      • more +
  • Zacchaeus- the name means: ” clean/pure/innocent” (that would be like naming a bodybuilder “Tiny” or Patricia Szymanski “Sinless” 😂)
  • Chief Tax Collector- He wasn’t just “a” tax collector.  He was the “Boss” of tax collectors.  So when they say he is wealthy, he is Kardashian rich.
  • Climbed a Sycamore Fig Tree– I can’t stop thinking about how he must have stood out like Ripe Fruit on a Fig Tree. 😁

Jesus INVITES himself over to this sinner’s house.  WOW!

“Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

In the Law of Moses, it was required to pay back any “wrong” with 20% (1/5).  If you killed someone’s animal (or someone) by accident and it would ruin the livelihood of the family THEN they were required to pay back “four times” the amount.  His tax collecting scandals were so bad that in his heart he felt the need to pay back 4X the amount admitting the seriousness of his sin.  Zacchaeus did not do this for Salvation, it was because of his Salvation (I guess he was fruit on the vine ❤️).

The Parable of the Ten Minas-

Why is Jesus telling this parable now?  He is literally headed to Jerusalem to give over His life.

“While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”

Well, He knew that the people thought it was going to end differently this week.  They assumed Jesus would go to Jerusalem to reign as king.  Jesus’ most basic point is that the kingdom was not going to appear immediately. There would be a period of time, during which the king would be absent before the kingdom would come.  (we will get there, but it is between verse 14 and 15).

The parable:

  • The nobleman in the parable is Jesus, who left this world but who will return as King someday.
  • The servants who king charges with a task represent followers of Jesus. The Lord has given us a mission, and we must be faithful to serve Him until He returns.
  • Upon His return, Jesus will see the faithfulness of His own people.  There is work to be done, and we must use what God has given us for His glory.
  • The enemies who rejected the king in the parable are the Jewish nation that rejected Christ while He walked on earth—and everyone who still denies Him today.

So where are we on this timeline?  If it were a Billboard with a “You Are Here” spot:

14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

“You Are Here”

15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

  • ✅Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
  • ✅Jesus at the Temple

I ❤️ the last line of today’s read…

because all the people hung on his words.

Matthew 20-21

~ Patricia ~ 2 Comments
  • THIS IS SO GOOD!!!

If you have not read yet-flip back to Chapter 19.  This is a continued conversation.  This parable follows the rich man’s story.  The crowd listening is the rich, poor, Pharisees, tax collectors, beggars…all were there.  This parable will speak to each “category” equally.  The Pharisees think they deserve more, the disciples who left everything now want to know what their reward is going to be,  they think they deserve more.  God will give grace to those He chooses through faith-whether it be in the first hour or the last.  You cannot earn it.

Chapter 20-The first group of workers in the vineyard resented receiving the same wage as the last group. Their attitude was similar to that of the Pharisees, who were furious at Jesus’ teaching that others could inherit a heavenly kingdom they thought was reserved for them alone. They despised Jesus for offering the kingdom to poor, oppressed, weak sinners who He made equal to them.

Here is an interesting thought.  The first set of workers were offered one denarius (a Roman soldier’s daily wage).  Generous!!  So when he paid the 4th group the same wage would we think “this is unfair” or “Wow, this landowner is VERY generous”?   If someone becomes a believer early in life…God is generous to save them.  If a person believes much much later in life, is He unfair to save them equally?  No.  How generous is the Lord to save all those who believe?

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem (for the Passover). On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be delivered over (implies betrayal) to the chief priests and the teachers of the law (The Jews). They will condemn him to death (means legal proceedings) 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified (only Romans had the authority to crucify). On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Resurrection)

Bethphage

Jesus was taking His disciples up to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration there. While there, the Son of Man would somehow be “delivered” over “to the chief priests and scribes,” His antagonistic opponents. This implied a betrayal (cf. 17:22). They would “condemn Him to death.” This implied legal proceedings. He would fall under the control of the “Gentiles,” who would ridicule (“mock”), torture (“scourge”), and “crucify” Him. The Romans were the only Gentiles with the authority to crucify; the Jews did not have this power under Roman rule. Three days later Jesus would “be raised up” to life.

Chapter 21- SUNDAY

Jesus (finally) comes to Jerusalem as Messianic King – Follow Me (Part 44) | Think Theology

Think about all the times Jesus came to Jerusalem during His ministry.  He would slip in, unnoticed, through the Sheep’s gate (so symbolic).  This time, He makes His presence known!  He fulfills the detailed prophecy in Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Kings entered their city in 1 of two ways:

  • Horse-time of war
  • Donkey-time of peace

An example would be Solomon being anointed king (Peace) following David’s reign (war).  Click here: 1 Kings 1:38.

As Jesus entered proclaiming He is the king, people from all over were there for the Passover Festival began quoting Psalm 118:

25 Lord, save us! (Hosanna)
    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.

(I spent a lot of time researching which Gate Jesus may have entered.  I can’t be certain but we know that it would be from the East moving west (same as the way we entered the Tabernacle, through the tribe of Judah 😁 in the OT). Probably the Golden Gate (Lion’s gate). In Hebrew, it is Sha’ar Harahamim, the “Gate of Mercy.”

 

Jesus enters the courtyard speaking in scripture (the Pharisees would pick up on this)  He quotes Isaiah and Jeremiah as He purifies the temple.  They have made the Passover a time to make money by selling animals (telling the foreigners their sacrifices were not good enough) and selling other superstition items.  Read this in Isaiah 56: (it’s worth the time, I promise)

4 For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.”

Now Jeremiah: 7:

9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

Monday-

From a distance, the Temple would look like a house of worship and prayer.  From a distance, the Jews and Jerusalem produced fruit.  When fruit grows on a fig tree they are green.  From a distance, the tree would appear to have been full of fruit (just like the nation of Israel).

Second Coming Christ Coming with the parable of fig tree.

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.

19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.

The questioning of authority:  They inquired about Jesus’ authority to drive out the moneychangers and merchants, heal the sick, and teach the people. They were the people with the authority to control what happened in the temple area.  They wanted to know “what authority” Jesus had, and “who” had given Him “this authority” to do what He did, since they had not.

Jesus answers a question with a question (this was customary in rabbinical debates).  He purposely references John the Baptist, his forerunner.  It is a lose-lose statement for the Pharisees.

  • if they agree with who John the Baptist was, THEN they should know who Jesus is (it’s scripture!)
  • if they do not agree (who the people accepted) the people would rise up against them

Their plan failed.

The two sons- (notice both were referred to as sons-equal!  ouch)

  • The first son rejected His father but later obeyed (the tax collectors and prostitutes are the examples Jesus gives for effect)
  • The second son, the Jewish leaders affirmed to do God’s will,  but never did.

This is the first time Jesus specifically points out that the parable is condemning the Jewish leaders.  (Their jaws must have dropped!)

The parable of the tenants

There are 6 main characters in this parable:

  • 1) the landowner—God,
  • 2) the vineyard—Israel,
  • 3) the tenants/farmers—the Jewish religious leadership,
  • 4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel,
  • 5) the son—Jesus,
  • 6) the other tenants—the Gentiles.

In my BIble, I literally crossed out the original in pencil and wrote the other

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landownerGod who planted a vineyard Israel. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he God rented the vineyard Israel to some farmers Jews and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he God sent his servants Prophets to the tenants Jews to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants Jews seized his servants Prophets; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he God sent other servants Prophets to them, more than the first time, and the tenants Jews treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son JESUS to them. ‘They will respect my son, JESUS’ he said.

38 “But when the tenants Jews saw the son JESUS, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him JESUS and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard Israel and killed him.

40 “Therefore, when the owner God of the vineyard Israel comes, what will he do to those tenants Jews?”

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard Israel to other tenants, the Gentiles who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:  (Jesus says this when the scriptures specifically point to Him)

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

The last week before the Crucifixion

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

If October flew by, this is a great place to jump in. (invite a friend to jump in)

Click here to print the timeline

Look at the timeline.  This week we are about to begin the last week of Jesus’ ministry. Some call it the Holy week, others call it the Passion Week.

The next 2 weeks are going to be deep.  If you have read some, most, or all of the Bible in 2021 it has been eye-opening.  Years ago,  I thought the Bible was individual stories in a bound book.  I never knew it was one chronological book without gaps!  It is pretty amazing.  Reading it in chronological order,  I think is the best thing I ever did to strengthen my knowledge of who God is and His full complete plan.  The next 2 weeks are:

Nov 1: Matt 20-21
Nov 2: Luke 18:15-19:48
Nov 3: Mark 11; John 12
Nov 4: Matt 22; Mark 12
Nov 5: Matt 23; Luke 20-21
Nov 6: Mark 13
Nov 7: Matt 24
Nov 8: Matt 25
Nov 9: Matt 26; Mark 14
Nov 10: Luke 22; John 13
Nov 11: John 14-17
Nov 12: Matt 27; Mark 15
Nov 13: Luke 23; John 18-19
Nov 14: Matt 28; Mark 16
Nov 15: Luke 24; John 20-21

Matthew 19 and Mark 10

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

I am going to read Mark 10 first.  I love the way he writes 😁  We begin with the controversial topic of divorce.   The Pharisees TEST Jesus once again to find fault in him.  What a GREAT lesson in this story about how to approach hard questions.  When discussing what the Bible says or what God wants…REFER to the Bible!  He refers them to the scriptures Moses wrote in the book of Deuteronomy 24.  Click here to read.  Moses wrote this so IF a man divorced a woman she was given a certificate.  Deut. 24 was written for the protection of the woman so that she could be taken care of.

So what Jesus says blows me away because I never thought of doing it this way.  Instead of discussing divorce, Jesus flips it and looks at marriage instead.  What does God say about marriage?  What was HIS plan for us? He goes back to the beginning: Genesis

6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

What a great way to answer any question.  What was God’s plan for us?  However, God planned for men to love their wives just as Jesus loved the Church and he also planned for women to be self-controlled and a helper to her husband.  (give me a moment, I need to go delete this blog from my husband’s feed). 😂

The little children:

It was customary in the time that the people would earn favor with  Rabbi’s and would bring their children to the Rabbi’s and get blessed by them.  I have memories of my mom bringing me to her priest after mass and having him “bless me”.  Ummmm??  So the disciples rebuked the people for this because it was putting Jesus on the same level as the Rabbi.  Jesus said, “bring them to ME” (not the Rabbi). Totally makes sense now.

The Rich Man- Notice that when Jesus quoted the 10 commandments he quoted the second set.  See, four of the 10 commandments are about our relationship with the Lord, and 6 are about our relationship with people.  Evidently, this man thinks he did not break the 6 regarding how he treated other people.  However, Jesus was pointing out that he was breaking the ones that were to honor God.  This man put money before God.  What are the other commandments?  Look at #1 and #2

10 Commands

His money was not bad, it was his love for money OVER following Jesus that was.  No one can live according to all 10 commandments.  Even with the best intentions toward other people.  So who can be saved?  It is impossible to do it on your own, that is why Jesus does it for us.  Sadly, the man walked away.  The invitation was given, and this man chose material goods (in his heart) over Jesus (in his heart).

They were on their way up to Jerusalem,

With each teaching, Jesus is making his way to the cross.  So for the 3rd time, He is foretelling the 12 what they need to be prepared for.  When Jesus predicted it in the past they either did not believe HIm or they rebuked Him for saying such things.  We see here that they are starting to “get it”.  HOWEVER, they did not fully understand the “kingdom”.  They believed He was the Messiah BUT they misunderstood the timing.  The person who sat on a ruler’s “right” hand side enjoyed the highest assigned position and the person who sat on his “left,” the second-highest. These brothers obviously believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and they thought He was going to establish His kingdom soon, probably when they reached Jerusalem.  Bless!

Mark records his last healing:  Mark probably included this incident in his Gospel because it illustrates how Jesus would open the spiritual eyes of His disciples that were still shut. The two descriptions of Jesus in these verses reveal the faith of Bartimaeus. The crowds simply described Jesus as “the Nazarene.” Bartimaeus had obviously heard about Jesus and had concluded that He was the Messiah. “Son of David” is a messianic title.

Prepare your hearts. We are heading towards JerusalemMatthew 19:1-2 (Jesus Departs From Galilee) |

 

Luke 17:11-18:14

~ Patricia ~ 2 Comments

The 10 Lepers:  What is the point of this story?  Well, first let’s talk about Obedience.  This is the one thing Jesus has been talking about for 3 years to the crowds and the Pharisees.

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

This wasn’t healing and THEN obey.  It was their faith and obedience.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Mark specifically pointed out that the one that Praised God was the Samaritan.  We can assume that the other 9 were Jews.  The Jews had more knowledge about the Messiah and His coming than the foreigners. They should have recognized who Jesus was and expressed their gratitude as well. Their lack of responsiveness was typical of the Jews in Jesus’ day.

The coming of the second kingdom will not be unrecognizable.  It will be obvious!  In speaking to the Pharisees he speaks “their language” by recalling the days of Noah. Both in Noah’s days and toward the end of the Tribulation just before Jesus returns, people were and will be unresponsive to preached warnings of coming judgment.

This second example of unexpected judgment (days of Lot) reinforces the first.  By comparing moral conditions on the earth at the Second Coming with “Sodom,” Jesus was picturing the worst kinds of evil running the earth. (I do think we see the signs of the time)

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.

Revealed: Revelation”= the translation is ‘apacolypse’.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow-

In years past I didn’t understand these parables but now I do.  They are not comparisons, they are contrasts.  The ‘judge” is worldly, not The Lord.  We DON’T bother Him with our persistent prayers.  He desires them.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

No explanation needed!

John 11

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

This is the turning point for Jesus.  After this read, there is no turning back.  This is the 7th sign in John:newlifecommunitychurch.net: Seven Signs of JesusJesus had presented Himself as the Water of Life, the Bread of Life, and the Light of Life. Now He revealed Himself as “the Resurrection and the Life.” This was the seventh and last of Jesus’ miraculous signs that John recorded, and it was the most powerful revelation of His true identity.  It shows Jesus’ authority over humankind’s greatest and last enemy: Death.

Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Then Jesus purposely waits 2 more days.  Jesus has brought others back from death but this time there will be no mistaking it.

Jesus makes sure his disciples truly understand the situation at hand:

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

The sign will be the clearest demonstration of Jesus’ identity so far and would convince many people that He was God’s Son.

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Ok, we already know that Martha believes in a resurrection, but that is not what Jesus is asking.  He is saying “I AM the resurrection.”  It is about believing in WHO Jesus is.  Without Jesus, there is never a resurrection.

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Many believed the one that healed the blind could have kept Lazarus from dying (maybe that was their assumption of the daughter of Jarius or the son of the widow from Nain that he brought back to life since they were just newly dead).  This will be “proof”.

Then Jesus speaks out loud.  He doesn’t have to.  He gives a profound message:

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

and it worked!!  Many saw who He was and who HIs Father was…good news.  Many believed.

We said in the overview the theme of the Book of John is to “Believe”.  He uses that word 98 times.

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Sadly, it said many…not all.

 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. (The chief priests were the Sadducees). Typically they hated each other…but they came together because they hated Jesus equally.  Caiaphas was the son-in-law of the former High Priest.  Dig into your memory bank: a high priest held their position for life and then it was passed down to their heir.  Here is the deal, Caiaphas was placed as the high priest by the Sadducees as a political figurehead.  (They still consulted his father-in-law, Annas who was in the good ole’ boy club.)

Caiaphas basically says “let Jesus die. When Rome hears about this ruckus, they are either going to kill him or us…let it be him!” As long as the Jews did not cause trouble, Rome left them alone. (They were concerned about their status and their $$)

Finally….we are headed to Jerusalem for “The Passover”.  Time is coming.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Luke 16-17:10

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

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I am going to break this down because I think this is a hard one to chew on.

The Parable of the Unjust or Just Steward.

The text can be broken down into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application (verses 9–13). Luke identifies that Jesus is speaking to His disciples again, but others are listening in. It is important to know who Jesus is addressing this parable: the Pharisees.

The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. A steward is a person who manages the resources of another. The steward had authority over all of the master’s resources and could transact business in his name. The steward is being released for mismanagement.

The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he commends him for his “shrewdness.”

Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with their wealth in this life. Jesus wants His followers to be just, righteous stewards. If we understand the principle that everything we own is a gift from God, then we realize that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards.

If one is faithful in “little”  then one will be faithful in much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much. If we can’t be faithful with earthly wealth, which isn’t even ours, to begin with, then how can we be entrusted with “true riches”?

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”.   God is our Master, then our wealth will be at His disposal. In other words, the faithful and just steward whose Master is God will employ that wealth in building up the kingdom of God.

The rich man and Lazarus.  We are uncertain if this is a real story or a parable but what we do know is Jesus is giving a strong message that Heaven and Hell are real  This story also states that once we die there are no second chances.  When believers die, they are immediately in fellowship with the Lord.  When unbelievers die, they are immediately in pain, suffering, and torment of hell.  Some (my mom) believe there is a middle ground called Purgartiry so that we all get a second chance.  This certainly is not true.

‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

The part of the story that hit me the hardest is that the Lord is clear that we have the Truth of reality at our fingertips.   We have the Bible.  It is very clear on all matters.

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 

We have promises and warnings.  We have no excuse.

Chapter 17 Hmmm.  A good reminder that we are never worthy.  This is why our salvation is called Grace-an underserved gift from God’s lo

10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

 

Luke 14-15

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Luke 14:

I am sure you see the pattern that either Jesus is healing predominately on the Sabbath to make a point or they are setting Jesus up.  I think this man was placed in the house to test Jesus.  Hostility continues to build between the Pharisees and Jesus.

Two banquettes are discussed: The one refers to recognizing Jesus now and the Great Banquet will be His 2nd coming.    God will exalt those who genuinely humble themselves before him.   All this is being said IN the Pharisee’s house.  YIKES.

Many will refuse the “invitation” to the banquet: Jesus.  They will choose the “world”.

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

The cost of being a disciple.  The cost should be weighed.  To be truly invested in Him, everything else must come second.  Jesus speaks in exaggeration to make his point.  We MUST be prepared to put Him first at all costs. Furthermore, if you are not willing to be “salty”, you really aren’t worth it.  These are hard precepts to mull over…especially for the people pleasers of the world.

Chapter 15- Could this be the BEST chapter in the Bible??  Three parables, all escalating in value.  Read these NOT from a human perspective but through the heart of God.  If you are a parent then you KNOW you would do ANYTHING for your child.  We look around and see the “lost acting lost” and forget that God loves that person the SAME as He loves you.

  • The Lost Sheep
  • The Lost Coin
  • The lost Son

Read them like you have never read them before and I am certain a new detail will stand out to you. ❤️