What's So Awesome About Jesus? A Chapter by Chapter Study Through Mark - Chapter 15

                                    CHAPTER 15

   We have been taking a rapid trip through Mark looking at what's so awesome about Jesus in hopes that we can rekindle that amazement awe and wonder for Christ leading to the ultimate motivating factor in living for Jesus and that is loving Him. In this clip from City Slickers, Billy Crystal is talking with Jack Palance (Curly), a fearsome cowboy who gives him this piece of advice

 

The next day Billy goes to get more information on the "one thing" and finds Curly dead. Thus he never finds out what that one thing is. We find out what it is in Matt. 22:36-38. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.
   If we love God, everything in else falls into place!
       
  Read 1Peter 2:21-24. According to this, how was Jesus able to suffer, be insulted, etc. without retaliating?

      What does it mean to entrust yourself?


      Read 1 Samuel 24:11-15. How did David model this principle?


  What's so awesome about Jesus in this chapter is He entrusts Himself to the Father in at least 5 different ways that we will look at. He not only left us an example as 1 Peter 2:21 says but He bore these things on His back on the cross so we wouldn't have to. Louie Giglio in his message on Isa. 53 says, "Every wrong that we have done and every wrong that has been done to us has been swallowed up in every right that Jesus has done and in every wrong that has been done to Him." Lets look at these 5 examples and stripes that Jesus bears for us in this passage in Mark on the crucifixion.

1. Jesus didn't feel the need to defend Himself
    Read Mark 15:1-5 and Isa. 53:7. What amazed Pilate?


    What crimes were they accusing Jesus of?
   A. Luke 23:2

   B. John 19:7

   C. Mark 14:58

  Read 1Peter 3:16. What defends us better than words?

 
  By no means does this mean we should not argue our case or try to defend ourselves when accused falsely. There are just times when you can't convince people, just let it rest and let the Father defend you and let Jesus take your false accusations on His stripes. The truth will eventually come out, if not in your lifetime, in eternity. Give an example of a time you were accused falsely and how it turned out;



  2. Jesus didn't feel the need to prove Himself

    Read the following verses and tell how He could have proved He was the son of God
    Luke 23:8-12

    Luke 22:64

    Matt. 27:42.
       What is contradictory in this verse?


    How did Jesus prove who He was in different ways than they expected?


    Do you ever feel the need to let the world know how great you are?
    Give an example when you felt the need to show or tell someone how great you were, maybe when you were being slighted or someone less "worthy" than you was being exalted.


  3. Jesus didn't feel the need to hide His vulnerability or weakness

    Read Mark 15:21,34. What 2 ways did Jesus show His vulnerability in these verses?


    Look back at Mark 14's lesson. How were the 3 early leaders of the church - Peter, Paul, and James vulnerable?


     In what ways to you hide your weaknesses in front of fellow Christians especially, to save spiritual face? Give some examples.


   4. Jesus didn't feel the need to be pitied.

      Read Luke 23:27-31. How were the women showing Jesus pity?

      How did He respond to that?

      What are some practical applications for that in your life?


    5. Jesus didn't feel the need for revenge

      Read Luke 23:32-47 and Matt. 27:44. How did Jesus respond to those who had wronged Him?


       What were the positive results?

       Read Rom.12:19-21. What does Paul say in regards to this topic?


      Have you ever sought to get revenge or are currently biding your time until you can get revenge? Describe it. How has it turned out?


 Summary

      You might say, "That's all well and good but Jesus was God and I'm not. There is no way I could do all these things." Well, there is a clue to how Jesus managed to succeed. If you get a red letter Bible and go through Matthew 26,27 Mark 14,15 Luke 22,23 and John 18,19 looking at all the things Jesus says matching them with cross references to the Old Testament you can see that in His times of crises and mistreatment He lived and breathed scripture. Are you in the Word everyday so that you are able to see past the temporal into the eternal and entrust yourself to the One who judges justly? Then look at these red letters and count how much time in His hour of abuse did He offer prayers to the Father. I know - Bible Study and Prayer - Sunday School answers. Might as well add witnessing too! OK if you want to, He does a lot of that too! Whether these are trite answers or not, these are what Jesus did and we must also if we want to be able to thrive in these areas.
        Entrust yourself to the Father knowing that He loves you so much that He allowed all this abuse to be heaped on His Son because this was the ONLY way to save you. Jesus carried this abuse on the cross so you can give it up instead of carrying it yourself. He proved Himself by staying on the cross when He could have come down. He proved His Godliness by forgiving the people that did this to Him, and saving people by not saving Himself. Look forward to the times when all the wrongs will be made right and entrust yourself to the one who is in charge of all that.

What's So Awesome About Jesus? A Chapter by Chapter Study Through Mark - Chapter 14

                                CHAPTER 14

Read Mark 14 (all 72 verses!) and circle every time the word broke appears.  Now read Matt. 21:44. According to this verse how must we come to Jesus?

     Watch this old Fram oil filter commercial and tell what it has to do with this verse.

             
  We are to come to Jesus broken like the following video and allow Him to pick up the pieces and put them back together in the shape He wants. Unfortunately (well, actually it's not that unfortunate it just complicates matters) we usually come to Jesus as kids and rather than being broken we just incorporate Him into our lives. Because of that, our lives are a series of breakings where God is peeling off , usually painfully, areas of unbrokenness in order to transform us into the image of His Son. Lets look at this Mark passage and see how this all pans out from these three episodes of brokenness.

  1. Read John 12:1-8 and Mark 14:1-11. In these we see that this episode of anointing, done by Lazarus' sister Mary, probably occurred the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Mark is including it out of order because he is explaining why Judas betrayed Jesus. According to John, what was the last straw for Judas?

     How much was the perfume worth?


    How was it gotten out of the bottle?


     What do we learn about brokenness from this episode?


     What did her brokenness enable her to understand that no one else seemed to "get"?


     Read Mark 12:43. How is Mary like the widow?


    Read Mark 10:17-23. How is Judas like the rich young ruler?


    Read Mark 14:12-19. Look at the response of the disciples in regard Christ saying one of them would betray Him.  What is surprising about the way they responded?


2. Read Mark 14:22-26 and 1Cor 11:23-26. How was Jesus broken at the crucifixion considering no bones were broken?

     What if I told you the Greek for broken in this context means "broken off". How was Jesus broken off for us?

      Still struggling? Look at "cup" in the following verses and tell what cup Jesus was going to receive and why He wanted to avoid it.

        Job 21:20

        Isa. 51:17,22

        Jer. 25:17,28

       Jer. 49:12

       Lam. 4:21

       Ezek. 23:31-33

      Hab. 2:16

      Zech. 12:2

   Look at the end of verse 36. What is the hallmark quote of a broken person?

   Read verses 60-64. Jesus basically incriminated Himself. What does that tell you about Jesus?


3.  Read vs. 27-31. What was Peter's bold promise?

     Read vs. 66-72. Did he keep it?

     Read vs. 37,38. Give one reason why he "chickened" out?

    Read John 18:26. Give another reason.

    In vs. 72 we see Peter "broke" down and wept. (NIV) The Greek for broke here is epiballo which means to throw one's self upon. Wow, deja vu. Remember how we started (Matt. 21:44)? Peter throws Himself on the Rock. He is broken to pieces. Now Jesus can use him. Read Jesus' cryptic warning to Peter in  Luke 22:31,32. Because Peter fell, was broken, and put back together again, what was he able to do?

   Peter was one broken leader of the early church. Read Acts 9:1-18 and explain Paul's brokenness experience.


    Read John 7:3-5,  Acts 15:12-21, 1Cor. 15:4-7. Speculate on the brokenness experience of James, the half brother of Jesus.


Have you had a brokenness moment? Describe it.



Summary

      Obviously, the word for today is brokenness. We must fall into Jesus and be broken to pieces so He can put us back together into what He wants us to be. For most of us, this is a lifelong process rather than immediate. When you compare a broken Mary to an unbroken Judas, you see a person who views money and possessions as worthless compared to the Pearl of great price vs. a person who sees Jesus as an investment to cash in on. He was with Jesus for the ride until he saw that the investment was about to go south and Judas "cashed in". Before we are too hard on Judas, we all, like the disciples have a little bit of him inside. Notice when Jesus said, "someone will betray me" they didn't say, "It's Judas isn't it?" They said "is it me?" Even though they had thought they had left everything to follow Him, when the time came we see them hang on to their lives. And when their hope is gone in John 21 we see them going back to fishing. Mary, like the flask of perfume, was spent. It was all or nothing for Jesus. There was no going back and because of this, she alone understood that He was going to die and she anointed Him. She broke the expensive flask (which maybe they bought because Lazarus died and they didn't need it anymore) and poured it on Jesus and the perfume was spent. It was gone. It could be used on nothing again. It was all used on Jesus. Our lives are to be that way. There should be no plan B, no safety net. We are all in for Jesus.
      The next episode of brokenness shows that Jesus was all in for us. The agony in the garden probably was caused by a foretaste of the wrath of God, the cup, being poured on Him as our sins were placed on Him. This rejection, not the fear of the agony of the cross, was probably what made Him desire plan B. However, there is no plan B. People say, "I can't believe in a God that is so narrow minded that He would only give one way to get to Heaven. Believe me; if there was another way, don't you think He would have spared His agonizing Son! Yet we see Jesus saying the key phrase of the broken - all in life; "Not my will but Thine be done"
     The last episode is when Peter broke down and wept after denying Christ. The Greek word could be translated "to throw oneself upon".  When we look at the broken verse in Matthew 21:44 we see the 2 options; throw yourself upon Christ and be broken to pieces so He can put you back together or have Him fall on you at judgment time and be crushed by His judgment like the following video:

              
 Simon threw himself on the rock, was broken, and rebuilt by the resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit as the rock (Peter) that the church was built on. Imagine Saul on the road to Damascus being blinded by the light and confronted that he was trying to stamp out the truth by the Truth. He sat in the dark rethinking his whole wasted life for days until Annanias came to heal him and point the now broken Paul in the right direction. I am reminded of Jacob being broken by the wrestling angel and being renamed Israel. What is it about broken people being renamed? Lastly, James the brother of Jesus making fun of his half brother until his brother raises from the dead and appears to him. When James realized his error he was completely broken and became the early leader of the church.
      We all need to be broken to be used. If you are going through trials and trouble take heart that God is chiseling away the unbroken parts of you to reveal His masterpiece underneath.

Kids Video Devotion - Looking on the Bright Side

1. Watch the following Doug episode

        2. Doug trivia -
          What are the names of the Beets band members?

      3. Name all the bad things that happened to Doug and Skeeter. How many things did they cause?

       4. Name all the good things that happened to Doug and Skeeter.

       5. Do you think they will look back on this and consider it a good experience or bad? Why?

       6. Do you know who the first king of Israel was? Do you know how he got to be king? Read 1Samuel 9:1-20 and 10:1. What bad thing happened to Saul? What good thing happened to Saul?

       7. Now look at Joseph. Read Gen. 50:15-21. What bad things happened to Joseph? What good things happened to him?

        8. Read Rom. 8:28. What does this verse mean to you?

        9. Have you ever had something bad happen that turned out for good? Explain.


Note to parents/teachers

       The Bible is full of examples of people who had bad things happen to them, some due to their own bad choices, that God used for good.Joseph got sold into slavery to save his family from a famine. Saul lost his donkeys to meet Samuel and get anointed king. Persecution broke out in Acts which made the Christians flee which spread the gospel. Paul was shipwrecked so that he could end up on Malta and bring the gospel there. He had an illness that landed him in another town. He ended up in jail so he could lead the jailer to the Lord. Not to mention Jesus who for the glory set before Him and the salvation of the world died on the cross.
    God has a plan for your life that only you can accomplish and He is going to allow things into your life, some of them painful, some of them caused by your own stupidity or sinfulness, that are going to shape you and move you into a place where you can do that job for Him. In this episode, Doug missed out on tickets but then got some from Judy. Then he met a real live trucker but then missed his ride and was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then a policeman took him to the concert but he didn't have his tickets. Then he got back stage passes and met the Beets. As Christians, bad things always happen for a purpose. Non-Christians believe in fate, luck, etc. because they have rejected the One who created them and rejected His plan over their life. Their life will have an unhappy ending. That's why we desperately need to witness to them. Our life will end at something more glorious than a Beets concert and maybe if God allows it, we will even get to see why we went through the tough times here on Earth before He explains it all to us in Heaven.When bad things happen don't get too bummed out. Look for the good that God is going to bring through it.

Kid's Video Devotion - Lying

1. Watch the Doug episode

       2. Doug trivia
          Give 2 out of 3 of Doug's cousins' names. (real cousins not made up ones)
     
       3. Read Genesis 12:10-20  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+12%3A10-20&version=MSG   What lie did Abraham tell?
     Why did he tell it?
     Who all was affected by it?
     Read Genesis 26:7-9   http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+26%3A7-9&version=MSG   Who else was affected?
     What principles can you learn about lying?

      4. Who all lied in this episode of Doug?
      5. Have you ever told a lie? Did you have to tell more to keep it going? Did other people have to lie for you?
     6. Read John 8:44 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+8%3A44&version=TLB
   What is so bad about lying?
    7. What should Doug have done when Connie asked him to the dance? Is that what you would have done?

Note to teachers/parents;

   In this episode, Doug lied to Connie because he wanted to go to the dance with Patty. Suddenly he risked being exposed as a liar so he had to bring Porkchop, Skeeter, and Judy into it. Lies take on a life of themselves. Look at the athletes that have denied taking steroids. They have to keep lying over and over and eventually hurt their friends. Better to tell the truth the first time. It is hard because we are embarrassed. afraid, ashamed, etc. but all that shows we care more about what people think than what God thinks. God is the father of truth and satan is the father of lies. Anytime we lie it makes Satan happy. Do you want to make the devil happy or God. Well then, always tell the truth!

What's So Awesome About Jesus? A Chapter by Chapter Study Through Mark - Chapter 13

                                 CHAPTER 13

1. Read Mark 13:1,2. What was Jesus' response to the disciple's comment?


     What point do you think He was making?


     Last week we learned about Jesus being focused. Look at the following passages and tell how Jesus is focused in them:

      Luke 13:1-5

      Luke 10:17,20

      John 3:1-3

    How do they compare to Mark 13:1,2.

     Here is a historical description of Jesus' prophecy being fulfilled in 70 AD although only John would have been alive to hear of this.

     The Jewish zealots, reacting in opposition to Caligula’s campaign began a revolt against Rome, a revolt which led to Roman legion soldiers from Syria destroying the food stocks of the Zealots and the local Jewish population. The inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem died in great numbers via starvation. (Luke 21:20-23) Roman General Titus encircled the city, (later became Caesar) and began the siege of Jerusalem in April, A.D. 70. He posted his 10th legion on the Mount of Olives, directly east of and overlooking the Temple Mount. The 12th and 15th legions were stationed on Mount Scopus, further to the east and commanding all ways to Jerusalem from east to north. On the 10th of August, in A.D. 70 – (the 9th of Av) -- in Jewish calendar reckoning, the very day when the King of Babylon burned the Temple in 586 B.C., the Temple was burned again. Titus took the city and put it to the torch, burning the Temple, leaving not one stone upon another.
Thus, Jerusalem was totally destroyed and as Jesus had predicted, and not one stone was left upon another. When the Temple was set on fire the Roman soldiers tore apart the stone to get the melted gold.

2. Read Matthew 24:3. What question do the disciples ask?

     Who is His audience?

      Is there any significance to the fact that this is a question answered in private?


3. Read Mark 13:5-37 and underline every time deceive, watch out, on guard, alarmed, stand firm, don't worry, and be alert appears. Why do you think He is telling the disciples this information?


   What part of this passage may or will occur in their lifetime? (9-13)


     What promise is given them in that pertinent passage?


     What warning is given to them?

4. Read Revelation 6. List the untoward events that these 2 passages have in common.



      What does this tell you about Jesus?

 
  5. Read Mark 13:14. What is the abomination of desolation? (opinion)


      According to Daniel 9:27 when does it occur?


      Note "let the reader understand". What does this tell you about Jesus?


      Who is Jesus "writing" this for?


       According to your eschatology, who are the readers going to be?


       What does that tell you about Jesus?


6. Read Matt 24:13 and 2 Peter 3:11,12. These verses have inspired multiple churches and organizations to missions. Explain why.


      In context with the tribulation, read Rev. 14:6,7. How might this also explain this Matthew passage?



Summary
     A lot of Christians really get into prophecy. My family is one of them. Growing up in the 60's and 70's I was exposed to the furor with Israel becoming a nation in 1948 or 1967 officially. Therefore passages like "this generation (is that 40 or 100 years?) will not pass away until this is accomplished..." took on meaning it hadn't since the Bible's completion. We were convinced since the fig tree (Israel) had blossomed, Jesus would come back at least by 2007! Here we are in 2014 and we see how difficult it is to understand prophecy. There was even a book 88 reasons why Jesus will come back in '88 which you can see from 1948 + 40 year generation how people bought into this. My parents, my dad passed away in 2013, moved to a retirement community in Boca Raton Florida called Bibletown, which no longer exists, and they were treated to weekly conferences of speakers 50% of whom talked about prophecy. With this sub population of 70+ year olds, all of which wanted to avoid death and be raptured, you can understand the interest. The Jesus movement of the 60's and 70's was spurred on by Hal Lindsay's book, The Late Great Planet Earth and one of the hallmarks of the Jesus movement was the teaching of the immenent return of Christ.
    Although prophecy is something to study as seen by the fact that Jesus spent a whole chapter of His 16 chapter book of Mark discussing it, in a book that has very little teaching and mainly action, it is one of those topics that we need to be careful about. First of all, it isn't meant for unbelievers; there are much more important things to share with them. Notice Jesus takes the disciples aside and gives Mark 13 in private. Secondly, it can divide us and Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17 pleaded with the Father to make us one. The common thread has to be to live as if He is coming back tomorrow and live urgently and keep the Kingdom of Heaven in mind at all times to live effectively here and please the Lord. (Heb. 11:14-16) Anything more than that is not to be argued about because "the Lord's servant is not quarrelsome". Lastly, as seen in Chapter 12, what's so awesome about Jesus is that He was focused. People tried to get Him off track with political, social, theological arguments and He kept coming back to what really mattered. Throughout the gospels we see this; Nicodemus said, "We know You are a teacher sent from God..." Jesus response -"You must be born again" When asked about natural disasters in Luke 13 His response was basically, "If that happened to you do you know where you will go?" When the 72 came back and said "Even the demons submit to us" Jesus response - "Rejoice rather that you are going to Heaven". And in this passage we see the disciples rightfully marveling at the splendor of the temple and Jesus basically says,"It's all going to burn" (which btw it did in 70AD) The point is that we need not get sidetracked but focus on loving God and loving people until He comes back which might be soon so we better get busy.
      With all that in mind, we approach this passage and realize that it really wasn't written to the 12. Like John 17:20 where Jesus is praying not only for the 12 but future believers, he comes right out in Mark 13:14 (and Matt. 24:15) and says "Let the reader understand". As Jesus is talking to the disciples, He is also writing the Bible! He knows what He is saying will be written down and read by us. Now certainly the part about standing before authorities in persecution related to the disciples and encouraging them that this is to be expected, not feared, and don't fall away - but most of the rest won't happen in their lifetime. In fact, if my eschatology is right, it won't happen in my lifetime either. I believe these signs begun in Revelation 6 will be during the tribulation and we will be raptured. I believe this for 7 reasons
    1. Biblical examples of Lot, Noah, Rahab, even Joseph removing his family from famine. These were all people taken out before judgment occurred.
    2. We are told we don't know the day of His return. Actually if we are here it will be 1260 days from when the antichrist sits in the temple and declares himself to be god. (Rev. 12:6)
    3. we are told to live urgently as it will come unaware. If we will be here we will have plenty of signs to watch for so we can slack off
    4. We are the salt of the earth - we are the preservative. When we leave the restrainer - the holy Spirit - will be taken out of the way (2 Thes. 2:6-8) and make way for the tribulation
    5. God's people are not appointed for wrath 1Thes. 5:9
    6. Jewish weddings last a week. When the bridegroom comes and takes us away to the wedding feast (Rev.19) it will last 7 years and then we will come back with Him to face Armegeddon
    7. Rev. 1-4 mentions the church but it is missing chapters 6-18 during the tribulation.

  Anyway, if that is true, not only is Jesus not writing this for the 12 or us who believe, but rather He is thinking of those who rejected Him until it was too late, so He gave them one more chance and wrote them a tribulation playbook so they wouldn't lose their faith. He is writing Revelations before John! What's so awesome about Jesus? While He should be the one needing consoling about His upcoming crucifixion that He is willingly walking into, He is consoling and warning those who will deny Him, flee from Him, fall asleep on Him, and reject Him. What amazing love. Normally we extrapolate His love for us by seeing how He loved Biblical people but here we see Him directly loving us out of the Bible times people and this during His last days on earth. Love outside of time. That is what is so awesome about Jesus!

What's So Awesome About Jesus? A Chapter by Chapter Study Through Mark - Chapter 11

   Last week we looked at what was so awesome about Jesus and it was serving. He didn't come to be waited on but to wait on mankind, and the ultimate act of serving was giving His life. Skeptics of Christianity would say that Jesus was a prophet or a good teacher and that His death was an inspirational example of how we too should be willing to give our lives sacrificially out of love for others i.e. Mother Teresa. Tim Keller gives an illustration of how nonsensical this view is. "Suppose I was walking along the banks of the Hudson River with some of my congregation and suddenly I say to you, 'You know how much I love you? I'll show you.' and I proceed to jump into the freezing cold river and drown. Would you say, 'Wow, I never really knew the extent of his love' or would you rather say, 'Wow, I never knew how deranged he was'. You see, giving my life to show the extent of my love only makes sense if you were in the river drowning and I jumped in to save you and drowned in my attempt." Thus, Mark 10:45 says that He served us by giving His life as a ransom for us.
   Our whole premise of our race through Mark has been that by finding out what is so awesome about Jesus we will fall deeper in love with Him and find that living the Christian life with this motivation makes it fun, easy, less stressful, less draining, a case of wanting to not having to. All the other character traits of Jesus have seemed attainable but why is this serving one so hard? As I think about the marriage illustration compared to the Christian walk it works in so many areas. I love my wife so I call her all day long and love to talk to her - prayer. I love to show her picture to everyone and have it displayed prominently in many places in my office - witnessing. She texts me, sends me emails, writes me cards and notes and I can't wait to read them - reading the Bible. She tells me to clean the gutters, take the dog for a walk, mow the lawn, backwash the pool, pick up my clothes, take out the trash - serving the Lord by serving others, GRRRR. This isn't as easy. There is something deep inside me that needs to be undone and serving, more than anything reveals that our love needs to deepen and challenges us in our spiritual complacency of thinking that we have arrived.

                                     CHAPTER 11

  Up until this time we have seen Jesus avoiding conflict.
1.Read Mark 8:8-13 and John 7:1-10 and explain how these 2 illustrations indicate the avoidance.



2.  Read the following "near misses" and speculate why God didn't allow these to happen
      John 7:30


      John 8:58,59


     Luke 4:28-30


3. Read Exodus 12:1-23 and 43-49 and give 7 reasons why Jesus had to die on the Passover feast
     A.

     B.

     C.

     D.

     E.

     F.

     G.

  4. Although this is not easily intuited, Daniel 9:24-27 gives us a divine timetable of these events that determined the precise time Jesus needed to arrive in Jerusalem and why He avoided conflict and death until this point
     Read Nehemiah 2:1-8. What is Nehemiah requesting that correlates with Daniel 9:25?


     Sixty nine sevens of weeks occurs until the anointed one, Jesus enters into town and is cut-off. If the issuing of the decree, according to historians is  3/14/445BC  and the Jewish calendar is 360 days/year, we have Jesus arriving 69x360x7 or 173,880 days later which comes out to 4/6/32 AD and we know from history that good Friday that year is 4/11/32. Thus, Jesus entered on Palm Sunday and the people recited Ps. 118:24-27a  and acted out 27b with boughs in hand (NIV 84)

    Read Ps. 118:24 and Luke 19:41 and 42. In light of the Daniel prophecy, how does that give you new insight into the word "day" in both these passages.



5. Back to Mark 11:1-11, how did Jesus enter the city?


      Why on a baby donkey.(Zech 9:9)


       Read Rev.19:11-20. How will He be arriving next time?

       How does this scene from Shrek relate?

    


6. Read Mark 11:12-21.
      This fulfilled these 3 prophecies. Read them and explain
      Isa. 56:7

     Jer. 7:11

     Ps. 69:9

    Is this the first team He cleared out the temple? (See John 2:13-16)

    Read Luke 13:6-9. In light of the 2 clearing out of the temples and the parable, how is Jesus' apparent impatience with the fig tree in Mark 11 explained.


     If you look at Jesus' only destructive miracle in the Bible, how is this actually a parable of what he is to see in verses 15-18 of Mark 11?


  Summary

 The word for the day is King. We see that Jesus came as the meek king this time. Instead of paved roads he came on roads smoothened by cloaks. Instead of a fine steed he had a donkey and a baby donkey at that! I wonder if His feet were dragging? Instead of a coronation celebration He went back to Bethany and made an early night of it. Isaiah 53:1-3 says

  Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

This is the kind of king that He came as the first time. The next time according to Revelation He will come back flying in on a White Horse with His heavenly army and just with the word of His mouth His foes gathered against Him will melt. These years between the meek king and the conquering king are described in 2 Peter 3:8-10


   But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare

Just like the parable of the unproductive fruit tree getting some extra pruning time before destruction and the three years between the cleansing of the temples with the judgment on the fig tree the second time, God is patient wanting to give people chances to repent. The time between the two comings no one knows. However since God is very mathematical as seen by the day literally predicted of His entry by the Daniel prophecy, my guess would be somewhere around 2232/2233 AD which believe me depresses me tremendously. I get this from the fact according to The Feasts of the Lord by Marvin Rosenthal who discusses the Jewish dating system. He states that creation, according to tradition, happened 3761BC in the fall. If the calendar starts there, that would make this year, 2014, actually year 5774/5775. that leaves roughly 225 years until year 6000. What's so special about 6000? Well, if a day is like a thousand years, God worked 6 days and on the seventh He rested - The Millennium! Then subtract 7 years from the millennium which would be the rapture and you get 2232/2233 AD. For more thoughts on this see  http://thoughtsfromtherightbrain.blogspot.com/2011/04/im-going-to-predict-day-of-rapture.html  . Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm right on the Feast of trumpets being the rapture but the year thing is just a guess and I hope He comes this year and we need to live that way, too!

   Look at Romans 15:8

⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed

  Remember Mark 10 where we discussed Jesus the servant or Diakoneo? This verse in Romans discusses another way Jesus was a servant that we haven't discussed yet. Jesus was a servant to all the prophecies! He had a divine timetable calculated from Daniel 9. He came in on a donkey from Zech.9. He had to clear the temple according to Jer. 7. He had to die on the Passover from Exodus 12 and be our Passover lamb and these are just prophecies from this chapter. Below is a picture of a chart in my Bible on how Christ fulfilled the Passover. (I got tired of typing)

   

Do you know anyone famous? Does anyone famous know you? I think the most famous person I know is the AA pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays! Scratch that; I know the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He knows me!! In fact I am His brother!! (Mark 3) And if I interpret Revelations somewhat correctly, I am mentioned in Rev. 19:14,19! That's a lot of exclamation marks!!

     Thank you Father that you sent Your Son, the King, to be my friend, my Brother, my Savior. I am so unworthy to be included in His family, His army, His wedding feast. His fame is unmatched in history yet He walks with me day by day. May I be cognizant of that as I go through my days here on Earth and realize He is so much more worthy than anything/anyone else I desire.

What's So Awesome About Jesus? A Chapter by Chapter Study Through Mark - Chapter 12

         My wife confessed , as she taught this chapter in Sunday School to loving the show "The Bachelor". She gave this clip as an illustration that I thought was awesome.

      
       How can we say we love Jesus if we don't want to spend time with Him and when we do, all we talk about is ourself? How can we say we love Him and we never read the Bible? The other way to look at this also goes along with what we have been emphasizing in this jaunt through Mark is that if we love someone, which Juan Pablo obviously didn't, we want to spend time with them, get to know them, listen to them, etc. If we fall in love with Jesus, the Christian life becomes a great adventure rather than a huge chore. So lets look at what's so awesome about Jesus in Mark 12 so we can fall deeper in love with Him this week.


               CHAPTER 12

1. Read Mark 12:28-34. What are the two most important commands and why?


     When the man agreed with Jesus, what did Jesus say to the expert in the law?


     What do you think was keeping the man from the kingdom of God? (Matt.7:21-23, 1Cor.8:2,3)


     Let's look at the 4 descriptions of how we are to love God
       1. With all our heart. The greek for heart is Kardia which means the middle. What does it mean to love God with your middle?


       2. Soul is that immaterial part inside us that communicates with God and is essentially who I am. What do you think it means to love God with all your soul?



       3. Mind basically means intelligence. What do you think it means to love God with all your mind?



        4. Strength means physical power. What do you think it means to love God with all your power?


    How is your Love for Jesus doing?


Throughout this chapter 12 which marks Tuesday and Wednesday of the Passover week, Jesus is teaching in the temple. Meanwhile, the enemies of Jesus, who normally were enemies of each other, joined together to get Him arrested, discredited, exposed as a fraud or whatever they could do to end His popularity. Let's look at how focused Jesus is in these passages on teaching loving and believing in Him in the midst of questions meant to get Him sidetracked. He kept bringing the discussion back to what really matters.

  Read Mark 12:1-12

   How does the following video relate?

        

The first meaning behind the parable is obvious. Read Isa. 5:1-7

    1. Who is the vineyard?

    2. Who is the owner?

    3. Who are the tenants?

     4. Who are the messengers?

     5. Who is the son?

          How does this answer the question they never got an answer to in 11:28?

     6. Who are the new tenants?

The second meaning is more personal. Read Acts 17:24-31

     1. Who is the vineyard?

     2. Who is the owner?

     3. What did the tenants do? (see Rom. 1:18 - 25)

     4. What is their punishment?

  With this interpretation in mind, Read Mark 12:38-44. When it says that the widow says "she gave all she had to live on". The greek word for that is bios which means she gave her life. She entrusted her life to the owner of the vineyard to take care of her.

      According to this passage, who does it appear the Pharisees are living for?


   Read Mark 12:35-37. Who had their hero David surrendered to?


    Read Mark 12:13-17?  According to verse 17, what should they give Caesar?

    What should they give God according to what we have learned?



Summary

      When the teacher of the law repeats Jesus' answer (vs. 29-31) in verses 32-33, he leaves out one thing that is easily glanced over - Jesus says "love the Lord your God..." and the teacher, who is close but no cigar leaves that out. All the knowledge, good deeds, saying the right words doesn't get you to Heaven. It is surrendering your life to the owner of your life and living in a love relationship with Him. I went fishing in Canada once and we drove all the way to the northernmost part of Minnesota but we still weren't in Canada. We had to cross through a narrow gate, humble ourselves to the border guards, and then live under the rules of Canada such as if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down. (I got yelled at at the first filling station in Canada we stopped at) Although this illustration has flaws because I didn't love Canada nor did they love me, you get the point. This teacher was close but yet he missed the narrow way which is a personal love relationship with Jesus attained by surrendering Lordship of our life to the one who deserves it and demands it.
      The Pharisees, Saducees, Herodians also missed it because they weren't looking for the truth they were looking for a way to get rid of the Truth. In the end of Chapter 11, when Jesus asks them about "John's baptism - was it from Heaven or men?" -  they didn't even ask themselves "what is true"? They were just concerned with their own reputation and saving face. The Pharisees who heard his parable missed the most crucial part of the parable - that Jesus was the vineyard owner's Son - and just looked for a way to kill Him because He told the parable about them. The tax question was a hot potato because the Romans instituted a census in order to tax all the Jews, in addition to all their other taxes, one Denarius for the pleasure of and in deference to the honor of living under Cesaer  and the coin's inscription said that he was king and God. People had revolted against this and been executed (Acts 5:37) and the Pharisees, with Herod and Cesaer in town were hoping for a wrong answer and a quick execution. Jesus, without being distracted kept focused on the point - Give God your life!
     The Saducees then tried to make up a nonsensical question like who was Cain's wife or could God make a stone so big He can't move it? - but Jesus focused on God is the God of the dead and living. Since you are living, is He your God? Even their hero David called Him Lord and the widow surrendered her whole life to Him and was publically praised by Jesus.
      The word for this week is focused. Jesus didn't get distracted by secondary issues but focused on the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our need to surrender fully and completely to Him and to love Him with our whole being. The important questions in life aren't your eschatology, predestination, which day to worship on, contemporary vs. traditional worship, but rather what have you done with Jesus? What is your relationship with Him like. That's the eternal question that even the rich young ruler missed. He said what must I do to receive eternal life and Jesus recognized this and told him what it costs to follow Him. He was looking for heaven rather than Jesus! Do you love Jesus?