Mark’s Introduction

Mark 1: 1-8

     Mark wasn’t one of the original disciples of the Lord….. we are told that he was a young man whose mother was one of the followers of the new Way, and who associated with the early disciples. Barnabas and Paul took him under their care and he accompanied them on their first missionary journey for some of the way and then left them to go elsewhere. Paul was not impressed with this, and didn’t take him on the next trip (Acts 15:37-39)

Mark starts his account of the life of Jesus with the work of John the Baptist as the Messenger who proclaimed that there was One coming soon Who would bring salvation to the world.. Mark says very little about John the Baptist, but let’s look at what he does say. John’s preaching was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets  (Isaiah 40:3) and Mark mentions this specifically, and the fact that John was baptising people both in the wilderness and in the river Jordan. He mentions John’s clothing and food which were both rough and unusual. He preached that it was necessary for people to repent of their sins and then be baptised. He also told the people that the Coming One was far greater than he (John) was, and that He would baptise them with fire and the Holy Spirit. As time went by we see this happen with the fires of persecution that Christians went (and still are going) through, but with the power of the Holy Spirit were able to stand firm for their faith

John the Baptist preached of One, The Coming One, God’s only Son,

The message he gave with no shame,  This Worthy One he did proclaim.

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                             The Beginning of Christ’s Ministry.

Mark 1:9-13

We see three things that Mark mentions here about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ…He left Nazareth, His home town; He was baptised by John with the Voice coming from Heaven, and then He went into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan…..

For some of us, we go through each of these things when we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ …we have to make the decision for ourselves regardless of what our parents think; we have to be baptised in water (not sprinkled but immersed) and then we will often find our faith will be tested by temptations….Satan does not easily let people go from his dominion to the Kingdom of God.

Mark doesn’t dwell long on each of these facts…half a verse on the first; two and half verses on the second and two verses on the third. Matthew tells us of John’s reluctance to baptise Jesus, but Jesus insisted, and as a result came that Majestic Voice from heaven backing up this action (Matthew 3:13-17). Luke tells us too of this (Luke 3:21-22) and John tells of how John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus the same way that a dove descends, and he then knew for sure that this was indeed the One he had been preaching about…the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29-36).

Matthew gives us the greatest details of the testing time in the wilderness and how Satan tried his best to deflect Jesus from doing His Father’s will (Matthew 4:1-11)and how He was so physically weak at the end of this time the angels came and strengthened Him; Mark mentions the bare fact of this time and says the wild animals were there with Him; Luke also gives great details of this time (Luke 4:1-13), and John doesn’t mention it at all!

Our Lord came down from Heaven’s bliss, To suffer so we could come  to this,

Naught was too hard for Him to do, For His great love for me and for you!

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                             John the Baptist’s Work Done.

Mark 1:14-20

Just one short verse in this chapter tells us of the remainder of John’s ministry….after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the kingdom of God. We have more details in chapter six where Mark elaborates on what exactly happened. John must have wondered why he was put into prison when he was doing the work that God had called him to do……

So often we wonder what has gone wrong for us, when we are removed from the work that we felt called for. We have to remember that there are many bends in the road of life, and that everything will work out for us in the end. We are told that all things work together for good to those who love God…(Romans 8:28).

We see here too, that John was removed from his ministry so there would be no hindrances to the work that Jesus Christ came to do. He was able and ready to pick up the work that His Father had sent Him into the world for, and now we see that He was choosing twelve men to be with Him in this task….men He could teach and who would see the wonderful things that He would perform showing Who He was.

John had finished what he was sent to do, Now he was taken

Christ came to do His Father’s work, Not a bit of it He did shirk.

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Christ’s Ministry Begins.

Mark 1:21-45

Mark begins his account of the work of Jesus Christ with the choosing of some of the disciples, and the first miracle which was the casting out of this demon which knew Him. Mark mentions many times those who were afflicted with demon possession, and how Jesus could release people who had them…..

Not only that, but people from all over the place began to seek Him out to heal them of their diseases. But what they didn’t realise was that  the greatest disease they all had was the disease of sin. We see that this was the main reason that He came into the world….He wasn’t seeking fame for Himself, but healing for the people’s souls….”I must go and preach, for this is the reason I am here”, He said.

As news of this Healer became known, people began to flock Him….not because of His preaching, but because they could be healed of their diseases. We notice one thing  about the beginning of Christ’s ministry was the term “straightway”. When the disciples were called, there was no hesitation….they “straightway” left their nets and followed Him. Then “straightway” the next Sabbath Day, they went to the synagogue and taught, much to the people’s amazement. There was no hesitation or waiting around.

It is also quite noticeable how many of the people were afflicted with demon possession….today too we see how many people are afflicted with various demons….of oppression and depression, to say nothing of the different addictions there are and the dependency on drugs which eventually affects the mind. Just as the Lord was able to deliver these people back then, so He can deliver people today….sometimes instantly, but not necessarily so. Sometimes it takes much prayer and determination to get this deliverance, but with God’s help nothing is impossible  (Luke 18:27)

Jesus Christ released these ones, Who through their sin were quite undone,

No hesitation, He healed them all, As to Him they came and on Him called.

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Whole Healing

Mark 2:1-12

In this passage we see the faithfulness and determination of the four friends of this paralysed man…they carried him to the house where Jesus was and when they saw the crowds around the doorway, they went up the outside stairs to the flat roof where they proceeded to take the tiles out until there was a big enough space to put the stretcher through and let him  down  in front of Jesus…

Once again, Jesus goes straight to the root of the matter and told him that his sins would be forgiven. Just as the Pharisees did, we wonder why He did this first….wasn’t the man’s physical health the immediate thing to be fixed? But we don’t know what was going on in the man’s heart, and maybe had been going on for a long time. Jesus knew his every thought and desire, and healed him from the inside out. Truly this man became a new creature….his sins were forgiven and his soul healed first, and then his body was healed and he could get up and walk. He must have felt his life was renewed and given to him afresh. We see this happen today when people come to the knowledge that their sins are forgiven upon their confession before a Holy God. They become a totally new person with new desires, a new way of speaking, and a new way of living. Without this new aspect which others will notice, it is doubtful if they have had a real experience of the new birth in Jesus Christ ….by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:16-20).

Jesus Christ can make us whole, From inside out it is His goal,

Sins forgiven and body healed, As to Him ourselves we fully yield.

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Calling Matthew

Mark 2:13-22

We see here how Mark records the calling of Matthew (also called Levi the son of Alphaeus) to be with the group of disciples. Matthew was one of the despised tax collectors, but we read of how he didn’t hesitate when Jesus called him…..

We read of this event in Matthew 9:9-17, and Luke 5:27-29  and both of these accounts give a similar story. Matthew wanted to find out so much more than he already knew, so he invited Jesus home for a meal, along with all his fellow tax-collectors. By this time, the religious rulers were keeping a close eye on the movements of Jesus and they immediately found fault with Him joining this group for a meal. He pointed out to them, that these people knew they needed what He had to give, they were “spiritually sick”  and knew it, whereas the religious rulers considered themselves having no need….they were “well” they thought. Jesus went on to say that His followers would fast when He was taken from them, but there was no need for this while He was with them. He also used the picture of patching an old garment with new cloth, and how it was far better to throw the old one away and have a whole new one. This is a picture of how He makes a person a whole new person from the inside out with no patches or weaknesses in them. The same thought is in the fact that new wine needs new wineskins to hold it so it will be properly preserved. So although we still have the same body, our souls are reborn anew, with new desires and new aims (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus Christ makes all things new, All that He does is  perfect too,

He came the sinners to freely call, He now  gives life abundant to all.

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                             The Sabbath Day

Mark 2:23-28

We see here the contentious topic of the Sabbath day comes to the fore again. We might wonder why our Lord did so many of His miracles on the Sabbath Day knowing it would lead to criticism from the religious leaders……

He pointed out that the Sabbath Day was not the end all of their faith, it really was nowhere near as important as they thought. It was made for the benefit of the human race, not the human race for the Sabbath. It was given to mark the end of the working week and to give both people and their beasts of burden a rest. God made people in His image, and He worked for the six days of creation and rested on the seventh day, and He made man to operate in the same way. At different times through the years, people have tried to make others work to a ten day week for example, but it doesn’t work….people can’t work at their peak for longer than the six day cycle that God has ordained  (Exodus 20:8-11).  He also pointed out that King David who they revered, had broken the rules when there was a greater immediate need. Therefore it was in order if the need was great, to meet it on the Sabbath Day (Matthew 12:9-13).

The Sabbath day was made for man, Was made for all as God had planned,

The Pharisees always found in Him  fault, And tried to make His work come to a halt.

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                             Tried Again

Mark 3:1-6

The Pharisees watched the Lord on Sabbath days like a hawk watching its prey. This man at the synagogue who had the useless hand was quite obvious and they wondered what He would do with him….

Jesus knew this, and He didn’t hide what He was going to do. He told the man to stand up in full view of everyone and then asked if it was lawful to do a good deed on the Sabbath Day or not . They refused to answer His question, and it pained Him immensely to see how hard they were.

This is one of the occasions when we read that our Lord was angry with people and grieved with their refusal of His blessings. But in spite of this He told the man to stretch out his useless hand, and immediately it was healed and became like the other one. How glad this man must have been! What a difference it made to his whole life and livelihood!

The Pharisees were not pleased at all. They immediately began to plot how they could get rid of Him. The challenge for us is…do we rejoice at others’ good fortune or do we remain sour faced and hard?

The man stood there with hand so dead, “Stretch it  out” the Saviour said,

As he obeyed it became whole, Healed and useful, a different soul!

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                    Time of Healing and Choosing.

Mark 3:7-19

The interesting thing here is that although the religious rulers refused to accept Jesus as being from God, yet these untaught disturbed people knew immediately   that not only  was He preaching God’s Word, but that He was the Son of God…they knew Him!!!

The demons that were in these people could not stand before Him but fell down in worship on the ground in front of Him. The other people around would not have realised that this was a knowing act of subjection to His power, and would have thought it was just another sign of the person’s dementia. But Jesus knew differently…. He knew that they knew Who He was and gently told them to be quiet. It was not yet His time to be made widely known as the Son of God.

After this time of healing and teaching, He went up to the top of a mountain, taking only some of the people with Him. From this group He chose twelve men to be with Him and to go out and teach the things they were learning from Him….they became known as “The Twelve” apostles. They were twelve men, very different from each other, and each contributing something unique to the group. Even the last mentioned one, Judas Iscariot, had a purpose which no one at that stage knew. They were mostly uneducated men, some fishermen and others from other backgrounds…..let us never pass ourselves off as “being unimportant”. God can use anyone for His work who is able and willing to obey Him.

Jesus Christ healed those with needs, Every type with different creeds,

Called to Himself twelve special men, Sent them forth to preach again.

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                             The Work Continues

Mark 3: 20-30

The people would not leave Him alone, but continued to throng Him wherever He went. He and His disciples were so busy dealing with the people, that they didn’t even have time to stop for their meals. His friends (and probably His mother too) were concerned about this and tried to get Him to slow down…..

The religious rulers too, were monitoring what was going on, and put their own ideas forward…”He must be driven by an evil spirit Himself!” they said  as they saw person after person being delivered from demon possession. Jesus knew what they were saying, and told them that this was impossible….His power was greater than that of Satan. He told them that all sin but one could be forgiven upon confession, but that of blaspheming against God’s Holy Spirit could never be forgiven. This simply means that those who resist God’s Spirit working in their minds and hearts and continue to turn their back on Him, will never be able to be forgiven of their sins….their resistance is classed as blasphemy. Every single person comes to a point of making a decision, and God takes that decision as final. Let’s make sure that we don’t go beyond that point, but come to Him while there is still time and opportunity.

Jesus Christ still calls all men,  “Come to Me” He calls again,

His Spirit and His people call, “Come while there is time for all”.

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                             Family Ties

Mark 3:31-35

At first reading of these verses, it almost seems that our Lord was dismissing His mother and brothers who were looking for Him. But we know this would not be so as He had been a loving caring Son for his mother all the years until this time. Now the time had come for Him to have His public ministry, and Mary would have understood this…..

We read how she hid all the things in her heart that she had been told as a young teenager by the angel, and also by Jesus as a boy growing up (Luke 2:16-19, 48-51). We wonder how the conversations would have gone at home between Mary and Jesus during the intervening years. What a privilege she had, bringing up the Son of God and having Him under her roof all those years!

Now we see Mary and His brothers wanting a word with Him but the crowd was too great to reach Him. Our Lord shows no disrespect by His answer, but He shows His care for ALL people….everyone is equally important to Him. Nor are we told that He didn’t make contact with them at this time…..the narrative stops abruptly  with His statement that all those who do God’s will (which was to hear Him…Matthew 17:5) are part of His family.

There is a special bond between believers when they meet as strangers and find out that they are Christians that is truly special, and proves this fact….we are truly all part of the one family!

All one in Christ, a wonderful fact, Can be seen in our talk and how we act,

All special to Him, made in His image, We have this great advantage.

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                             The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Our Lord loved telling a story, but unlike our stories, His always had  a heavenly meaning….none of His  stories were ever just empty words! This particular time, the crowd was thronging Him again by the lakeside, so He got into a boat and taught them from it…..the weather would have been calm and sounds carry clearly over the water…..

Many of the parables weren’t recorded, but this was one that made a great impression on the hearers, and all the Gospels have it except for John. Everyone there understood the analogy of sowing seed, the growth, and the harvest, and Jesus points out the importance of the type of ground that the seed fell into and the subsequent results. He finished off by saying, “Think carefully about what I’ve said, and take notice.” In other words, “Think about the meaning of this story.”

Later on the disciples were still puzzling over this story, so they asked Him what it meant and He gave them a clear explanation of it. The two important things were the seed (the Word of God) and the sort of soil that received it (people’s minds and hearts). The seed couldn’t grow in soil that was hard, and there was no crop; the soil that was stony only grew stunted shrivelled plants that died out and there was no crop; the soil that was weedy crowded out the crop so it yielded nothing. It was only the good soil that grew a crop for the owner….the amount of the crop wasn’t so important, it was the fact that it gave a return in time of harvest.

The meaning of this parable was clear and plain as the disciples heard the explanation….their ears had not only heard the story, but now their understanding was opened and they heard the spiritual meaning as well. But they only got it when they asked. So we must ponder what God’s Word says and pray over it until it becomes clear to us.

You have heard this tale with your ears, Now take heed how you listen and hear,

The seed is the Word, And this you have heard,

The soil is your heart’s need it’s clear.

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                                     Explanations

Mark 4:24-34

The theme of listening and then understanding follows on here. If we listen with a critical ear, then we will interpret what we hear the same way. But if we have an open heart and a desire to learn, then we will gain much…..

Those who want to understand, will find the answers….Jesus said that those who seek WILL find! (Matthew 7:7-8). We are told how the group of people from Berea searched out the Scriptures to check  what Paul was teaching was right, and we should do the same…do not take everything you hear as the truth until you have checked it out against the Scriptures…that is our ruler for the truth! (Acts 17:10-12).

Those who have the desire to learn more of God’s Word will find that the more they look into it, the more it will grow in their hearts and lives. Those who only have a superficial knowledge of the Word will lose what they have if they don’t nurture it and feed it just as a plant needs looking after to do well. We may only start off with a small knowledge, but the more we cultivate that, the more it will grow, and will become our comfort and shelter for times of storm that will come.

Jesus Christ used these parables when He spoke to the people to make it easy for them to remember and understand what He was teaching them.

Jesus Christ used parables, To teach the truths immeasurable,

Those who understood His Word, Gained much from everything they heard.

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                              Another Amazing Miracle

Mark 4:35-41

This was a very common occurrence…..they had been preaching all day, and now the evening was approaching, so the people were dismissed. We wonder what the sky was looking like and if there was any sense of bad weather coming, or if it was all clear and this storm entirely unexpected. The disciples who were fishermen would have been able to read the sky accurately…..

Jesus told them to push off and go across to the other side, so this is what they did as they had done so many times before. Jesus Himself seems to have been tired out after the busy day, and He lay down in the stern out of the way and went to sleep. Meantime, the sailors on the boat saw the weather change rapidly, and from a simple crossing, it turned into a terrifying ordeal. The wind became a roaring monster and whipped the waves up until they were slopping into the boat. Some of those on board woke Jesus up and asked if He didn’t care that they were in such danger. He stood up and spoke to the wind in a calm authoritative voice, “Peace! Be still!”

The wind stopped immediately. Not only that, but the waves also stopped and the sea was calm. The sudden calm and quiet was more scary than the storm had been for the disciples as they looked at one another saying, “What sort of Person is Jesus really?”

Sometimes we have this experience too….out of some tumult in our life when everything seems hopeless, suddenly our prayers are answered and the problem is solved. It is at times like these that we see God at work, and we can give Him the thanks and praise that is due to His Name. He still says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver you and you will glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

    Without the storm there would be no deliverance, and without deliverance there is no glory to God. We see therefore, that storms are necessary in our lives….to bring us to our knees before God, to see His power at work, and to stimulate us to glorify Him.

Jesus Christ is Lord of all, The winds and waves all heard His call,

We must make sure that we hear, His call to us when He is near.

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                             A Special Appointment.

Mark 5:1-20

It seems that those in the boat called in at this place where there was a maniac living. As we read this it seems that this just happened, but we know that our Lord, knowing all things as He does, had this encounter in mind, just as He met the woman at the well in Samaria. This man was in a bad way, and was driven by the demons within him to do many dangerous things, both to himself and to others…..

No-one could do anything with or for this man as he wandered around in wild areas and among the graves on the hillside, mostly naked. Yet, for all his apparent insanity, he recognised Who Jesus really was and gave Him His correct title…Son of the most High God. We have a small insight into the demon world here, in that there were many demons in this man, not just one. Also, that the demons want a body to inhabit.

There was a great herd of pigs kept in this area….the pigs were something to do with idol worship and Jews were forbidden to keep them or eat their meat. We see here that Jesus commanded the demons to leave this man and to go into the pigs. What an effect it had on these animals! They immediately became mad and rushed down into the sea where they drowned. On the other hand, the lunatic man became quiet and  normal, and sat beside Jesus wearing clothes which he normally didn’t.

The local people were not pleased about this….they had lost their source of income (the pigs) and they couldn’t account for why this man was suddenly normal. In their fear, they begged Jesus to leave their area….what a sad thing to do! In doing this, we can see that it was just for this one man that Jesus called in to this place…..He now left and continued His journey across the lake. The man wanted badly to go with Him, but Jesus told him to go back home and tell everyone he met what great things had been done for him.

Jesus knew this lunatic man was there, A man who had a  problem to bear,

He told  the spirit to leave the man, Go into the pigs then into the sea they ran.

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                             Two Special Women (1)

Mark 5: 21-34

Even though these next two miracles were performed on people who wouldn’t have known each other, yet it is interesting that see that both were connected to the same time line. Twelve years earlier, Jairus and his wife had a baby daughter, an only child. The same year this unnamed woman took ill with an incurable blood haemorrhage that just went on and on….it made her feel so drained with no energy. Nothing she could do would heal the problem……

Here was Jesus coming to their area. People must have known He was arriving by boat and they were waiting on the beach for Him to get there. Jairus was desperate to see Him. “Master”, he said, “My daughter is dying, can you please come and see her and heal her?”

Jesus began to go with him, and the crowd only seemed to grow bigger. We can imagine Jairus’ anxiety when suddenly Jesus stopped. “Who touched Me?” He asked.

This unnamed woman who was so ill and drained of energy had heard He was there, and come close enough to touch His robe. “If only I can touch His clothes”, she thought to herself, “I know I’ll be healed!”  As she did this, she felt immediately that she was healed. Jesus of course knew this was happening, but she needed to confess what she had done. As she came forward and kneeled down in front of Him, He told her that it was her faith that had made her better. We see later in one of Paul’s letters that he wrote, that it is by believing in one’s heart (faith) that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and confession of this fact that brings salvation to a person  (Romans 10:9-10).  The challenge to us is, have we done this?

Jesus Christ can heal us all, If only on Him we will call,

Soul’s disease that we all have, The sin that never will us leave.

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                             Two  Special Women (2)

Mark 5:35-43

We can imagine how Jairus was feeling at this delay in getting to his house.  “Hurry, hurry” he would have been thinking. How his heart must have sunk when the messenger arrived saying his daughter had died…..

Jesus had a comforting message for him….”Don’t be afraid, just believe!” He said. We see how faith had its part here too…..Jairus  just had to believe that everything would be alright. So they went on to arrive at the house and find another crowd there who were all weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus spoke with authority…. “Send everyone out of the room”, He said, “She isn’t dead, just asleep”. The people laughed scornfully at Him. Didn’t they know when a person was dead? they were thinking.

He allowed the parents and James, John and Peter to go in with Him where the twelve year old was lying. He took the girl by the hand, and said “Girl, get up!” She immediately sat up, then got out of bed and walked to her mother. “Give her something to eat”, He said, “She is very hungry. Don’t talk about this to anyone.”

What an amazing miracle for Jairus and his wife! It is just as amazing when a person is born again and becomes a new person in Christ Jesus today (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17) . He is the One who makes people anew.

Jesus Christ makes all things new, From sin and death to life anew,

Faith in Him is all we need, Change of ways in thought and deed.

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                             The Work Proceeds.

Mark 6:1-13

We often see this same thing happening among people we know, and wonder why this is. People’s opinions swing from side to side and will not accept a person for what they are. Just because they know a person well, they think they should not shine above them in any way at all….how true that saying is that familiarity breeds contempt!

When Jesus Christ began to do miracles in His home town of Nazareth, the local people said, “Who does He think He is! We’ve known Him since He was a lad, and He’s only a carpenter!”  Perhaps there was a certain amount of envy there. We must be careful that we don’t allow these thoughts to creep in when someone we know does well.

It also had its flip side, in that because of the people’s unacceptance of Him and unbelief, He wasn’t able to do any great work of healing for them. We see that unbelief  hinders God’s work, whether it be in the spiritual realm or the physical.

So the work moved out of this area, and He sent the twelve disciples further afield, giving them power to preach and do healing of diseases and exorcising the demons, thus making the people whole again. He gave them instructions on how to conduct themselves in the towns they went to while on this tour. The preaching of repentance was the main thing, with the healing a secondary part of their ministry.

So many people had demons cast out, Makes us wonder without a doubt,

If the same is true of people today, Who refuse to walk in God’s holy way.

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                             Herod Caught Out!

Mark 6:14-29

This is a horrible story of a man’s fear and cowardice and a woman’s fierce hatred of the truth. What a combination! Herod knew very well that what John told him was the truth, so he thought getting rid of the messenger would get rid of the truth…..

How often we are like this! We don’t want to face the truth and deal with it, so we sweep it under the mat as it were. Herod did this, but he knew that John was right and he always had a guilty conscience about what he was doing. His wife had no such qualms….she hated John for his outspokenness and would have killed him if she could. But circumstances fell into her hand one day and she took advantage of them and of Herod’s weakness for a pretty face and figure, and gloated over John’s head when it was brought to her on a platter.

John on the other hand, must have wondered why things had gone so wrong for him. He had faithfully preached God’s Word of repentance to the people and he had seen the Promised One begin His ministry. He had probably expected they would be able to work together seeing a great revival sweep through the country and God’s Kingdom come into being right then. But it was not to be. Here he was languishing in prison with his work cut short. Had he been mistaken? he wondered, and sent a message to Jesus asking Him this   (Luke 7:19-28). We have His answer to this….John had completed his work that he had been sent to do….what more can any of us ask than this? So often we feel that we have been put on the shelf as it were, when we see the work we were involved in come to an end. But we must remember that it is God’s work, not ours. We are not called to be “successful” but to be faithful in what is at hand. We can truly say this about John the Baptist.

John the Baptist fulfilled his task, Christ showed this when he sent to ask,

What more can we expect to be, But to complete the job faithfully.

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                             Feeding the Hungry.

Mark 6:31-45

There were several things all going on at the same time here….we have just seen of the death of John the Baptist…the end of the era of the prophets, and although no-one realised it yet, the beginning of the church age was about to start. The disciples returned from their preaching and healing tour and came together to tell Jesus all about it. Our Lord knew they were physically tired so He took them for time out to a quiet place in the desert……

It is no sin to take time out and have a rest. The people at this time kept thronging Jesus so much they didn’t even have time to stop and eat. When they saw Him and His disciples head out in the boat, they ran afoot around the shore to catch up with them on the other side. So they wouldn’t have had much time for a break, and when they came back to their boat, the people were waiting for them. Jesus felt sorry for them because they seemed like sheep without a shepherd and were hungry for God’s Word, so He taught them many things that day. By the evening, the people were still there and the disciples were getting restless and hungry themselves.  “Send them away”, they said to Jesus, “It’s getting late and we’re all hungry!”

We all know the story of the miracle of feeding the five thousand plus people that were there….the small boy gave his food, just enough for one, and the Lord prayed over it and kept breaking it into pieces until everyone was fed with more than enough. There were twelve baskets of left overs, so we have the lesson there not only of the abundance of God’s supply but also  of cleaning up behind you and wasting nothing!

He told the disciples to go across the lake to Bethsaida while He sent the people away, and then He went up the hill for a quiet time of communion with His Father. What an exciting  and tiring day it had been for them all! But it was not finished yet!

Jesus Christ knew what would come, As He met the people buzzing with a hum,

He gave them first the Word of God, And then He fed the hungry horde.

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                             What’s Gone Wrong?

Mark 6:45-56

The thing to remember here, is that the Lord knew exactly what was going to happen BEFORE it happened. He knew the disciples were going to have difficulties before the night was out, but He told them to go just the same…..

So often we wonder why things go wrong for us….is God angry? Have we made wrong decisions? What lesson is He trying to teach us?  Of these questions, we can be sure the third one is the right one. As the disciples rowed out into the night, the weather changed and the wind got up, and it became increasingly difficult to keep going where they were heading. As they were struggling in their rowing, they saw this form on the water near them. We must always remember that in the midst of our struggles with whatever our problem is, that the Lord is always near us. There is a famous painting showing a person at the steering wheel of a ship with the waves crashing all around them and the shadowy figure of the Lord standing behind them. Our biggest problem is to remember this and to know that we are never alone. Instead of praying for the problem to be removed (which is natural), let’s pray for strength to continue regardless. When the Lord got into the boat with them, the wind immediately stopped….so it is with us, as we hand the problem over to Him, so the turmoil within us will calm down. We see how the disciples had taken the feeding of the crowd for granted, and hadn’t even thought about Him in this difficulty. Let’s remember how He has helped us in the past, and not to take anything for granted!

The next day, they arrived at the shore and were able to see the Lord continue with His preaching and healing work.

Jesus Christ knows all things, He knows what the future brings,

Even though the storm buffets all, He will keep us through it all.

***             ***             ***

                                  Clean Hands

Mark 7:1-23

We read here of the Pharisees’ concern for having clean hands before eating and food preparation, and although that was good from a hygienic point of view, they had gone overboard in their understanding. They had turned this into a religious rite, and completely overlooked the most important thing….

They had turned this matter of washing and cleanliness into a tradition which in their minds had superseded what God had actually given to Moses. Now they were finding fault with what the disciples were doing and blaming Jesus for encouraging them to break the law. We have to be careful we don’t overlook the important things in God’s Word and just grab at something that takes our fancy that we turn into a rigid rule. Our Lord here shows that it wasn’t the dirty hands on the outside that mattered, it was more the things that come out of a man’s heart and mind (and mouth!) that defile the character.

Let’s make sure that we are careful what we feed our hearts and minds on….Paul gives us a good guideline in one of his letters….always think about what is good, pure, lovely, honest and most of all God-honouring (Philippians 4:8). If we applied this criteria to what we watch on TV and read in magazines, it would make a big difference to our outlook and aims on life!

Remember what’s here and make it our rule, In doing this we’ll always come top in life’s school,

Let’s make sure we don’t fuss over wrong, Think  on  what’s good, in  praise and in song.

 

***             ***             ***

                                    Humility

Mark 7:24-37

The Lord travelled widely around the country, healing and teaching as He went. In this first incident, He was just on the borders of Tyre and Sidon (two coastal cities). We wonder again, that just as He had the special appointments with the woman of Samaria and the man in Gadara, if this trip wasn’t just for this woman…..  

This woman knew she wasn’t eligible as a non-Jew for His favour, but she was so desperate that she took her chance anyway. She was at her wits end with her daughter being obviously demon possessed, and when she heard Jesus was in her vicinity, she went to Him and begged that He would heal her.

Although to our ears, His reply seemed very off-putting, yet she took the humble place and acknowledged that she was unworthy of His help, and in doing this received the help she needed.. We too, need to acknowledge our unworthiness as sinners of His help, and in doing this we will receive it. We need to not only do the best we can, but to humble ourselves to walk with God….only as we do this can we gain His favour.   (Micah 6:8).  Then we will be doing what He requires of us. God can do nothing with a proud, arrogant or demanding person. We have to acknowledge our need and helplessness before Him as a Holy God and Jesus as His Son before we can be saved from our sin.

Then we see a second case of desperation….a man who was not only deaf but who couldn’t speak clearly. Our Lord took him aside, put His fingers in his ears and spat on His tongue and the man was healed! The people were amazed and gave glory to Him as a result.

Jesus Christ does all things well, Making people loudly tell,

He made the deaf and dumb to hear, Praising Him and speaking clear!

***             ***             ***

                             Hungry People

Mark 8:1-9

This story is similar to one we have already read, but it is a second occasion when the people followed Jesus to hear His teaching. They were so intent in hearing what He had to say and to watch what He was doing that they stayed for hours and were starting to get hungry….

Matthew tells us that this crowd had been with Him for three days by the time of this incident  (Matthew 15:32).The people were hungry for the Word of God, desperate for their sick to be healed, and any food they might have brought with them was all gone. Jesus told His disciples that He had compassion on the people and would  not send them away without eating.

His disciples had apparently forgotten all about the other time when He fed the five thousand and they asked Him where they were going to get enough bread to feed this lot. He asked what they had and they produced seven loaves and a few fish, so He got the people to sit down, then gave thanks for the food and began to distribute it to the disciples who passed it around. One thing we notice is that the people didn’t just have enough to keep them going, but that they were “filled”….there was more than enough. The Lord never short changes people…there is always more than enough. So it is with the things in His Word, there is more than enough for us, but we have to take it. The less time we spend in His Word, the more hungry we are, but it is all there for us if we will only take it.

Not only was there enough for the people, but they picked up seven baskets of left-overs…..what an abundance God gives to people! We wonder what happened to this….one thing it wouldn’t have been wasted and neither was it left to litter the ground!

Jesus Christ always gives our need, Let’s take it and pass it on indeed,

The people ate and were more than filled, Not a drop was anywhere spilled.

***             ***             ***

                                  Lessons to Learn

Mark 8:10-21

After the crowd and had eaten and were sent away, Jesus and His disciples moved around the lake. The Pharisees caught up with Him there and began to question Him, wanting a sign….

It wasn’t the fact that they wanted a sign that pained Him as much as the fact of their unbelief. It wouldn’t have mattered how great a sign they saw, they still wouldn’t have believed in Him. One would have thought that they would have realised that all the healings that He did would have been sufficient signs that He was indeed from God!

So they set off again, across the lake this time, before realising that they hadn’t taken enough bread with them. The Lord started telling them to beware of the leaven of the  Pharisees….He was apparently thinking back to the conversation with them where they had just been, and He was warning His disciples to not be unbelieving like they were. Unbelief is very catching, and if we listen too much to negative talk, it is not long before we are doing the same. But all they could think about was that they getting hungry and hadn’t taken enough food with them. This is why He now asks why they didn’t remember and understand what He had done with feeding the crowds….were they beginning to take all these things for granted?   It is all very well to be taken up with physical things, but there are far more important things in life to understand….man is only one third physical, there is his soul (feelings and thoughts) and his spirit which is God conscious. We will always make sure that we don’t starve the physical, but let us take equal care that we don’t starve the soul in appreciation of what is good and beautiful, or the spirit in squashing all thought of God out of our mind. After all, this is the part of man that will never die and will live for ever, and needs nourishing just as the body does!

We never dream of starving our  flesh,  But always eat what is good and fresh,

Likewise let us feed our soul, So we will be rounded and totally whole.

***             ***             ***

                                    Seeing Clearly.

Mark 8:22-26

We see here how the blind man was made to see clearly. Our Lord didn’t heal this man outright, He led him along the way a little, and gave him partial sight at first before opening his eyes fully…..

This reminds us that God deals with each one of us in a different way. We are all individuals with different approaches to life and different ways of thinking. People today are mistakenly teaching there are many ways to God….there is only ONE way to Him and that is through the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. But there are many different ways to reach that point of entering the straight and narrow way that He has provided. This man seemed to have two stages of receiving full sight, but Jesus never left him until he was fully healed. This gives us confidence that our Lord will never leave us or forsake us too, just as He has promised   (Hebrews 13:5b) . This man was told to not make a big show, but to quietly go back home ….he was able to see clearly now and he was to get on with life. So we too, once we know the Lord, are to go back to our home environment and let people see that we are different by our walk and talk.

Jesus Christ will make us whole, Clean us inside and change our soul,

He shows us things  to help us grow, Things  we now can really  know.

***             ***             ***

                                  Who is this Man?

Mark 8:27-33

Jesus asked His disciples as He travelled along who people thought He really was. This wasn’t because He wanted to know (because He knew very well what people thought about Him!) but He wanted the disciples to verbalise Who He was, to say it out loud…..

It is most important for every person who believes in their heart, to confess with their mouth what Jesus Christ means to them (Romans 10:9). When He asked them this, they said that some people thought He was a prophet, or maybe John the Baptist come back to life. When He pressed them to say what they thought, Peter said outright, “You are the Christ, the Messiah”. Now that this had been said, He was able to go deeper into His teaching with them, and show them that He, the Son of Man, their Messiah, would be rejected by the religious leaders of the land, and would be killed and then rise again after three days.

But it seemed to be beyond their comprehension to understand what He was saying….they didn’t want to hear facts.

“Oh no Lord, this won’t happen to You!” Peter said.

But Jesus sternly said to him, “Get behind Me Satan!”

He knew that Satan would try anything to deflect Him from His purpose of saving mankind, and was using Peter as a mouthpiece to put others off. We have to be so careful that we don’t say things to others that are contrary to God’s will.

Jesus Christ had come to earth, To give to men a brand new birth,

But before this came to pass, He had to go to Calv’ry’s cross.

***             ***             ***

                              Calling Men to Follow

Mark 8:34-38

This is a very well known passage….Jesus was speaking to all the people here, both the disciples and the crowds following…..

To truly follow Christ and His teachings is not an easy task. Some preachers seem to make it seem a romantic thing to “come to Jesus and give your heart to Him” without pointing out the flip side of it all. Yes, we do have to yield ourselves to follow Him, but we have to realise there is a cost involved or else we will become like the seed that fell on the path that the birds snatched away. What seems a good idea today, after sleeping on it seems too hard the next day!

So Jesus is telling us here that we have to deny ourselves, and  our natural inclinations, to follow Him. Many a person has given up a well paid job to go out as a missionary; or perhaps given up a career that will clash with the principles of Scripture. Then again, too many have fallen by the wayside of sport on Sunday versus attending church.

There IS a cost to following the Lord, but it is well worth it. We have read of many who have reached the pinnacle of fame and fortune and yet been the most miserable of people and taken their own lives. Many in other countries have lost contact with their families after coming to know the Lord because they have been cut off as bringing disgrace on the family “honour”. Our souls are priceless in the light of heaven’s wealth….God sent His beloved Son to die to pay the price of each one of us….let us make sure we do not ignore this or spurn His offer of salvation. Yes, there is a cost, but it is well worth it!

 He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep, To gain that which he cannot lose,

Let’s make sure we do not miss out, Or this opportunity  foolishly refuse.

***             ***             ***

                                 Glimpse of Heaven

Mark 9:1-13

This is a wonderful glimpse of heaven’s glories which Peter, James and John were privileged to see. We have no idea in our earthbound body what heaven is like! We have heard of other people’s experiences of how they had near death experiences and heard the most sweet sounding music or how they felt that everything on this earth was filthy when they came to again, but they are barely glimpses…..

Peter, James and John seemed to have a better appreciation of the Lord than the rest and they were privileged to experience more than the others. This is one of those times. He took these three to the top of a mountain to spend time in prayer, but they were tired out and dropped off to sleep while He was praying. When they came to, they could see a brilliant light surrounding Him…He was bathed in a light that came from within, and everything about Him was white and glistening   (Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-36).  They knew instinctively that the two men who were talking with Him were Moses and Elijah, and they were talking of His coming decease when He would die to bring salvation to fallen man. It seems that all of heaven must have been watching for this time to come.

The disciples were afraid when they saw and heard this, and Peter in his nervousness said without thinking, “We’ll make three tents for you here”. Then they heard a Voice from heaven say, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”

They were terrified and fell on their knees with their faces to the ground. Jesus walked over to them and touched them saying, “Don’t be frightened, get up!” When they looked at Him, He was on His own again and everything seemed back to normal. What an experience! Jesus told them to say nothing about it to anyone until after His resurrection, and indeed how could they? How could they describe what they had seen, and how could anyone else understand? In the same way, we just have to accept these things by faith, knowing that heaven is another dimension which we cannot appreciate while in this body on earth! We have no comprehension of these things, and for puny man to think he is going to challenge God is laughable!!! Let us give thanks and praise that we can come to God at all through what His Son has done for us!!

Jesus Christ has come from God, And on this earth He lowly trod,

To bring to men light from above, Display to all God’s holy love.

***             ***             ***

                             Don’t Play with Fire!

Mark 9:14-30

The crowds were waiting for Jesus to return from the mountain top and the religious leaders were there in the centre with a great buzz of conversation going on around them. “What’s going on here?” He asked…..

A man stepped forward and said, “My son is troubled by an evil spirit  and I brought him to Your disciples, but they can’t do anything with him”.  Jesus asked about his son’s history with this problem…..”Right from the time he was a child” was the answer. This shows us that perhaps the parents or another family member was into the occult and how dangerous it is to those around. This evil spirit had entered this child and remained with him, sending him into terrible fits and endangering his life periodically.

This was the man’s problem. He had this desperate need and knew he was helpless to do anything about it himself. The disciples tried to do what they had often seen Jesus do, but nothing worked. When the affected man saw Jesus, he immediately went into a violent fit on the ground. Jesus said, “You must have faith and believe that I can help”. The father recognised that Jesus could help and he cried out that not only did he believe, but to have even more faith. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and it sent the boy into an even worse fit before leaving, and he lay limp on the ground. Jesus took him by the hand and he stood up, totally released from this evil spirit.

The disciples wondered why they couldn’t do this and Jesus told them this sort of thing was not to be played with but could only come out by prayer and fasting. We must realise that we can’t play around with this sort of thing, but have to rely totally on God for wisdom to know what to do.

Jesus Christ could help this one, Because He was God’s own loved Son,

This man that had a desperate need, Asked for help by word and deed.

***             ***             ***

                             The Most Important.

Mark 9:31-50

Our Lord kept telling His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, but none of it sunk in. It seems they just didn’t want to think of this possibility….they were so fixated that seeing He was their Messiah, He would bring His Kingdom in there and then, and they were each wanting the highest place in this new regime….

So they were having this discussion between themselves as to who was best fitted for this role. Jesus knew this and gave them an object lesson about importance in His realm….He picked a small child up in His arms and said that to be great in God’s eyes, they would have to become trusting and teachable just as it was. The subject was changed and yet not changed, when John said that they had seen another person dealing with demons successfully and they had forbidden him to do this because he wasn’t one of them.

Jesus pointed out that if it was a genuine miracle in His name, then that person was for them. Anyone who would give or do something genuinely in the Name of Christ would be rewarded for this. If any person was finding difficulty in following Him for any reason, then it was better to get rid of the hindrance even if it meant taking off a limb or his eyesight to help. For instance if we find we can’t control our watching certain TV programmes that promote sinful things, then it is better to get rid of the TV altogether; if we are getting too involved in sport or other activities that take our time away from church or Bible study, then get rid of it and leave it altogether. It is better to go without  these activities that hinder our walk with God than to rise to some importance or fame in them.

Jesus was actually pointing out that it costs something to follow Him, and this is just as true today as it was then. Salt is no good if it has lost its saltiness! Christians are no good if they aren’t following the Lord to the best of their ability!

To be important is not always  best, We will find we have to face this test,

To be trusting like a little child, To follow God, be meek and mild

***             ***             ***

                                    Close to Home.

Mark 10:1-12

This is a subject that is very close to home in so many cases today. What starts out in a romantic and very sweet way often breaks down into bitter arguments and break ups. Just as it was back in our Lord’s time, so it is even more so today. Notice that there is no ruling here from our Lord about the rights and wrongs of the matter…..He just states the matter from God’s point of view and leaves it there…..

It was obviously a contentious matter even back in those times, and the Pharisees weren’t worrying about  what was right or wrong, they were just trying to catch Him out in His interpretation of a situation like this. “Is it right or wrong according to the law?” they asked.

“What does the law say?” He asked.

“Oh,” they said, “Moses allowed us to divorce!”

Jesus then proceeded to tell them that this was only because of their disobedience to God’s command…it was God’s intention that when a man and woman were joined together in marriage that it continue until death parted them…it could not to be dissolved by a human act. The act of marriage makes two into one. The whole purpose of marriage is to raise a family and then to see them in turn be married and at this point the parents have to let them go….the husband is committed to his wife and vice versa.

It seems the disciples were surprised at His answer as they asked Him again about the matter later. The Lord doesn’t say whether it was right or wrong to remarry, He merely points out that if there is a remarriage, in God’s sight it is adultery.

“Can we put away our wives?” The Pharisees asked about their lives,

“What God has joined, you must not sever, For you have promised to stay for ever.”

***             ***             ***

                                             Innocence.

Mark 10:13-31

We have this short passage here about the mothers bringing their children to be able to have a touch from the Lord. The disciples thought these ones were of no importance in the scheme of things, but Jesus showed that He thought differently….

He took the time to pick them up and bless them saying that all who come to Him must come with the same trust and innocence of a small child. Shortly after, there came a young man running after Him and asking what he had to do to have eternal life. He was a good living young man who had always kept the law, and he thought he had to DO something more. But when faced with the cost that Jesus gave him, it was too much. He couldn’t do it. But the Lord knew that his wealth would only be a hindrance to him truly following Him.

This is a real challenge to us….does what we have hinder us from following the Lord? Or can we use what we have for Him instead? This young man trusted in his riches  and what he could do rather than in God. We cannot trust in THINGS or DEEDS to save us. There is only one way and that is by trusting in what Christ has done for us. The disciples were amazed at this teaching and felt there was no hope for anyone then, but Jesus pointed out that all things are possible with God.

Trust in Him as a little child, Rememb’ring He was meek and mild.

Trust in Christ is all we need, Not what we have or any deed,

***             ***             ***

                             What Lay Ahead.

Mark 10:31-52

   The disciples had been with the Lord for three years, seeing all that He had done and heard all that He taught, and yet they still didn’t understand what it was all about. They must have felt that something big was imminent though, but it was not what they wanted or thought….

As they went up to Jerusalem, they felt this ominous feeling, and the things that Jesus was telling them were not things they wanted to hear. He was saying that He would be arrested by the religious leaders and was going to given to the Romans who would kill Him. Peter had already rebuked Him once for telling them this….it hadn’t sunk in at all. Now James and John were wanting to be in the highest place in the what they thought was His coming kingdom….the others took a dim view of this. Jesus gathered them together and told them that those who wanted to be the highest had to do the lowest of jobs and minister to others….God’s kingdom was not the same as earthly kingdoms.

He was the prime example of this….the Lord of Glory coming to earth to minister to those who were sick, lonely and homeless. He gave an example of this on the way along the road as they were passing by Jericho….Bartimaeus who was blind, called out to Him to have mercy on him . Jesus didn’t ignore his cries, and called for him to come over. Bartimaeus  knew his need and asked to receive his sight. What excitement when he did! He followed Jesus to Jerusalem….we wonder what happened to him the rest of that momentous time. But in the performing of that miracle. Jesus showed yet again by example how He was serving people in need.  Once again we realise that we are not called to be successful….we are called to be faithful.

The kingdom of God is not that of earth, The things we count of greatest worth,

As we feel our need and on Him call,   He gives the highest things of all.

***             ***             ***

                             The King was Coming!

Mark 11:1-11

The closer they got to Jerusalem, the more the tension was rising. They felt sure that something was going to happen during this visit. The strangest thing happened as they approached the city…..Jesus told them to go into a nearby village and bring Him a donkey’s colt ( a young unbroken animal) that was tied there. If anyone asked what they thought they were doing, they were to say that the Lord had need of it…..

We wonder what made the people who were following acknowledge Who He really was by calling out “Hosanna, blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!” as He rode that donkey into Jerusalem . Not only that, but the unbroken donkey went calmly along, taking no  notice of the Person on its back or of the noise that was going on around it or the palm branches that were being waved around. Truly a miracle in itself.

The disciples must have thought that this was the moment when Jesus would proclaim Himself as King and release them from the Roman rule. But it was not to be. He had come to be a suffering Saviour, not a conquering king….this was not God’s time for that. In fact, it has not come even yet. Even though there has been much done over the intervening years, yet there is still more work to be done in the short time left. Our responsibility is to be ready ourselves first and to do what we can in our small corner until this time comes.

Jesus Christ came into town, Riding on a donkey,

The people called  “Hosanna to His Name!” As into the city He closer came.

***             ***             ***

                             Calling

Mark 11:12-21

The sequence of events was now unfolding. The next morning as Jesus was going to the temple, He was hungry and saw a fig tree …it had lots of leaves but no fruit at all. He said that no-one would ever eat fruit from it again, and the disciples heard what He said……

In a sense this was prophetic, as the fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel. Israel had been God’s chosen people and were full of religious rites but  their heart  was not really in it, so they were like this tree that was covered with leaves but nothing else of value. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were like sepulchres that were beautiful on the outside, but  had nothing inside except dead bones (Matthew 23:27).

He continued in to the temple and found the merchants all peddling their wares and animals for the sacrifices….the noise and smell was horrendous! This was one of the occasions when Jesus was filled with righteous anger, and drove the animals out, overthrowing the bankers’ money tables there at the same time. “This is the House of Prayer”, He cried out, “And you have made it a den of thieves!”

The people standing around were amazed at His authority and how no-one could stop Him. When things were quiet once more, He began to teach the people, but the religious leaders were plotting instead how they could get rid of Him. They went out of the city that night and the next morning when they came back in, Peter noticed that the fig tree was dead that they had looked for fruit on the previous day. This shows us that the fig tree (Israel) was not to be the source of gathering the nations to the Lord or main means of preaching the Gospel to all nations. We have seen down through the centuries that Israel was destroyed from being a nation at all, and that God has been calling a people for Himself from the Gentile nations. But in 1948 Israel was once again proclaimed a nation  and we have seen the “fig tree” sprouting its leaves once more and we know the time is growing near for God to once more work in the affairs of men in a mighty way   (Matthew 24:1-50).

Israel. the sign of the “fig tree” of old, Is once more sprouting its leaves so bold,

When God’s time is right, He’ll show His great might,

And bring all His own to His fold.

***             ***             ***

                             Criteria for Prayer

Mark 11:22-26

Prayer is a tremendous subject and only one small corner of it is touched on here. And yet, it is not so small because the whole concept of prayer and communion with God is tied up in forgiveness…..

Those who recite the  so-called Lord’s Prayer slide so glibly over the greatest concept of prayer there is….  “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us” we say without even thinking of the ramifications of this statement  (Matthew 6:9-15). We wonder what true forgiveness is…does it entail the forgetting of the wrongs others have done to us? This is extremely hard to do, and only by taking this to the Lord in prayer will it happen. It may take years for some injustice to be forgotten and buried and then the slightest thing will bring it up from the grave again!

In this passage there are two main things for prayer….faith in God, and forgiveness of others….without these two things our prayers won’t go higher than the roof! The Lord says this Himself. Our attitudes are the most important thing we have within our being, and we are the only ones who can deal with them. Others may advise us, but no-one else can do anything about it. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, and this will grow roots and fester  (Hebrews 12:15). We will have to give an account of this in a time to come…God will not forget unconfessed sin, and even deserving unforgiveness is classed as a sin. Our sin is covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we will still have to give an account of it if we sweep it under the mat as it were.

The Bible tells us how to pray, To come to God in prayer each day,

To come in faith, forgiving all, As we on God so humbly call.

***             ***             ***

                         Who was John the Baptist?

Mark 11:27-33

The religious leaders never let up harassing Jesus. They felt threatened by His teaching and ministry, and the way the people flocked to hear Him, and constantly plotted how they could stop Him….

They had seen the crowds in the temple this time, and had probably heard reports of how He had come to Jerusalem with the crowds of people calling Him the son of David and paying homage to Him on the way, and we can imagine how they were saying they would have to put a stop to all this. They went to Him and asked Him where He got His authority to do this teaching from. Jesus gives us a classic way to answer these sort of semi accusations…He asked them a counter question. “Was John sent by God or not? Answer Me and I will tell you by whose authority I am teaching these things.”

They knew they were caught out. If they said he was from God, then they would be asked why they hadn’t believed him. If they said John was merely a man, the people would be up in arms, because they all recognised he was sent by God. So they said they couldn’t answer. Jesus then said that He wouldn’t answer either.

When people think they have cornered us in an argument, we have to fall back on the authority of God’s Word. When they are arguing , they don’t realise that it is not a man’s idea they are resisting, but it is God Himself and what He has written in His Word. This is our ultimate authority, and we can present what we are saying as being what God says, not man!

The religious leaders did not like God’s Word,  Which they from Jesus always heard,

They wondered why He spoke so strong, Showing them that  things were wrong.

***             ***             ***

                             Words of Wisdom.

Mark 12:1-27

    We have lessons here on how to keep to the truth….our Lord never watered down the truth. He spoke straight to the religious leaders, not telling them things they wanted to hear, but telling them the things they ought to hear…..

So often the Gospel is made to sound so easy….in the sense of accepting it, it is, but in living out of the Christian life, it is a constant battle. Here He shows how God’s servants are treated by the world….with disrespect, and  shameful treatment. This parable was a direct picture of what the religious leaders had done to God’s message down through the years. Finally they killed God’s messenger, endeavouring to get rid of the message. But this is not the end, the owner of the vineyard would one day come and give his husbandmen their just deserts. So it will be in God’s dealings with His earthly people.

The religious leaders knew the passage of Scripture that Jesus quoted to them, and they could tell that He was showing through this story what had been happening in their nation down through the years. They didn’t like the picture that He painted, and were more determined than ever to get rid of Him. They sent more of their own to try to catch Him out, both politically (Caesar) and socially (this fictitious case of a woman having seven husbands and whose wife would she be in heaven). In both cases He squashed their arguments by giving them the obvious answer in the case of paying tax (which they should have known), and telling them about human relationships in heaven which they didn’t know.

He finished off by making that great statement….God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the Living….Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s spirits were still alive in heaven!

Jesus Christ is Lord of all, The leaders could not make Him fall,

He told  them things they should have known, Things that He could teach alone.

***             ***             ***

                          The Greatest Commandment .

Mark 12:28-34

For the religious Jews of that time, the law as given by Moses was paramount in their thinking. Jesus had answered some of their arguments when another man stepped forward. “Which is the greatest commandment of all?” he asked……

There was only one obvious answer to this, and those listening would have been waiting for Jesus’ answer. “The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You are to love your neighbour as your self. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

The man questioning Him could not fault this answer, and said that to obey this first and greatest command was more important than making all the sacrifices under the sun. Our Lord, who knew the man’s heart, told him that he was near the kingdom of God in his answer. We aren’t told what ultimately happened to this man, but we DO know that to be part of God’s kingdom, we must believe in the One God sent with a sincere heart and then follow His ways….this has been the criteria right down all these years since this man asked this question (John 3:16, 36; Acts 10:9).

The first command of all God gave, Is for us  to believe in His Son to be saved,

It’s no use to offer burnt sacrifice, For none of these can pay sin’s price.

***             ***             ***

                                  Who is Right?

Mark 12:35-44

It seems that the scribes among the religious leaders were teaching that the coming Messiah was merely the son of David. Jesus shows them differently here….

He pointed out that David referred to this Coming One as “Lord”….if he was just one of his descendants, why did David (the greatest king at that time) give Him that title? Not only that, but David said (through the Holy Spirit)  that God Himself called this One “Lord”. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time accepted that David had spiritual insight, so why did David do this if the Messiah were not part of the Godhead?

They had no answer to this without backing down and admitting that what Jesus was saying was right. The ordinary people were glad to hear this teaching, and Jesus continued to warn them about taking too much notice of what the religious men were teaching….they didn’t back up what they taught with their actions. While this was going on, people were putting their offerings into the temple money box there…..those who were rich made a great show of what they were putting in, and then one poor old woman came and put in the two smallest coins there were. It seems that people could see what others were putting in, and Jesus told His disciples that in actual fact, she had put in the most of all, because it was all that she had. It wasn’t what was put in that counted, it was what people had left for themselves that showed the extent of their giving!

This principle still counts today. How much does it hurt to give to the Lord? Not that we should give at the expense of paying our bills because that isn’t giving correctly either, but how much do we spend on ourselves compared with what we give to the Lord?

Jesus Christ is Lord indeed, He gives us all the things we need,

Tis not the amount in our accounts. But what  is left  that truly counts.

***             ***             ***

                     When Will the Time Come?

Mark 13:1-37

People are still asking this question after nearly two thousand years since this first time! But what Jesus told the people then still counts for today…the time IS coming, watch and be ready for it!

The disciples wanted to know when these things that Jesus was talking about (the destruction of the temple) would happen, and what signs would indicate the time was near. Jesus then painted a picture of what the political and family life would be like in that time , and we have to admit, it is very like the times we are living in now! There is spiritual and moral breakdown everywhere we look….nothing is stable and settled, there is continual squabbling among the  nations, with false teaching abounding  around the world. Even Christian people can be deceived if they aren’t very watchful and alert. Weather patterns alter, and strange things can be seen in the sky now before that time has come.

We need to be alert and very thankful that God has given us the window of time that we have before eternity comes upon us where we will not be able to change our minds. What we choose to do with Jesus Christ here in this life will determine our eternal destiny, and yet so few people seem to realise this. They go through life carelessly and rebelliously saying that no-one is going to tell them what to do! Yet the God of heaven who made them a spiritual being is calling them to come to Him and they refuse to even consider spiritual things. Let’s make sure that we at least think about these things….shutting one’s mind to them doesn’t make them go away or any less real. They HAVE to be faced!

People like the future to know, Not realising that it’s what they sow,

They will have to reap results one day, Choices they make will determine their way.

***             ***             ***

                                     Giving All.

Mark 14:1-9

This is a very touching story that we read here. We know that this woman was Mary of Bethany (John 12:1-3) who had sat at the feet of Jesus many times listening to His teaching, and how we would like to know just what they talked about!  (Luke 10:38-42)

We read in chapter 11:11-12 that Jesus and the disciples stayed in Bethany that last week, and it is highly likely that they stayed with Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Mary seemed to have a special understanding from listening to Him so often that something was going to be happening shortly that would lead to His death. This particular evening, they were all at Simon’s place for the evening meal….Simon had been healed from leprosy…. and Mary had come prepared to do Him the greatest honour she could . She had brought this pot of  expensive, highly scented spikenard ointment and poured it on His head, and then His feet, kneeling before him and wiping His feet with her long hair  (John 12:1-3). This was not an act of contrition for her sins as that had already been dealt with; this was an act of worship and sacrifice as she understood what lay ahead for her Lord better than even the disciples. The scent of it  filled the room, and everyone could tell what she had done. As we lay everything before the Lord in worship, so others around us will smell the sweet aroma of devotion to Christ.

Mary loved her Lord so much, She gave Him all she could and such,

Aroma filled the air in the room there, As she wiped His feet with her long hair.

***             ***             ***

                                  Judas’ Betrayal.

Mark 14:10-26

Judas seems to have been consumed with the love of money….we wonder just what was going through his head at this time. Did he think he could pocket the money and that Jesus would walk free just as He had at other times?

But we know that this was a work of the devil (John 13:2), and yet it had all been pre-ordained by God, and had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier (Psalm 41:9). We read a detailed account here of how the place for the Passover supper was found and prepared. The feast of the Passover which commemorated the time when the Jews left  Egypt, lasted for seven days, so this explains why Jesus and His disciples celebrated the feast when they did, and then later it refers to the Sabbath being the high day of the feast,  (John 19:31) and the fact that the crucifixion had to take place before the Sabbath day.

The sacrifice was made and then the room was found and prepared to have the celebratory supper. It was as they sat there eating, that Jesus said that one of them would betray Him to the religious leaders. It was during this time that Jesus introduced the breaking of the bread and drinking from the cup that Christians have kept ever since as a memorial of His body that was broken and blood shed for them. We are also told this in 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 where the rules for today are clearly laid down.

Jesus told His disciples why He was doing this, but they still didn’t really realise what He was talking about. It was while they were still at the table that He talked about the Holy Spirit Who was going to come to be with them, and how they weren’t to be worried as He was the way to the Father. He was giving them a new commandment, one of loving each other, and His peace would be with them in all their ways as they lived their lives for Him. He was like a vine, He said, and they were to be His branches and abide in Him at all times. They would be able to pray in His name for strength and would receive it (John 14-16).

This was all over their heads at the time (John 16:17-18), but after His death and resurrection, all that He had said this night came flooding back and as they remembered these things, everything began to make sense. So it is that as we come to Him today, these things are a totally new concept, but as we grow in Him and read His word, it all comes together and makes sense to us.

Jesus Christ prepared His friends, For He knew his life was going to end,

Remember Me each time you take, My body broken for your sake.

***             ***             ***

                                    Be Faithful!

Mark 14:27-42

Our Lord knew in every detail what lay ahead of Him….the loneliness and the pain of the cross; the agony of redemption’s price, but He was still prepared to go through with it. There was no other way for mankind to be able to return to God and have fellowship with Him…..

Jesus was warning them here that they would all be offended and leave Him this very night. “Oh no,” said Peter, “Not me! I won’t leave you!”

“Yes, you will,” said Jesus, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will have denied Me three times.”

Peter, as his nature was, argued strongly that he wouldn’t do such a thing and all the others agreed with him.

They had reached the place where Jesus often went to pray, and the disciples settled down to wait for Him to do this. He took Peter, James and John a little further on and then began to wrestle in prayer to His Father pleading that if there was any other way, He might be spared. The three with Him watched and listened for a bit, but  they were so tired, they nodded off. An hour went by, and He came back to them….”Can’t you watch with Me?” He asked.

Then He went back to His spot, and prayed the same again…His agony was so intense, that He was sweating great drops of blood as He prayed. An angel came to Him to strengthen Him during this time  (Luke 22:43-44). Once more He came and woke them, but they were so sleepy they hardly noticed. He went back and prayed again, still suffering for what He knew lay ahead. The physical pain was going to be bad enough, but it was the spiritual pain of taking the weight of the world’s sin upon His soul that cause Him the agony. The disciples had no idea what He was actually going through or why, and neither can we comprehend it as we think back to that time. He was faithful unto death … we don’t have to totally understand it, all we have to do is to thankfully accept it by faith.  (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5)

We’re told that Jesus suffered for sin, Starting this night, He entered in,

The darkness and pain of paying the price, As He prayed this time in the garden thrice.

***             ***             ***

                                  Judas’ Betrayal.

Mark 14:43-50

This is the account of how Judas betrayed the Lord….he had gone to the religious leaders and told them that this was the time to take Him. We glibly read how Judas came and gave Him a kiss, but just imagine the background. We were told here that a great crowd had come with the men from the temple, and they were all armed with swords and rods ready to fight Jesus and His disciples…..

Jesus knew exactly what was happening, and He went forward to meet them. “Who do you want?” He asked.

“Jesus of Nazareth”, they answered.

“I AM HE”, He replied, and they all fell backwards on the ground! It is amazing that they didn’t stop in their tracks and wonder what power this was!

They picked themselves up and Jesus asked a second time who they wanted. This time He said He was the One and to let His men go  (John 18:3-11).  Each of the Gospel writers tell of this incident, and it is John who tells us that it was Peter who had the sword and aimed at the nearest person to him, cutting off his ear. Luke tells us that Jesus picked his ear up and put it back, healing him completely….thus there was no evidence against Peter for having done this thing  (Luke 22:50-51).  So they took Him off to the high priest’s house, with Peter trailing behind the mob.

What happened to Judas? He must have been in the crowd that followed Jesus to the high priest’s place and he could have been waiting for Jesus to miraculously walk through the crowd and go free. But it didn’t happen. Jesus was tied up and led off to the Roman governor with the religious leaders calling for His death. The enormity of what he had done finally hit Judas and he was filled with remorse (not repentance). He took the money back to the priests and threw it down on the ground before them, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood”, he cried as he left them. They didn’t know what to do with the money, not wanting to take it, so they bought a plot of ground to bury strangers in.

Judas’ mind had turned and he went and hung himself from a tree over a cliff edge….the rope broke and his body fell to the base of the  cliff as Peter described in his speech later (Acts 1:15-19)

Let us never mistake remorse for repentance…remorse is part of repentance, but it is not enough. We have to sincerely confess our sin and turn from it to live a new life in Jesus Christ to show our change of heart.

Judas thought he had it made, He’d take the money the priests had paid,

Things didn’t work as he had planned, All he could do was make an end.

***             ***             ***

                                    Peter’s Denial.

Mark 14:51-72

We have seen what happened to Judas….now what did Peter do? He had loudly declared he would never leave Jesus, and so he followed the crowd to the high priest’s house…..

John tells us that another disciple (which we assume to be himself) also went with the crowd to the high priest’s place, and he took Peter inside where it was warmer. As Peter went in one of the maids asked if he wasn’t one of Jesus’ men to which Peter said he wasn’t  (John 18:15-18).  As the “trial” proceeded, Peter stayed by the fire, and twice more he was asked the same thing to which he stated quite heatedly that he didn’t know the man. As it happened the third time, a rooster loudly crowed and the Lord turned and looked at Peter across the crowded room. Peter caught His eye, and remembered how He had said this would happen, and he broke down in remorse and went outside to weep bitterly  (Luke 22:55-62). We can only imagine what Peter’s thoughts and feelings were during the next few weeks!

But in the ensuing time, Jesus met with the disciples in different places…He didn’t stay with them, but would suddenly appear, talk with them and vanish again. The next account we have of Him speaking with Peter was by the lake of Galilee after Peter had gone back fishing. This time the Lord specifically asked Peter three times if he loved Him, to which Peter answered each time that he did (John 21:15-17) . Peter had denied Him three times, and now three times he had to state in front of the others, that of course he loved Him!

Peter three times denied his Lord, What grief this caused, what grief it brought,

Now he spoke threes times more, Affirming his love for the Lord he bore.

***             ***             ***

                                  The People’s Choice.

Mark 15:1-32

There were many this fateful day, who made a choice. It was put to the religious leaders, “What do you want to do with Jesus?”  All they wanted to do was to get rid of Him….  “Away with Him!” they cried, “Give us Barabbas!”

We don’t know a lot about Barabbas….all we know is that he was waiting on death row for his execution for murdering and stealing. We can only imagine what his feelings were of unbelief when the soldiers came to let him go, and we have no idea of his reaction towards the Man who took his place on the cross that day. The priests chose Barabbas rather than Jesus, and he disappeared from the scene.

The soldiers meantime, whipped Jesus until His face was unrecognisable…it was more marked , bloodied , bruised and swollen than any other person had ever been….this had been foretold hundreds of years before it happened  (Isaiah 52:14).  “What shall I do with Jesus then?” asked Pilate, and they roared out, “Away with Him, we will not have this Man to reign over us!” This was their choice.

The soldiers chose to mock, spit, and whack Jesus, and called Him king , bowing to Him with no thought of what they were saying or really doing. So they took Him out to the place of execution.

From our perspective today sitting in a sanitised environment, it is just an account of the bare facts, but have you ever stopped to think of what it must have actually been like? There would have been a lot of noise…the grunts of the soldiers as they dug the holes, the groans of the prisoners as they were nailed to the crosses, the voices of the men who lifted the crosses into the holes, the weeping of the few friends of the victims. Then the voices of those who were still mocking Him….”Get off the cross and we’ll believe You”, they called out. Then the conversation of the two thieves crucified with Him…one who chose to continue to mock Him and one who chose to believe that He was who He said He was. One whose choice destined him to hell and the other made the choice to believe, and who went to be with the Lord in Paradise  (Luke 23:39-43) . What enormous consequences choices have!! Let us stop to think about the choices we have made or are about to make.

This all happened by the third hour of the day…9 a.m.

We all make choices every day, Choices that end in different ways,

Stop and  think of the results,  Of  your reaction to insults.

***             ***             ***

                             Christ’s Work Done.

Mark 15:33-39.

Mark gives the timing of the day of the crucifixion very clearly….it was the third hour when Jesus was put on the cross, and now the sixth hour had come and the sky darkened until there was complete darkness over the whole land for the next three hours. This was no ordinary eclipse of the sun….

It was the time that the Lord of all Creation took on Himself the sins of the world and paid restitution to His heavenly Father  for them. He was representing the whole of the human race, being the only sinless One capable of doing this (Hebrews 9:28).

Each of the Gospel writers gives different aspects of the crucifixion, and different things that were said and done, so all must be taken into account when trying to get the whole picture. Mark’s account is fairly brief…but he does record the cry of anguish from the Lord…  “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Never before had God the Father turned His back on His beloved Son, but at the moment when He was taking the sin of the whole world on Him, He couldn’t bear to look at it. Yet it cost God the Father more than we can ever know or imagine to do this…..we are told that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself at this time  (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The He cried out again with a loud voice saying, “It is finished!”  (John 19:30)….the work of salvation was finished and to show this the veil in the temple that covered the holiest place was torn from the top to the bottom by a heavenly hand….this was a very high and thick heavy curtain that a man could not tear. The old covenant was ended, and the new had begun.

The fact about Jesus that the religious leaders would not admit, was given by a Roman centurion standing nearby…. “truly this WAS the Son of God!”

Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, Finished the work, salvation  won,

The way to God was open wide, So man with Him could now abide.

***             ***             ***

                             The Aftermath.

Mark 15:40-47

For the disciples and women who were standing at a distance watching what was happening to their Leader, everything must have been an anti climax at the end of this day. The victims ere all dead, the body of Jesus had been taken down off the cross and put into a cave-tomb, and this, the most miserable day of their lives, had drawn to a close…..

The next day the Passover celebrations were still continuing, but we can imagine that these followers of Jesus did not have their heart in any of it. Everything that they had expected had come crashing down around their ears! So they went through the motions of doing what had to be done, and planning what they would do for their beloved Master once the Sabbath day was over.

Joseph of Arimathea was a man of some standing in the community, and he went to Pilate and asked permission to take the body and bury it . This was given and he placed it in his own new tomb which he had prepared for himself (Matthew 27:60), thus fulfilling the OT scripture where it said that the Coming One who was despised and rejected by the leaders would be with the wicked (the thieves crucified with Him) and the rich in His death (Isaiah 53:3,9).

The women watched all this going on, and made their plans accordingly.

The women watched all this so horrified, As their Lord and Master bled and died,

They made their plans what they would do, To show their honour and their due.

 

***             ***             ***

                             “He is Risen!”

Mark 16:1-11

Mark’s account of the resurrection and the ensuing days is very brief. Matthew tells us that there was a large earthquake during the night the Lord rose from the dead, and even though this had happened, it didn’t deter the group of women walking in the dusk of morning to the tomb to do what had to be done…..

So many cataclysmic events had occurred in the last few days, that the trembling of the earth was only one more thing to be overcome. But they did wonder how they were going to get into the tomb to work on the body of their beloved Master. No wonder there was an earthquake! An angel had come down and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the tomb for all to see that there was no body inside! The soldiers who were guarding the place, were all quivering in fright at the blast of the angel’s presence…this was no ghostly appearance, it was a blinding light and he was wearing brilliant white clothes (Matthew 28:2-4).

The angel spoke to the women, telling them to not be afraid, but to go inside and look at the empty place, and then go and tell the disciples. Mary Magdalene must have been a faster runner than the others because we are told that she was the first to see the risen Christ, but it seems that the others caught her up and they all spoke with Him and worshipped Him (Matthew 28:8-9). John tells us that he and Peter ran to the tomb when Mary turned up with the news, and went inside and looked, but the rest of the disciples didn’t seem to believe that their Master was now  alive again (John 20:2-8).

Jesus Christ had risen again, His friends couldn’t  believe this news so plain,

The soldiers and the earth both shook in fright, At the end of this long dreadful night.

***             ***             ***

                             Calling

Mark 16:12-20

Mark packs a lot into a few verses here at the end of his book about the doings of our Lord Jesus after His resurrection. And there is still much more that was never told….John tells us that if everything that He did was written down, there would be too many books needed!…(John 21:25)

We have enough information given to know that there is sufficient evidence of the fact that He is alive today at His Father’s right hand (1 Corinthians 15:4-8) .  Luke gives the full details of the two who were walking to Emmaus, and how Jesus joined them on this walk….he tells how the conversation was burned into their memories, and how as soon as they recognised Him as He gave thanks for the meal, He disappeared from their sight (Luke 24:13-35).

Mark misses out the account of the disciples going back to their fishing occupation, and how Jesus was waiting for them on the beach….once again He showed them that He could provide for their needs if they followed Him. It was at that time that Peter made public confession of his love for his Lord three times in payment for his threefold denial at the trial (John 21:1-18). Luke gives the full account of His ascension in Acts 1:1-11, and Matthew tells us of the commission He gave the disciples to carry on what He had begun (Matthew 28:18-20).

It would be another six weeks before the next manifestation came in the giving of the Holy Spirit publicly, and then the disciple’s real work began and it has never finished right to this day, and will continue until His return for His people! Praise the Lord!!

Jesus Christ His commission gave, The disciples now His power have,

The Holy Spirit came from above, To help them spread abroad His love.

***             ***             ***