THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO MARK
(Peter's Gospel)
Date: Probably AD 50-60. Mark is the oldest Gospel, and is probably source material for many of the other writings and even gospels and letters of the early church. I placed this as the first Gospel because frankly it is the first written and most probably the only Gospel that the earliest church had to study! John is most definitely the “John Mark” of “Acts.” His mother was the “other Mary,” who was a very wealthy member of Jesus' group and help pay for the ministry. This book is written primarily for the Gentile readers, and this is the reason that there is no genealogy of Christ. Peter is the source for this Gospel, as Mark most likely wrote down in his own words, the stories that Peter gave him to write.
Mark 1:
THE PREACHING AND BAPTISM OF JOHN:
1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 The prophet Isaiah wrote, "I am sending My messenger ahead of you to prepare the way for You."
3 "A voice cries out in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the LORD! Make His paths straight!'"
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went to him. As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
6 John was dressed in clothes woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey.
7 He announced, ""Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am -- so much greater that I am not even worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps.
8 I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
BAPTISM OF JESUS:
9 At that time Jesus, who came from Nazareth in Galilee, was baptized by John in the Jordan River.
10 As Jesus came out of the water, He saw heaven split open and the Spirit coming down to Him and appeared as a dove.
11 Then a voice came from Heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
TEMPTATION OF CHRIST:
12 At once the Spirit brought Him to the desert,
13 where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was there with the wild animals, and the angels watched over Him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and told people the Good News of God.
15 He said, "The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent, and believe the Good News."
The Calling:
16 One day as He was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, fishing with a net, for they were fishermen by trade.
17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.
20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.
21 Then they went to Capernaum, and every Sabbath day He went into the church and taught the people.
22 The people were amazed at his teachings. Unlike their scribes, He taught them with authority.
DEMON CAST OUT:
23 At that time there was a man in the church who was controlled by an evil spirit. He shouted,
24 "What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Let us alone! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"
25 But Jesus rebuked them, "Keep quiet, and come out of him!"
26 The evil spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out of him with a loud scream.
27 Amazement gripped the crowd, and they began to discuss what had happened. "What sort of new teaching is this?" they asked excitedly. "It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey His commands!"
28 The news about Him spread quickly throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 After Jesus and his disciples left the church, they went over to Simon and Andrew's home, and James and John were with them.
PETER WAS MARRIED!
30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.
31 So He went to her, took her hand, and helped her up. The fever instantly went away, and she prepared a meal for them.
32 At sundown, the people brought to Him everyone who was sick and those possessed by demons.
33 The whole city had gathered at the door.
34 He healed great numbers of sick people who had many different kinds of diseases, and He cast out many demons from their victims. But because they knew who He was, He refused to allow the demons to speak.
35 In the morning, before sunrise, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone to pray.
36 Simon and his friends searched for Him.
37 When they found Him, they told him, "Everybody is looking for you."
38 But He said to them, "Let's go into the next towns, so that I can preach there also, because for this purpose I have come."
39 So he went to spread [the Good News] in the churches (synagogues) all over Galilee, and He forced demons out of people.
40 Now a leper came to Him, fell to his knees and begged Jesus, "If you're willing, you can heal me."
41 Jesus felt sorry for him, reached out, touched him, and said, "I'm willing. Be healed!"
42 Immediately, the man's leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once and warned him,
44 "Don't tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifices which Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean (healed)."
45 When the man left, he began to talk freely. He spread his story so widely that Jesus couldn't enter a town anywhere publicly. He had to stay out in the secluded places, and people from everywhere came to Him there.
Mark 2:
Healing a paralytic:
1 Again He came back to Capernaum, the news of his arrival spread quickly through town.
2 Many people had gathered and there was no room left, even in front of the door. Jesus was speaking God's WORD to them.
3 Four men came to Him carrying a paralyzed man.
4 Since they could not bring the man to Jesus because of the huge crowd, so they dug through the clay roof over the place where He was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
It is remarkable that all the three narratives call it "their faith" which Jesus saw. That the patient himself had faith, we know from the proclamation of his forgiveness, which Jesus made before all; and we should have been apt to conclude that his four friends bore him to Jesus merely out of benevolent compliance with the urgent entreaties of the poor sufferer. But here we learn, not only that his bearers had the same faith with himself, but that Jesus marked it as a faith which was not to be defeated--a faith victorious over all difficulties. This was the faith for which He was ever on the watch, and which He never saw without marking, and, in those who needed anything from Him, richly rewarding.
6 Some scribes were sitting there. They thought,
7 "Why does He talk this way? He's dishonoring God. Only God can forgive sins!"
In this second question they expressed a great truth. (See Isaiah 43:25 , Micah 7:18 , Exodus 34:6 Exodus 34:7 , &c.). Nor was their first question altogether unnatural, though in our Lord's sole case it was unfounded. That a man, to all appearances like one of themselves, should claim authority and power to forgive sins, they could not, on the first blush of it, but regard as in the last degree startling; nor were they entitled even to weigh such a claim, as worthy of a hearing, save on supposition of resistless evidence afforded by Him in support of the claim. Accordingly, our Lord deals with them as men entitled to such evidence, and supplies it; at the same time chiding them for rashness, in drawing harsh conclusions regarding Himself.
8 Jesus knew what they were discussing among themselves, so He said to them, "Why do you think this is blasphemy?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?
10 So you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." Then He said to the paralyzed man,
11 “I say to you, arise, pick up your cot, and go home!"
12 The man got up, immediately picked up his cot, and walked away while everyone watched. Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that gathered around Him.
LEVI CALLED:
14 When He was leaving, He saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting in a tax office. He said to him, "Follow Me!" So Levi got up and followed him.
15 Later while He was having dinner at Levi's home, some tax collectors and sinners who were followers of Jesus were eating with Him and His disciples.
16 When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
17 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor -- sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough."
FASTING:
18 John's disciples and the Pharisees often fasted, and some of the people came to Him and said, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but Your disciples don't?"
19 Jesus replied, "Can wedding guests fast while the groom is still with them? As long as they have the groom with them, they do not fast.
20 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
21 "No one would patch an old garment with new cloth? For the new cloth patch will shrink and pull away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before.
22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine needs new wineskins."
JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH:
23 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, His disciples began breaking off heads of wheat.
24 The Pharisees said, "Look! Your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the Sabbath!”
25 Jesus asked them, "Haven't you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were hungry?
26 Haven't you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and and ate the showbread, which he had no right to eat. Only the priests have that right. Haven't you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?"
27 "The Sabbath was made for mankind, man was not made for the Sabbath.
28 Therefore the Son of Man is also LORD of the Sabbath."
Mark 3:
1 Jesus went into the church again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.
2 Everyone watched Him closely, they wanted to see whether He would heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse Him.
3 So He told the man with the paralyzed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone."
4 Then He asked them, "Is it right to do good or evil on the Sabbath -- to give a person back his health or to let him die?" They stayed silent.
5 He looked around at them angrily, because He was angry by their hard hearts. Then He said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again!
6 The Pharisees left, and with Herod's followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus.
7 But Jesus left with his disciples for the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, and from across the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon followed Him. They came to him because they had heard about everything He was doing.
9 Jesus told His disciples to have a boat ready so that the crowd would not crush Him.
10 He healed so many that everyone with any disease rushed up to Him in order to touch Him.
11 And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of Him, they would fall down in front of Him screaming, "You are the Son of God!"
12 He gave them orders not to tell anyone who He was.
13 Afterward He went up on a mountain and called those He wanted to go with Him. And they came to Him.
THE TWELVE:
14 He appointed twelve whom He called apostles. They were to accompany Him, and He sent them out to preach,
15 They also had the authority to force demons out of people.
16 He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter),
17 James and his brother John (Zebedee's sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means "Thunderbolts"),
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
19 and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).
20 Another crowd gathered so that they could not even eat.
21 When His family heard about it, they went to get Him. They said, "He's out of his mind!"
22 The lawyers who had come from Jerusalem said, "Beelzebul is in Him," and "He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons."
23 Jesus called them together and used this illustration: "How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 A kingdom is divided against itself, cannot stand.
25 And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last.
26 And if Satan is fighting against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.
27 "No one can go into a strong man's house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man's house and steal his property.
28 "I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse,
29 but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They are in peril of eternal damnation."
30 Jesus said this because the lawyers had said that He had an evil spirit.
31 Then His mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask Him to come out.
32 The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for You."
33 He replied to them, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?"
34 Then looking at those who sat in a circle around Him, He said, "Look, here are My mother and My brothers.
35 Whoever does what God wants is My brother and sister and mother."
MARK 4:
1 He began to teach by the Sea {of Galilee). A large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was in the water while the entire crowd lined the shore.
2 He used parables to teach them many things. While He was teaching, He said to them,
3 "Listen! A farmer went to plant seed.
4 Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them.
5 Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn't much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn't deep.
6 When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn't have any roots, so they withered.
7 Other seeds were planted among thorn-bushes. The thorn-bushes grew up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything.
This case is that of ground not thoroughly cleaned of the thistles, &c.; which, rising above the good seed, "choke" or "smother" it, excluding light and air, and drawing away the moisture and richness of the soil. Hence it "becomes unfruitful" ( Matthew 13:22 ); it grows, but its growth is checked, and it never ripens. The evil here is neither a hard nor a shallow soil--there is softness enough, and depth enough; but it is the existence in it of what draws all the moisture and richness of the soil away to itself, and so starves the plant. What now are these "thorns?" (Jamieson)
8 But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."
The goodness of this last soil consists in its qualities being precisely the reverse of the other three soils: from its softness and tenderness, receiving and cherishing the seed; from its depth, allowing it to take firm root, and not quickly losing its moisture; and from its cleanness, giving its whole vigor and sap to the plant. In such a soil the seed "brings forth fruit," in all different degrees of profusion, according to the measure in which the soil possesses those qualities. (Jamieson)
9 "Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!"
10 But when He was alone with the twelve and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him, "What do your stories mean?"
11 Jesus replied to them, "The mystery about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But I am using these stories to conceal everything about it from outsiders,
12 so that 'Seeing they may see and not really see, And hearing they do not hear or understand; So they will not turn from their sins and be forgiven.' Isaiah 6:9-10
God is saying that He does NOT want tall to know!!!!
13 "But if you can't understand this story, how will you understand all the others I am going to tell?
14 The farmer I talked about is the one who brings God's message to others.
15 The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the message, but then Satan comes at once and takes it away from them.
"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart." The great truth here taught is, that hearts all unbroken and hard are no fit soil for saving truth. They apprehend it not ( Matthew 13:19 ) as God's means of restoring them to Himself; it penetrates not, makes no impression, but lies loosely on the surface of the heart, till the wicked one--afraid of losing a victim by his "believing to salvation" ( Luke 8:12 )--finds some frivolous subject by whose greater attractions to draw off the attention, and straightway it is gone. Of how many hearers of the word is this the graphic but painful history! (Jamieson)
16 The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.
"Immediately" the seed in such a case "springs up"--all the quicker from the shallowness of the soil--"because it has no depth of earth." But the sun, beating on it, as quickly scorches and withers it up, "because it has no root" ( Mark 4:6 ), and "lacks moisture" ( Luke 8:6 ). The great truth here taught is that hearts superficially impressed are apt to receive the truth with readiness, and even with joy ( Luke 8:13 ); but the heat of tribulation or persecution because of the word, or the trials which their new profession brings upon them quickly dries up their relish for the truth, and withers all the hasty promise of fruit which they showed. Such disappointing issues of a faithful and awakening ministry--alas, how frequent are they! (Jamieson)
17 But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word.
18 The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News,
19 but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything.
20 Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops--thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."
A heart soft and tender, stirred to its depths on the great things of eternity, and jealously guarded from worldly engrossments, such only is the "honest and good heart" ( Luke 8:15 ), which "keeps," that is, "retains" the seed of the word, and bears fruit just in proportion as it is such a heart. Such "bring forth fruit with patience" ( Mark 4:15 ), or continuance, "enduring to the end"; in contrast with those in whom the word is "choked" and brings no fruit to perfection. The "thirtyfold" is designed to express the lowest degree of fruitfulness; the "hundredfold" the highest; and the "sixtyfold" the intermediate degrees of fruitfulness. As a "hundredfold," though not unexampled ( Genesis 26:12 ), sis a rare return in the natural husbandry, so the highest degrees of spiritual fruitfulness are too seldom witnessed. The closing words of this introductory parable seem designed to call attention to the fundamental and universal character of it.(Jamieson)
21 Then Jesus asked them, "Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed to shut out the light? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
22 There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.
23 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!
24 And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand -- and even more, besides.
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what little he has will be taken away."
26 Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.
27 He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn't know how.
28 The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain.
29 As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come."
30 Jesus asked, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What parable can I use to illustrate it?
31 It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth.
32 However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade."
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
34 In fact, in His public teaching He taught only with parables, but afterward when He was alone with his disciples, He explained the meaning to them.
35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side."
36 Now when they had left the crowd, they took Him along in the boat. And other little boats were also following Him.
37 A strong windstorm came up. The waves were washing into the boat and it was quickly filling up.
38 But He was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. So they woke Him up and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?"
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet down, Become calm!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.
40 He asked them, "Why are you such cowards? Where is your faith?"
41 they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this Man, that even the wind and waves obey Him?"
Mark 5:
1 Then they came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gadarenes.
2 As Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man came out of the tombs and met Him. The man was controlled by a demon.
In Matthew ( Matthew 8:28 ), "there met him two men possessed with devils." Though there be no discrepancy between these two statements--more than between two witnesses, one of whom testifies to something done by one person, while the other affirms that there were two--it is difficult to see how the principal details here given could apply to more than one case.
Luke ( Luke 8:27 ) says, "He ware no clothes, neither abode in any house." These tombs were hewn out of the rocky caves of the locality, and served for shelters and lurking places ( Luke 8:26 ).
4 Whenever he was put into shackles and chains -- as he often was -- he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to control him.
Luke says ( Luke 8:29 ) that "oftentimes it [the unclean spirit] had caught him"; and after mentioning how they had vainly tried to bind him with chains and fetters, because, "he brake the bands," he adds, "and was driven of the devil [demon] into the wilderness." The dark tyrant--power by which he was held clothed him with superhuman strength and made him scorn restraint. Matthew ( Matthew 8:28 ) says he was "exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way." He was the terror of the whole locality.
5 All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the graves and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones.
7 He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God's sake, don't torture me!"
or, as in Matthew 8:29 , "Art Thou come to torment us before the time?" Behold the tormentor anticipating, dreading, and entreating exemption from torment! In Christ they discern their destined Tormentor; the time, they know, is fixed, and they feel as if it were come already! James 2:19
9 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And the spirit replied, "Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man."
or, as in Luke ( Luke 8:30 ) "because many devils [demons] were entered into him." A legion, in the Roman army, amounted, at its full complement, to six thousand; but here the word is used, as such words with us, and even this one, for an indefinitely large number--large enough however to rush, as soon as permission was given, into two thousand swine and destroy them.
13 Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man, went into the pigs and the heard, about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned.
In Matthew ( Matthew 8:32 ) this is given with majestic brevity--"Go!" The owners, if Jews, drove an illegal trade; if heathens, they insulted the national religion: in either case the permission was just. Also note that Jesus sees these pigs, as any Jew would – UNCLEAN!
14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. Everyone went out to see what it was that had happened.
15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, but they were frightened when they saw the man who had been demon possessed, for he was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.
As our Evangelist had not told us that he "ware no clothes," the meaning of this statement could only have been conjectured but for "the beloved physician" ( Luke 8:27 ), who supplies the missing piece of information here. This is a striking case of what are called Undesigned Coincidences amongst the different Evangelists; one of them taking a thing for granted, as familiarly known at the time, but which we should never have known but for one or more of the others, and without the knowledge of which some of their statements would be unintelligible. The clothing which the poor man would feel the want of the moment his consciousness returned to him, was doubtless supplied to him by some of the Twelve.
19 But Jesus did not allow it. Instead, He told the man, "Go back home to your family, and tell them how much the LORD has done for you and how merciful He has been to you."
20 He left and began to tell how much Jesus had done for him in the Ten Cities. Everyone was amazed.
THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RAISED TO LIFE:
21 Jesus again crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in a boat. A large crowd gathered around Him by the shore.
22 A church leader named Jairus also arrived. When he saw Jesus, he quickly bowed down in front of Him.
Matthew ( Matthew 9:18 ) tells us that the ruler came to Him while He was in the act of speaking at His own table on the subject of fasting; and as we must suppose that this converted publican ought to know what took place on that memorable occasion when he made a feast to his Lord, we conclude that here the right order is indicated by the First Evangelist alone.
Jairus by name--or "Jaeirus." It is the same name as Jair, in the Old Testament ( Numbers 32:41 , Judges 10:3 , Esther 2:5 ).
Jairus by name--or "Jaeirus." It is the same name as Jair, in the Old Testament ( Numbers 32:41 , Judges 10:3 , Esther 2:5 ).
23 He begged Jesus, "My little daughter is dying. Come, lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live."
26 Although she had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all her money, she had not been helped at all. Actually, she had become worse.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from Him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31 His disciples said to him, "How can You ask, 'Who touched me,' when You see the crowd pressing You on all sides?"
33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and told Him what she had done.
35 While He was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus's home with the message, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."
38 When they came to the home of the church leader, He saw a noisy crowd there, crying and sobbing loudly.
39 When He came in, He asked them, "Why are you making so much noise and crying? The child isn't dead. She's just sleeping."
40 They laughed at Him. So He told them all to go outside. He then took the child's father, mother, and his three disciples and went to the child.
43 He commanded them not to let anyone know about this. He also told them to give the little girl something to eat.
Mark 6:
CHRIST'S SIBLINGS:
2 And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the church, and many who heard Him were astonished. They asked, "Where did this man get these ideas? Who gave Him this kind of wisdom and the ability to do such great miracles?
3 Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't His sisters here with us?" So they took offense at Him.
This is a very telling line from the New Testament that proves beyond all doubt that Jesus was a member of a family of many brothers and sisters. Mary wasn't always a virgin, as the Catholic Church teaches. The was a virgin UNTIL after the birth of Jesus, then she became the wife of Joseph, had sex with him and bore him many children! That is The Plain Truth!
4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family."
A very telling “jab” at his family members who did not believe that He was indeed God.
5 And because of their unbelief, He couldn't do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them.
7 He called the twelve apostles, sent them out two by two, and gave them authority over evil spirits.
8 He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick -- no food, no traveler's bag, no money.
11 And whoever don't welcome you or listen to you, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them."
14 King Herod soon heard about Jesus, because people everywhere were talking about him. Some were saying, "This must be John the Baptist come back to life again. That is why he can do such miracles."
that is, Herod Antipas, one of the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of Archelaus ( Matthew 2:22 ), who ruled as ethnarch over Galilee and Perea.
15 Others said, "He is Elijah." Still others said, "He is The prophet, or another of the prophets of old."
16 But when Herod heard about it, he said, "I had John's head cut off, he has been raised from the dead!"
The account of John's death:
17 For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her.
Which is against the Law. It is adultery.
18 John had saidHerod, "It's not lawful to be married to your {living} brother's wife." (see Leviticus 20:21 )
20 because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a fair and holy man, so he protected him. Herod was disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
21 An opportunity finally came on Herod's birthday. Herod gave a dinner for his top officials, army officers, and the most important people of Galilee.
22 His daughter, that is, Herodias' daughter, came in and danced. Herod and his guests were delighted with her. The king told the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you."
Her name was Salome [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 18.5,4].
24 So she went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother said, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist."
25 So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, "I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!"
26 The king deeply regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he didn't want to refuse her.
27 Immediately, the king sent a guard and ordered him to bring John's head. The guard cut off John's head in prison.
31 Then He said, "Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest." There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat.
5000 Fed:
Here, for the first time, all the four streams of sacred text run parallel. The occasion and all the circumstances of this grand section are thus brought before us with a vividness quite remarkable.
33 But many people saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and met them as they landed.
34 When Jesus got out of the boat, He saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So He spent a lot of time teaching them.
35 When it was late, His disciples came to Him and said, "No one lives around here, and it's already late.
37 He replied, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Should we go and spend about a year's wages on bread to feed them?"
38 He said to them, "How much food do you have? Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish."
41 After He took the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and blessed the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, He kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people.
One very important particular given by John alone ( John 6:15 ) introduces this portion: "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone."
45 Immediately, He made His disciples get back into the boat and head out across the lake to Bethsaida, while He sent the people on their way home.
48 Then He saw that they were in a lot of trouble as they rowed, because they were going against the wind. Between three and six o'clock in the morning, He came to them. He was walking on the sea. He wanted to pass by them.
the fourth watch of the night.... The Jews, who used to divide the night into three watches, latterly adopted the Roman division into four watches, as here. So that, at the rate of three hours to each, the fourth watch, reckoning from six P.M., would be three o'clock in the morning. "So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs" ( John 6:19 )--rather more than halfway across. The lake is about seven miles broad at its widest part. So that in eight or nine hours they had only made some three and a half miles. By this time, therefore, they must have been in a state of exhaustion and despondency bordering on despair; and now at length, having tried them long enough. (Jamieson)
50 All of them saw Him and were terrified. Immediately, He said, "Calm down! It's Me. Don't be afraid!"
For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid--There is something in these two little words--given by Matthew, Mark and John ( Matthew 14:27 , 6:50 , John 6:20 )--"It is I," which from the mouth that spake it and the circumstances in which it was uttered, passes the power of language to express. Here were they in the midst of a raging sea, their little bark the sport of the elements, and with just enough of light to descry an object on the waters which only aggravated their fears. But Jesus deems it enough to dispel all apprehension to let them know that He was there. From other lips that "I am" would have merely meant that the person speaking was such a one and not another person. That, surely, would have done little to calm the fears of men expecting every minute, it may be, to go to the bottom. But spoken by One who at that moment was "treading upon the waves of the sea," and was about to hush the raging elements with His word, what was it but the Voice which cried of old in the ears of Israel, even from the days of Moses, "I AM"; "I, EVEN I, AM HE!" Compare John 18:5 John 18:6 , 8:58 . Now, that Word is "made flesh, and dwells among us," uttering itself from beside us in dear familiar tones--"It is the Voice of my Beloved!" How far was this apprehended by these frightened disciples? There was one, we know, in the boat who outstripped all the rest in susceptibility to such sublime appeals. It was not the deep-toned writer of the Fourth Gospel, who, though he lived to soar beyond all the apostles, was as yet too young for prominence, and all unripe. It was Simon Barjonas. Here follows a very remarkable and instructive episode, recorded by Matthew alone: (Jamieson)
52 They didn't understand what had happened with the loaves of bread. Instead, they still didn't believe.
56 Whenever He would go into villages, cities, or farms, people would put their sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch the edge of His clothes. Everyone who touched His clothes was healed.
Mark 7:
1 The Pharisees and some of the lawyers who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Him.
3 (The Pharisees, like all other Jewish people, don't eat unless they have properly washed their hands. They follow the traditions of their ancestors.
4 When they come from the marketplace, they don't eat unless they have washed first. They have been taught to follow many other rules. For example, they must also wash their cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables. )
5 The Pharisees and the lawyers asked Him, "Why don't Your disciples follow the traditions taught by our ancestors? They are unclean because they don't wash their hands before they eat!"
6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
10 For example, Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother' and 'Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.'
11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I could have given to you.'
13 As such, you break the Law (Torah) of God in order to protect your own traditions. And this is only one example. There are many, many others."
15 Nothing that enters a person from the outside can make him unclean. It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.
This is HIS home! Yes, he owned at least 1, maybe even 2 homes!
18 So He said to them, "Don't you understand? Don't you know that whatever goes into a person from the outside can't make him unclean?
Some text have “and made all foods clean.. BUT THAT IS NOT IN ANY ORIGINAL TEXT or THE KJV!
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
24 He left and went on to Tyre. He tried to keep it secret that He was there, but He couldn't. As usual, the news of his arrival spread fast.
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 Jesus said to her, "First, let the children eat all they want. It's not right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
This is a Jesus we never here about! He could be rude, testing and blunt. But He always had a purpose! Yet the message is clear. He was not there to save just anyone – He was there for God's people! In His next coming, this will change!
31 Jesus then left Tyre. He went through Sidon and the area of the Ten Cities to the Sea of Galilee.
32 They brought to Him a man who was deaf, and with a speech defect. They begged Jesus to lay His hand on him.
33 He took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. He put His fingers into the man's ears, and after spitting, he touched the man's tongue.
37 He completely amazed the people. They said, "He has done everything well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute talk."
Mark 8:
Feeding of the Four Thousand:
1 About this time another great crowd gathered, and the people ran out of food once more. Jesus called his disciples and told them,
2 "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with Me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat.
3 And if I send them home without feeding them, they will faint along the road. For some of them have come a long distance."
6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Then He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples to serve to the people.
8 They ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over!
Had not our Lord distinctly referred, in this very chapter and in two successive sentences, to the feeding of the five thousand and of the four thousand as two distinct miracles, many critics would have insisted that they were but two different representations of one and the same miracle, as they do of the two expulsions of the buyers and sellers from the temple, at the beginning and end of our Lord's ministry. But even in spite of what our Lord says, it is painful to find such men as NEANDER endeavoring to identify the two miracles. The localities, though both on the eastern side of the lake, were different; the time was different; the preceding and following circumstances were different; the period during which the people continued fasting was different--in the one case not even one entire day, in the other three days; the number fed was different--five thousand in the one case, in the other four thousand; the number of the loaves was different--five in the one case, in the other seven; the number of the fishes in the one case is definitely stated by all the four Evangelists--two; in the other case both give them indefinitely--"a few small fishes"; in the one case the multitude were commanded to sit down "upon the green grass"; in the other "on the ground"; in the one case the number of the baskets taken up filled with the fragments was twelve, in the other seven; but more than all, perhaps, because apparently quite incidental, in the one case the name given to the kind of baskets used is the same in all the four narratives--the cophinus case the name given to the kind of baskets used, while it is the same in both the narratives, is quite different--the spuris, a basket large enough to hold a man's body, for Paul was let down in one of these from the wall of Damascus ( Acts 9:25 ). It might be added, that in the one case the people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, would have taken Him by force to make Him a king; in the other case no such excitement is recorded. In view of these things, who could have believed that these were one and the same miracle, even if the Lord Himself had not expressly distinguished them? (Jamieson)
11 The Pharisees went to Jesus and began to argue with Him. They tested Him by demanding that He perform a miraculous sign from heaven.
12 With a deep sigh He asked, "Why do these people demand a sign? I can guarantee this truth: If these people are given a sign, it will be far different than what they want!"
13 Then He left them there. He got into a boat again and crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
17 Jesus knew what they were saying and asked them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you don't have any bread? Don't you understand yet? Don't you catch on? Are your minds closed?
19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?" They told Him, "Twelve."
20 "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many large baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?" They answered Him, "Seven."
22 As they came to Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They begged Jesus to touch him.
23 Jesus took the blind man's hand and led him out of the village. He spit into the man's eyes and placed His hands on him. Jesus asked him, "Can you see anything?"
25 Then Jesus placed His hands on the man's eyes a second time, and the man saw clearly. His sight was normal again. He could see everything clearly even at a distance.
Jesus ask “WHO DO THEY THINK I AM:
27 Jesus and His disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, He asked them, "Who do people say I Am?"
28 They answered him, "Some say You are John the Baptist, others think Elijah, still others think that you are one of the prophets come back from the dead."
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He taught them that he would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the lawyers. He would be killed, and after three days rise again.
33 Jesus turned and looked at His disciples and then He said to Peter very sternly, "Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."
34 Then He called His disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross [stake], and follow Me.
35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.
38 If people are ashamed of Me and what I say in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Mark 9:
TRANSFIGURATION:
1 And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them.
4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--
6 because he did not know what to say, for they were all terribly afraid.
7 Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him."
8 Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until He, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead.
10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
11 And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the lawyers say that Elijah must come first?"
12 Then He answered and told them, "Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. Why then is it written in the Scriptures that the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with utter contempt?
13 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and he was badly mistreated, just as the Scriptures predicted."
14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a large crowd around them. Some lawyers were arguing with them.
This was "on the next day, when they were come down from the hill" ( Luke 9:37 ). The Transfiguration appears to have taken place at night. In the morning, as He came down from the hill on which it took place--with Peter, and James, and John--on approaching the other nine, He found them surrounded by a great multitude, and the scribes disputing or discussing with them. No doubt these cavillers were twitting the apostles of Jesus with their inability to cure the demoniac boy of whom we are presently to hear, and insinuating doubts even of their Master's ability to do it; while they, zealous for their Master's honor, would no doubt refer to His past miracles in proof of the contrary. (Jamieson)
15 Immediately, when they saw Him, they were all amazed, ran to Him, and greeted Him.
16 And He asked the lawyers there, "What are you talking with them about?"
17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son. He is possessed by a demon that won't let him speak.
18 And whenever the demon seizes him, he throws him down; Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes exhausted. I asked your disciples to force the spirit out, but they didn't have the power to do it."
19 He said to them, "You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me!"
Our Lord replies to the father by a severe rebuke to the disciples. As if wounded at the exposure before such a multitude, of the weakness of His disciples' faith, which doubtless He felt as a reflection on Himself, He puts them to the blush before all, but in language fitted only to raise expectation of what He Himself would do. (Jamieson)
20 So they brought the boy. But when the demon saw Jesus, he threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" The man replied, "Since he was very small.
22 The demon often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if You can."
23 Jesus said to him, "as far as “If” goes, everything is possible for the person who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "LORD, I believe; help my unbelief!"
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"
26 The demon screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and everyone said, "He's dead!"
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up.
28 And when He was alone in the house with His disciples, they asked Him, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?"
29 So He said to them, "This kind can be cast out only by prayer. "
30 Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity
31 in order to spend more time with His disciples and to teach them. He said, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later He will rise from the dead."
32 But they did not understand what He was saying, and were afraid to ask Him.
33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in His home, He asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?"
34 But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to Him. Then He said, "Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
36 Then He took a little child and had him stand among them. He put his arms around the child and said to them,
37 "Whoever welcomes a child like this in My name, also welcomes Me! Whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me but the One who sent Me."
38 Now John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone forcing demons out of a person by using the power and authority of Your Name. We tried to stop him because he was not one of us."
39 But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! No one who works a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me.
40 "Whoever isn't against us is for us.
41 For I can guarantee this truth: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward."
42 "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in Me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter Heaven with only one hand than to go into the everlasting fire of ghenna with two hands.
44 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.'
45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter Heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into ghenna fire with two feet.
46 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.'
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into ghenna,
Ghenna, translated “hell” is the place of eternal fire that burns up sinners at judgement day.
48 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.'
49 "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50 Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? Have salt within you, and live in peace with one another."
Mark 10:
FINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE—DIVORCE:
1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. Crowds gathered around Him again, and He taught them as He usually did.
2 Some Pharisees came to test Him. They asked, "Is it legal for a husband to divorce his wife?"
3 He answered and said to them, "What did Moses say?"
4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to leave her."
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, "He wrote those instructions only as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness.
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'
7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
8 and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate."
10 In His house, His disciples asked Him again about the same matter.
11 So He told them plainly, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.
It is OK for a man to marry another, BUT NOT if he divorces his first wife to do so! This again, IS NOT a Law against polygamy, but a law against what we do today. Leave one women, to marry another! This is against what God has planned for people to do.
12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
BLESSING THE CHILDREN:
13 Some people brought little children to Him to have Him hold them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.
14 When Jesus saw this, He became irritated. He told them, "Don't stop the children from coming to Me. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
15 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn't receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives it will never enter it."
16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.
WHAT ONE MUST DO TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE:
17 Now as He was going out on the road, a man came running to him and knelt in front of him. He asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"
18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
notice that Jesus didn't say, “Man, you already have it (eternal life)! We are just trying to figure out where you are going to spend it – in heaven or hell!” No, the man properly understood and Jesus agreed that eternal life is not automatic – one must do something to gain it! Also notice below, that He begins to recite the Ten Commandments! What we must do is OBEY the LAW!!!!!!
19 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "
20 "Teacher," the man replied, "I've obeyed all of the commandments since I was a child."
21 Then Jesus looked at him and loved him. He told him, "You're still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then follow Me!"
22 At this, the man's face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for rich people to enter the kingdom of God!"
24 The disciples were stunned by His words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for the thick thread made of camel's hair to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26 And they were greatly astounded, and said among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."
Great comfort! It is impossible for us to find salvation, but God can make anything possible, for NOTHING IS TO HARD FOR THE LORD TO DO!
28 Then Peter began to say to Him, "Look! We have left everything to followed You."
29 And Jesus replied, "I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the Good News,
30 will receive in return, a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property -- with persecutions. And in the world to come they will have eternal life.
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
32 Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking ahead of them. His disciples were shocked [that He was going to Jerusalem]. The others who followed were also afraid. Once again He took the twelve apostles aside. He began to tell them what was going to happen to Him.
33 "Behold, we are going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the lawyers; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the pagans; Luke 18:31
34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want you to do us a favor."
Matthew ( Matthew 20:20 ) says their "mother came to Him with her sons, worshipping Him and desiring," &c. (Compare Matthew 27:56 , with Mark 15:40 ). Salome was her name ( Mark 16:1 ). We cannot be sure with which of the parties the movement originated; but as our Lord, even in Matthew's account, addresses Himself to James and John, taking no account of the mother, it is likely the mother was merely set on by them. The thought was doubtless suggested to her sons by the recent promise to the Twelve of "thrones to sit on, when the Son of man should sit on the throne of His glory" ( Matthew 19:28 ); but after the reproof so lately given them ( Mark 9:33 , &c.). they get their mother to speak for them. (Jamieson)
36 And He said to them, "What is it that you want Me to do for you?"
37 They said to Him, "Let one of us sit at Your right and the other at Your left in your glory."
38 But Jesus said to them, "You don't realize what you're asking Me. Can you drink the cup that I'm going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I'm going to receive?"
To "drink of a cup" is in Scripture a figure for getting one's fill either of good ( Psalms 16:5 , 23:5 , 116:13 , Jeremiah 16:7 ) or of ill ( Psalms 75:8 , John 18:11 , Revelation 14:10 ). Here it is the cup of suffering. (Jamieson)
39 They said to Him, "We are able." Jesus told them, "You will drink the cup that I'm going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I'm going to receive.
40 But I don't have the authority to grant you a seat at My right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for chosen people."
41 When the ten other disciples discovered what James and John had asked, they were mad.
42 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them.
43 But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,
44 And whoever of you desires to be first must be servant to all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and many people were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.
47 When he heard about Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48 Then they told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49 So Jesus stopped and said, "Call him!" They called the blind man and told him, "Cheer up! Get up! He's calling you."
50 The blind man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.
51 Jesus asked him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said, "Teacher, I want to see again."
52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has healed you." And instantly the blind man could see! Then he followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 11:
CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM:
1 When they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of Him.
2 He said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
3 If anyone asks you what you are doing, say that the LORD needs it. That person will send it here at once."
4 The disciples found the colt {a donkey} in the street. It was tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it,
5 some men standing there asked them, "Why are you untying that colt?"
6 The disciples answered them as Jesus had told them. So the men let them go.
7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.
8 Many in the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them along the way.
9 Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
11 So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything, and then He left because it was late in the afternoon. Then He went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
DAY 2:
12 The next day, when they left Bethany, Jesus became hungry.
13 He noticed a fig tree with leaves. He went to see if He could find any figs on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves because it wasn't the season for figs.
14 Then He said to the tree, "No one will ever eat fruit from you again!" His disciples heard this.
15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves,
16 and He stopped everyone from bringing in anything to sell.
17 He taught them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves."
18 When the leading priests and lawyers learned what He did, they began planning how to kill Him. But they were afraid of Him because the people were so enthusiastic about His teaching.
19 That evening He and His disciples left the city.
DAY 3:
20 While Jesus and his disciples were walking at dawn, they saw that the fig tree had dried up.
21 Peter remembered, so he said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has dried up."
22 Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God!
23 I assure you that you can say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it would obey you. All you need is to believe with no doubt in your heart.
24 That's why I tell you to have faith. You can pray for anything, and if you believe, it will happen.
25 Whenever you pray, forgive anything you have against anyone. Then your Father in Heaven will forgive your failures."
26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
27 Jesus and His disciples returned to Jerusalem. As He was around the Temple grounds, the chief priests, the lawyers, and the leaders came to Him.
28 "What gives You the right to do these things? Who told You that You had the right do this?"
29 Jesus said, "I'll ask you a question. Answer Me, and then I'll tell you why I have the right to do these things.
30 Did John's right to baptize come from Heaven or from humans? Answer me!"
31 They discussed this among themselves. They said, "If we say, 'from heaven,' He will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe John?'
32 But if we say, 'from humans'?” They were afraid of the people. All the people thought of John as a true prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus told them, "Then I won't tell you by what authority I have to do these things either."
Mark 12:
PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANT FARMERS:
The time of this section appears to be still the third day of Christ's last week.
1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.
2 At grape-picking time he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop.
3 The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing.
4 So the man sent another servant. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully.
5 The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.
6 "He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, 'They will respect my son.'
7 "But those workers said to one another, 'He's the heir. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!'
8 So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 "What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you never read the Scripture passage: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
11 The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous to see.' "
12 They wanted to arrest Him but were afraid of the crowd. They knew that He had directed this parable at them. So they left Him alone and went away.
13 The leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to try to trap Jesus into saying something for which He could be arrested.
Tribute to Cæsar:
14 They came to Him, and said, "Teacher, we know that You tell the truth. You don't favor anyone because of who they are. Rather, You teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the Caesar or not?”
15 “Should we pay them, or not?" Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, "Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? Show me a Roman coin, and I'll tell you."
16 They brought a coin. He said to them, "Whose face and name is this?" They told him, "Caesar's.”
17 Jesus answered them, "Give to Caesar what belongs to the Caesar, and give God what belongs to God." And they marveled at Him.
The Resurrection of the dead and marriage in Heaven:
18 Some Sadducees,, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:
19 "Teacher, Moses wrote, 'If a man dies and leaves a wife but doesn't have a child, his brother should then marry the man's widow and have children for his brother.'
20 There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children.
21 The second married her and died without having children. So did the third.
22 None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died.
23 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her."
24 Jesus replied, "Your problem is that you don't understand Scripture, and you don't know the power of God.
25 For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in Heaven.
26 But now, as to whether the dead will be raised -- haven't you ever read about this in the Book of Moses--the story of the burning bush? How God spoke to him, saying, 'I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
27 He's not the God of the dead but of the living. You're badly mistaken!"
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living--not "the God of dead but [the God] of living persons." The word in brackets is almost certainly an addition to the genuine text, and critical editors exclude it. "For all live unto Him" ( Luke 20:38 )--"in His view," or "in His estimation." This last statement--found only in Luke--though adding nothing to the argument, is an important additional illustration. It is true, indeed, that to God no human being is dead or ever will be, but all mankind sustain an abiding conscious relation to Him; but the "all" here means "those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world." These sustain a gracious covenant relation to God which cannot be dissolved. (Compare Romans 6:10 Romans 6:11 ). In this sense our Lord affirms that for Moses to call the Lord the "GOD" of His patriarchal servants, if at that moment they had no existence, would be unworthy of Him. He "would be ashamed to be called their God, if He had not prepared for them a city" ( Hebrews 11:16 ). It was concluded by some of the early Fathers, from our Lord's resting His proof of the Resurrection on such a passage as this, instead of quoting some much clearer testimonies of the Old Testament, that the Sadducees, to whom this was addressed, acknowledged the authority of no part of the Old Testament but the Pentateuch; and this opinion has held its ground even till now. But as there is no ground for it in the New Testament, so JOSEPHUS is silent upon it; merely saying that they rejected the Pharisaic traditions. It was because the Pentateuch was regarded by all classes as the fundamental source of the Hebrew religion, and all the succeeding books of the Old Testament but as developments of it, that our Lord would show that even there the doctrine of the Resurrection was taught. And all the rather does He select this passage, as being not a bare annunciation of the doctrine in question, but as expressive of that glorious truth out of which the Resurrection springs. "And when the multitude heard this" (says Matthew 22:23 ), "they were astonished at His doctrine." "Then," adds Luke 20:39 Luke 20:40 , "certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said"--enjoying His victory over the Sadducees. "And after that they durst not ask Him any [question at all]"--neither party could; both being for the time utterly foiled. (Jamieson)
28 One of the scribes went to Jesus during the argument with the Sadducees. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, "Which commandment is the most important?”
29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord--This every devout Jew recited twice every day, and the Jews do it to this day; thus keeping up the great ancient national protest against the polytheisms and pantheisms of the heathen world: it is the great utterance of the national faith in One Living and Personal God--"ONE JEHOVAH!" (Jamieson)
30 So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
31 The second most important commandment is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these two."
32 The scribe said to Jesus, "Teacher, well said! You've told the truth that there is only one God and no other besides Him!
33 To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 When Jesus heard how wisely the man answered, he told the man, "You're not too far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one dared to ask Him another question.
THE LORD SAID TO MY Lord:
35 While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, He asked, "How can the scholars say that the Messiah is David's son?
36 For David, guided by the Holy Spirit, said, 'The LORD (Yahweh) said to my Lord (adonai): "Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'
37 David calls Him Lord (adonai). So how can He be his son?" The large crowd enjoyed listening to him.
This is still the best statement in all of the Bible to ask Jews and all of those who think that the Messiah is not God! In all of the Old testament, except for a few places, the LORD (Yahweh) is the LORD and GOD of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, as well as the LORD of David. Yet, in the Psalm, David, talking under the influence of the Holy Spirit, makes an amazing statement! He claims that his LORD (Yahweh) is in subjection to a greater LORD, another who now takes the name “Yahweh” and David's God, takes the lesser name “Adonnai!” Jews then, and today can not answer this question if there is only one LORD and one being called GOD. It is obvious then, that there are two beings in the Godhead and both use the name Yahweh, but when the two are discussed in the same passge, THE FATHER then takes that title name for Himself! It is easy to understand. I am Mr. Barney to those younger than I, but if my father was with me, he would become the “Mr. Barney” and I would be called, “sir.” This is why, after saying this, they dared not ask Him any more questions!
38 Here are some of the other things He taught them at this time: "Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they love to parade in flowing robes and to have everyone bow to them as they walk in the marketplaces.
39 And how they love the seats of honor in the churches and at banquets.
40 But they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property, and then, to cover up the kind of people they really are, they make long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater."
THE WIDOWS OFFERING-THE GREATEST:
41 As Jesus sat facing the temple offering box, He watched how [much] money people put into the treasury. Many rich people put in large amounts.
42 A poor widow dropped in two small coins, worth about a penny.
43 He called his disciples and said to them, "I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others.
44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus wealth, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."
Mark 13:
MATTHEW 24: THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND THE END TIMES:
1 Then as He went out of the Temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, look at these huge stones and these beautiful buildings!"
2 Jesus replied, "These buildings will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another."
wondering probably, how so massive a pile could be overthrown, as seemed implied in our Lord's last words regarding it. JOSEPHUS, who gives a minute account of the wonderful structure, speaks of stones forty cubits long [Wars of the Jews, 5.5.1]. and says the pillars supporting the porches were twenty-five cubits high, all of one stone, and that of the whitest marble [Wars of the Jews, 5.5.2]. Six days' battering at the walls, during the siege, made no impression upon them [Wars of the Jews, 6.4.1]. Some of the under-building, yet remaining, and other works, are probably as old as the first temple.
Titus ordered the whole city and Temple to be demolished [JOSEPHUS, Wars of the Jews, 7.1.1]; Eleazar wished they had all died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, and before the temple was so profanely dug up [Wars of the Jews, 7.8.7].
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
The other Evangelists tell us merely that "the disciples" did so. But Mark not only says that it was four of them, but names them; and they were the first quarternion of the Twelve.
4 "Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come about?"
5 Jesus answered them, "Be careful not to let anyone deceive you.
The White Horse- False Religion
6 Many will arise invoking My Name, saying 'I am he,' and they will deceive many people.
7 "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be alarmed! These things must happen, but the end won't follow immediately.
The Red Horse of War
8 Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. But all this will be only the beginning of the end-time horrors to come.
9 "Be on your guard! You will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the churches. You will be accused before governors and kings of being My followers. This will be your opportunity to tell everyone about Me.
10 But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations.
And the gospel must first be published among all nations--"for a witness, and then shall the end come" ( Matthew 24:14 ). God never sends judgment without previous warning; and there can be no doubt that the Jews, already dispersed over most known countries, had nearly all heard the Gospel "as a witness," before the end of the Jewish state. The same principle was repeated and will repeat itself to "the end."
11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 "Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them.
13 Everyone will hate you because you are committed to Me. But the person who endures to the end shall be saved.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake--Matthew ( Matthew 24:12 ) adds this important intimation: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many"--"of the many," or "of the most," that is, of the generality of professed disciples--"shall wax cold." Sad illustrations of the effect of abounding iniquity in cooling the love even of faithful disciples we have in the Epistle of James, written about the period here referred to, and too frequently ever since.
14 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15 Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses.
16 Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.
17 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days.
This could be because of A-Bombs and nuclear radiation, which is very horrible to pregnant and nursing mothers.
18 Pray that it will not be in winter.
Matthew adds “or on a Sabbath Day”
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, that has not happened from the beginning of God's creation until now, and will certainly never happen again.
20 In fact, unless the LORD shortens that day, the entire human race would be destroyed. But for the sake of His chosen ones He has shortened those days.
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh--that is, no human life.
should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days--But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have perished, in which there yet remained a remnant to be afterwards gathered out. This portion of the prophecy closes, in Luke, with the following vivid and important glance at the subsequent fortunes of the chosen people: "And they shall fall by the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" ( Luke 21:24 ). The language as well as the idea of this remarkable statement is taken from Daniel 8:10 Daniel 8:13 . What, then, is its import here? It implies, first, that a time is coming when Jerusalem shall cease to be "trodden down of the Gentiles"; which it was then by pagan, and since and till now is by Mohammedan unbelievers: and next, it implies that the period when this treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles is to cease will be when "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" or "completed." But what does this mean? We may gather the meaning of it from Romans 11:1-36 in which the divine purposes and procedure towards the chosen people from first to last are treated in detail. In Romans 11:25 these words of our Lord are thus reproduced: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." See the exposition of that verse, from which it will appear that "till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in"--or, in our Lord's phraseology, "till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled"--does not mean "till the general conversion of the world to Christ," but "till the Gentiles have had their full time of that place in the Church which the Jews had before them." After that period of Gentilism, as before of Judaism, "Jerusalem" and Israel, no longer "trodden down by the Gentiles," but "grafted into their own olive tree," shall constitute, with the believing Gentiles, one Church of God, and fill the whole earth. What a bright vista does this open up!
should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days--But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have perished, in which there yet remained a remnant to be afterwards gathered out. This portion of the prophecy closes, in Luke, with the following vivid and important glance at the subsequent fortunes of the chosen people: "And they shall fall by the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" ( Luke 21:24 ). The language as well as the idea of this remarkable statement is taken from Daniel 8:10 Daniel 8:13 . What, then, is its import here? It implies, first, that a time is coming when Jerusalem shall cease to be "trodden down of the Gentiles"; which it was then by pagan, and since and till now is by Mohammedan unbelievers: and next, it implies that the period when this treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles is to cease will be when "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" or "completed." But what does this mean? We may gather the meaning of it from Romans 11:1-36 in which the divine purposes and procedure towards the chosen people from first to last are treated in detail. In Romans 11:25 these words of our Lord are thus reproduced: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." See the exposition of that verse, from which it will appear that "till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in"--or, in our Lord's phraseology, "till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled"--does not mean "till the general conversion of the world to Christ," but "till the Gentiles have had their full time of that place in the Church which the Jews had before them." After that period of Gentilism, as before of Judaism, "Jerusalem" and Israel, no longer "trodden down by the Gentiles," but "grafted into their own olive tree," shall constitute, with the believing Gentiles, one Church of God, and fill the whole earth. What a bright vista does this open up!
21 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.
No one can read JOSEPHUS' account of what took place before the destruction of Jerusalem without seeing how strikingly this was fulfilled. to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect--implying that this, though all but done, will prove impossible. What a precious assurance! (Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ).
22 For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
23 Be on your guard! I have told you everything before hand.
In Matthew ( Matthew 24:26-28 ) we have some additional particulars: "Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." "For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."
24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.
26 "Then people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
That this language finds its highest interpretation in the Second Personal Coming of Christ, is most certain. But the question is, whether that be the primary sense of it as it stands here? Now if the reader will turn to Daniel 7:13 Daniel 7:14 , and connect with it the preceding verses, he will find, we think, the true key to our Lord's meaning here. There the powers that oppressed the Church--symbolized by rapacious wild beasts--are summoned to the bar of the Great God, who as the Ancient of days seats Himself, with His assessors, on a burning Throne: thousand thousands ministering to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him. "The judgment is set, and the books are opened." Who that is guided by the mere words would doubt that this is a description of the Final Judgment? And yet nothing is clearer than that it is not, but a description of a vast temporal judgment, upon organized bodies of men, for their incurable hostility to the kingdom of God upon earth. Well, after the doom of these has been pronounced and executed, and room thus prepared for the unobstructed development of the kingdom of God over the earth, what follows? "I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like THE SON OF MAN came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the angelic attendants] brought Him near before Him." For what purpose? To receive investiture in the kingdom, which, as Messiah, of right belonged to Him. Accordingly, it is added, "And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Comparing this with our Lord's words, He seems to us, by "the Son of man [on which phrase, glory," to mean, that when judicial vengeance shall once have been executed upon Jerusalem, and the ground thus cleared for the unobstructed establishment of His own kingdom, His true regal claims and rights would be visibly and gloriously asserted and manifested. Matthew 17:1 , 9:2 ), in which nearly the same language is employed, and where it can hardly be understood of anything else than the full and free establishment of the kingdom of Christ on the destruction of Jerusalem. But what is that "sign of the Son of man in heaven?" Interpreters are not agreed. But as before Christ came to destroy Jerusalem some appalling portents were seen in the air, so before His Personal appearing it is likely that something analogous will be witnessed, though of what nature it would be vain to conjecture.
27 He will send out His angels, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.
As the tribes of Israel were anciently gathered together by sound of trumpet ( Exodus 19:13 Exodus 19:16 Exodus 19:19 , Leviticus 23:24 , Psalms 81:3-5 ), so any mighty gathering of God's people, by divine command, is represented as collected by sound of trumpet ( Isaiah 27:13 ; compare Revelation 11:15 ); and the ministry of angels, employed in all the great operations of Providence, is here held forth as the agency by which the present assembling of the elect is to be accomplished. LIGHTFOOT thus explains it: "When Jerusalem shall be reduced to ashes, and that wicked nation cut off and rejected, then shall the Son of man send His ministers with the trumpet of the Gospel, and they shall gather His elect of the several nations, from the four corners of heaven: so that God shall not want a Church, although that ancient people of His be rejected and cast off: but that ancient Jewish Church being destroyed, a new Church shall be called out of the Gentiles." But though something like this appears to be the primary sense of the verse, in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, no one can fail to see that the language swells beyond any gathering of a human family into a Church upon earth, and forces the thoughts onward to that gathering of the Church "at the last trump," to meet the Lord in the air, which is to wind up the present scene. Still, this is not, in our judgment, the direct subject of the prediction; for Mark 13:28 limits the whole prediction to the generation then existing.
28 "Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know summer is near.
29 In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that He (I AM) is near, at the door.
30 "I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place.
Whether we take this to mean that the whole would be fulfilled within the limits of the generation then current, or, according to a usual way of speaking, that the generation then existing would not pass away without seeing a begun fulfilment of this prediction, the facts entirely correspond. For either the whole was fulfilled in the destruction accomplished by Titus, as many think; or, if we stretch it out, according to others, till the thorough dispersion of the Jews a little later, under Adrian, every requirement of our Lord's words seems to be met.
31 The earth and the heavens will disappear, but My words will never disappear.
Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away--the strongest possible expression of the divine authority by which He spake; not as Moses or Paul might have said of their own inspiration, for such language would be unsuitable in any merely human mouth.
32 "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
This very remarkable statement regarding "the Son" is peculiar to Mark. Whether it means that the Son was not at that time in possession of the knowledge referred to, or simply that it was not among the things which He had received to communicate--has been matter of much controversy even among the firmest believers in the proper Divinity of Christ. In the latter sense it was taken by some of the most eminent of the ancient Fathers, and by LUTHER, MELANCTHON, and most of the older Lutherans; and it is so taken by BENGEL, LANGE, WEBSTER and WILKINSON, CHRYSOSTOM and others understood it to mean that as man our Lord was ignorant of this. It is taken literally by CALVIN, GROTIUS, DE WETTE, MEYER, FRITZSCHE, STIER, ALFORD, and ALEXANDER.
33 Be careful! Watch! Because you don't know the exact time.
34 It is like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge. He assigned work to each one and ordered the guard to be alert.
The idea thus far is similar to that in the opening part of the parable of the talents ( Matthew 25:14 Matthew 25:15 ).
35 Therefore, be alert, because you don't know when the owner of the house will return. It could be in the evening or at midnight or at dawn or in the morning.
36 Make sure He (I) doesn't come suddenly and find you asleep.
37 I'm telling everyone what I'm telling you: 'Be alert and on guard'"
Mark 14:
THE CONSPIRACY OF THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES TO PUT JESUS TO DEATH:
1 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the lawyers were still looking for an opportunity to capture Him secretly and put Him to death.
From Matthew's fuller account ( Matthew 26:1-75 ) we learn that our Lord announced this to the Twelve as follows, being the first announcement to them of the precise time: "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings" ( Matthew 26:1 )--referring to the contents of Matthew 24:1-25:46', which He delivered to His disciples; His public ministry being now closed: from His prophetical He is now passing into His priestly office, although all along He Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses--"He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two days is [the feast of] the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." The first and the last steps of His final sufferings are brought together in this brief announcement of all that was to take place. The passover was the first and the chief of the three great annual festivals, commemorative of the redemption of God's people from Egypt, through the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb divinely appointed to be slain for that end; the destroying angel, "when he saw the blood, passing over" the Israelitish houses, on which that blood was seen, when he came to destroy all the first-born in the land of Egypt ( Exodus 12:12 Exodus 12:13 )--bright typical foreshadowing of the great Sacrifice, and the Redemption effected thereby. Accordingly, "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working," it was so ordered that precisely at the passover season, "Christ our Passover should be sacrificed for us." On the day following the passover commenced "the feast of unleavened bread," so called because for seven days only unleavened bread was to be eaten ( Exodus 12:18- 20 ). We are further told by Matthew ( Matthew 26:3 ) that the consultation was held in the palace of Caiaphas the high priest, between the chief priests, [the scribes], and the elders of the people, how "they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him." (Jamieson)
2 But they said, "Not during the feast, or there will be a riot."
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy. As He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the seal of the flask and poured it on His head.
4 Some who were there were irritated and said to one another, "Why was the perfume wasted like this?
5 This perfume could have been sold for about $50.00, and the money could have been given to the poor." So they said some nasty things to her.
"This he said," remarks John ( John 12:6 ), and the remark is of exceeding importance, "not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and had the bag"
6 But Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. Why berate her for doing such a good thing to Me?
7 You will always have the poor with you and can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me with you. Deuteronomy 15:11 .
8 She has done what she could and has anointed My body for burial ahead of time.
9 I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory."
10 Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to the leading priests to betray Jesus.
11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he kept looking for a chance to betray Jesus.
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"
13 He sent two of His disciples and told them, "Go into the city. You will meet a man carrying a jug of water. Follow him.
14 When he gets to the house, tell the owner that the Teacher asks, 'Where is My room where I can eat the Passover meal with My disciples?'
15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is the place; go ahead and prepare our supper there."
16 The disciples left. They went into the city and found everything as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover supper.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the twelve apostles.
Evening of the 14th Day starts the actual Passover
18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "I can guarantee this truth: One of you who is eating with me is going to betray Me!"
19 Feeling hurt, they asked Him one by one, "You don't mean me, do You?"
20 He said to them, "It's one of you twelve, someone dipping his hand into the bowl with Me.
21 For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if he had never been born!"
THE LAST SUPPER:
22 While they were eating, Jesus took the Matzo and blessed it. He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "Take. This is my body."
23 Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it, and gave the cup to them. They all drank from it.
24 He said to them, "This is My blood of a new covenant, which is shed for many.
IE: The New Testament
25 Truly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
26 After they sang a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives.
27 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will abandon Me. Scripture says, 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
28 “But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there."
29 Peter said to him, "Even if everyone else abandons you, I never will"
30 "Really Peter?" Jesus replied, "The truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."
31 But Peter said very strongly, "Even if I have to die with You, I will never say that I don't know You." All the other disciples said the same thing.
32 Then they came to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, "Stay here while I pray."
33 He took Peter, James, and John with Him and began to feel troubled and anguished.
34 He said, "My anguish is so great that I feel as if I'm dying. Wait here, and stay awake."
JESUS PRAYS THREE TIMES TO ESCAPE HIS DEATH:
35 After walking a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible He might not have to suffer what was ordained for Him.
36 He said, "Abba! Father! You can do anything. Take this cup [of suffering] away from me. But let your will be done, not mine."
37 He went back and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake for one hour?
38 Stay awake, pray that you won't be tempted. For the spirit is willing, the body is weak."
39 He went away again and prayed the same prayer as before.
40 He found them asleep because they couldn't keep their eyes open. They didn't even know what they should say to Him.
41 He came back a third time and said to them, "You might as well sleep now. It's all over. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.
42 Get up! Let's go! The one who is betraying Me is near."
43 Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, arrived. A crowd carrying swords and clubs was with him. They were from the chief priests, lawyers, and leaders of the people.
44 Now, the traitor had given them a signal. He said, "The One I kiss is the One you want. Arrest Him, and guard Him closely as you take Him away."
45 Then Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
46 Some men took hold of Jesus and arrested him.
47 One of those standing there pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the chief priest's servant.
We know from the other accounts it is Peter
48 Jesus asked them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as if I were a criminal?
49 I was daily with you in the Temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."
50 Then all the disciples abandoned Him and ran away.
51 A certain young man was following Jesus. He had nothing on but a linen sheet. They tried to arrest him,
This is John
52 but he left the linen sheet behind and ran away naked.
53 They Jesus to the chief priest. All the leading priests, elders, and lawyers gathered together.
Had we only the first three Gospels, we should have concluded that our Lord was led immediately to Caiaphas, and had before the Council. But as the Sanhedrim could hardly have been brought together at the dead hour of night--by which time our Lord was in the hands of the officers sent to take Him--and as it was only "as soon as it was day" that the Council met ( Luke 22:66 ), we should have had some difficulty in knowing what was done with Him during those intervening hours. In the Fourth Gospel, however, all this is cleared up, and an addition to our information is made ( John 18:13 John 18:14 John 18:19-24 ). Let us endeavor to trace the events in the true order of succession, and in the detail supplied by a comparison of all the four streams of text.
54 Peter followed far behind and then slipped inside the gates of the High Priest's courtyard. For a while he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
55 The leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would testify against Jesus, so they could put Him to death. But their efforts were in vain.
56 Many gave false testimony against Him, but they contradicted each other.
57 Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against Him. They said,
58 "We heard him say, 'I'll tear down this Temple made by humans, and in three days I'll build another Temple, one not made by human hands.'"
Not in Red, because it is a lie.
59 But their testimony did not agree even on this point.
60 So the chief priest stood up in the center and asked Jesus, "Don't You have any answer to what these men testify against You?"
61 He stayed silent. The chief priest asked Him again, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?"
62 Jesus answered, " I Am, and you will see the Son of Man in the highest position in Heaven. He will be coming with the clouds of Heaven."
63 Then the High Priest tore his robes to show his horror and said, "Why do we need another witnesses?
64 You have all heard His blasphemy. What's your verdict?" They all condemned Him to death.
they all condemned him to be guilty of death--or of a capital crime, which blasphemy against God was according to the Jewish law ( Leviticus 24:16 ). Yet not absolutely all; for Joseph of Arimathea, "a good man and a just," was one of that Council, and "he was not a consenting party to the counsel and deed of them," for that is the strict sense of the words of Luke 23:50 Luke 23:51 . Probably he absented himself, and Nicodemus also, from this meeting of the Council, the temper of which they would know too well to expect their voice to be listened to; and in that case, the words of our Evangelist are to be taken strictly, that, without one dissentient voice, "all [present] condemned him to be guilty of death."
65 Some of them began to spit on Him. They covered His face and hit Him with their fists. They said, "Who hit You that time, You prophet?" And they jeered Him. And even the guards were hitting Him as He was lead away.
66 Peter was in the courtyard. One of the leading priest's female servants
67 saw Peter warming himself by the fire, and said, "You, too, were with Jesus from Nazareth!"
68 But Peter denied it by saying, "I don't know Him, and I don't understand what you're talking about." He went to the entrance. Then a rooster crowed.
69 The servant saw him again, and she said to those who were standing around, "This man is one of them!"
70 Peter again denied it. After a little while the men standing there said to Peter again, "It's obvious you're one of them. You're a Galilean!"
71 Then Peter began to curse {God} and swear with an oath, "Listen, I don't know this Man!"
72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered that Jesus said to him, "Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know Me." Then Peter began to cry very hard.
Mark 15:
BEFORE PILATE:
1 Early in the morning, at dawn, the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law -- the entire high council -- met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus and took Him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
4 So Pilate asked Him again, "Don't You have an answer? Look how many accusations they're bringing against You!"
7 There was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was with some rebels who had committed murder during a riot.
14 Pilate said to them, "Why? What has he done wrong?" But they shouted even louder, "Crucify Him!" {or “stake or impale Him!}
15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the people, so he freed Barabbas for them. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified {impaled}.
19 Then they struck Him on the head with a stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.
20 When they were finally tired of mocking Him, they took the purple robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.
21 A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry His cross. (Simon is the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
Myrrh is the dried oleo gum resin of a number of Commiphora species of trees. Like frankincense, it is produced by the tree as a reaction to a purposeful wound through the bark and into the sapwood. The trees are bled in this way on a regular basis. Since ancient times, myrrh has been valued for its fragrance, its medicinal qualities as a wound dressing and an aromatic stomatic and for the ancient Egyptians as the principal ingredient used in the embalming of mummies. So valuable has it been at times in ancient history that it has been equal in weight value to gold. During times of scarcity its value rose even higher than that. It has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine.
24 Next they crucified Him, and divided His clothes among themselves by throwing dice to see what each one would get.
THE CRUCIFICTION:
29 Those who passed by insulted Him. They shook their heads and said, "What a joke! You were going to tear down God's Temple and build it again in three days.
31 The leading priests and lawyers also mocked Him. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but He can't save Himself!
32 Let this Christ (Messiah)-- this king of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe Him!" Even the two criminals who were being crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.
Here we learn that even the one who asked Jesus for salvation ended up cursing him!
34 At three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
35 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, "Listen! He's calling Elijah."
36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in wine vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take Him down."
39 When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how He gave up His Life, he said, "Certainly, this Man was the Son of God!"
40 Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph ), and Salome.
41 They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for Him while He lived in Galilee. Then they and many other women had come with Him to Jerusalem.
42 Now when night-time came, and because it was the Preparation Day {for the Jewish Passover}, that is, the day before the Sabbath {The High Sabbath – The Passover},
43 when Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and was an important member of the Jewish council. He, too, was waiting for the kingdom of God. Joseph boldly went to Pilate's quarters to ask for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman military officer in charge and asked him.
46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus' body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.
Mark 16:
THE RESURRECTION!
1 Now when the Sabbath was over {at dawn Sunday Morning}, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
5 As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man. He was dressed in a white robe and sat on the right side. They were panic-stricken.
6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
7 But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
8 They ran out quickly and ran away. Shock and trembling had overwhelmed them. They didn't say a thing to anyone, because they were afraid.
9 Early on the first day of the week, after He arose, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons.
12After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. (compare Luke 24:16 ).
another form: He looked completely different!
14 Still later He appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief -- their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
17 These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in My Name, and they will speak new languages.
18 They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them."
These two verses (17-18) also are peculiar to Mark.
19 After talking with the apostles, the LORD was taken to Heaven, and sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of God.
sat on the right hand of God--This great truth is here only related as a fact in the Gospel history. In that exalted attitude He appeared to Stephen ( Acts 7:55 Acts 7:56 ); and it is thereafter perpetually referred to as His proper condition in glory.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the LORD working with them confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
Amen.
We have in this closing verse a most important link of connection with the Acts of the Apostles, where He who directed all the movements of the infant Church is perpetually styled "THE LORD"; thus illustrating His own promise for the rounding and building up of the Church, "LO, I AM WITH YOU alway!"
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