Category: Gospels
“Who then can be saved?”
Scripture reading for February 23rd: Mark 10
“People were bringing their children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:13-15)
Jesus again impressed on His disciples their need to welcome children and the attitude that was required of all men to enter the kingdom of heaven. Religious pride can easily trap followers of Jesus. Into this setting a man came to Jesus and knelt before Him with a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17) Jesus pointed this man to the commandments of God. This man was confident that he had kept them all from youth. Jesus looked at this man with great love and said, “One thing you lack, go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Mark 10:21
Jesus welcomed this man and loved him, but when the man heard what Jesus required of him, he left sad, because he did not want to part with his great wealth. He failed to have the child-like attitude necessary to receive the kingdom. When the disciples heard this, they were amazed and asked each other, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26) Jesus plainly told them that man cannot save himself, but God makes salvation possible for all!
We cannot work for salvation, and no one can be good enough! Even giving our money away will not buy heaven! We must follow Jesus and trust in His gift of eternal life!
Disciples arguing about position!
Scripture reading for February 20th: Mark 9
Peter, James, and John got to go up on the mountain and see Jesus transfigured and meet with Moses and Elijah in their glorified state. While up there, the other disciples tried to cast a demon out of a child and failed. Jesus rebuked them and finished the exorcism. Jesus continued their instruction concerning His coming death and resurrection. None of them understood and they were afraid to question Jesus about this.
Instead, on the way to Capernaum, they got into an argument about who was the greatest! Jesus was aware that they were arguing and called them all sit down for more instruction. “He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes on of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the One who sent Me.” (Mark 9:36-37) These disciples had argued among themselves and now admitted that they had rebuked a man who was driving out demons in Jesus’ name because he wasn’t one of them! Jesus wanted to get their attention with the little child as an object lesson.
“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to b e thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (Mark 9:42) There is no room for religious pride among the followers of Jesus. There will be many different people that may not be in our group who love Jesus. Rebuking them or hindering them because of feeling superior could send us down the wrong path! Check out your heart! “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:50
Losing to win!
Scripture reading for February 19th: Mark 8
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, but Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.” (Mark 8:31-32) After performing another notable sign, the healing of the blind man, Jesus began to question His disciples about who people said He was. He then asked them who they thought He was. Peter had answered, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:29) Jesus then began to teach them about His mission of suffering and death. Peter, thinking that He would stop Jesus or impress Him, began to rebuke Him!
Jesus was teaching His followers that fulfilling the mission of God was the way to true victory! We can’t just have it our way and think the way men do. Peter was guilty of playing into Satan’s hand and often so are we! When we only want the blessings of following Christ, but reject or rebuke Jesus when He asks us to lay our life down for Him we are thinking like mere men. In God’s economy the way to real life is to give up our worldly thinking and think like Jesus! He was sold out to do God’s will and we are the benefactors of eternal life!
“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34-36)
Honor with the lips only!
Scripture reading for February 18th: Mark 7
“So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teaching are but rules taught by men.”” (Mark 7:5-7)
Jesus and His disciples were always under scrutiny from the religious establishment. Jesus did not back down when they confronted Him about keeping their traditions. They majored on the traditions but had missed the commands of God that pointed them to acts of mercy and service. Their greed was behind some of these traditions! Jesus pointed to the commandment to honor your mother and father and another teaching of Moses that anyone who would curse father or mother should be put to death. These Pharisees instructed people that if they gave money to them for ‘God’s work’, they did not have to help their father and mother! (Mark 7:9-13) They had nullified the command of God by their tradition!
Jesus went on to teach that what really made men ‘unclean’ was not failing to wash their hands! “Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’. . . For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slader, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'” (Mark 7:14-15, 21-23) Let’s check our hearts today! Only Jesus’ blood can cleanse the heart!
Consequences of a lack of honor!
Scripture reading for February 17th: Mark 6
God deserves honor because of who He is! Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, and because of who He is, deserves to be honored. When Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth with the disciples, people began to judge Jesus by what they knew of Him. They knew Him as a “carpenter” and as “Mary’s son”. (Mark 6:2-3) This reference to “Mary’s son” probably referred to the fact that they knew that Joseph married his wife when she was already pregnant. This brought a sense of shame and illegitimacy. They also knew His brothers and sisters by name.
We can define someone by their job or title and really not know them. We can also define someone by their family lineage and miss who they really are. This was the case with Jesus Christ! “Jesus said to them, “Only in His hometown, among His relatives and in His own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:4-5)
The humility to know Jesus Christ as God’s Son comes from revelation by God. To receive this revelation, we must not be critical of judgmental, but humble and teachable. As we look at the miracles that Jesus was able to do elsewhere, humility of those needing the miracle is evident. Jairus, the synagogue ruler, fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded earnestly with Him to come and heal his daughter. (Mark 5:22-23) The woman with the issue of blood honored Jesus by just touching the hem of His garment. (Mark 5:29) Each receive their miracle by honoring Jesus! If you need a miracle, honor Jesus by humble worship and prayer in faith!
“Don’t be afraid, just believe!”
Scripture reading for February 16th: Mark 5
Jesus was always on the move, going from place to place as the Spirit led Him. He was approached by a synagogue ruler who had a daughter who was deathly ill. “Seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet and pleaded earnestly with Him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.” (Mark 5:22-24) This man was a religious leader, but his attitude was one of humility and pleading with Jesus for His help. This indicated that he had faith that Jesus could and would help with this desperate situation. Jesus honored his faith by going with him.
On the way, a woman with an issue of blood that had tormented her for 12 years sought out Jesus to touch his clothes. She believed that if she could get close enough to touch Him, she would be healed. “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:29-30) She admitted that she had touched him and Jesus responded that her faith had healed her!
In the meantime, servants notified Jairus that his daughter had died and told him not to bother Jesus. Jesus had simple advice, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” (Mark 5:36) Jesus arrived at the house to find many mourners crying and wailing. He announced that the child was not dead but asleep! They laughed at Him and He put them all out. Taking his trusted disciples, Jesus took the girl by the hand and commanded her to get up. She arose at His command! Don’t fear–only believe!
Be careful how you hear!
Scripture reading for February 13th: Mark 4
Jesus was a great teacher, and still is! He used stories of ordinary things and daily events that taught spiritual truths to those who had “ears to hear”. (Mark 4:22) He taught the multitudes through the use of these stories called “parables” and revealed deeper truth to His followers. (Mark 4:2) The parable of the sower is recorded in the first three Gospels and gives a foundation for all the parables told by Jesus. (Mark 4:13) Having ears to hear is more than just having a physical part of your body that works! Hearing these stories requires a heart that is open to truth and a willingness to believe Jesus as the Son of God.
In the story of the sower, Jesus revealed the secret of the kingdom of God. He was the Sower that sowed the good seed of God’s Word. Those who heard were like the various kinds of soil that the seed fell on. Some soil was hard like the paths used for walking and transporting goods. This soil could not receive the seed and birds ate it up, yielding no crop. Other soil was rocky and shallow, and the seed sprouted but could not sustain growth because of no roots. Other soil contained seeds of weeds, which grew along with God’s Word, but the weeds of worry, deceitfulness of wealth, and worldly desires choked it out. Finally, some seed fell on good soil. Here the Word produced a crop for eternal life!
Jesus speaks to us today, “Consider carefully what you hear,” He continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you–and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Mark 4:24-25)
An Angry Jesus!
Scripture reading for February 12th: Mark 3
We all like to think of Jesus as meek and mild, what a wonderful child! But Jesus had another side and Mark wrote about it. “Another time He went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.”
Jesus knew that there were those in the Sabbath meeting that were looking to accuse Him. It appears that He deliberately chose to confront them with the heart of God’s law and commands. Their response was silence. They refused to enter the dialogue because their minds were already made up concerning Jesus’ authority. “He (Jesus) looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”
Jesus was angry because of the stubbornness of these men who should have known God’s heart to heal and restore hurting people. He demonstrated to them God’s heart and ability by restoring the man’s shriveled hand completely! Their response to this awesome miracle was seething anger at Jesus having violated their religious rule concerning the Sabbath! They even went so far as to plot Jesus’ death! Let’s make sure that we are not a cause of anger and distress in our Lord!
Doctors are for the sick! (Savior’s are for sinners!)
Scripture reading for February 11th: Mark 2
Everywhere Jesus went, people were either amazed at His teaching and miracles or provoked by how unorthodox His methods and timing were. Religious leaders had the most difficult time when Jesus broke their customs and violated tradition. Common people felt welcomed and loved by Jesus and opened their hearts to Him. Those who encountered Jesus must decide where they stood for His teaching and miracles brought conviction!
“”As He walked along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow Me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him.” (Mark 2:14-15) This action of Jesus brought the Pharisees into a conflict with Jesus and His disciples. They were upset that Jesus was hanging around with known “sinners”. This would have been unthinkable to them. These people were “unclean” and would have contaminated them.
Jesus responded with a classic statement: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 1:18) Jesus’ mission was to reach lost people. In reality, all are lost! (Romans 3:23) But often religious people are self-righteous! They judge their righteousness by the rules they keep and by others lack of keeping their traditions. We must know we are sick to choose a doctor to help us! We must recognize we are sinners to go to The Savior! Check your heart today! If you are judging yourself by religious rules or traditions, rather than by your relationship with Jesus, the Savior, repent and get it right!
Early morning appointment!
Scripture reading for February 10th: Mark 1
Mark’s gospel portrays Jesus as a man of action. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and confirmed by His Father, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11) The Spirit quickly takes Jesus into the desert for forty days of temptation by Satan. Jesus returned to begin His ministry: “The time has come,” He said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) Next Jesus is calling His disciples from among the fishermen on the shores of the Sea of Galilee! On the Sabbath, Mark tells of Jesus teaching in the synagogue and amazing those gathered there by the authority He demonstrated as He cast an evil spirit out of a man. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and Jesus went and healed her. The whole town came for healing and deliverance! His appointed time brought action and spreading fame!
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35) Mark also recorded the secret to Jesus’ great success. Jesus got up early in the morning and kept an appointment with His Father. He went to a lonely place and prayed in secret. It was there that Jesus heard what the Father wanted to do and walked in obedience.
Let me encourage you to follow Jesus’ example! The most important appointment is one that we set to meet with the Lord. If we are faithful to keep this appointment, He will give us a schedule of divine appointments where His work will be accomplished through our obedience! It is never boring to walk with the Lord through each day!