3.30.07, Mark 14

¹⁷When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

 ¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”

 ²⁰“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

One Track Mind

(I will be away at a conference for the rest of this week, so it’s a good chance to try to do some devotionals on your own!)

At one time, people actually hated the Jews because they blamed them from the death of Jesus.  I guess the logic went that if the Jews never existed, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to die such a terrible death!  And surely it would have been better for him to live a nice, full life, right?  Not really, when you think about it – if Jesus had “survived” and not been crucified…who would have paid for our sins and their consequences?  We would all be dead in our sins, and there would be no hope for salvation outside a perfectly holy life.  This is what happens when you look at the crucifixion from a purely worldly point of view…it doesn’t really make much sense.  It is not a purely historical event – it is also a deeply spiritual, even metaphysical one.

But in the same way, you might ask if Jesus was God, why didn’t he know what was going to happen?  And we are given the answer in this passage – he did know, he just chose to do nothing about it.  He knew that one of the 12 would betray him, even knew who it was (from other gospel accounts)…but he still went ahead with it.  Even though he knew of the terrible events that were to come, he made no effort to avoid them.

This may not seem that significant on the surface, until you personalize it.  Would you have tried to avoid it?  If you were faced with the nightmare of Good Friday, to suffer terribly for a people who didn’t deserve it, would you have followed through with it?  I know I wouldn’t.  I would have bound and gagged Judas, and then ran like the coward that I am.  Even for a friend…I’m not sure I would willingly go to such lengths.  And the question we have to ask ourselves is why did Jesus go through with it?  And there are only a few possible answers, really:

…That the victory far outweighed the suffering

…That there was no other way, and no other person, who could accomplish it

…That he loved us enough to suffer on our behalf

And the incredible, mind-bending thing that we realize is that all three of these true!

Questions

1. Could you see yourself doing what Jesus did for anyone in your life?

2. How does the fact that even though Jesus was fully aware of what was to come, and still did it anyway, change or enhance your understanding of his love for you?

3. Jesus’ example teaches us that sometimes, even though the road may be tremendously difficult, we need to keep the end in sight – is there a situation that is difficult for you now, but you feel will be worth it if you persevere or take the high road?

3.27.09, Mark 14:12-16

The Lord’s Supper

 ¹²On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

 ¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

Just As He Had Told Them

Here we are at the Last Supper, which in most of our minds, marks the day of the crucifixion.  But I want to remind us that we have been traveling down this road for a while, haven’t we?  In previous devotionals, time and time again, we saw how Jesus’ attention was focused on the cross, on this enormous work of redemption, even from the very beginning of his ministry.  We’ve seen him take every step, working miracles, teaching, so many wonderful moments, but this…this is what he had come to do.

And this brings us to the main point of today’s devotional – that this momentous day was no accident, and no work of mere man.  Good Friday fell on the same day as the celebration of the Passover, where a lamb was slain in order to save Israel from death.  Even the details seem pre-ordained, how Jesus knows about the room where they will meet, how it seems the room was fully prepared for their arrival.  There is a sense of expectation, and fulfillment.

This was no accident, but showed how this was always God’s plan from the start, that the Passover would actually point forward to the true Lamb – Jesus.  The day fell on the Passover.  All the details were set.  It is a build up to something incredible, and terrible, and eternal: God’s plan for redemption, hinted at in the Old Testament, yearned for by the prophets, was coming to pass.  I think it is important that we sense this as well, that something enormous is about to happen, that all of creation had been yearning for.

Questions

1. Why is it significant that Jesus’ death and resurrection was God’s plan from the very start?

2. How do you feel about the crucifixion?  Is it something important and moving to you still, or has it lost its effect on you to some degree?

3. How can we practically retain our sense of awe and thankfulness about the crucifixion?

3.25.09, Mark 14:1-11

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

 ¹Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. ²“But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

 ³While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

 ⁴Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

 ⁶“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

 ¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

First Things First

With this passage, I find myself agreeing with the disciples in some way, don’t you?  Maybe that perfume could have been sold for $100,000, and would have fed 2000 people!  Wouldn’t that have been a better usage of money and resources?  Wouldn’t Jesus have wanted it that way?…

The answer is no.

Yes, combatting poverty is always good.  Yes, guarding against wastefulness is always good.  But above both of these moral values is the worship of God, which is the greatest good of all.  Sometimes we get too convinced by the world’s understanding of morality, too swayed by their priorities.  The problem with this is that they don’t understand that the worship of God is the first good that we pursue with all our heart and soul and body.  

But someone might ask, “What about poverty?  Does that mean that God doesn’t care about the poor?”  Of course not!  The problem with that question is that it does not understand that all other Godly behavior, including the fight against poverty and wastefulness, overflows out of our worship of God!  In fact, our fight against these evils is yet ANOTHER  form of worship!  And this is what Jesus alludes to in verse 9, how this story of humble worship will be used in the proclamation of the gospel to the world!

The worship of God fuels our fire in the pursuit of the things of God, and the issues which are on his heart.  Without worship and experiencing his deep love, our “moral” actions are empty and opinionated and judgmental.  But after experiencing the intimacy of God, our actions on behalf of the poor and broken are compassionate and joyful and restorative.

I know that this is a difficult mentality to really believe and live out, primarily because popular culture is now much more vocal about morality and justice issues, and it seems like every celebrity is now a humanitarian.  It can be easy to fall into the world’s understanding of what is GOOD, partially because their understanding of GOOD is partially derived from what the Bible has been saying.  But it is still important to recognize that while there is some similarity between the two, there are also some profound differences.  Don’t let the world’s understanding of good and pure and holy inform your understanding – there are higher things, and greater goods out there than the world is aware of.

Questions

1. This woman’s form of worship and devotion was to break the alabaster jar of nard onto Jesus’ feet – in your life and context, how can you worship God extravagantly?

2. How do you think worship can enhance all the other moral and compassionate issues we pursue?

3. What is one difference between your understanding of what is good and right, and what the world understands to be good and right?

3.23.09, Mark 13:1-37

 Signs of the End of the Age

 1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

 2″Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4″Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

 5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

 9″You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

 12″Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

 14″When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

 24″But in those days, following that distress, 
   ” ‘the sun will be darkened, 
      and the moon will not give its light; 
 25the stars will fall from the sky, 
      and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

 26″At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

 28″Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

 32″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

 35″Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “

Code Orange

Okay, almost done with this passage, I promise!  Just one more devotional that has two themes:

You remember the months following 9/11/01, how the department of Homeland Security would issue these color coordinated alerts that cooresponded to the domestic terror threat level?  After a few of those, most of us just started tuning out, not paying attention to the alerts because nothing ever seemed to come out of them!  For all I know, the terror alert level could be orange right now, and I would have no idea!

That’s how this passage can sometimes come across to us – how long are expected to keep guard and watch??  From when Jesus shared this, it’s been nearly 2000 years!!  How long can we be expected to live like this, on the edge of our seats?  For many of us, we know in our minds that Jesus might come at any time, but deep in our hearts…we figure we have a few more centuries at least.  We are not keeping guard though.

So what can stop this sense of complacency from setting in?  I think what really helps is to remember what exactly we are waiting for.  Although it’s easy to get the wrong impression from this passage, we are actually not waiting for some terrible disaster.  What we are really waiting, watching, praying for is this:

“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”

We are not waiting for a disaster, but for Jesus’ return, where he brings new life and restoration and redemption with him!  The Kingdom of God right in front of our very eyes!  And you see how this changes the character of how we wait: we are not waiting for a catastrophe, but for the greatest thing our eyes have ever beheld!  And how much easier it is to wait actively and anxiously when you know you are waiting for something very good, rather than something very bad!

Questions

1. What is the difference between waiting and watching out for something bad, and waiting for something good?  Which one is easier for you to do, and why?

2. When you think about Jesus’ return, do you tend to focus on the turmoil and persecution, or the restoration and redemption?  Why do think that is?

3. How can we practically be on guard and prepared for Jesus’ return?  What do you think that looks like?

3.20.09, Mark 13:1-37

 Signs of the End of the Age

 1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

 2″Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4″Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

 5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

 9″You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

 12″Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

 14″When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

 24″But in those days, following that distress, 
   ” ‘the sun will be darkened, 
      and the moon will not give its light; 
 25the stars will fall from the sky, 
      and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

 26″At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

 28″Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

 32″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

 35″Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “

Persecution

To review – we first saw how temporary things of this world are, that everything is subject to enormous change.  Second, we talked about deception, that there is an active deception at work in the world that we must be able to guard against.  Now, let’s look at the next theme: persecution.

I’ve highlighted some of the verses that relate to persecution, and they are more than a little frightening – a time of such great suffering that people run into the hills with nothing but what they have on their back.  Naturally, we ask ourselves, “When is this time coming, and how can I get as far away from it as possible?”  And the answer, surprisingly, is that it is already here.  Although this description is such a foreign idea for Americans, much of the rest of the world is quite familiar with suffering of this magnitude.  I remember seeing photographs from the 60’s of  naked Cambodian children screaming, running from their burning homes.  In Sudan, armed militias and attack helicopters have been slaughtering entire villages.  In Rwanda and the Congo, entire ethnic populations of people flee into the jungle to escape mobs yielding machetes.  Perhaps some of your parents have childhood memories of war, carrying little sisters on their back through the dead of winter.  That’s not far off from what Jesus described, is it?

I know that this description that Jesus gives seems so foreign and far-fetched, but we should remember that this is the painful daily reality for many people in the world.  We should always remember this fact, and daily pray and work to ease their suffering.  Wouldn’t we wish for the same, if we found ourselves in these terrible situations?

Also, just like before, Jesus is not just talking about a distant reality to come thousands of years later, but at the same time, is giving a specific prophecy of near events.  After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples go through exactly what Jesus talked about: they are arrested and flogged by local leaders throughout the region.  But what is so amazing about this description is that Jesus also hints at the reason behind it:

“On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.”

Because of the persecution of the early church, the disicples were able to stand and testify before leaders of all levels – how else could the message of Christ be spread to such high levels of government?  And through the persecution, the church is scattered to Judea, Samaria, and even to Africa and Europe – how else could the gospel be spread so widely, across such vast stretches of geography?…except by persecution!

I know that this is a hard lesson, and one that we are uncomfortable with, but God uses persecution powerfully.  He uses it to do things that can’t be accomplished in any other way.  He uses it to shape and mold our character, to break our hard hearts.  He uses it to spread the gospel to the far flung corners of the world.  He uses it to grab the attention of people who have worldly influence and power.  Now, I’m not some kind of masochist who says we should LOVE pain and suffering, that’s just not natural.  But if you find yourself in the midst of persecution or suffering, I hope that this will give you some encouragement and perspective: suffering does not mean that God does not love you or is not in your life – it means he is at work, doing something big!

Questions

1. What is one way you can actively intercede and help people who are going through the type of extreme suffering that Jesus describes here?

2. Think about the most important, lasting, eye-opening, and life changing experiences you have had – have any of them come out of situation of difficult or suffering?  What was it?

3. Do you feel like you are being persecuted in any way currently in your life?  Has any good come out of this circumstance?

3.19.09, Mark 13:1-37

 Signs of the End of the Age

 ¹As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

 ²“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 ³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

 ⁵Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

 ⁹“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

 ¹²“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

 ¹⁴“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. ¹⁶Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. ¹⁷How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ¹⁸Pray that this will not take place in winter, ¹⁹because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. ²⁰If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. ²¹At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ²²For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. ²³So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

 ²⁴“But in those days, following that distress, 
   ” ‘the sun will be darkened, 
      and the moon will not give its light; 
 ²⁵the stars will fall from the sky, 
      and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

 ²⁶“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

 ²⁸“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

 ³²“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

 ³⁵“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “

Deception

So far, we’ve talked about the short-lived nature of the things of this world, that nothing in this world is forever…nothing.  Now, let’s move onto another theme that is prevalent in this passage: deception.  Many times, we think that the events and forces of our lives are neutral and have simple, worldly explanations: We feel in a bad mood because we stayed up too late.  We can’t forgive this person because they are such a jerk – nothing more.  But we have gotten hints throughout the gospel of Mark that this is not the case, that there are actually spiritual powers actively at work both against us and for us in every sphere of life.  

And this passage (especially the verses that I have placed in bold) is another reminder of this reality, which is this: there are powers that are actively trying to deceive you.  Remember that Satan’s main weapon in derailing us and stealing our joy is not hammering us over the heads, but deceiving us.  Satan is a deceiver.  This is what he did in the garden in the form of a serpent, and this is what Jesus so forcefully reminds us in John 8:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

And because Satan is actively at work in deceiving us, it is so important to own and digest this word of God, so that you can easily distinguish and defend against the lies of the Enemy.  Without it, we are sitting ducks in the middle of a battle; with it, we are equipped to recognize deception, and counter it instead with the wonderful promises of God!

Questions

1. What are some deceptions and lies from the Enemy that you feel you are more susceptible to?

2. Is there a specific lie and deception that you are fighting against right now in your life?  

3. When it comes to the above, what Scripture do you know that counter these lies?

3.16.09, Mark 13:1-37

  Signs of the End of the Age

 ¹As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

 ²“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 ³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

 ⁵Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

 ⁹“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.¹⁰And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

 ¹²“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

 ¹⁴“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. ¹⁶Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. ¹⁷How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ¹⁸Pray that this will not take place in winter, ¹⁹because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. ²⁰If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. ²¹At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ²²For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. ²³So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

 ²⁴“But in those days, following that distress, 
   ” ‘the sun will be darkened, 
      and the moon will not give its light; 
 ²⁵the stars will fall from the sky, 
      and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

 ²⁶“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

 ²⁸“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

 ³²“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

 ³⁵“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “

All Things New

Whew.

This is a huge passage that we’ll cover a section at a time, but I’d still like for us to first read the entire passage at once to give the full context.  I also want to avoid going over each detail – partially because that’s beyond the scope of this simple website, partially because I am not a scholar on this topic.  So instead, we will go over this passage issue by issue, so let’s start with the first two verses:

The passage begins with a strange conversation – someone is pointing out the local sights to Jesus (as if he didn’t know about the temple!), marveling at its grandeur and size.  And somehow, the topic then shifts to talking about signs of the end of the age??  What is the importance of Jesus’ comment on the destruction of the temple, and what do we take away from it?  What does this have to do with what he talks about later?

First, this is not just a metaphoric statement, but a prophecy, because this actually takes place in 70 A.D.  Only a few decades after the resurrection, the temple is besieged by the Romans and completely demolished.  So Jesus is prophesying as to an actual event that is to take place in the future.  As if we haven’t had enough hints to this regard – Jesus is supernatural.  He healed people supernaturally.  He knew things supernaturally.  Scholars try to put him in a box and make him a great teacher, but the text refutes this again and again and again – Jesus was God on earth and nothing less.  

Secondly, Jesus is pointing out how short-lived and passing even the most established and grandest things are.  As short-lived human beings, we often assume that things will always be the way they are – there will always be America.  There will always be supermarkets.  There will always be jobs.  There will always be police – we just assume that these are unalienable parts of life!  But the truth is that they can be destroyed in a second.  Think about Hurricane Katrina, how one act of nature wiped out all sense of order and government and civility in a single day!  None of these things can be counted on to always be there, but are by their very nature transitory, and can be wiped away in a moment.

But there are things that are not transitory, that can be counted on every single time: God.  His promises.  His Word.  His Love.  And it is in these eternal things that we should place our trust instead!

Lastly, this huge upheaval of the temple points forward to the coming, greatest upheaval…the end of time.  This is not something that we talk about often, but we can’t ignore it because Jesus didn’t ignore it.  We’ll talk about it more in the next few devotionals, but begin to let the reality of it sink in…

Questions

1. What is one thing in your life that you assume will ALWAYS be there, no matter what?

2. Has there ever been something in your life that you assumed would always be in your life…but found out that this wasn’t true?

3. We’ve been coming back again and again to Jesus’ identity, that he was more than a teacher or even a prophet.  Why do you think it is so important to establish the divine aspect of Jesus’ identity?

4. If Jesus were coming back tomorrow…what would be the first thing you would do??

3.13.09, Mark 12:41-44

The Widow’s Offering

 ⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

 ⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Generous Poverty

I hate to do this, but I’m going to skip a passage in this book, a passage about Jesus’ sonship – the explanation is complicated, and has to do with Jewish understandings of Messiah, Lordship, David, and Sonship… and I frankly don’t get it myself.  I’ll be sure to ask Jesus when he comes again, and I’m sure this passage is really cool.  But for today, we move on!

And the reason I want to discuss an idea that it will get only more relevant as this global recession continues: generosity.  What is the difference between how we define generosity, and how Christ would?  We typically define generosity by the total amount that we give – if someone gives $9000 a year to charity, that’s pretty good; but if someone gives $100,000 in a year, that’s real generosity!   Obviously the one who gives $100,000 is more generous than the person who gives $9000, right?

But the obvious problem arises when you ask the question of how much money that person has to begin with.  If you make $30 million dollars a year, a $100,000 is only 0.3% of your yearly income…really just a drop in the bucket.  But if you only make $30,000 a year, giving $9000 to charity is 30% of your income, 100 times the percentage the other person gave!  Who is more generous then?…the one who gave 0.3% of their money, or 30% of their money?

We must realize that true biblical generosity is sacrificial.  It is not the total amount that it is the heart of the matter – it is if that offering truly cost you something to give.  And we’re not talking just about money, but of every resource that God has given us.  When we spend time with or for God…was it precious time, or was it spare moments reading the Bible while sitting on the toilet?  When we tithe, are we giving only a sliver of what we have, or more than we can spare?  When we worship, what does God get…our best, or the rest?

What do you think God deserves?

Questions

1. What resource, gift, skill, of your life do you have the most difficult time sacrificing to God?

2. A non-Christian friend asks you, “You tithed 10% to the church…in this economy??  Are you sure that’s a good idea?”  How would you respond to them?

3. What is one way in which you can give sacrificially of your finances?

4. What is one way in which you can give sacrificially of your time?

3.11.09, Mark 12:28-34

The Greatest Commandment

 ²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

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

 ³²“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

 ³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

The Heart of the Question

From the previous two passages, we have read about the debates between Pharisees and Jesus, how they are trying to  trip him up in some way so that they would have some basis to imprison, and eventually execute him.  And the tactic they have been using is focusing on the niggling details of the Law, details that are sometimes confusing and have no perfectly acceptable answer.   But Jesus gives this final commandment that silences all of their schemes:

“Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

We have all heard this commandment, and it seems almost overly simplistic – some people use this commandment to even justifty the notion that Jesus was just a good man and teacher.  But what may help in recapturing the enormity of this teaching is to look at it in the context of the previous passages and debates that came before it, because the previous two passages actually lead up to this one.  When we do this, some great insights into the character of Jesus are actually revealed:

- Jesus is concerned not with answers that satisfy only the mind, but answers that can be fleshed out in our lives.

- Jesus fully understands all the details, but is more interested in the heart that those details reveal.

- Jesus knows heaven from first hand experience, and was truly heaven-sent

- Jesus cannot be trapped, herded, boxed in, or otherwise controlled – he is larger than the box.

- Jesus can search the intent and heart of a person, and knows it immediately.

- Jesus’ teachings sometimes are not what we want to hear, and may go against what our dominant culture tells us.

This is a pivotal revelation of the heart of Jesus, what he really cares about, who he really is.  When Jesus gives the greatest commandments, he doesn’t just do it as a simple moralist teacher, as some would have us believe.  When you look at the complete context of the Law debates AND the greatest commandments together, we see that he really is nothing less than…God!  And this God is a God primarily of love.

Questions

1. Which of the above characteristics of Jesus is the most encouraging to you?

2. Which of the above characteristics is the most challenging for you?

3. What is the main way in which you think you should love God this week, with everything you are?

4. How would you “love someone as yourself”?  What does that mean to you, in your life?

3.9.09, Mark 12:18-27

Marriage at the Resurrection

 ¹⁸Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ¹⁹“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. ²⁰Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. ²¹The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. ²²In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

 ²⁴Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ²⁶Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Our True Marriage

This devotional will be a little different in that it is not as instructional as it is my thoughts on a specific idea.  It’s actually a topic that has been on my heart for a little while too.  What I am about to say is a little controversial, but is important to think about, and I believe it is backed up by Scripture itself:

It is not God’s will for everyone to get married.

I know that nearly every other influence exerted on our life says otherwise.  We live in an incredibly romanticized and sexualized society that elevates romantic relationships to the point where it feels absolutely mandatory.  For many of us, we live in ethnic cultures where marriage is again highly valued, and it is nearly assumed you will get married.  And then there is the biological influence, this so-called “clock” that all animals have.

This is what our media and cultures and science tell us…and true as these are in their way, we must balance these with what Scripture reveals to us, because as Christians, we live according to the Word and not the world.

It is true that in Genesis, we read how it is not good for Adam to be alone, and so Eve is created as a helpmate.  But it’s not clear if this is just a mandate for all of humanity in general, or for every single person, i.e. humanity should get married and have kids, or else every single person must get married.  But in any regard, you cannot derive an entire theology of marriage based on Genesis alone.  For instance…

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul specifically that it is good for people NOT to be married…although they certainly can and should, even for very…um…practical reasons.  But his ultimate reason is given in verse 32, where he says that a married person is concerned with many things, while an unmarried person is concerned with only one: pleasing God.  And as a married man who loves his beautiful wife and daughters so much…this is true.  There are times where it is hard to be a son of God and a husband and father, all at the same time.  Sometimes, I don’t do any of them particularly well.

In terms of examples, we see the life and ministry of John the Baptist, devoted so wholeheartedly to God and his Kingdom and the Son.  And we see the life and ministry of Jesus himself, who showed us how to live a perfect life…but never had a wife!  (despite what Dan Brown of the Davinci Code thinks – don’t listen to that guy, he talks absolute nonsense).  So it is incredible to think that you can lead the two best lives of ALL TIME…and not be married.  

And we also see this passage, where Jesus tells us that marriage between man and wife is not a heavenly idea, that we will not be married to our spouse in heaven!  I know that seems jarring, but this is exactly what Jesus says in this passage, and it is very difficult to understand it in any other way.  But before this discourages or saddens you, we have to realize that this is actually incredible news!  The reason why we don’t need spouses in heaven is because we will have perfect relationships there, with each other, and ultimately with the perfect spouse…Jesus himself!  So if a person does not get married, they don’t miss out at all because they will enjoy the perfect intimacy of that relationship in heaven!

And that is the final reason that marriage is not a mandatory status…because it is a shadow, a representation of something greater: our relationship with God himself.   As hard as it is to believe or remember, the most fulfilling, intimate, passionate, and long-lasting relationship that we have in our lives is not the one to our current or future spouse – it is with God himself.   If we don’t believe this is true in our heart of hearts, then we are only a heartbeat away from idolatry of marriage and romance.

And unfortunately, I think this means many, many of us are living in idolatry right now.

But it is important to understand and wrestle with this concept.  Marriage is the centerpiece of the culture wars in America, and it is vital that we as Christians have a truly Godly and biblical understanding of that institution, not one that is informed mostly by popular music and movie and news networks.

For a more authoritative look at the matter, check out John Piper’s wisdom here.

Some questions for you to ponder:

1. How does this conception of marriage compare with the one that you currently have?

2. In what ways do you agree with this idea of marriage?  In what ways do you disagree?

3. What effects does this idea of marriage have on the current debate on gay marriage?  How about divorce?