Written by: John & Sue Ritter
Mark 12 v 35-40
As Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit by me at my right side,
until I put your enemies under your control.’
David himself calls the Christ ‘Lord,’ so how can the Christ be his son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.
Jesus continued teaching and said, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing fancy clothes, and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and at feasts. But they cheat widows and steal their houses and then try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. They will receive a greater punishment.”
Notes
Why do we get so much pleasure in pulling other people to pieces?? If someone hits the headlines for scoring the best goal in the Universe - there will always be someone ready to point the finger and say “Ah yes, but..............”
It was much the same in Jesus day, people, especially the ‘hierarchy’ loved to try and find fault with teaching. They would spend hours nit-picking a scripture and must have been really annoyed when Jesus cut through the discussions with a few home truths.
In this reading, we are being warned not to let pride in our appearance rob us of a closer walk with God. How simple is that? The teachers of the law spent loads of time making sure they dressed right and were seen in the right places. Jesus pointed out that this didn’t actually count for anything. Wearing the right clothes never made your heart better. It never made the ‘inner you’ do the right thing.
We should be ourselves, be honest and do things that honour God. Mind you, that’s a bit harder than putting a pair of Gucci boots on..........
Think about that. There’s nothing wrong in looking good, but once you’re dressed and ready to face the world this morning, think on. What’s the bigger issue, how your friends see you - or how God sees you?
Mark 12 v 41-44
Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents.
Calling his followers to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people. They gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had; she gave all she had to live on.”
Notes
Can you imagine a world where there is no need to make appeals for money? No charity concerts, no Comic Relief, no people rattling collecting tins in the streets? A rattling tin often rattles our conscience, but Jesus challenged people to look at giving in another way. He used the example of the widow and her last cent to show us what ‘generous giving’ is all about.
The widow gave everything she had, whilst the wealthy religious people of the day, gave just some of what they had to spare - never noticing what was missing.
God is looking for an amount of sacrifice - not an amount of money. This is so encouraging to us, because it may be that we don’t have much, maybe we are not millionaires, but Jesus encourages people to give in a selfless way.
Just think.......If we followed this biblical principal, our churches, missionaries and third world projects would never need to make appeals for money!
Mark 13 v 1-4
As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, “Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are! How big the stones are!”
Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.”
Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple, he was alone with Peter, James, John, and Andrew. They asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are going to happen?”
Notes
Ever been to a really great concert? You’ve stood there waving and shouting and having a terrific time, and then comes the last song, the big finale. As the star leaves the stage, the music plays on and you wonder if you would get a chance to meet your hero......
The reality is, that even while you are still standing there, the star of the show has been whisked away from the arena and is in a limbo on the way back to the hotel.
In this bible verse, Jesus was giving the last public speech before he died. The disciples were still discussing what a great building the Temple was.......but once Jesus had left the Temple - God had gone.
We shouldn’t be clinging to religious trimmings if God is no longer there. It is His presence that matters not the outward things. A building can be knocked down, symbols can be destroyed.
Later, the disciples excitedly talk about the future. Unfortunately, we often change the subject because we are uncomfortable with the issue in hand. We need to face our present relationship with God and not avoid it by looking elsewhere. Now is the time to get right with God, don’t put off God’s challenge to your life.
Get it sorted today.
Mark 13 v 5-8
Jesus began to answer them, “Be careful that no one fools you. Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the One,’ and they will fool many people. When you hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming, don’t be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes. Nations will fight against other nations, and kingdoms against other kingdoms. There will be earthquakes in different places, and there will be times when there is no food for people to eat. These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born.
Notes
“I want it all - and I want it now!”....something we all say from time to time, and the disciples were no different. They wanted to be in on the action with Jesus, but He knew the real answers and guided their enthusiasm to a different place. To Jesus, knowing all the answers was not as important as knowing God and He realised that the disciples were liable to be deceived by misguided people. He spoke about how easy it would be to be fooled by imitators and so gave them a list of genuine things to look for in the future.
He told of earthquakes, wars and famines, and equated them with birth pains....signs that something was about to happen. - In a natural birth, labour pains make the surrounding people dash about looking for blankets and hot water - there’s an immediate reaction.
Jesus wants us to be ready. Troubles will come, there is a lot of suffering in the world and we don’t have all the answers.
The important thing is to realise that God is ultimately in control. In the future of the world, He will have the final say.
It is very important for us to know God, to be in tune with Him, so that we recognise Him when He speaks to us. This way, we can have peace when all around is chaos.
Keep the hot water and blankets ready.........................
Mark 13 v 9-11
“You must be careful. People will arrest you and take you to court and beat you in their synagogues. You will be forced to stand before kings and governors, to tell them about me. This will happen to you because you follow me. But before these things happen, the Good News must be told to all people. When you are arrested and judged, don’t worry ahead of time about what you should say. Say whatever is given you to say at that time, because it will not really be you speaking; it will be the Holy Spirit.
Notes
Ever been backed into a corner?? Usually it leaves you with one of two options. Either you put your arms in front of your face and wait for the assault.....or you summon up the courage to open your mouth and talk your way out of it.
Jesus knew that to follow him would mean that at times there would be opposition - or even persecution. It could be in some kind of ‘religious’ argument or maybe something more serious or even legal. Whatever the situation, Jesus knew it would result in us having to explain our beliefs in public - an opportunity to witness for Him.
In the world we live in, there are a great many injustices, abortion, euthanasia, cloning, problems in the third world. The ‘Christian Voice’ needs to be heard. These issues have given Christians a great platform to the world.
In a free society only embarrassment can stop you speaking out, but in some countries expressing your faith can be more costly. Don’t let other voices push you away from Christ. Speak if you have the chance.
It might not always be that easy.
Mark 13 v 12-13
“Brothers will give their own brothers to be killed, and fathers will give their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and cause them to be put to death. All people will hate you because you follow me, but those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved.
Notes
Have you ever been impressed by the size of someone’s bible?? Well, have you? Er...no I thought not. If you are the only Christian in your family then the chances are you’ve tried to impress the rest of the family with your ‘holiness’. You’ve prayed in your bedroom just loud enough for them to hear, you’ve read your bible while they watched tv, and you’re always at church.
Jesus knew that those closest to us are often the ones who find our faith difficult to accept. It can go beyond the mickey-taking to violence and being ostracised. The best plan is to be a loving family member, try to act and react as Jesus would. When Jesus was with close friends, he sat round a table and ate with them, talked with them. This is what your family need to see.
Jesus told his followers that as his return approached, family ties would get stretched to the limit. God has prepared a fantastic future for us in His home, so when opposition comes your way, hold on tight to your faith..... it’s going to be worth the ride.
Mark 13 v 14-19
“You will see ‘the destroying terror’ standing where it should not be.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) “At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. If people are on the roofs of their houses, they must not go down or go inside to get anything out of their houses. If people are in the fields, they must not go back to get their coats. At that time, how terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! Pray that these things will not happen in winter, because those days will be full of trouble. There will be more trouble than there has ever been since the beginning, when God made the world, until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again.
Notes
A friend of ours from the north of England, had a great saying, when things got tough and everything was happening at once, he’d say “I’ve got all on!” It always sounded funny to us, but at the same time we knew exactly what he meant!
Jesus talks about a catalogue of disasters and impending doom in this scripture. He mentions the ‘destroying terror’ spoken of in the Old Testament book of Daniel. His warnings are twofold, one for the people of that day who must flee the Roman invasion, and the other for those who will be around at the ‘end times’.
His focus is on the people, rather than the Temple. He feels great sadness about the things that are to come.
Jesus tells us not to look back, not to worry about the material things. When God convicts us about a particular sin, or asks us to do something - then we should act quickly, not hesitating, not looking back. We need to be watchful. We need to make sure that our lives are right.
If you’ve got “all on” at the moment, then maybe God is speaking to you. Now is the time to change and seek forgiveness. You know how costly your old ways were.
Now is the time to act.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes