Jesus is Taken, and Peter Denies Him Three Times

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 14:32) And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

In the last post, Jesus and His disciples had just finished their Passover meal which was thenceforth to be done in remembrance of Jesus Christ, His body and His blood.  They had gone to the Mount of Olives and now came to a place called Gethsemane, the name literally meaning "oil press."  It was a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  Jesus asked His disciples to sit while He went to pray.

(33) And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and He began to be greatly distressed and very heavily troubled.

As He went away to pray, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him.  He began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  The word that was translated as "distressed" in most all versions of the Bible actually means something much stronger.  It denotes shock and terror.  Jesus was struck with sudden terror at the thought of what was about to happen to Him, not His crucifixion and death, but His separation from God as He took on every filthy sin of the world, a black storm of wickedness and ugliness descending on the perfect sinless Jesus.  God, who could not be in the presence of sin, took on the body of a human so that He could, but that did not mean that the soul of Jesus did so without great terror and anguish.

(34) And said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful to death; wait here and watch."

Jesus told the three disciples that He had brought with Him that His soul was so exceedingly sorrowful, pressing in on Him so hard that He might die from it.  He asked those disciples to wait there with Him and watch.  Were they to watch for the enemy that Jesus knew was coming, or was it more likely to watch Him, to be privy to and to understand the terror that Jesus was feeling because of the enormous weight of sin and death that was descending upon Him.  Imagine the sorrow He must have felt for all the lost lives whose sins were pressing in on Him, how sorrowful He would be that those sins were directed at the perfect God, a God so loving He would take all that shame and horror upon Himself to save us!  Why couldn't God just poof!  "Away with your sins!"?  It was important for us to see just what filthy wickedness and death sin really was, to see how much it itself anguished the perfect Jesus to the point of death.  And God always gives us a choice.  He doesn't force salvation on us.  He wants communion with His children who choose to be with Him, but He also wanted us to see just what our sins do to Him and to ourselves, and to understand just how great the loving sacrifice that He did to save us from ourselves.

(35) And He went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed, that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

Jesus then went a little bit away from His three disciples and fell on the ground in prayer.  He prayed that if it were possible, that what was to come pass away from Him.  This was Jesus the man feeling such anguish that He thought He might not be able to bear it, asking if salvation could be made by some other means.

(36) And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to You; take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."

Jesus prayed to God the Father addressing Him as Abba, meaning Father.  He acknowledged that all things were possible to God, that God could find another way and take that cup away from Him.  He knew that He could, but it was not in His will to do so.  I already discussed some of the reason why He wouldn't want to do it any other way.  God is always about salvation and life.  Many more souls would be genuinely saved by knowing the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus than would if God merely poofed away all sins.  Jesus the man acknowledged that it was not His will, but Father God's perfect will that must be done, and that was surely a lesson the disciples supposedly watching and us reading this prayer of Jesus needed to learn.

(37) And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?"

Jesus went back to His three disciples and found them all sleeping.  He spoke to Peter and asked if he was sleeping and if he could not watch with His Lord for just one hour.  He called Peter, Simon, his original name before Jesus gave Him the name of Peter, the rock.  This was probably to bring to Peter's attention that he was not the rock he had so confidently and vehemently suggested he was just a short time before.

(38) "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus told Peter again to watch adding that he should pray to avoid temptation.  He acknowledged that his spirit was ready and willing, but his flesh was weak.  That is why Jesus told him to pray, and demonstrates to all of us how we need to be in constant communion with God through prayer to give us the strength to overcome the wiles of Satan.

(39) And again He went away and prayed and spoke the same words.

Once again, Jesus went a little way away from Peter and the other two disciples.  Again He prayed the same prayer as before, asking as all things were possible to His Father God, if He could let His current plan pass, and find another way.  However, He prayed that God's will be done, not His own currently fleshy will.

(40) And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy, neither did they know what to answer Him.

When Jesus came back to the three disciples, He found them sleeping again.  Their eyes were so heavy, they could not keep them open, and they just didn't know how to respond to Jesus who had said His soul was sorrowful to death.  I'm sure they were extremely sorry for what their Lord was going through, but also emotionally exhausted and sleepy.

(41) And He came the third time and said to them, "You sleep on now and take rest. It is enough, the hour has come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Jesus came back to His disciples after praying a third time and again found them sleeping.  He spoke to them, and I think His point was that they could sleep on and rest while they could, but now it was enough.  The time for His betrayal had come.

(42) "Rise up, let us go; lo, he who betrays Me is at hand."

Jesus told His disciples to rise up for His betrayer was at hand.

(43) And immediately, while He yet spoke, came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

While Jesus was yet speaking those words, indeed Judas came with a multitude of people from the chief priests and scribes and elders, all carrying swords and clubs.

(44) And he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; take Him and lead Him away safely."

Judas had previously discussed a signal with Jesus's captors, that whomever He kissed was the man they wanted.  He asked that they take Him away safely, that is carefully, that He not escape from them.

(45) And as soon as He had come, he went straight away to Him, and said, "Master, Master!" and kissed Him.

As soon as Judas reached Jesus, he went straight to Him and greeted Him with "Master, Master," and kissed Him.

(46) And they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

Having seen their signal, the multitude grabbed Jesus and took Him.

(47) And one of those who stood by drew a sword and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

The account in John said that it was Peter who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant.  Additionally, the account in Luke said that Jesus healed the man's ear, and back to the account in Matthew, Jesus told Peter that they who took the sword would die by the sword, perhaps meaning he would have started an all-out war between the two sides, and that certainly wasn't God's plan.  It took all four Gospels to get a complete picture on the one incident in verse 47; that is why I love a chronological Bible study where I get the complete picture of each event in the order that it happened.  However, I was challenged to read only what Jesus said in the four gospel accounts to see if it changed my perspective on current trends in our culture.  So far, it hasn't, of course, but I have learned a lot, so I don't regret this interlude at all.

(48) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out as against a thief with swords and clubs to take Me? (49) I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not take Me; but the scriptures must be fulfilled."

Jesus spoke to His captors, asking why they found the need to come after Him with swords and clubs when He had always been easily accessible to them while He was daily teaching in the temple, and they hadn't taken Him.  However, Jesus acknowledged that the scriptures must be fulfilled; He submitted to what had been prophesied in scripture about Him.

(50) And they all forsook Him and fled.

All of Jesus's disciples then fled from the scene, forsaking Him, as He had said they would in verse 27.

(51) And there followed Him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body, and the young men laid hold of him, (52) And he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

However, one young man followed Jesus.  He had only a linen cloth wrapped around his body as if he had been awakened in his sleep by what was occurring and just threw the cloth around him, or perhaps that is what he slept in.  Whatever the case, he was not fully clothed.  The young men among the captors seized him as they undoubtedly thought he was one of Jesus's disciples and followers.  However, he slipped out of the linen wrap and ran away naked.  This is an interesting detail not told by any of the other Gospel authors.  While it is quite reasonable to deduce that this was a caretaker of the garden or some such near neighbor who was awakened by the noise, it has caused some commentators to suggest this young man might be Mark himself, the author of this retelling of this event.  Mark, as Peter's scribe, did not identify the one who cut off the ear of the servant as Peter himself, but took the time to write about the young man who followed after Jesus after all His disciples had fled.  That does make it plausible to assume it might be Mark, but of course, we can't know for certain.  It might just have been recorded to show a bit of contrast to all the disciples who fled, by this one young man who stayed and followed Jesus until he was seized.

(53) And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

Jesus's captors led Him away to the high priest, Caiaphas, as we were told in the account in Matthew.  All the chief priests and elders and scribes were assembled together with Caiaphas.  That would seem to be the whole Sanhedrin, the supreme council over the Jews.

(54) And Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest; and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

Having at first fled (v. 50), Peter then followed Jesus from afar, following Him and His captors into the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest.  There he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  The account in John said that another disciple had followed Jesus, as well, and that it was actually that disciple who had gone into the palace, and then spoke to the maidservant at the door and let Peter in.  I suppose it was at that point that Peter went in to sit with the servants and warm himself by their fire.

(55) And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put Him to death and found none. (56) For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

The chief priest and all the members of the council looked for testimony against Jesus that was worthy of death and could not find any.  Jesus was so perfect and innocent that even false witnesses could not come together with a crime that at least two of them agreed upon (which was necessary to convict) and was worthy of death.

(57) And certain men arose and bore false witness against Him, saying, (58) "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"

In the account in Matthew, we were told that there were two false witnesses who arose to testify against Jesus saying they heard Him say that He would destroy the temple that had been made with hands and would rebuild another temple with no hands.  Of course, that is not exactly what Jesus had said, and it certainly was not what He meant.  He had never said that He would destroy the temple, and He never spoke of how the temple had been made, with or without hands, because He had been speaking about His own body as the temple they would destroy and that He would rise up again in three days.

(59) But neither did their testimony agree together.

Even the testimonies of these two false witnesses did not agree entirely with each other, and certainly with nothing severe enough with which to accuse Jesus of a crime worthy of death.

(60) And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing? What is it these witness against You?"

At that point, the high priest stood in the midst of the council and asked why Jesus did not answer the charges against Him.  He demanded Jesus explain what it was that the two witnesses had accused Him of doing.

(61) But He held His peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him and said to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

Jesus did not answer the high priest, so he again asked Him more specifically if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, which was one of the names for God that the Jews often used.

(62) And Jesus said, "I am, and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven."

This time Jesus did answer, and He answered that yes, He indeed was the Christ, the Son of God.  He added that they would one day see Him sitting at the right hand of God and coming in the clouds of heaven to judge the world.

(63) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What need do we have for any further witnesses? (64) You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.

The high priest then accused Jesus of blasphemy and tore his clothes in outrage.  He asked the others why they needed to trouble themselves with any further witnesses as they had just heard the supposed blasphemy with their own ears.  The whole council condemned Him to be guilty worthy of death.

(65) Then some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face and then to buffet Him and say to Him, "Prophesy!" And the servants struck Him with the palms of their hands.

Then some of the men began to spit on Jesus which was prophesied in Isaiah 50:6b, "I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."  Some of the men also covered His face as for a blindfold and began to strike Him and ask Him to prophesy which one of them had struck Him, as it stated further in the account in Matthew.  Even the servants slapped Jesus.

(66) And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest.

Peter had been warming himself by the fire in the servants' quarters beneath the upper room where Jesus had had His mock trial.  One of the maids of the high priest came to the place where Peter was.

(67) And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "And you also were with Jesus of Nazareth."

When the maid spotted Peter, she told him she recognized him as one who had been with Jesus.

(68) But he denied it, saying, "I do not know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out to the porch, and the cock crowed.

Peter denied what the maid had said saying that he didn't know or even understand what she was talking about.  He then went out onto a porch where the sound of a rooster crowing was heard, but Peter apparently didn't take notice of it.

(69) And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them who stood by, "This is one of them."

It seems another maid saw Peter out on the porch, or perhaps what is meant is that the same maid saw him there, and this time spoke to those who stood by that he was one of those who were with Jesus.

(70) And he denied it again. And after a little, those who stood by said again to Peter, "Surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean and your speech shows it."

Peter denied being with Jesus a second time.  Then after a little while, those who had been standing by and heard what the maid had said, apparently had been mulling it over, and spoke to Peter again saying that it surely must be true that he was one of Jesus's group of followers because his speech gave him away as a Galilean as they supposed Jesus to be.

(71) But he began to curse and to swear, saying, "I do not know this man of whom you speak!"

This time Peter even began to curse, swearing that he did not know the man, Jesus, about whom they spoke.

(72) And the second time the rooster crowed. And Peter called to mind the word Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought on it, he wept.

The rooster then crowed a second time and Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him about him denying Him three times before the rooster crowed twice.  When he realized that Jesus had been right and that he had indeed denied Him three times, something he never thought he would do, he cried.  Peter's sin was indeed very great.  He had denied Jesus Christ before men.  Furthermore, it was at a time he should have confessed and owned up to Him and should have been a witness for Him.  Jesus had told His disciples many times that they must suffer for following Him, but at the first real sign of suffering, Peter lied and cursed and swore He did not know Jesus.  We must not think ourselves so high and mighty to believe we would never do the same.  Mere human man's instinct is to save himself, but it can't be done by our own selves.  Jesus said whoever tried to save his life would lose it, and whoever lost his life for Jesus's sake would find life (Matthew 16:25).  We must reject our sinful deadly wills and realize our need for Jesus to save us and wholeheartedly accept and proclaim Him, and then and only then, will we be truly saved and have eternal life.

The Lord's Last Supper

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 14:1) After two days was the Passover and of unleavened bread; and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft and put Him to death.

Jesus had been on the Mount of Olives prophesying to four of His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and especially the temple.  Meanwhile, it was two days until the Feast of the Passover which was, of course, the commemoration of the time in Egypt when God passed over His people to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians.  They ate unleavened bread in memory of their quick departure from Egypt when in their haste, they had no time to leaven their bread.  It was at this time that the chief priests and scribes were discussing how they might trick Jesus and be able to put Him to death.

(2) But they said, "Not on the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

Although they were eager to get their job done, they feared doing it on the Passover because they were afraid of an uprising of the people.

(3) And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the meal, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she broke the box and poured it on His head.

Jesus had retired to Bethany, a place about two miles from Jerusalem, where He usually spent His nights when He was in Jerusalem during the day.  He was at a meal at the house of Simon the leper, so called because He had once been a leper, but had been healed by Jesus, to distinguish him from the other Simons.  A woman came to Him while He was sitting at the table.  She had an alabaster box with a very precious and costly oil, of spikenard.  The first syllable, "spike," meant "pure," so this was genuine pure unmixed nard or spikenard and very fragrant and precious.  She broke the alabaster box, which may have meant merely breaking the seal and opening it and poured the oil on Jesus's head, as if anointing Him as was the custom to anoint the high priests in the Old Testament.

(4) And there were some who had indignation within themselves, and said, "Why was this waste of the ointment made? (5) For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence and given to the poor." And they murmured against her.

Some of the people present, likely even some of the disciples, considered what the woman had done as a waste.  They reasoned that the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  They murmured these things against the woman.

(6) And Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me."

Jesus, knowing what they were murmuring among themselves, told them to leave the woman alone.  She had done nothing that they should trouble her about.  In fact, He said she had done a good thing to Him.

(7) "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good; but Me, you do not have always."

Jesus told them there would always be the poor for them to help, but He would not be with them always.  In anointing Jesus's head with oil, the woman was worshiping her Lord in the highest way she could with what she had while He was present among them.  I believe there is a lesson in this for us.  The honor of our Lord is more important than the act we might say we do for Him.  We do good works because of our love for Him and we should want God glorified in our works.  He comes first and foremost and there will always be good works to be done.

(8) "She has done what she could; she has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial."

More than just an act of worship, Jesus proclaimed that the woman, doing all that was in her power to do for Him, was actually anointing His body for burial.

(9) "Verily, I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, also what she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."

Moreover, Jesus said that this incident, and what this woman had done for Him, would be part of His gospel preached throughout the world.  She would always be remembered for this loving act.  The Gospels had not been written when Jesus declared this, but sure enough, at least two gospel authors wrote about the woman with the alabaster box, possibly four, but those details were a bit different so they may have been separate incidents.

(10) And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

Judas was likely the chief disciple who was indignant at the woman's "waste."  The account in John states that it was Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus, who anointed Jesus with oil, but His feet, not His head.  This may have been a different incident, but we do get a clue to the type of person Judas was.  In the account in John, he was indignant about the waste, but scripture further stated it was not because he cared about the poor, "but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bore what was in it."  Judas was the treasurer of the group and held their money bag and would have liked to have had the money for the expensive box and oil in it, as it seems he stole from it.  Having been reproved by Jesus and angry because he did not get the money, it seems he immediately went to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

(11) And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

The chief priests were very glad as Judas had just made things easier for them.  They promised to give him money for his help in capturing Jesus.  Judas pondered how he might conveniently do it.

(12) And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said to Him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?"

It was the first day of the Passover, the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover lamb.  The disciples asked Jesus where He would like for them to go and prepare the lamb for eating at the Passover feast.

(13) And He sent forth two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and there a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him."

Jesus sent two of His disciples, telling them to go into the city of Jerusalem where they would meet a man carrying a pitcher of water.  They were to follow him.  Once again, as in Mark 11:2-3, Jesus would show His knowledge for all things and His spiritual influence over the minds of others:

(14) "And wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Master says, "Where is the guest room where I might eat the Passover with My disciples?"'"

Jesus further instructed the two disciples to follow the man into the house to which he was going, and to speak to the master of the house, asking him where his guest room was where Jesus might eat the Passover with His disciples.  There may have been significance in the way Jesus told them to speak to the master of the house.  They were to repeat the words of "The Master," perhaps to someone who already knew Jesus and was a follower, "our Master and yours," so to speak.  However, it is just as likely that a stranger under the influence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit would have cooperated.

(15) "And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."

Jesus went on to tell them that the master of the house would then show them a room furnished and prepared for guests to have a meal.  There the disciples were to prepare for their Passover meal.

(16) And His disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found all just as He had said to them, and they made ready the Passover.

The two disciples went into the city as Jesus had instructed and found everything just as He had said they would, and they prepared for the Passover.

(17) And in the evening, He came with the twelve.

Later that evening Jesus came to that upper room in that house with all His disciples.

(18) And as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Verily I say to you, one of you who eats with Me shall betray Me."

As Jesus and the disciples were eating their Passover meal, Jesus made a sudden prophetic statement that one of those eating with Him at that time, which of course, meant one of His own disciples, would betray Him.

(19) And they began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?"

The disciples were very sorrowful at the idea that one of them would betray their Lord.  Since it was a prophetic statement, each personally couldn't be sure it wasn't about him, and they began to ask Him one by one if it was him.

(20) And He answered and said to them, "One of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish."

Normally people did not dip from the same dish unless they were very close.  This statement made it sound generally that it was one of His close disciples who regularly ate with Him.  However, the account in John made it more specific and said it was the one He was dipping with at that very moment, and in fact, Jesus gave Judas the bite He was holding when He spoke.  Either Jesus spoke softly at this point and the other disciples did not hear Him, or they still thought He spoke in general about any one of them.

(21) "The Son of man indeed goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would be good for that man if he had never been born."

Jesus admitted that He was going to be betrayed and go to His death regardless, but He pitied the man who betrayed Him and sent Him to His death.  He said it would have been better for him if he had never been born.  I don't believe for a moment that Judas was pre-destined to betray Jesus and there was nothing he could do about it.  He was giving Judas an out if he would take it.  He was saying that it wouldn't change what would have to happen to Him, but He was warning Judas not to be the one who betrayed Him.  However, God knew beforehand who it was with the heart so hardened against Jesus that he would go through with his wicked plan regardless of any warning.  How can we know this for certain?  Because God is all good and just and righteous, and couldn't do evil such as it would be to use a person who might otherwise be saved from eternal damnation.  God is also all-knowing and He knew nothing would change Judas's mind about what he planned, and therefore used him to fulfill His plan.

(22) And as they ate, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave to them, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body."

As Jesus and His disciples were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it as He always did.  He broke the bread and gave each of His disciples some, telling them to eat it as it represented His body.  

(23) And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave to them, and they all drank of it.

Jesus then took the cup of wine, gave a blessing of thanksgiving, and gave a drink to all His disciples.

(24) And He said to them, "This is the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many."

Jesus told His disciples that the wine represented His blood, a blood of a New Testament, a new memorial, blood that would be shed for many people.  Jesus was instituting a new memorial supper.  Whereas they had come together to celebrate and remember the Passover when God had passed over all the Jews who had put blood on their door frames and He therefore did not kill their firstborn, Jesus now instituted a new covenant and memorial, of which the blood on the door frames had only been a symbol of this time to come.  

(25) "Verily, I say to you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until the day I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Jesus told His disciples that that would be the last time He drank wine, meaning there on earth, until the day He drank of a heavenly wine in the kingdom of God.

(26) And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.

Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn at the end of their memorial supper and then went to the Mount of Olives.

(27) And Jesus said to them, "All of you shall be offended because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.'"

Jesus told His disciples that they would be offended because of Him that very night.  The word that was translated as "offended" is that word "skandalizo" again.  It literally meant "trip up" or "cause to stumble," which was exactly what was meant in the prophecy Jesus quoted from Zechariah 13:7.  Jesus, the shepherd, would be struck down and all His sheep, His followers, would stumble and be scattered because of it.

(28) "But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."

However, Jesus assured His disciples that after He had risen, He would be back to go before them into Galilee.  Not only was it assurance, but I see a very loving gesture.  He had been telling His disciples what was to happen for quite awhile, and they were convinced that He was the Son of God, but when those things He foretold began to happen, His closest followers fell away.  However, God the Father in heaven, in the form of Jesus on earth, came back to encourage and inspire His disciples again.

(29) But Peter said to Him, "Although all shall be offended, yet not I."

Peter told Jesus that although all others might be offended, he would not, and I'm certain he truly believed that he could never fall away from His Lord.

(30) And Jesus said to him, "Verily I say to you that this day, in this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

Jesus told Peter that truly he would deny Him that night.  Before the rooster crowed twice in the morning, Peter will have denied Christ three times.

(31) But he spoke more vehemently, "If I should die with You, I will not deny You in any way!" Likewise, they all said also.

Peter should have known better than to contradict Jesus, as He was always correct, but he just couldn't believe it of himself.  It is interesting to note that before when Jesus had said at their supper that one would betray Him, Peter was probably one of those who asked if it was him who betrayed Him.  But now, he very confidently and forcefully said to Jesus, even if he had to die with Him, he would never deny Him.  All the other disciples said the same thing.

As this is an especially long chapter, I will end this post here.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 13:1) And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been teaching in the temple.  He now left the temple and one of His disciples remarked to Him about the magnificence of the temple and its stones.  It was indeed a beautiful building with stones of enormous size.  The historian Josephus said that the massive stones were white and fifty feet long, twenty-four wide, and sixteen thick.  The disciple marveled at the beauty of the white buildings and the enormous size of the stones.

(2) And Jesus, answering, said to him, "See these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."

Jesus told the disciple to behold how beautiful and strong the buildings were.  The disciple surely thought the buildings were of such grandeur and especially strength that they would likely stand for generations to come.  However, Jesus told him it would be destroyed and there wouldn't be left one stone upon another that won't have been thrown down.

(3) And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew, asked Him privately, (4) "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"

Jesus then sat upon the Mount of Olives which was directly east of the temple where He had a good view of the temple.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John came to Him privately away from the rest of the disciples and asked Him when the things He spoke of would happen and what would be the sign of its coming.

(5) And Jesus, answering them, began to say, "Take heed, lest any man deceive you."

Jesus began His answer with a warning that they should watch out that no one deceived them.

(6) "For many shall come in My name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many."

Jesus warned that there would come many false Christs claiming to be the Messiah.  The Jews, having rejected the true Messiah, would perhaps be more susceptible to believing a false Christ.

(7) "And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for these things must be, but the end won't be yet."

Jesus told them they would hear of wars and rumors of wars, but they were not to be troubled by those.  They would happen, but it did not mean the end of the state of Israel at that time.

(8) "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in diverse places, and there shall be famines and troubles; these are the beginnings of sorrows."

Nations and kingdoms would indeed rise up against one another.  There would be earthquakes in different places, as well as famines and other troubles, and those would be the beginning of the sorrows to come to Israel.

(9) "But take heed to yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to councils, and in the synagogues you will be beaten, and you will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them."

Jesus told them to watch out for themselves as they would be delivered up to councils and they would be beaten.  They would be brought before rulers and kings for Christ's sake, for professing Him and preaching His gospel, and that would, of course, be a testimony against those who rejected their message of Christ.

(10) "And the gospel must first be proclaimed among all nations."

Jesus said that before the destruction of Jerusalem would come, the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations, at least all the ones in their part of the world which was all they knew.

(11) "But when they lead and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand about what you will speak, nor premeditate, but whatever is given you in that hour, speak that, for it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Ghost."

Jesus told the disciples that when they were indeed delivered up to councils, rulers, and kings, they were not to be anxious and concern themselves with what to say, but the Holy Spirit would give them the words to speak, and they were to speak those boldly and with confidence.

(12) "Now brother will betray brother to death, and father, his son, and children will rise up against parents, and will cause them to be put to death."

There would be such a rage against Christ and His gospel, that even close relations would have their close relatives put to death because of Him.

(13) "And you will be hated of all for My name's sake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved."

Jesus warned that they would be hated by all men because of Jesus and His gospel, but He gave them encouragement, saying that whoever endured all the afflictions and persevered in the faith of Christ would be saved with an everlasting salvation.

(14) "But 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 Judaea flee to the mountains."

The Jews had been rebelling against the Romans, as well as persecuting Christians, and Jesus warned that when they saw the abomination of desolation, the abomination of Roman soldiers plowing through their holy city bringing desolation, they were to flee to the mountains.  This had been prophesied by the prophet Daniel in Daniel 9:27.  When they saw this unfold, those who were in Judaea should run for the hills and mountains.  "Let the reader understand" appears to be a parenthetical statement made by Mark, rather than the words of Jesus.  However, Matthew said something similar when relating his account of this warning by Jesus, so perhaps Jesus did say it, but His usual words were "He who has ears, let him hear."  It doesn't seem right that He would say that a reader understand, unless He was speaking of understanding the prophecy of Daniel, which would make sense.  Since two Gospel writers wrote it, it does begin to make sense that Jesus said it about the prophecy of Daniel, as it wasn't a completely direct and clear prophecy:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." - Daniel 9:27

(15) "And let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter to take anything out of his house."

Jesus had just warned that all in Judaea should flee to the mountains.  He added further that they should not take the time to go back into their houses to take anything with them.

(16) "And let him who is in the field not turn back again to take up his garment."

Furthermore, if any person was working in the field, he should not take even what little time it would be to grab any outerwear.

(17) "But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days."

Jesus lamented the situation of pregnant and nursing mothers in those days because it would be difficult for them to flee in haste, making it more likely they would fall into the hands of the enemy.

(18) "And pray that your flight be not in the winter."

Having to flee in the winter would be very difficult, too, in inclement weather on bad roads.

(19) "For in those days shall be affliction such as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, neither shall be."

Jesus warned that in those days there would be so much affliction and misery the likes of which had not been seen since the beginning of time and would not be seen again. 

(20) "And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake whom He has chosen, He has shortened the days."

Jesus said that unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be able to survive.  However, for His chosen elect, the Lord would shorten those days.  Note that Jesus spoke in the past tense.  The Lord had already shortened the days for His elect.  This destruction was already a done deal, but the Lord shortened it to save His remnant, as He always does.  He never entirely destroys or allows His chosen people to be completely destroyed.

(21) "And then if any man says to you, 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'Lo, there,' do not believe him. (22) For false Christs and false prophets shall rise and will show signs and wonders to seduce, if possible, even the elect."

Jesus warned that there would arise men claiming to be Christ and prophets declaring the Messiah was there to deliver them from their distress.  They would even show signs and wonders to seduce the people to believe them, some of them so convincing, that if it were possible, they might even deceive the elect.  Scripture says it is not possible to those who are truly saved:

"My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of My hand. My Father who gave them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are One." - John 10:27-30

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

(23) "But take heed; behold, I have foretold you all things."

Jesus warned His disciples to give careful attention to the things He had told them so that they might be prepared when they saw the signs and be on guard against every deception and temptation.  Jesus told them He had told them all things regarding their question about when the destruction of the temple would be.

(24) "But in those days after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light."

This is where Jesus seemed to take a turn and begin talking about His second coming.  He had indeed made a point to tell them He had foretold all things, as if that was the end of that one discussion, and now He began another topic.  He spoke of the days after that tribulation which could very logically mean a long time afterward at the end of the world.  However, the same account in Matthew said that Jesus said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..."  

That is the reason I really loved my chronological Bible study because it would include all these accounts together.  However, I was challenged to read the gospel accounts to "see what Jesus said..." about certain things in our culture.  Reading just Mark's account would surely lead one to believe Jesus had to be talking about His second coming and the end of the world.  However, combined with Matthew's "Immediately," one might have a different take.

In my study of Matthew, I could see how the dust and smoke of complete destruction could black out the sun and moon.  However, John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that this and the following few verses were meant to be symbolic.  After the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of God, the Shekinah glory of the Lord, represented by the sun, was gone.  All symbols of the Lord's divine presence were destroyed.  The moon would not give her light.  That light that shone in darkness, that light of the world, that goodness and knowledge of truth and life that was visible in the light, was now extinguished.

(25) "And the stars of heaven shall fall and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken."

Very reasonably, one can follow Gill's logic that this was symbolic and see that the stars of heaven might be the rabbis and teachers of God's Word, and that the powers that were present in that Word of truth would be shaken to the core.

(26) "And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (27) And then He will send His angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."

Then would the Son of Man come with great power and glory, but not in a physical visible form, but as the Word that He has always been from the beginning.  This time it would not be for the Jews, God's chosen people, but He would send His messengers out to the four corners of the world, to the Gentiles, to the uttermost regions under heaven, to build His kingdom on earth, the Christian church.

Although Jesus's words clearly seem to be about the destruction of the Jewish state, that is not to say they can't also be about the second coming of Christ at the end.  In Mark's account, the disciples had asked when the falling of the temple that Jesus spoke about would occur and "...what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"  However, in the account in Matthew, they had asked a bit more specifically than that, and asked, "...what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?"  I believe that, as often occurs in prophecy, it can refer to both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world.  Often Jesus quoted as prophecy something that was fulfilled at that time it was originally quoted, but also referred to what was happening in His time.

(28) "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. (29) So you, in like manner, when you see these things come to pass, know that it is near, at the doors."

Jesus told His disciples that just as they recognized the signs when summer was near, when they saw the things He had spoken of, they would know that the destruction was near.

(30) "Verily, I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done."

Jesus did give them a window of time when the things He had spoken of would occur; the present generation of men would not completely pass away before those things would happen.

(31) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

Jesus's prophetic words were so completely true that even as heaven and earth might pass away, His words never would.  The things He spoke of were absolutely sure to happen.

(32) "But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels who are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

Although Jesus gave them a 40 year window of when those things would happen, He said that no one knew exactly when it would happen, not even Jesus at that time, but only His Father in heaven knew.  As God the Son in heaven, Jesus surely knew when they would happen, but as the Son of man on earth, He had not been granted that particular knowledge at that time.

(33) "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is."

Because they did not know when total destruction would happen, Jesus warned His disciples to be careful, watch for the signs, and pray.

(34) "It is as a man taking a far journey who left his house and left authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."

Just as a man might take a far journey and leave his house under the authority of his servants, and left everyone to their work, and a doorkeeper to watch, so it would be when Jesus left them to carry on His ministry.

(35) "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning, (36) Lest coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping."

Jesus exhorted them to watch and be ready at all times of the day or night, lest they be found surprised and unprepared.

(37) "And what I say to you, I say to all, 'Watch!'"

I love this powerful end statement by Jesus.  What He had told those four disciples, He would tell everyone.  It was meant for even us today reading that message; we should always be mindful of the signs, and always be ready for Jesus.  The parable of the master of the house sounds like Jesus gone away and returning, finding people not ready for His return.  It doesn't have to be at Jesus's second coming; no one knows if he might meet Jesus when he dies unexpectedly.  We should always be ready for Jesus!  One of my favorite songs is this one by Casting Crowns, and it says it beautifully:

While You Were Sleeping

Oh, little town of Bethlehem, looks like another silent night. Above your deep and dreamless sleep, a giant star lights up the sky. And while you're lying in the dark, there shines an everlasting light, for the King has left His throne and is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight. Oh, Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping, for God became a man and stepped into your world today. Oh, Bethlehem, you will go down in history as a city with no room for its King, while you were sleeping, while you were sleeping.

Oh, little town of Jerusalem, looks like another silent night. The Father gave His only Son. The way, the truth, the life had come, but there was no room for Him in the world He came to save. Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping. The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today. Jerusalem, you will go down in history as a city with no room for its King, while you were sleeping, while you were sleeping.

United States of America, looks like another silent night, as we're sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children. And while we're lying in the dark, there's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky, for the Bridegroom has returned and has carried His bride away in the night, in the night. America, what will we miss while we are sleeping? Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay? America, will we go down in history as a nation with no room for its King? Will we be sleeping? Will we be sleeping? United States of America, looks like another silent night.

The Greatest Commandment and the Poor Widow's Offering

Continuing a Bible study of the gospel accounts:

(Mark 12:28) And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"

In the last post Jesus had been answering questions of the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees that had been designed to trick Him, but of course Jesus had answered them brilliantly.  This scribe had heard Him talking with those groups of people and had been impressed with how He answered.  He may have also been trying to test Jesus, or perhaps he had heard enough to know that Jesus had great wisdom and knowledge about the scriptures and actually asked his question in earnest, wanting to know the most important commandment of all.

(29) And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.'"

Jesus answered the scribe by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4 where Moses wrote his exhortation to obey the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the Lord.  He declared that the God of Israel was the one true God of the universe and there was no other.

(30) "'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."

Jesus continued quoting Moses in Deuteronomy 6:5:  "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."  Jesus answered that that was the first and greatest commandment, to love God with all the affections of the heart, all the powers and faculties of the soul, and with all the strength of conviction showing forth in actions.

(31) "And the second like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Jesus went on to add that there was a second most important commandment, and He quoted Leviticus 19:18, to love one's neighbor as himself.  Jesus added that there were no other commandments greater than those two.  That is because all the commandments are based on those two principles.  If one loves God with all his heart, soul, and might, then he won't worship idols, he won't take God's name in vain, and he'll want to honor God's Sabbath.  If he loves his neighbor as himself, he will honor his parents, he won't kill, he won't commit adultery, he won't steal, he won't lie against his neighbor, and he won't covet what others have.  All the commandments, as well as all the statutes and judgments of the Lord, are summed up in these two commandments.

(32) And the scribe said to Him, "Well, Master, You have said the truth, for there is one God, and there is none other but He. (33) And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

The scribe told Jesus He had spoken well.  My first thought was, "How dare this man tell Lord Jesus whether or not He had spoken well?"  But then I realized that the scribes were part of the group that also consisted of Pharisees and chief priests who were trying to destroy Jesus.  However, this scribe recognized the truth.  Not only did he compliment Jesus on being well-spoken, but he confirmed with his knowledge of the scriptures that what Jesus had said was indeed truth.  That was unusual for a scribe to admit that.  He confirmed what the scriptures had said about there being only one God, and how we were to love Him with all our hearts, souls, and mights.  We were to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Additionally, these things were far more important to God than sacrifice and burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).

(34) And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no man after that dared question Him.

Jesus recognized that the scribe had answered wisely and told him that he was not far from the kingdom of God.  This particular scribe appeared to be a prudent, sensible, and pious man, almost a Christian.  With such a heart and sensibility, he surely eventually came to believe in and confess Jesus Christ.  It's not enough to just believe the scriptures.  Satan believes the scriptures.  But that belief in the Word of God will lead us to salvation in Jesus Christ.  After His conversation with the scribe, no one else asked Jesus any questions.

(35) And Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that scribes say that Christ is the Son of David?"

Jesus further answered, turning His attention to teaching the people in the temple.  He began what seemed a paradoxical question and asked how it was that the scribes said that Christ was the Son of David.

(36) "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit on My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'"

Jesus then quoted David who said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Psalm 110:1, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit on My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'"

(37) "David therefore himself calls Him Lord; and how is He his son?" And the common people heard Him gladly.

Jesus went on, confirming what David had said in the psalm, that Christ was his Lord, and then posed the question that how then Christ could be David's son.  David, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recognized that the Christ was His Lord, at that particular time in David's life, a thousand years before Christ came on the scene.  How then could Christ be his son?  The answer, of course, was that Christ could not be a mere man.  He was the Son of God, God Himself, existing since the beginning of time, and coming to earth as Jesus Christ the Messiah at that particular time.  The "common" people in the temple listened to Jesus with great pleasure and satisfaction, probably meaning to differentiate them from the other scribes and Pharisees and chief priests who were surely not pleased with the things Jesus taught.

(38) And He said to them in His doctrine, "Beware of the scribes who love to go in long clothing and love salutations in the marketplaces."

Jesus went on teaching the people that they should beware the scribes who went around in long flowing robes to be seen and greeted with respect in the public places.

(39) "And the chief seats in the synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts."

Jesus went on describing the showy scribes the people should be wary of; they also loved the best seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts where the rulers and elders of the people sat.

(40) "Who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers; these will receive greater damnation."

Jesus completed His warning about those scribes who also enriched themselves by devouring widows' houses and estates through fraud, all the while wearing a mask of piety making long prayers.  These particular scribes would receive greater damnation than other sinners because they used the Lord God as a means to do their wickedness.  They used the holy, merciful, loving, just, and perfect God to trick people into giving them the desires of their worldly sinful hearts, thus twisting and demeaning what it meant to follow God.

(41) And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many who were rich cast in much.

Jesus sat across from the treasury of the temple and watched people casting their offerings of money into it.  He saw that many rich people cast in a great deal of money.

(42) And there came a certain poor widow and she threw in two mites which make a farthing.

As Jesus watched, a poor widow came through to cast in her offering of two mites.  A mite was a small brass coin, the smallest in use among the Jews.  Two of them made a farthing which was not the same as a British farthing.  The original Greek word used for farthing was "kodrantes" which meant "quadrans" which was one fourth of an as, which was a Roman copper coin worth about one third of a cent.

(43) And He called His disciples and said to them, "Verily, I say to you that this poor widow cast more in than all those who have cast into the treasury."

Jesus called His disciples' attention to the widow and told them that with her two mites, one third of a penny, she had given more to the temple treasury than anyone else who had given that day.

(44) "For all cast in of their abundance, but she of her poverty cast in all that she had, all her living."

Jesus gave the disciples His rationale for saying that the woman had given the most.  Everyone else that day had given out of their abundance, out of the money they did not need, just a portion of all the money they had.  That poor widow had given all she had, the entirety of what she had to live on, which demonstrated her trust in God to supply her needs.  God, Jesus, in this incident, looks upon the heart of man.  He doesn't count the pennies and reward most to those who gave the most pennies.  Certainly, all offerings given in sincerity to help the cause of God would be pleasing to Him.  However, a person who gives all, denying self, just as the disciples had given up all to follow Jesus, those people do the most to advance the kingdom of Christ.

The widow's offering in giving all she had really sums up this post, the second part of Mark, chapter 12.  She was the exact opposite of the scribes Jesus had described who went around with a great show of religion and piety.  This woman with her poor pittance was much more pious than all of them.  She also displayed what Jesus called the greatest commandment, she loved God with her all.

Questions About Paying Taxes and Resurrection

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 12:1) And He began to speak to them by parables. "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, and dug a place for the wine vat, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country."

At the end of the last chapter Jesus had just refused to answer the question of the chief priests and scribes about His authority to do the things He did, because they would not answer His question that would have answered their question, but of course, that's not what they really wanted.  He now began to tell them a parable about a man who had planted a vineyard.  The man put a hedge around it, dug a place for a wine vat, built a tower, and then leased it out to farmers.  He then went away to a faraway country.

(2) "And at the season he sent to the farmers a servant, that he might receive from the farmers of the fruit of the vineyard."

Jesus continued with His parable.  At the season when he might expect fruit, the man sent a servant to the farmers at his vineyard in order that he might receive fruit from it.

(3) "And they caught him and beat him and sent him away empty."

However, the farmers caught the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

(4) "And again he sent to them another servant, and at him they cast stones and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated."

The man then sent another servant to the farmers, but they cast stones at him and wounded him in the head, and also sent him away empty-handed after treating him so shamelessly.

(5) "And again he sent another and him they killed, and many others, beating some and killing some."

The man continued sending servants expecting the farmers to finally listen to them, but they beat them, and even killed some of them.  Of course, this is a picture of Father God preparing this perfect place for His people to use and then He sitting in heaven afar and letting His people work it.  When He sent His prophets to be a check on the fruits of their labor, they persecuted and killed them.  God continued to send prophets to try to make the people listen, but they either persecuted or killed them all.

(6) "Having therefore still one son, his well beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will reverence my son.'"

The farmers having rejected and killed all his servants, the man lastly sent his beloved son to them, expecting them to surely respect his son.

(7) "But those farmers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'"

The farmers knew that was the heir who came to them, but they decided to kill him, thinking the inheritance of the vineyard would be theirs.  This was certainly a direct condemnation of the chief priests and scribes who had just proved at the end of the last chapter that they knew who Jesus was, yet they wanted to kill Him because He was a threat to the little kingdom in the temple they had set up for themselves.

(8) "And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard."

Those farmers took the beloved son of the man and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.  That, of course, is exactly what the chief priests and scribes were going to do to Jesus.  They would kill Him and get Him out of "their" temple.

(9) "What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do?" "He will come and destroy the farmers and will give the vineyard to others."

Jesus posed the question about what the lord of the vineyard would do after the farmers had rejected all of his servants and killed his beloved son.  He would naturally come and destroy the farmers, and then he would give the vineyard to others.  According to the account in Matthew, Jesus posed the question, and the chief priests and scribes answered it, thereby incriminating themselves.  Indeed, that was what was to happen to them, and God's gospel would be given to the Gentiles.

(10) "And have you not read this scripture? 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. (11) This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"

Jesus asked them if they had read a particular scripture, and He quoted Psalms 118:22-23.  In spite of their actions in rejecting Jesus and even killing Him, He would become the cornerstone of the church.  "This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."  It is positively marvelous that the Lord would come to earth, suffer immensely and ultimately die to save us all.  It is extraordinary to think that even in death, Jesus would rule and be the cornerstone of the church.  It was all amazing, and it was God's plan all along.

(12) And they sought to lay hold on Him, but feared the people, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them; and they left Him and went their way.

This infuriated the chief priests and scribes because they knew Jesus's parable had been about them.  They would have liked to have taken hold of Him at that moment but feared the people.  Rather than learning from the parable, they chose to ignore its message, and instead, just grew angrier.  However, for the time being, they left Jesus and went their way.

(13) And they sent to Him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch Him in His words.

The chief priests and scribes, afraid of the potential uprising of the people against them, sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus with the mission of catching Him in His words.  The two groups opposed each other but were united against Jesus.  The Pharisees were for the Jewish church and the Herodians were for Herod and the government, that same old church vs. state that has always existed.  By sending two groups with opposing views, they imagined Jesus would make one of them angry enough to want to see Him destroyed.

(14) And when they had come, they said to Him, "We know that You are true and care for no man, for you regard not the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth; is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?"

They approached Jesus with compliments, calling Him a Master of God's ways, true and upright, having regard for no man, for example, Caesar.  Therefore, they wanted to know, was it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?  Of course, this was not a sincere question but intended to be a trap.  If Jesus had said no, then the Herodians would have apprehended Him as an enemy to the government, but if He said yes, the Pharisees and all the Jews would have been against Him, as they were looking for deliverance from the yoke of tax collectors who were viewed as sinners.

(15) "Shall we give or shall we not give?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test me? Bring Me a penny that I may see it."

When they asked Jesus whether or not they should pay taxes to Caesar, He saw right through their hypocrisy, and asked why it was they wanted to trap Him.  He asked them to bring Him a penny.

(16) And they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose is this image and superscription?" And they said to Him, "Caesar's."

They brought Jesus the penny and He asked them whose image and inscription were on the coin.  They answered that it was Caesar's.

(17) And Jesus answering, said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.

Jesus answered their question by telling them to give to Caesar what was Caesar's and give to God what was God's.  Demonstrating that it was Caesar's face on the coin, the circulation of that money was from him and should be returned to him as judged by his government.  Therefore, pay the appropriate taxes.  However, give to God all that is His, which is basically everything.  Caesar had no control over the consciences and hearts of men.  He had no control over the souls of men.  Therefore, give to God what is His judged by His commandments.  The people marveled at the wisdom of His answer and His avoidance of the trap.

(18) Then came to Him the Sadducees who say there is no resurrection, and they asked Him, saying, 

Then the Sadducees came to Jesus.  They were a religious sect who did not believe in a resurrection.  They followed only the Mosaic law very strictly, and because it did not teach resurrection, they did not believe in it, denying the scriptures and the prophets.

(19) "Master, Moses wrote to us if a man's brother dies and leaves his wife and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring to his brother."

The Sadducees recited to Jesus the law of Moses which stated that if a man died and left a wife but no children, his brother was to take her as his wife and raise up children in his brother's name (Deuteronomy 25:5).

(20) "Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring."

The Sadducees then began to relate a hypothetical situation in which there were seven brothers.  The first brother married, but then died leaving a wife with no children.

(21) "And the second took her and died, and neither did he leave her any offspring. And the third likewise."

They went on with their hypothetical case. The second brother indeed took the woman to be his wife, but then he also died, leaving her no children.  Then the third brother stepped up and married her, but the same happened to him.

(22) "And the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died also."

The Sadducees carried their example to an absurd limit, saying that all seven brothers subsequently took the woman as wife, and all died, leaving no children.  Finally, the woman herself died.

(23) "In the resurrection, therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as wife."

Since the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, the hypothetical situation they supposed was surely designed to show an unsolvable difficulty in the idea of resurrection.

(24) And Jesus answering, said to them, "Do you not therefore err? Because you do not know the scriptures neither the power of God."

However, there was no difficulty, and Jesus told them they erred in their thinking because they neither knew the scriptures regarding the future state, nor did they know the power of God in Whom all such difficulties disappear.

(25) "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels which are in heaven."

Jesus explained that in their resurrected bodies there would be no marriages, but they would be more like the angels in heaven.  1 Corinthians 15:50 stated that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom.  The flesh expects there to be sensual pleasures to be satisfied, but Christians know there is so much more than we have ever known.  The world tries to measure God and heaven with their worldly views, but Christians know there awaits us an unimaginable glory in heaven and in the presence of Jesus that no mere human could ever envision.

(26) "And concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses how in the bush God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?"

Jesus went on, knowing their non-belief in a resurrection of the dead, and asked if they had ever read the account in Moses about God appearing to him in a burning bush.  He quoted Exodus 3:6 where God called Himself the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

(27) "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living; you therefore do greatly err."

God had spoken to Moses in the present tense, "I am..."  He did not say He "had been" the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He at that present time He spoke was Abraham's God; He would never have been God to a dead body rotted away in the ground.  Therefore, Abraham must be living, so the Sadducees had erred in their thinking about the particular hypothetical they had proposed to Jesus, and also in their general belief that there was no resurrection.

In this first part of the twelfth book of Mark, we found Jesus putting to shame and folly all the questions and actions of the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees.  When you have real truth, God's truth, there are no difficulties.  There may be things that we don't fully understand, but we can rest assured, it is the way God said it is, and there is nothing that can truly disprove it.  I will end this post here and continue chapter 12 in the next post.

Christ's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem and His Cleansing of the Temple

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 11:1) And when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent forth two of His disciples.

In the last chapter and post, Jesus and His disciples had been on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus boldly leading, and the disciples fearfully following, knowing what fate awaited Jesus in Jerusalem.  They came near to Jerusalem at Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives.  The limits of Bethany reached to the Mount of Olives, and Bethphage bordered Bethany and was a suburb of Jerusalem.  From there Jesus sent out two of His disciples.

(2) And said to them, "Go your way into the village opposite you and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied, on which no man ever sat; loose him and bring him."

Jesus gave directions to the two disciples that they were to go into the village directly opposite them.  As soon as they entered the village they would find a colt, the colt of a donkey, according to the account in Matthew 21:2, tied and one that had never been ridden or even sat upon by any man.  They were to untie it and bring it to Jesus.  The animal used for Jesus's purposes was not to have already been used for domestic or agricultural purposes.  The account in Matthew said that they took the colt and its mother, but as it was the colt only used for Jesus's purposes, Mark just spoke of the colt.  

(3) "And if any man says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say that the Lord has need of him, and immediately he will send him here."

Jesus told them that if anyone questioned why they were taking the colt, they were to tell them that the Lord had need of it, and they would allow them to immediately take the colt.

(4) And they went their way and found the colt tied by the door outside in a place where two roads met, and they loosed him.

The two disciples went forth and indeed found the colt as Jesus had said, tied by the door on the intersection of two roads.  They untied the colt.

(5) And certain of them who stood there said to them, "What are you doing loosening the colt?"

Just as Jesus had said might happen, some people there who saw the disciples untying the colt asked what they were doing.

(6) And they said to them just as Jesus had commanded and they let them go.

They answered just as Jesus had told them to, that the Lord had need of the colt, and surely, they let them go just as Jesus had said they would.

(7) And they brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on it, and He sat upon it.

They then brought to colt to Jesus.  They threw their outer garments on the colt to act as a saddle, and Jesus sat upon it.

(8) And many spread their garments in the road, and others cut down branches off the trees and strew them in the road.

Many of the people who were there spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road, also.

(9) And those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

The people who went ahead of Jesus and those who followed Him shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"  That exclamation of adoration and a wish for prosperity was a prophetic quote from Psalms 118:26.

(10) "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"

The people continued crying out that this kingdom of their father David came in the name of the Lord.  The Jews generally spoke of their father as Abraham, but by calling out David as their father, they acknowledged that Jesus was the expected Son of David, the Messiah.  They cried out "Hosanna" again, and this time adding "in the highest."  It was a term of adoration, but also a wish of prosperity, so it was if they were praising God in the highest heavens and wishing that His kingdom greatly flourish and prosper.

Many things can be noted about Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  The Holy Spirit of God had to be moving among the people who just let the disciples take the colt.  Likewise, the Spirit was moving among all the people who threw their garments and branches along the road and cried, "Hosanna!"  Those same people might include some who would soon afterward cheer at His crucifixion.  However, Jesus was indeed king, and this represented that.  However, this king did not go into Jerusalem in a royal carriage with six white horses.  He came very simply on a donkey!  And a borrowed donkey at that!  With borrowed garments for a saddle!  His pomp and circumstance consisted of borrowed garments and branches off trees.  He came simply to save His people, not to rule over them.  The colt Jesus chose to make His entry into Jerusalem was one that had never been ridden, was not broken, yet it allowed Jesus to ride with no problem.  Jesus had dominion over all.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, added some insights.  He suggested that perhaps the choice of the colt of a donkey or ass as it is written in KJV, might signify His power over the spirit of man who is born like a wild ass's colt (Job 11:12).  Was it a mere coincidence that the colt was brought from a place at a crossroads where two roads met?  Mr. Henry also suggested that this might signify the fact that man has two choices about which way to go, and Jesus came to direct him toward the right road.

(11) And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple; and when He had looked around on all things, and now the eventide had come, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple and looked all around it.  He may have spent a good bit of time there as it might have been evening when He left Jerusalem with His disciples and went to Bethany.  Evening is the meaning of eventide in our time.  However, the prominent meaning and translation used almost 100% of the time in scripture is "hour."  The hour had come for Jesus's suffering and death, and He had looked around His temple, as He was Lord of the temple, and then left and went to Bethany with His disciples.

(12) And on the next day when they had come from Bethany, He was hungry.

The next day they left Bethany where they had stayed the night and went back to Jerusalem, and Jesus was hungry.   

(13) And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came if perhaps He might find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season of figs.

Jesus saw a fig tree from afar having leaves and He went to it to see if perhaps He might find any figs on it, but He found nothing but leaves.  Then comes the phrase "for it was not the season of figs."  Why would Jesus expect to find figs if it wasn't the season for them?  And of course, Jesus would have known without going to the tree whether or not it had fruit, so He was obviously using the fig tree as a lesson.  After much study, I think I understand why Jesus expected fruit even though it wasn't the season yet.  The tree was flourishing with leaves which was indicative of an early bloomer which would indicate fruit.  And it was not yet the time for harvesting the fruit, so it would not be that all the fruit had been gathered from it.  One other possibility is that it was not a good season for figs.  But this tree had all the flourishing outward signs that it had figs.

(14) And Jesus answered and said to it, "No man will eat fruit of you hereafter forever." And His disciples heard.

Jesus spoke to the fig tree and actually cursed it, saying that no man would ever eat fruit from it again.  His disciples heard Him say it.  That great showy fig tree that was fruitless was an illustration of the Jewish church at the time of Jesus that was full of outward shows of religion but was fruitless when it came to the real things of God.  Jesus had just been to the temple and looked all around it.  Perhaps He was contemplating all the outward signs of religion and piety, but knowing from His experience with the scribes and Pharisees, that the temple was fruitless and therefore useless.  If a church was not going to produce fruit for God, then it might as well be destroyed, never to deceive people again.

(15) And they came to Jerusalem and Jesus went into the temple and began to cast them out who bought and sold in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them who sold doves.

The fig tree had evidently been on the way to Jerusalem, as Jesus and His disciples then entered Jerusalem.  Jesus went into the temple and it seems immediately began to cast out people who were buying and selling there.  He had been in the temple the day before looking around and observing all.  He had now come to clean it out.  He overthrew all the tables and chairs of those who sold merchandise in it.  The fact that they sold doves there looks as if they were selling souvenirs or relics of the temple.  They had turned the sacred temple of God into a commercial enterprise.  The account in Luke said that Jesus had even made a scourge of small cords to drive the merchants and buyers out of the temple.  We don't ever see Jesus really angry, but that time He was full of righteous anger.

(16) And He would not allow any man to carry any vessel through the temple.

Additionally, Jesus would not let anyone carry any vessels through the temple.  These could have been other wares that were sold or perhaps vessels for carrying merchandise.

(17) And He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called for all nations the house of prayer'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

Jesus began to teach them the prophetic words in the scriptures.  He quoted Isaiah 56:7, "...My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people."  However, Jesus said that they had turned it into a den of thieves, which was also a prophetic statement from Jeremiah 7:11, "Is this house which is called by My name become a den of robbers...?"

(18) And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him, for they feared Him because all the people were astonished at His doctrine.

The chief priests and scribes heard Jesus teaching and took counsel together discussing how they might destroy Him.  They feared Jesus because all the people were awestruck by His teaching, His doctrine which was the true doctrine of God.  The people had never been taught these things before, and the chief priests and scribes did not want to lose their gig.

(19) And when evening had come, He went out of the city.

In the evening Jesus and His disciples again left the city to spend the night elsewhere, probably in Bethany again.

(20) And in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

In the morning as they were on their way back, they passed by the fig tree Jesus had cursed the day before, and it was all dried up.

(21) And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away."

Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree the day before and pointed out to Jesus that the tree He had cursed had withered away.

(22) And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God."

Jesus spoke to all His disciples as they had all heard Him curse the tree and now observed in one day it had withered and dried up.  He told them to have faith in God.

(23) "For verily I say to you that whoever shall say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he says."

With that faith in God's word, even they could move mountains, if they did not doubt, and believed that what they said would come to be, they indeed would have whatever they said.  The key is having faith in God to do what God says and believing that any obstacles in the way of achieving that purpose can be removed with a word, and it will.  The faith is in God's word and in His will.  It does not mean that we can say to a tree, "Drop a million dollars from your branches," and it will happen if only we truly believe.  I believe this scripture has been taken out of context by many.  It must be within God's will, and also note Jesus's example was about moving mountains, moving obstacles in the way.  It was not "Give me."

(24) "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them."

Note that it's in prayer and communion with God, and knowing God's purpose, when we can confidently ask for what we need, believe that we will receive it, and we will.

(25) "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, that your Father in heaven also may forgive you your trespasses."

Jesus added that when they prayed, they should also forgive anyone who had done anything to them that caused them to hold anything against them, for bitterness in the heart would surely be a hindrance to prayer and confidence that they might receive that for which they prayed.  It's what Jesus told us when He taught us how to pray in the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).  In verses 14 and 15, He added that if we forgave others, our heavenly Father would forgive us our sins; however, if we did not forgive others, neither would our heavenly Father forgive us.

(26) "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Indeed, Jesus did confirm that if they refused to forgive others, God would likewise not forgive them.

(27) And they came again to Jerusalem, and as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders.

Jesus and His disciples then came to Jerusalem and Jesus went into the temple.  It seems that immediately the chief priests, scribes, and elders confronted Him.

(28) And said to Him, "By what authority do you these things? And who gave you this authority to do these things?"

It was indeed a confrontation.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders demanded to know by what authority Jesus did the things He did, perhaps most pressing on their minds was His most recent act of cleansing the temple.  There was also the preaching and teaching in "their" temple and the miracles He performed.  They also wanted to know who gave Him that authority.

(29) And Jesus answered and said to them, "I will also ask of you one question, and answer Me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things."

Instead of answering them, Jesus told them that He wanted to ask them a question first, and if they answered Him, then He would tell them by what authority He did the things He did.  Jesus so often answered a question with a question.

(30) "The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? Answer Me."

It was a simple question designed to make them think about the absurdity of their question to Him.  The correct answer to His question would naturally lead to the correct answer to theirs.  The preaching and teaching of John's doctrine, calling for repentance and the coming of the Messiah, and the baptizing of souls for the Lord; did that all come from heaven or from men?

(31) And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we shall say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'"

The chief priests, scribes, and elders reasoned among themselves about how they should answer Jesus, which proved they weren't interested in truth; they only wanted to entrap Him.  Amazingly, they actually knew that John had prophesied and taught about the coming of Jesus.  They knew the truth about Jesus!  Yet, their lust for power and for things the way they always were trumped their desire to know the Messiah!  They reasoned what Jesus would rightly say and knew that would convict them because they had not believed John.

(32) "But if we shall say, 'Of men;'" they feared the people for all men counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

On the contrary, they reasoned that if they said John's baptism and teaching was merely an invention of men, they would be ostracized by the people who all considered John to be a prophet of God.

(33) And they answered and said to Jesus, "We cannot tell." And Jesus answering, said to them, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Knowing they had been boxed into a corner, that neither answer would entrap Jesus, but only serve to convict themselves, they told Him they didn't know the answer.  Jesus told them, knowing that both sides knew full well the truth, that as they had not answered His question, He would not answer theirs.

To Be Great in the Kingdom of God is to Be Servant to All

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 10:32) And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them; and they were amazed, and as they followed, they were afraid. And He again took the twelve and began to tell them what things would happen to Him.

In the last post Jesus had been on the road when the rich man came to Him asking how to have eternal life.  He and His disciples apparently continued on the way and were headed to Jerusalem.  Jesus went ahead of the disciples which amazed them that He boldly pressed forward headed into danger as He had already told them that He must go to Jerusalen to suffer many things and be killed (Matthew 16:21).  That scripture said that from that particular time forth He had begun to tell them about His death and resurrection, so they knew well what awaited Jesus in Jerusalem.  As they followed behind Him, they were afraid.  They surely had ominous feelings about what awaited Him and that made them fearful for Him, and perhaps even for themselves.  Jesus took them aside and began to tell them again what would happen to Him.

(33) "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of man shall be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles."

Jesus did not try to make the disciples feel better by telling them things weren't going to be as bad as they thought or feed them hopes that He might be able to escape what was to happen to Him.  He told them the truth.  There is power in the truth.  We humans fear the unknown more than the known.  He told them that they were going to Jerusalem where He would be delivered to the chief priests and scribes.  They would condemn Him to death and then deliver Him to the Gentiles.  This was it!  It was all to happen soon.

(34) "And they will mock Him and scourge Him and will spit on Him and will kill Him, and the third day He will rise again."

Jesus gave the disciples more details about how they would torment Him, scourging Him, mocking Him and spitting on Him, and finally killing Him.  However, on the third day after that He would rise again.

(35) And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Master, we want that you would do for us whatever we desire."

According to Matthew 20:20, it was actually James and John's mother who came to Jesus with them and asked if He would do them a favor.  Therefore, it could not have happened immediately after what Jesus had just said to them, thankfully, as it would have seemed heartless to ask what they were about to ask after what He had just told them.

(36) And He said to them, "What would you want that I should do for you?"

The way the question was apparently asked was they desired Jesus to do whatever they asked.  Jesus, however, wanted to know what it was first.  Of course, He already knew, but He wanted them to voice it.

(37) They said to Him, "Grant to us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left hand, in Your glory."

They asked Jesus, or rather their mother with them was the one who probably asked, according to Matthew, if one of them could sit at the right hand of Jesus and the other on His left in His glory.  I couldn't help but ponder how Mark chose to tell the story versus how Matthew told it.  Matthew said it was James and John's mother who did all the talking and asking.  He very specifically stated that their mother had asked that her sons be allowed to sit on the right and left hands of Jesus in His kingdom.  However, Mark, who was likely Peter's scribe, and writing his view of the account put all the blame on James and John, suggesting that it was them who had the audacity to make such a request.

(38) But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Can you drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

However, Jesus said to James and John and their mother that they really didn't know what they asked for.  They probably saw Jesus's glory and kingdom as they did a worldly one.  If Jesus was king and on the throne, then His disciples would naturally be highest rank in His court, they probably reasoned.  Jesus had already rebuked His disciples when they had argued about which one of them would be the greatest in the kingdom, and here James and John were asking to have the highest honor.  Jesus asked could they really drink of the cup that He did, or be baptized as He was about to be baptized.  The brothers saw Jesus as a worldly king with all the pomp and circumstance and honor that went with it.  However, Jesus drank from a cup of sorrows, soon to be afflictions and suffering.  He was about to be totally immersed in a bloody baptism, His purpose for coming into the world.  Could the brothers be on either side of Him as He did that?

(39) And they said to Him, "We can." And Jesus said to them, "You shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized with, you will be baptized."

James and John told Jesus that they could drink of His bitter cup and be baptized as He was about to be baptized.  Of course, they were ignorant of what that really meant.  However, Jesus answered that they indeed would, as He knew they would suffer for being His follower, not in the way that He would, of course.  Jesus suffered greatly for a greater purpose and bore the entire weight and punishment for the sins of the entire world, but James and John would indeed suffer for His sake, perhaps a sip of His cup.

(40) "But to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it is prepared."

Jesus added that positions on His right and left hands were not His to give, but were to be given to whom they were already prepared by God.  There were still two thousand years ahead of them of Christian saints doing God's will, and each would be rewarded according to his own labor, and of course, God already knew to whom the richest rewards would go.

(41) And when the ten heard, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.

The ten other disciples were all angry with James and John, not their mother, proving that Peter's opinion through his scribe Mark that it was James and John who really desired what their mother asked, although they may have used their mother to ask for them.  At the very least, they certainly didn't rebuke her for asking.  

(42) But Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority on them."

Jesus called all His disciples to Him and began to teach them.  He described how rulers really lorded their superiority over their subjects usually in a tyrannical way.  Likewise, the rulers' superiors exercised authority over them.

(43) "But so shall it not be among you, but whoever will be great among you shall be your minister."

Jesus explained that it was not that way with Christian disciples.  Whoever was considered great in Christ's kingdom would be servants to others, not ruling over them. 

(44) "And whoever of you will be the chiefest will be servant of all."

To serve Christ, or be his righthand man, as James and John desired, meant to serve and minister to a physically and spiritually sick world.  Whoever was the greatest would be servant to all.

(45) "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Jesus explained that even He, their king, didn't come into the world to be attended and ministered to as a worldly king, but He came to minister to a lost world, and to even give His life to save many, all who would accept His sacrifice. 

(46) And they came to Jericho, and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the side of the road begging.

On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and His disciples went through Jericho, and a multitude of people from the city followed them as they went out of Jericho.  On the side of the road was a blind man, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, begging.  If this is the same encounter that was recorded in Matthew 20:30, Matthew said there were two blind men.  However, the fact that Bartimaeus was named, and additionally his father was named, might indicate that Timaeus was prominent and well known in the area.  It doesn't mean there weren't two blind men, but he was the prominent one well-remembered.  It's also possible that there were multiple healings of blind men, as the account in Luke gives different details about the time and location, according to commentators.  I'm quite sure Jesus healed many blind people in His short ministry on earth.

(47) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

As there was a multitude of people passing by Bartimaeus on the side of the road, he had occasion to hear or even ask who it was that passed by.  When he heard it was Jesus, he began to cry out to Him, calling Him the Son of David, and asked Him to have mercy on him.

(48) And many rebuked him that he should hold his peace, but he cried all the more a great deal, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Many people among the multitude rebuked him and told him to keep his peace, that same "Don't bother Jesus" attitude that we have heard before.  However, Bartimaeus didn't let them stop him and he cried out all the more to Jesus.

(49) And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good comfort; rise, He is calling you."

Jesus stopped and directed the people to call Bartimaeus to Him.  Jesus has time for all people, no matter how lowly their status, the blind beggars, the children, etc.  They indeed called Bartimaeus and told him to be of good cheer and get up, as Jesus was calling him.

(50) And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.

Probably Bartimaeus sat with a blanket or something of the sort wrapped around him as he sat by the side of the road.  He threw that off and went to Jesus.  I love that picture!  He was persistent in calling on Jesus, regardless of how people tried to discourage him, and when Jesus called him, he threw off the rags defining him and his situation, and came to Jesus.  Some Bible commentators suggest throwing off one's own garments might more rightly express the throwing off or setting aside of one's own self-righteousness, admitting he can't do it on his own and his need for Jesus.

(51) And Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want that I should do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."

Jesus asked Bartimaeus what it was he wanted.  Of course, He knew, and it was rather obvious, but He wanted Bartimaeus to confess what he needed from Jesus.  Calling Him Lord, he asked that he might receive his sight.

(52) And Jesus said to him, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

Jesus told Bartimaeus to go on his way, that his faith had made him whole.  Immediately he received his sight and he followed Jesus along the way.  Bartimaeus had shown great faith in Jesus, knowing He was the promised Son of David, and acknowledging Him as Lord.  Jesus didn't lay hands on Bartimaeus, or touch his eyes, or command he receive sight; he just told him to go his way and he was made whole, able to fully see.  And he followed Jesus.  A perfect end to that picture of someone throwing off self and coming to Jesus for salvation and following Him.