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.

Beware of the Leaven of the World

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 8:1) In those days the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, (2) "I have compassion on the multitude because they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat."

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had gone from the borders of Tyre and Sidon back to the Sea of Galilee through the borders of Decapolis.  It was in the days He was there that a great multitude of people were with Him and had apparently been listening to Him teach for three days.  He called His disciples to Him and told them that He had compassion on the multitude of people because they had been with Him so long and had nothing to eat.

(3) "And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint on the way, for some of them came from far."

Jesus told His disciples He did not want to send the people away back to their houses being so hungry as they might faint on the way, as some of them had come quite far.

(4) And His disciples answered Him, "From where can a man satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"

Remarkably, the disciples asked where they could get bread enough to satisfy the multitude out there in the wilderness.  Had they not remembered how Jesus had fed so recently the five thousand?  And even if this event had actually happened chronologically before the other, then they had forgotten at that time how Jesus fed the multitude.

(5) And He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven."

Jesus asked them how many loaves they had, and they answered they had seven.  For the first time I see significance in the number of loaves, seven.  Seven has a spiritual meaning in the Bible; it represents completeness and fullness, even perfection.  Even in the feeding of the five thousand, they had five loaves and two fishes equaling seven.  In both instances, they had the perfect number to feed the multitudes.

(6) And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground, and He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, and broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

Jesus instructed the people to sit on the ground.  He took the seven loaves of bread and gave thanks for them.  He then broke the bread and gave it to the disciples to set before the people, which they did.

(7) And they had a few small fish; and He blessed and commanded to set them also before them.

The disciples also had a few small fish, and Jesus took those, blessed them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people.

(8) So they ate and were filled, and they took up of what was left seven baskets.

The people ate and were filled, and when the disciples took up the leftovers, there were seven baskets full.  Again that number of perfection.  At the feeding of the five thousand, they had twelve baskets remaining.  Twelve, of course, represents the twelve tribes of Israel and also means perfection and completeness.

(9) And those who had eaten were about four thousand; and He sent them away.

This time Jesus had miraculously fed four thousand.  After they had eaten and were filled, He sent them away.

(10) And immediately He entered in a ship with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

After the multitude left, Jesus got onboard a ship, as they had been on the seashore.  He and His disciples sailed to the region of Dalmanutha which was a city in the coasts of Magdala, which is where Matthew said they had sailed to in his account.

(11) And the Pharisees came forth and began to question Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

The Pharisees there came to Jesus to question and test Him.  They asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

(12) And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily, I say to you there shall be no sign given to this generation."

Jesus sighed deeply in His soul, saddened by the hardness of the Pharisees' hearts, knowing they only sought to test Him, as they had already seen so many signs.  He told them there would be no sign given to them.  In Matthew's account, Jesus had added except for the sign of Jonah, which referred to His being in the tomb three days and then rising.

(13) And He left them, and entering into the ship again, departed to the other side.

Jesus left the Pharisees and returned to the ship and sailed toward the other side of the sea.

(14) Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they more than one loaf in the ship with them.

The disciples had forgotten to take bread with them on the ship, which apparently was their usual practice, as they might be at sea for days.

(15) And He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

Jesus spoke to the disciples, having just left the Pharisees, telling them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.  In Matthew's account, Jesus had said the Pharisees and the Saducees.  It is very probable He had said to beware of them all.

(16) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "Because we have no bread."

The disciples reasoned among themselves that it was because they had forgotten bread that Jesus was talking about food.

(17) And when Jesus knew it, He said to them, "Why do you reason, because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive, neither understand? Is your heart yet hardened?"

Jesus knew what they were saying and asked why they reasoned that He was talking about food.  He asked if they still didn't understand and if their hearts were still too hard to perceive what He was talking about.

(18) "Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?"

Jesus seemed quite exasperated with His disciples and continued, asking if they had eyes but could not see; they had eyes to see physically, but failed to see with their spirits and understand.  He asked if they had ears but could not hear, meaning their spiritual ears that failed to hear.  Jesus asked them if they didn't remember; they had seen and heard countless things from Him and should have been able to comprehend the spiritual things.

(19) "When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve."

Jesus then questioned the disciples about the recent miracles they had just witnessed.  He asked about the time He broke five loaves of bread and fed five thousand with it.  He asked how many baskets of leftovers they took up after the people had eaten their fill.  They answered twelve.

(20) "And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."

Jesus then asked them about the most recent time He had just fed four thousand with seven loaves; how many baskets of leftovers had they taken up then?  They answered seven.

(21) And He said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"

Jesus asked His disciples how it was that they did not understand.  His point was, of course, that they had no need to be worried about bread, and He certainly wouldn't be concerned about bread, the food, so why was it they had reasoned among themselves that He would be talking about food?  How was it they couldn't understand He was talking about spiritual bread?  The leaven He had been talking about was the false spiritual leaven of the hypocrites which like leaven would spread throughout the heart and soul and even a population.

(22) And He came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man to Him and beseeched Him to touch him.

Jesus came to Bethsaida, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee.  The account in John tells us it was the city of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.  Some people brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch the man.

(23) And He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town, and when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of town.  He was either avoiding vain praise and glory, or perhaps because of the unbelief and hardened hearts of the people in this place, He did not wish to perform a miracle in their presence.  Jesus was not about vain show, but did have mercy on and wish to heal this man.  When they were out of town, Jesus spit on the blind man's eyes and put His hands on him and asked if he saw anything.

(24) And he looked up and said, "I see men as trees, walking."

The blind man told Jesus he could see men who looked like trees walking.  From a distance, they all looked the same, but because of their motion, he was able to distinguish the men from the trees.

(25) After that He put His hands again on his eyes, and made him look up; and he was restored and saw every man clearly.

Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes again, and this time when the man looked up, his vision was perfectly restored and he could see every man clearly.  Once again, we see Jesus heal in a different way.  He could have merely spoken and the man would have been healed.  He could have been healed the moment Jesus touched him.  Why was this done in stages?  I believe it was to show us there was no magic formula; we do not have to have Jesus physically touching us to heal us.  Sometimes Jesus might use doctors to heal, and it might be a gradual healing, but the same miraculous result may occur.  In addition, it was an illustration of spiritual blindness.  A sinner is blind to the truth, and through the effects of religion and the Holy Spirit, begins to see, but at first not clearly.  At first doctrines may seem mysterious and he cannot totally comprehend them.  However, as he is converted and becomes a new man and has the Holy Spirit to guide him in all truth, he soon can see distinctly.

(26) And He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town nor tell anyone in the town."

Once again Jesus charged a recipient of His miraculous healing not to tell anyone about it, to go to his house and not to go into town.  Once again we can assume that Jesus did not wish to give more fuel to the fire of the Pharisees' jealousy and bring their action before its time.

(27) And Jesus went out and His disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and by the way He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Whom do men say that I am?"

Then Jesus and His disciples went into the towns of Caesarea Philippi, so called because it was ruled by Philip the Tetrarch.  On the way He asked His disciples whom men said that He was.

(28) And they answered, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others, one of the prophets."

They answered by saying some said He was John the Baptist, others thought He was Elijah, as they were expecting Elijah to come before the Messiah, and still others thought He was one of God's prophets, either one of the past come again, or a new prophet raised up by God.

(29) And He said to them, "But whom do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."

Jesus then asked His disciples who they thought He was.  Peter answered that He was the Christ.  In the account in Matthew, Jesus told Peter that he was blessed to know that because he could not have known by "flesh and blood," but only by Father God in heaven.

(30) And He charged them that they should tell no man about Him.

Jesus commanded His disciples not to tell anyone that fact, at least for the time being.  He didn't want the people trying to set Him up as a king which was what many were expecting the coming Messiah to be, and He didn't want to provoke the anger of the scribes and Pharisees to try to destroy Him before His time.

(31) And He began to teach them that the Son must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Jesus then began to teach His disciples about what was to happen to Him on earth.  He was going to have to suffer at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He would be killed, but after three days, He would rise again.

(32) And He spoke that word openly. And Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him.

Jesus spoke very openly and honestly to His disciples about what was to happen to Him.  However, Peter, not liking what he was hearing about Jesus's suffering and death, took Him aside and began to argue that fact with Him.  The account in Matthew told us Peter said that it would not happen that way to Him.

(33) But when He had turned about and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you don't savor the things that are of God, but the things that are of men."

I'm sure, as quite a surprise to Peter, Jesus turned and rebuked him, even seemingly called him Satan.  In fact, Jesus was speaking to Satan who must have prompted Peter to say what he did.  He told him he didn't speak the things of God, but only the selfish feelings of man; for, of course, we know God had a much greater purpose in mind.

(34) And when He had called the people to Him, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me."

Jesus then called the people to Him that had been close by as they always seemed to be around Jesus.  He also called His disciples to Him to hear this truth, that whoever desired to follow Him must be prepared to deny themselves of their worldly and selfish desires.  They must deny their own wills and embrace the will of God, no matter what the painful consequences.

(35) "For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, he shall save it."

Jesus went on to tell them that whoever tried to save his own life by his own means would lose it.  However, whoever gave up his life and his will for the sake of Christ and the gospel, he would save his life, even have an eternal life.

(36) "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Jesus then asked rhetorically what good was it if a man had all the money and power and means to gain the entire world, but lost his soul in the process.

(37) "Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Jesus then posed another question, just what would a man give in exchange for his soul?  All the riches and power in the world would only be a temporary thing, a blip in eternity.  Was man willing to give his eternal soul in exchange for a brief worldly gain?

(38) "Whoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

One of the reasons that the Jews rejected Jesus was that they were expecting a king to come save them in the traditional sense.  Had He indeed come clothed in royal robes, He would probably have had a huge following, but most of them would have been hypocrites.  Jesus came to the world in a lowly manner that the world might be saved by receiving His message and accepting His gift of redemption, not by adoration to a worldly king.  If any man was ashamed of Him and His words because He was not a rich and beautiful worldly king, then he would be lost and condemned when the Lord returned to gather His saints.  Jesus came in opposition to the ruler of the darkness of this world who deceives with worldly riches and power, so why would He have come in worldly riches and power?  Salvation is in Him and His words alone, not in any worldly riches, power, or fame.  Anyone who rejected that seemingly lowly person and message would be eternally lost.  And should He die a lowly miserable death, words Peter had rejected, it did not diminish Him and His word; in fact, as Peter and all the disciples would learn, it is what brought salvation and victory over death when Jesus would triumphantly rise again.

Jesus Is Rejected in Nazareth, Then Sends His Twelve Disciples Out to Preach; Beheading of John the Baptist

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 6:1) And He went out from there and came into His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

At the end of the last chapter Jesus had just healed the daughter of a ruler of the synagogue at the ruler's house in Capernaum.  He now went from Capernaum to His own land around Nazareth.  Nazareth was said to be Jesus's own city because He had been conceived there and had been educated there.  He had regard for it as His hometown.  His disciples followed Him there.

(2) And when the Sabbath day had come, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands?"

When the Sabbath day had come, Jesus began teaching at the synagogue in Nazareth.  Many of the people hearing Him teach marveled and were astonished at His teaching.  They wondered where He had gotten such ideas and wisdom.  They recognized that He had some power to perform miracles and wondered what gave Him such power and wisdom.

(3) "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, the brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And they were offended at Him.

Although the people marveled, they recognized that Jesus was the carpenter, the son of Mary, who had grown up with them.  Matthew had stated in his account that Jesus was the carpenter's Son, but it is perfectly reasonable to believe that Jesus had worked in His earthly father's trade in His younger years.  The fact that Mary was mentioned and not Joseph, might mean that Mary was a widow by then.  James, Joses, Judah, and Simon might have been the half-brothers of Jesus, sons of Mary and Joseph, but they might also have been close kinsmen, close enough to be called brothers.  The point is that these people knew Jesus's roots and His family.  They knew His sisters who were still among them.  They became offended that "one of them" should now claim this apparent spiritual superiority over them.  At least that is the way they probably saw it.  Seeing Him grow up with them and knowing His family, they could not or would not believe who He truly was, and by what power and wisdom He did the things He did.

(4) But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house."

Jesus somewhat pardoned their ignorance.  He recognized that the primary place a prophet was without honor and respect as a prophet was among the people with whom he had grown up and his own family and household.  However, that did not completely excuse them.  Jesus recognized that it might be harder for them to believe and be saved, just as it is harder for a rich man to be saved (Matthew 19:24) or for a good man (1 Peter 4:18).  His own people find it hard to believe, a rich man finds it hard to give up his money, and a "good" man doesn't see his need as a sinner.  It might be harder, but not impossible, and it is necessary to be saved only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ's sacrifice.  

(5) And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick folk and healed them.

It's not that Jesus was unable to do mighty miracles because of the people's unbelief, but the purpose of miracles is to bring people to a saving belief in Christ.  If people were not receptive to His message, then Jesus was not about vain show.  He knew the hearts and minds of those people before He spoke and knew whether or not they would be receptive of His teaching.  He concluded it was useless to perform a mighty work there.  However, Jesus did have mercy on a few sick people and healed them.

(6) And He marveled because of their unbelief.  And He went round about the villages, teaching.

Jesus the man could not help but be amazed at the unbelief of His very own people.  There He was offering grace and eternal life, and the people were too stubborn to even listen.  So Jesus went around to the surrounding villages and taught.  

(7) And He called the twelve and began to send them forth two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits.

Jesus called His twelve disciples to Himself and sent them out in pairs to preach and teach the Gospel.  By sending out two together, they would be able to support and encourage each other.  Besides, there was that scriptural adage that a thing was established if out of the mouth of two or three.  Jesus gave His disciples the power over unclean spirits.  In the last chapter, we were told of Jesus's innate nature to heal and drive out evil spirits.  The disciples were not able to drive out spirits of their own power, but Jesus gave them that power.  That squashes the notion of faith teachers that we can all heal and exorcise demons if we have enough faith.  It is only if it is within God's will and He gives us that power, and the Holy Spirit so directs us; then it is actually Him doing the healing or exorcism.

This reminds me of something I personally witnessed.  I was in a women's mentoring group, and prayer was asked for a sick member.  One woman prayed humbly that if it was in God's will, would He please heal that woman.  Another woman, apparently not pleased with the path of her prayer, interrupted and began praying that she knew God wanted that woman healed and therefore she demanded that sickness leave that woman's body.  She presumed to know the mind of God!  I've been in Word of Faith groups before, and they take scripture and claim every one as a promise for us all, and therefore think they know what God wants at any given moment.  As a result, they think they have the right to demand it.  What they fail to realize is that God's ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9).  There may be a greater purpose in allowing a person to suffer with an illness.  There may be countless people saved because they see the faith and joy and peace of Christians regardless of their apparent hopeless situations.  I have a personal testimony regarding my husband that attests to that.  My husband was blind; he actually regained slight vision and then lost it totally again.  He had a weak heart and countless other medical problems resulting from a terrible car crash when he was younger.  His parents had been told on countless occasions that he would not make it through the night.  He was always in a lot of pain and normal daily activities seemed a struggle.  His heart finally did give out and he is no longer with me, but I cannot tell you how many people he touched just by his humble life and soft-spoken words.  And he always gave glory to God for all the little things.  People saw that and continue to tell me what an inspiration he was.  Just by living with all his infirmities and continuing in faith and love, he was an inspiration!  If countless more people were saved observing his life than would have been if he had not gone through it all, then which is the good thing?  Our selfish afraid of adversity selves would say the good thing would be to be immediately healed!  But what if it is God's purpose for our lives that we persevere in adversity so that others may see the hope within us and be saved?  We can't all be preachers and missionaries.  But if we perform our purposes with willing and glad hearts, there is great reward in heaven.  And this life on earth is just a blip in the whole of eternity.  As it says in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

(8) And commanded them to take nothing for their journey except a staff only, no bag, no bread, no money.

Jesus commanded His disciples to take nothing with them as they went forth two by two, except for a staff, which probably served as a walking aid.  They were to be about their work and not concerned with their "things."  God would provide.

(9) But be shod with sandals and not put on two coats.

They were to wear sandals but were not to take extra clothes.  Again, all their needs would be provided.  

(10) And He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, abide there till you depart from that place."

Jesus further instructed His disciples.  In whatever city or town they went to, when they were invited in to stay at a house, they were to stay there until they left that city or town.  That was to be their headquarters, so to speak.  They weren't to go from house to house throughout the town spending the nights in different places.  There was wisdom in that command, as there always is with Christ's commands.  Once they were welcomed into a place, it should only increase the pleasure of their hosts to be a small part of their great work; and the time it would take to find another place to stay and settle into there would only take away from their work.  Jesus would make sure they were welcomed into the right place in the beginning!

(11) "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city."

If the disciples came to a city where no one would receive them into their houses or even listen to them, Jesus told them that when they left that city, they were to shake off the dust of that city's ground as a testimony against them.  They had been in that city's ground but now shook it off, leaving that city completely behind that had rejected the Gospel.  Jesus went on to say that in the day of judgment still to come, judgment on the city that rejected the disciples and their gospel message would be more severe than it would be for even Sodom and Gomorrah.

(12) And they went out and preached that men should repent.

The disciples went out as Jesus sent them forth, two by two, preaching that men should repent of their sinful ways.

(13) And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

The disciples were able to cast out devils with the power Jesus had given them.  They anointed the sick with oil which was a common custom among the Jews as it might have a soothing effect on the body.  In the case of the disciples, they also healed the sick by the power given them by Jesus.

(14) And King Herod heard of Him (for His name was spread abroad), and he said, "That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him."

King Herod began to hear of Jesus and the fame of His works.  He thought that it must have been John the Baptist risen from the dead.  I suppose his reasoning was that if John had the power to rise from the dead, he would have the power to do miracles.

(15) Others said, "That is Elijah." And others said, "That is a prophet or like one of the prophets."

Other people thought it was Elijah whom the Jews did expect to come before the Messiah.  Still others said it was one of the old prophets risen up, or a new prophet who had been raised up with the same power as the old prophets.

(16) But when Herod heard, he said, "It is John whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead."

When Herod heard the opinions of others, he rejected them.  He was sure it was John the Baptist whom he had had beheaded.  Obviously, his conscience was bothering him for having so good a man beheaded, and he was sure John had come back from the dead.

(17) For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold of John and bound him in prison for Herodias's sake, his brother Philip's wife, for he had married her. (18) For John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

More detail is given about how Herod came to have John beheaded, and why his conscience might be bothering him.  Herod had taken his brother's wife, Herodias, as his own.  John had told Herod that it was unlawful for him to do so, so he had had John seized and bound in prison for Herodias's sake, and honor, as I suppose he would have thought it.

(19) Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him and would have killed him, but she could not.

Prison for John was not good enough for Herodias.  She wanted him killed, but it was not in her power to do so.

(20) For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and holy, and observed him, and when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly.

Herodias had surely petitioned Herod to have John killed, but Herod feared John because he knew he was a just and holy man.  He kept him in prison, but observed him, listening to what he had to say.  He did many things and listened to John gladly.  We aren't told what many things he did, but it seems to be in reference to the things John was telling him that he received gladly.  However, we know that he did not fully embrace John's message as he continued to keep his brother's wife as his own.

(21) And when a convenient day had come when Herod on his birthday made a supper for his lords, high captains, and chiefs of Galilee; (22) And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the damsel, "Ask of me whatever you will and I will give it to you."

An opportune time came for Herodias when it was Herod's birthday and he held a supper for all his nobles and chief officers.  The daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and the men who sat with him.  He was so pleased with her performance that he told her he would grant her whatever she wished; she needed merely to ask.

(23) And he swore to her, "Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

Herod went all out and swore an oath to Herodias's daughter that whatever she asked, he would give her, up to half his kingdom.  That's quite a reward for a dance!

(24) And she went forth and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

Herodias's daughter asked her mother what she should ask for, and she told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist.  That woman could surely hold a grudge, for John had been in prison for almost two years, say Biblical scholars.  She probably didn't like the fact that Herod seemed to enjoy listening to John.

(25) And she came in right away with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want that you give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

Indeed, Herodias's daughter went immediately in to King Herod and asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

(26) And the king was exceedingly sorry, but for his oath's sake, and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not reject her.

King Herod was very sorry he had opened his big mouth, so to speak, to offer the girl anything she desired.  However, because he had sworn an oath, and because he had done it in front of all his guests, he would not refuse the girl her request.

(27) And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought; and he went and beheaded him in prison.

The king sent an executioner to the imprisoned John, and commanded that he bring John's head to him.  The executioner indeed beheaded John in his prison.

(28) And brought his head on a platter and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother.

The executioner brought John's head on a platter and gave it to Herodias's daughter, and she, in turn, gave it to her mother.  And that explained why Herod was haunted by his killing of a good and holy man for a dance!

(29) And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

When John's disciples heard about what had happened to him, they came to the prison and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

As this is a rather long chapter with rather long commentary, I will end this post here and continue Mark 6 in the next.

Jesus Is Baptized and Begins His Ministry

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 1:1) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark began his retelling of the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ.  He acknowledged He was the Son of God.  Mark began by stating that what followed was the good news of Christ, not so much a life story, but the part that pertained to the salvation over death.

Mark was one of the extended group of disciples or followers of Jesus, a member of the early church.  The disciples met at his mother's home (Acts 12:12).  The early church leader Papias (c. 60-135 A.D.) wrote that Mark transcribed the teachings of Peter, so he had the eyewitness reports of Peter.  It is possible he witnessed the arrest of Jesus, as there is a veiled reference to that in his gospel account.  Called John Mark in references in the Bible, he probably wrote his account about 20 years after the death of Christ.

(2) As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."

Mark began his gospel account with the prophecies in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, that God would send a messenger before Jesus who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

(3) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'"

The rest of the prophecy speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.  This was, of course, John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah.  He did so in the wilderness that represented the lost world, and he made straight the crooked paths of false doctrine and faulty judgment.

(4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Mark went on to describe what John did in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord.  He preached repentance and performed baptisms as a sign of repentance for the remission of sins.

(5) And there went out to him all the land of Judea, and those of Jerusalem, and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

People from Jerusalem and all the region of Judea came out to see and hear John and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, after confessing their sins.

(6) And John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt about his loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

John came very plainly, not in royal pomp and circumstance, but he lived an austere life in the wilderness, wearing animal skins and eating only what was readily available to him.  His only purpose was to proclaim the coming Messiah and prepare the way for Him.

(7) And preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen."

John preached about One coming after him who was much greater than he was, meaning, of course, the Messiah.  He described himself as being totally unworthy to even unstrap His sandals.

(8) "I indeed have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

It was as if John was saying not to rest solely in his water baptism.  His external water baptism was just a sign of a repentant heart, but the greater One coming after him would baptize the inner man with the Holy Spirit.

(9) And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

While John was preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, Jesus came to him for the expressed purpose of being baptized by him according to the account in Matthew (Matthew 3:13).  Jesus was indeed baptized by John in the Jordan River.

(10) And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.

As Jesus came up out of the water of His baptism, the heavens opened up, and the Holy Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove lighting on Him.

(11) And there came a voice from heaven, saying, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Matthew described it as the voice saying "This is My beloved Son..."  Mark described the voice as speaking directly to Jesus.  The point is that the three distinct persons of the Holy Trinity were represented here and well pleasing to God:  God the Father in heaven above, His Holy Spirit, and His Son in human form on earth.

(12) And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit deeper into the wilderness.  Matthew added in Matthew 4:1 that this was for the purpose of being tempted by the devil.

(13) And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Mark gave a very concise account of Jesus's temptations in the wilderness.  According to Matthew 4:2-11 Jesus was indeed there in the wilderness forty days and He was fasting, at which point Satan tempted our Lord when He was at His weakest as a human.  Of course, Jesus, having no sin in Him, did not give in to the temptations, and sent Satan packing, at which time the angels came and ministered to Him.

(14) Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

In the concise manner that Mark wrote this, it shows that when John's work was done and he was put into prison, then Jesus came into Galilee and began His ministry, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.

(15) And saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel."

Jesus preached that the time of the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets, was at that time come.  He called the people to repent and believe His gospel.

(16) Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

As Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon, who was also called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea, as they were fishermen.

(17) And Jesus said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Jesus called to Simon Peter and Andrew to come follow Him and He would make them fishers of men, surely a more excellent employment.

(18) And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Immediately they left the tools of their livelihood behind to follow Jesus.  There must have been some Holy Spirit guidance to have them give up all at Jesus's first call.

(19) And when He had gone a little further from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the ship mending their nets.

Jesus went a little further from where He had called Peter and Andrew, and He saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, also in the ship mending their nets.  Perhaps He had seen Peter and Andrew on one end of a ship casting their nets while James and John were mending their nets at the opposite end of the same ship, or perhaps also meant that they, too, were employed with nets for fishing.

(20) And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus called James and John immediately upon seeing them, as you can be sure that they had been called long before their births for that time.  They also left their livelihoods and their father to join Jesus and follow Him.

(21) And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the sabbath day, He entered the synagogue and taught.

Jesus and His disciples went to Capernaum.  It seems it was on the Sabbath, and Jesus immediately entered the synagogue and taught.

(22) And they were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

The people were astonished at Jesus's teaching, for He taught as one with authority, one who really knew God and His doctrine, not as the scribes who would merely read off the pages.

(23) And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, (24) Saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!"

There was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit, or spirits, as it appears from what they said to Jesus.  Perhaps rather the spirit was talking for all the other demonic spirits that possessed people all over the region.  The evil spirit recognized Jesus right away, even though the man it possessed probably did not up to that point.  If that doesn't prove Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against...spiritual wickedness..," I don't know what does!  If only we could remember that!  The spirit asked Jesus to leave them, all evil spirits, alone, saying they had nothing to do with Him, which of course they didn't, but He certainly had something to do with them as they destroyed men's souls.  The evil spirit asked if Jesus had come to destroy them, recognizing Him as the Holy One of God, who was quite capable of doing just that.

(25) And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Hold your peace and come out of him."

Jesus told the spirit to be quiet and commanded it to come out of the man it was possessing.

(26) And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried with a loud voice, it came out of him.

The evil spirit had to obey Jesus's command, but on its way out of the man, it caused the man to convulse and cry out in a loud voice.

(27) And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him."

The people in the synagogue were amazed and began to talk among themselves, wondering what they were witnessing.  They were hearing a doctrine spoken by someone who seemed to have authority, and they had never heard anything like that from the scribes.  He also had authority over unclean spirits that had to obey Him, and they had certainly never witnessed anything like that!

(28) And immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all the region around Galilee.

Jesus's fame spread beyond Capernaum where He had taught in the synagogue and driven out the evil spirit, throughout all the region beyond Galilee, as people reported what they had witnessed.

(29) And immediately after they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

The sermon in the synagogue being over, Simon Peter and Andrew went home, and apparently invited Jesus, James, and John into their home, as well.

(30) But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and at once they told Him about her.

There in Simon Peter's home was also his mother-in-law who was sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her right away upon entering his house.

(31) And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered to them.

Jesus came to the woman, took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  She was so completely recovered that she then began to serve the men.

(32) And at evening when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were diseased and those who were possessed with devils.

In the evening, after the sun had set, and the Sabbath was over, when it was now seen as lawful to heal, they, either His disciples with Him at the time or more likely people hearing of his fame, brought to Jesus all manner of people who were diseased and those who were demon-possessed.

(33) And all the city was gathered together at the door.

All the inhabitants of the city of Capernaum were gathered at Peter's door to witness the healing of the people that had been brought to Jesus.

(34) And He healed many who were sick of diverse diseases, and cast out many devils, and did not allow the devils to speak because they knew Him.

Jesus healed many who were sick with various different diseases and He cast out many demons.  The verse does not mean to suggest He did not cure them all, but rather that the number who were cured was many.  The evil spirits who possessed people all knew Jesus, but He did not allow them to speak this time.  I believe the spirit was allowed to speak the first time to demonstrate to us that the spirit knew Jesus, but now it was not helpful to have all those demonic spirits testifying of Jesus, as it might seem to the people that He had a confederacy with them, as the Pharisees had suggested back in Matthew, that He worked miracles by the power of the devil.

(35) And in the morning, having risen a great while before day, He went out and departed to a solitary place and there prayed.

Very early the next morning Jesus left Peter's house and went to a solitary place to pray.  It is worthy to note how often Jesus prayed.  You would think as God, He didn't need to pray.  However, as man, He may have used prayer to strengthen Himself for the work at hand, or perhaps most importantly to teach us that we should pray about all things.

(36) And Simon and those with him followed after Him.

Simon Peter and probably just those who would have spent the night in Peter's house, certainly Andrew and perhaps James and John, followed after Jesus.

(37) And when they had found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for you."

It seems they may not have immediately followed after Jesus and seen where He had gone, but rather had to search for Him.  When they found Him, they told Him that everyone was looking for Him.

(38) And He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came."

Jesus was not concerned with the multitudes who were looking for Him, but rather suggested to His disciples that they go into other towns to also preach there, for that is the reason He had come into this world, to preach the Gospel.

(39) And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

Jesus indeed preached in the synagogues of the towns throughout Galilee.  Jesus also cast out devils.  Mark doesn't say here that Jesus healed people, but that He cast out devils.  I'm sure He did both, but it makes one wonder if many diseases are demon-caused?  Perhaps Mark was just making the point that Jesus came to destroy Satan and death.

I had to wonder at this point if Jesus was preaching throughout Galilee with just the four disciples He had called up to that time.  The answer can be found in Papias's description of Mark's writing, "Mark became Peter's interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord."  Although Mark was accurate, he did not write events in the order that they occurred, so it is very likely that the twelve disciples were with Jesus by the time He taught throughout Galilee.

Another point of interest regarding the writings of Mark, is that Luke, when beginning his gospel account, wrote in the first verse of the first chapter that he would "set forth in order" the events in the gospel, and then again in verse 3, "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order..."  It really does seem that Luke is making the point that his gospel would be in order, whereas others, probably particularly Mark, had not written the events in order.  That is not to say that Luke disputed anything that Mark wrote, as he appears to have quoted Mark more often than any other source.  Luke 1:2 acknowledges that "...those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us."  However, Luke set out to write it in a more orderly fashion.

(40) And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying to Him, "If You will, You can make me clean."

While Jesus was preaching in the towns throughout Galilee, there came to Him a leper on his knees begging Him to heal him.  The man had no doubt that Jesus could heal him, but he asked that He be willing to do it for him.

(41) And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean."

Jesus was moved with compassion for the man who had so humbly sought His help.  He reached out and touched the man, which was actually unlawful to do, to touch anything unclean.  He told the man He was willing to make him clean, and commanded so.

(42) And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

As soon as Jesus spoke the command to be clean, the leprosy left the man and he was cleansed.  It was not necessary that Jesus touch the unclean man; He could have just commanded he be healed.  I believe the reason is in the statement that Jesus was moved with compassion, with love for this poor man who had so long suffered, who had come to Him humbly, having faith He could cure him if He wanted.  Jesus loves all us poor sinners, and He came to be in the midst of our filthy sinful world to rescue us all.  I believe with His gesture, Jesus showed us that no sin is too unclean or too bad that He cannot forgive and heal us.  Another way to look at this is that Jesus saw the man as he was, as God created him to be.  He was not unclean; he was a victim of sin in a sinful world.  As Jesus touched him, he indeed was made clean.

(43) And He sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, (44) And said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Jesus sternly warned the man to say nothing about Jesus's healing of him, but to go immediately to the priest, make his offering as commanded by Moses in the law, and be pronounced clean by the priest as the law required, and that would be his public testimony.  Although he was completely cleansed by Jesus, at that time, Jesus wanted to have him obey the law and not bring unwanted attention too soon to Jesus's ministry.  It was not the time yet.  Besides, another reason might have been that people would not have judged him to be truly clean if they knew it came from Jesus and not from the priest's proclamation that he was genuinely cured.

(45) But he went out and began to publish it much and blaze the matter abroad, so much that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every quarter.

Despite Jesus's stern charge, the man went out spreading the good news of his healing far and wide.  I'm sure it was not with any bad intention to disobey Jesus, but he was so overjoyed, he could not contain himself.  However, the result was that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but He stayed out in more deserted places, but still the people came to him from all over.

In this first chapter of Mark, he tells how Jesus began His ministry.  He did not write about Jesus's birth and early years, as some of the other gospel writers did, but began with what he called from the beginning, "the gospel of Jesus Christ," His message and ministry.

The Authority of Jesus Is Challenged

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 21:23) And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave You this authority?"

In the first part of Matthew 21, in the last post, Jesus had just made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  He had cleared the temple courts of the buyers and sellers, and when He went into the temple, He apparently began to teach.  The chief priests and elders came to Him and asked what authority He had to clear the temple as He had done and then to come in and teach, and who it was who gave Him that authority.

(24) And Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me, I will likewise tell you by what authority I do these things."

Jesus answered the chief priests and elders that He would also ask them a question, and if they answered Him, He would likewise answer their question regarding by what authority He did what He did.

(25) "The baptism of John, from where was it? From heaven, or of men?" And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why did you not then believe him?'"

As was Jesus's usual MO, He asked the priests and scribes a question designed to make them think and fully realize the answer which would convict themselves.  Jesus asked them where John's baptisms came from.  By the "baptism of John," He meant the baptisms that John the Baptist did.  He knew the priests held John in high regard, and any answer they gave to His question would reveal the truth and trap them in their own snare.  The priests and scribes reasoned among themselves, realizing they were trapped by their own question.  Of course, they knew by what authority Jesus did those things--the same authority by which John the Baptist baptized.  They realized that if they answered that John baptized by authority of heaven, then Jesus would reasonably ask why they didn't believe John when He taught about Jesus, the Messiah.

(26) "But if we shall say, 'Of men,' we fear the people, for all hold John as a prophet."

The chief priests and scribes continued reasoning among themselves.  If, instead of answering "From heaven," they instead answered "Of men," they feared the retaliation of the people witnessing their answer, as they knew the correct answer and how all the people felt about John the Baptist.

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

Realizing the dilemma they found themselves in, they chose to answer that they did not know by what authority John baptized people.  Therefore, Jesus answered He would likewise not tell them by what authority He did what He did.  It's not that He didn't want them to know the answer; they knew, for He had told them on countless other occasions.  He chose to reveal their hypocrisy by turning their question back on themselves.

(28) "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go work today in my vineyard."

Jesus asked what they thought about this parable He began to tell to illustrate His point.  He told of a man who had two sons.  One day he came to one son and asked him to go work the day in his vineyard.

(29) "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he repented and went."

The son initially answered that he would not work in his father's vineyard, but later changed his mind and went to work for his father.

(30) "And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," but he did not go."

The man asked his second son to work the day in his vineyard, and the son told his father that he would go, but he didn't.

(31) "Which of those two did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Verily I say to you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

Jesus asked the priests and scribes which of the two sons did the will of his father.  They answered that the first son did.  Jesus told them that surely tax collectors and harlots, those deemed wicked, would enter the kingdom of heaven before they ever would.  The sons represent the people Jesus came to save.  The first son represents the sinners who reject salvation initially while they continue in their worldly sinful ways, but eventually come to Christ.  The second son represents so-called Christians who profess to follow Christ and do what He asks, but do not do it.  This, of course, was symbolic of the chief priests and scribes during Jesus's time.

(32) "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and you when you had seen it, did not repent afterward that you might believe him."

Further describing how this related to His question about John the Baptist, Jesus told them that John had come in righteousness proclaiming the coming Messiah and the need for repentance, but they did not believe him.  However, publicans and tax collectors heard him and believed him and therefore received Christ.  Even when the priests and scribes had seen and heard Jesus, and knew what John had said was true, they still did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and they did not change their minds or their ways.

(33) "Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it all around, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and leased it out to farmers, and went into a far country."

Jesus exhorted His audience to listen to another parable.  He told of a landowner who planted a vineyard, then hedged it all around, and then dug a winepress and built a tower, and then leased it to farmers while he went to a faraway country.  Luke said in his account of this that Jesus spoke to people who had gathered around Him, but He directed this parable to the priests and scribes who were still there.  The landowner in the parable symbolized God who prepared His kingdom on earth and even left a manual with His word and His law.  He left it in the hands of religious spiritual guides.

(34) "And when the time of the fruit grew near, he sent his servants to the farmers that they might receive its fruit."

When the time of the fruit grew near, the landowner representing God, sent his servants representing the prophets and other such messengers, to the people who had been left with His vineyard on earth.  The prophets and messengers of God came as His servants to proclaim what He found of their fruits.

(35) "And the farmers took his servants, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another."

However, the farmers beat and killed the landowner's servants.  This is symbolic of the people beating, stoning, and killing God's prophets and messengers by a variety of persecutions.

(36) "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise."

The landowner sent more servants, but the farmers beat and killed those as well.  The word "pleion" that was translated as "more" also means "more excellent."  That describes the other prophets and messengers that God sent, for as the fullness of the time drew near, the prophets more clearly and fully pointed out the coming of Christ.  Those prophets were persecuted and killed, as well.

(37) "But last of all, he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.'"

Of course, this is symbolic of God sending His Son Jesus as the ultimate witness who surely should have been revered, and spiritual leaders should have reflected on their prior conduct and repented when they saw God's son.

(38) "But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'"

When the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves that since he was the heir to the vineyard, they would kill him and seize his inheritance.  This is symbolic of the chief priests and scribes, who when they saw the Son of God, saw Him as a threat to their power, and plotted to kill Him and retain their power.

(39) "And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."

Of course, this represents the Jewish leaders who seized Jesus, turned Him out of the Jewish church into the hands of the Gentiles, who ultimately killed Him.

(40) "When the lord, therefore, of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

Jesus proposed the question of what the people thought the lord of the vineyard, representing God, would do to the farmers who killed his son.

(41) They said to Him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will lease out his vineyard to other farmers who will render him the fruits in their seasons."

The design of Jesus's question was that the chief priests and scribes would condemn themselves and admit the justice of the punishment that was soon to be administered to them.  Incredibly, they answered His question, not recognizing that they had condemned themselves.  Indeed, God would condemn those who killed His Son, and would offer His kingdom on earth to others, the Gentiles.

(42) Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'?"

Jesus asked if they had ever read in the scriptures a prophecy He then quoted to them from Psalm 118:22-23.  The stone representing Jesus which the builders of the church rejected, was the foundation of the Church, upon Whom the whole church represented by the building rested.  The psalmist further wrote that the appointment of Jesus as the foundation of His church on earth was the work of God, and it was wonderful in the sight of His people, that He should stoop so low as to send His Son to be despised, rejected, and put to a horrible death, to be the foundation of the Christian church which would be the salvation of the world.

(43) "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it."

Furthermore, Jesus said that, like the lord of the vineyard in His parable, the kingdom of God would be taken away from the Jews and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of it, meaning to the Gentiles, to other nations of the world who would accept it and work it to bring forth fruits for Him and His glory.

(44) "And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Jesus stated that whoever fell on that cornerstone, stumbled on Him and His word, would be broken; he who was offended by and opposed Christ would only injure himself.  To be broken before the Lord is when one's heart has completely submitted to Him, and all stubbornness, resistance, and self-will has been broken.  However, if that cornerstone fell on someone, it would grind that person to powder; those who continued to reject Him and refused to be repentant would ultimately be crushed by Christ, that cornerstone, in the day of judgment, and would perish forever.

(45) And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spoke of them. (46) But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude because they took Him for a prophet.

Even more incredibly, the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus's parables and indeed, realized He spoke about them, but still they wanted to seize Him.  However, the cowards feared the masses who revered Christ and saw Him as a prophet.  Having followed Him and hearing His teachings and witnessing His miraculous healings, the Pharisees knew the people would not have stood for Him to be abused.  Therefore, the account in Mark says, they left Him and went their way.

In this second part of the 21st chapter of Matthew, we see the goodness, mercy, and love of God in sending His messengers to save a lost world.  However, that world rejected and killed His prophets, and even heinously killed His beloved Son.  Even after that, God still sends messengers to the lost, and thousands of those have died while attempting to spread the gospel.  However, our marvelously loving and merciful, and awesome God still sends messengers!  Many still reject Him, and some of us have rejected Him multiple times, but He persists in saving us.  What earthly parent could ever be so kind as to do this?  Of course, none!  There is simply no comparison in the way God loves to our feeble selfish earthly love, but we continually strive to be more Christlike.

Transfiguration of Christ, Healing the Lunatic His Disciples Could Not Heal

Continuing a Bible study of the gospels:

(Matthew 17:1) And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain alone.

In the last chapter, Peter had confessed his knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.  Jesus had then told the disciples more about what He was to endure during His time on earth.  He discussed with them His church, His kingdom on earth.  Six days after that, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up into a mountain to be alone.

(2) And was transfigured before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His clothing was white as the light.

Jesus was transformed before Peter, James, and John.  The indwelling Deity of Jesus Christ darted out its rays of light, and His face shone like the sun.  His body so radiated light that His clothing shone a bright white light.  

(3) And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.

Moses and Elijah appeared before the three disciples, talking with Jesus.  Moses had been God's law giver and Elijah one of the chief prophets.  Now they appeared with Jesus, in whom the prophecies and law were fulfilled.  They were having a conversation with Jesus; the account in Luke says they discussed "His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem."  

(4) Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "It is good for us to be here; if You want, let us make here three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Much more can be learned about this incident from reading the same account in the other gospels.  Luke informed us that the disciples had fallen asleep on the mountain and awoke to see this glorious transfiguration of Christ.  It seems they woke up well into the event with Moses and Elijah in conversation with Jesus.  Luke tells us it was as the two men were leaving Jesus, that Peter spoke out.  Mark tells us that Peter didn't know what to say for the disciples were afraid.  But being the impetuous person he was, Peter had to say something!  He said it was good for he and the other disciples to be there.  It's hard to know exactly what he meant, and perhaps even he didn't know exactly, as Mark said he didn't know what to say, and Luke would later report he didn't know what he was saying.  You can be sure he was very excited and in awe of what he was witnessing, and seeing it was about to end, probably wanted to continue it.  His idea, if Christ was willing, was to set up three tabernacles or tents, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  As usual, in his zeal, he was missing the point and purpose of this transfiguration.  It is also interesting to note that he knew who the other two men were, as it's not like they had photographs with which to compare.  Either it was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, or by deduction from the conversation they were having.  

(5) While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

As Peter was proposing his tent idea, Father God interrupted, His voice coming from a bright cloud that overshadowed the three transfigured men.  Luke's account tells us it was at first over those three, but as the disciples entered under it, they were afraid.  God's voice came out of the cloud and confirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son, not merely a servant as were Moses and Elijah.  He added that He was well pleased in Him, meaning His mission and service there on earth were acceptable and well pleasing to God.  The entirety of the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah, was a precursor to the plan for the ultimate perfect sacrifice and atonement in Jesus Christ.  God commanded that they listen to and really hear His Son.  His teaching was superior to those of Moses and Elijah.  In Him alone was the fulfillment of all that came before; in Him alone was salvation and eternal life.

(6) And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

When the disciples heard the voice of God, they were understandably afraid, and fell on their faces, partly out of reverence for the Lord, but probably more of real fear of the Lord, for no man could see God and live.

(7) And Jesus came and touched them, and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

Jesus came and touched the disciples, reassuring them that they need not be afraid.  That was not the voice of an angry God, but the voice of His Father, their Father God, confirming that Jesus was their much anticipated Messiah, and that they should continue to follow and listen to Him.  God was well pleased with Jesus, and they should be encouraged and confident that they could have full faith and trust in Him as Divine God in human form on earth.

(8) And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

When the disciples raised their faces from the ground after Jesus had come and touched them, they saw no one there except for Jesus only.

(9) And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one, until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."

Jesus and the disciples then went down from the mountain, and Jesus commanded the three not to tell anyone about what they had seen,  That is, not until He had risen from the dead, at which time it would be confirmed and more readily believed and accepted.  The account in Mark says that they did indeed keep it to themselves.  That is, of course, until Christ rose from the dead, and then Peter wrote of it, as well as the gospel authors.

(10) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

Those three disciples were surely satisfied that He was the Messiah, but they had been taught by the scriptures to expect Elijah to come first before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).  They did not recollect that Elijah had come again before that time, so they understandably were confused about their understanding of that prophecy.

(11) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things."

Jesus answered by saying that it was true that Elijah was to come first, and he would restore or complete all things that were prophesied of him.

(12) "But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but have done to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of man shall also suffer by them."

Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, but no one recognized him.  As Jesus had said in Matthew 11:14, Elijah had come in the form of John the Baptist.  It occurs to me that the life of John the Baptist was a sort of parable as Jesus used frequently.  He had said in Matthew 13:11 that that was because it had been given to His disciples to know the mysteries of heaven, but it had not been given to everyone.  The truth was only revealed to those who could accept it and understand it; it seemed to be gibberish to those unwilling to understand.  The fact that John the Baptist was actually the expected Elijah could only be understood by those to whom it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit of God.  Jesus told the disciples that the people did not understand that John the Baptist was the coming of Elijah, and they did not believe what he said about repentance and preparation for the coming Christ, but did to him whatever they wished.  Of course, that wound up being his imprisonment and ultimate beheading.  Jesus said that He Himself would likewise suffer at the hands of such people.

(13) Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

The disciples then understood that Elijah who came before Him was John the Baptist who had indeed suffered at the hands of King Herod and his people.

(14) And when they had come to the multitude, there came to Him a man kneeling down to Him, and saying, (15) "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and severely vexed, for oftentimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water."

Luke tells us this was the next day when they had come down from the mountain and joined the other nine disciples where a multitude of people had congregated.  A man came out of the crowd to Jesus and knelt before Him.  He asked Jesus to have mercy on his son who suffered a form of lunacy.  Actually, the meaning often meant epileptic, and clearly from the man's description of his son's seizures that would send him into a fire or into water, it indeed sounds like the son had epilepsy.  In Biblical times, people did not know about epilepsy, but as "lunatic" referred to insanity that was affected by the phases of the moon, it seemed epileptic seizures were somewhat affected by the moon, as well.

(16) "And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."

The man went on to tell Jesus that he had brought his son to Jesus's disciples, but they were not able to cure him.

(17) Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me."

Jesus then spoke, Mark says answering the man, but it is apparent the message was for all who were there.  He called them a faithless and perverse generation.  However, the "faithless" was the multitude, as Jesus usually referred to His disciples as having little faith, not no faith.  The original word for "perverse" was "diastrepho," and it meant "distorted, misinterpreted" or "turned away, corrupt."  At the very least, the people had a distorted view of the truth, and in many cases, as with the scribes and Pharisees and the like, it was even corrupt and completely averse to the truth.  Jesus lamented about how long it would be before people could see the truth.  It was because of their faithlessness that they could not obtain the blessings from God that they otherwise might have had.  Likewise the disciples had too little faith and a limited view of what God could do.  Jesus then told the man to bring the child to Him.

(18) And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

The description of this event is greatly expanded in the other gospels.  Matthew, being a numbers man as a tax collector, wasn't always very prolific.  We understand from Mark that the disease was demon-caused.  Also a discourse took place between Jesus and the father of the child regarding the father's faith which was the most important aspect of this incident.  Jesus did ultimately rebuke the demon and cast it out, and the child was cured.

(19) Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, apart from the crowd, and asked why it was that they were unable to cast out the demon and heal the child.

(20) And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief, for verily I say to you if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to over there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Jesus replied that it was because of their unbelief.  It wasn't that they had no belief that they could heal by the power of Jesus, but they surely faltered when it became difficult.  Even though Matthew didn't tell us this, we learned from the other gospels that the father's faith, or lack thereof, came into play, also.  The disciples should have had faith enough to know they could heal the boy by the authority of Jesus, and convince the father of his unbelief.  It is because of our unbelief that we bring so little to pass in our churches.  They say that often in more primitive lands when the gospel is brought to the people, that they are able to perform mighty miracles because they believe what they are taught, and put no limits on the word, as so many of us "more civilized" people do.  

Jesus indeed said that if the disciples had faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, they could move mountains!  Nothing would be impossible for them.  Jesus had given His disciples the power to work miracles in His name for confirmation of the gospel they taught.  Jesus gave them the power...period.  They had the power, but they had to have faith in that power.  It is very likely the nine disciples may have had doubts about their power in their Master's absence, especially when a first attempt failed.  Jesus told them it was all because of their lack of faith that they had been unable to heal the boy.  I think it is important to note that the disciples had the power to move mountains because Jesus had given it to them.  I feel like the Word of Faith movement takes this too far, and believes one can do anything if he just believes he can.  The faith is not in one's self to have faith enough; the faith is in God to do what He has purposed or led us to do.  We must be led by the Holy Spirit to move a mountain if God says it must be moved.

I have come to love a certain scripture that has long been difficult for me to completely understand.  Today it all clicked and it is very relevant here.  I have long loved Romans 8:28, but it was the verses before it that were hard to understand.  Romans 8:26-28 follows:

"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

We don't always know the proper way to pray.  We often pray for tangible things, but the Holy Spirit helps us and makes intercession for what is really needed according to the will of God.  We pray to help ourselves or some loved one out of trouble when the Holy Spirit knows that God's will is that person be saved, and He knows what it takes to get him there.  God searches the heart and He knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit is making intercession for us according to God's will.  They are on the same plane, if you will.  And God works all things together for good to those who love God and have the Holy Spirit directing them along the path of His purpose.  God doesn't necessarily work everything out for what we consider to be good at the time, but for the ultimate good according to His always perfect purpose.

(21) "However, this kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting."

It seems Jesus was saying that some demons were harder to cast out than others.  Was it because this one also caused epilepsy, a serious neurological disorder in the brain?  Whatever the case, Jesus said that sometimes it took diligent earnest prayer and fasting to cast out certain demons.  I believe the idea is that we must stay anchored to God for our strength.  While Jesus was on the mountain with the three disciples, He had been in prayer long enough that the three disciples had fallen into deep sleep.  Jesus often took time to be alone and pray and fast for hours.  Being in complete undistracted communion with God gives us strength and the faith to move mountains.  While Jesus and the three were on the mountain, the other nine disciples had perhaps been feasting and indulging themselves with the people, and therefore not with the proper sobriety of mind to perform such an extraordinary miracle.  Although Jesus had given the disciples the power needed to perform miracles, and He has given us the Holy Spirit which gives us power, He shows us our need to stay anchored and in constant communion with God.

(22) And while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, (23) And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again." And they were exceedingly sorry.

While Jesus and the disciples were in Galilee, passing through, according to Mark's account, He once again foretold His death and resurrection.  Luke went into a little more detail quoting Jesus as saying He would be delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that Jesus was intimating that He would be betrayed by the Jews into the hands of the Gentiles, which to the Jews was the most vile crime, as their law stated:

"It is forbidden to betray an Israelite into the hands of the Gentiles, whether in his body or in his substance; and though he may be a wicked man, and a ringleader in sin, and though he may have oppressed and afflicted him; and everyone that betrays an Israelite into the hands of the Gentiles, whether in his body, or in his substance, has no part in the world to come.''

Jesus went on to tell His disciples that He would be raised again on the third day after His death.  They were exceedingly sorrowful to hear of His coming death. 

(24) And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received tribute money came to Peter and said, "Does your Master not pay tribute?"

When Jesus and His disciples had come to Capernaum, those who collected voluntary tribute money, also called a temple tax because it was collected for the service of the temple, came to Peter and asked if his Master, Jesus, paid tribute money for the temple.

(25) He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus spoke before him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their own children or from strangers?"

Peter answered that Jesus did pay temple tax.  When he went into the house where Jesus already was, Jesus spoke before Peter had the chance to tell Him about the temple tax being collected.  Jesus asked Peter whether he thought the kings of the earth collected taxes or tribute from their own natural children of from strangers, meaning those other than his own immediate family.

(26) Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the children are free."

Peter answered that they would collect from strangers, not those of the kings' own families.  Jesus answered with the natural conclusion that the children would be free.  Of course, the sense of what He was saying was that since He was the Son of God, He should not be asked to pay tribute.

(27) "Nevertheless, lest we should offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the fish that comes up first; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money. Take that and give to them for Me and you."

Even though Jesus could have maintained His right of exemption from payment, He chose to forego it rather than offend anyone.  I love this law of love demonstrated by Jesus.  Had Jesus been legalistic adhering strictly to law, He could have rightfully denied paying tribute, but rather than offend others, He agreed to pay it.  In 1 Corinthians 8:13, Paul would also say that if eating meat would offend his brother, then he would not do it, even if lawful to do so.  Acting in love is more important than strict adherence to the law.  This is perfectly aligned with Jesus's teaching of the true spirit of the law, rather than man's strict legalistic adherence to laws of man which have no regard for God's law of love for one another.  Jesus instructed Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that came up, and in its mouth he would find money to pay tribute for Jesus and for him, also.  It was a loving courtesy to Peter that Jesus also paid for him.  Jesus was not bound by any obligation to pay tribute for Peter, but once again Jesus teaches us that it is good to be loving and kind when in our power to do so.  What is having all the money in the world really good for other than enabling one to do more good in the world?  Imagine the good that could be done if we all lived by this example?