READ: Mark 11

BACKGROUND: By Verse –
9 – Hosanna is actually a transliterated (just sounded out and not translated) compound Hebrew word from the Old Testament that means “save please” or “save now.” Originally it was a plea for help, but it became – by the time of the Triumphal Entry in Jesus’ time a cry of expectancy, as though the salvation was all but assured. This is what people were crying out to Jesus. It is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9
15 – The merchants originally set up shop there to help people out, but they became corrupted. They sold animals that were not up to God’s requirements and they charged crooked taxes and too much money so that they could profiteer off the poor.
26 – Many early manuscripts do not contain this verse.
30 – Jesus cleverly placed them in a no-win situation
33 – Jesus didn’t tell them because the question didn’t require an answer. They all knew it already.

THINK: In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War and through a series of adventures and detours wasn’t able to return home for twenty years. When he finally made it back home to Ithaca dressed as a beggar, no one but his dog recognized him. Even worse, he found his house in disarray, a band of men competing for his wife, and the loyalties of some servants wandering. Little did they know in that moment that the king had arrived and a day of judgment was coming!

In Mark 11, the Creator of trees, the Lord of the Temple, comes to His own creatures and finds them straying. The tree is without fruit; the Temple is without reverence.

Note Jesus’ two different responses to His creatures’ unreadiness. When hungry Jesus finds the fig tree fruitless, He curses it (v. 14). It doesn’t get a second chance to bear fruit, but withers from the roots. The money changers and worshipers in the Temple, however, do get a second chance. Jesus rebukes them by throwing over their tables, but He also teaches them from the Scriptures (v. 17). His actions prune. He cuts away weeds that choke out true worship and gives those with ears to hear a second chance to bear good fruit!

Jesus’ actions elicit several responses: the religious leaders, who are afraid, plot His death; the crowds stand amazed (v. 18). The disciples, on the other hand, accept Jesus’ authority over the Temple, but they show surprise at Jesus’ authority over nature. They think He should be surprised, too: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” (v. 21).

The fig tree had a different response altogether. Unlike humans, it wasn’t surprised at Jesus’ authority; it recognized Him as its Maker. Its roots heard His voice saying, “I came and you weren’t ready for me: bear no more fruit.” Its withering reflects not only punishment (since its purpose, as well as ours, is to bear fruit), but also unwavering obedience to its great Creator.

PRAY: This passage gives us these lessons in prayer: have faith in God; believe, do not doubt, that God will act; forgive others. This last command also appears in the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus stressed the importance of forgiveness for effective prayer. As a sign of obedience, forgiveness fosters humility before God and belief in God’s authority to judge and to forgive us. As you pray today, ask God to reveal what you “hold against anyone” (v. 25) and release it to Him, forgiving the other person. Make a point to pray for the well-being of that person this week.

Adapted from Moody Bible Institute’s Today in the Word

READ: Mark 10

BACKGROUND: This is a section that contains Jesus’ preaching in an area known as Perea, in which he covers a number of topics.
By Verse:
4 – Certificate of Divorce is explained in Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
9 – Divorce is not God’s design. He created us to pursue intimacy and oneness in marriage.
14 – We’re never going to understand God completely. He is WAY to big for us to possibly comprehend. And this means, that in some respects, we have to approach faith like children. We have to believe because of who he is and not because we have it all figured out.
18 – The word for “good” here was a word reserved for God. Jesus was reacting to being addressed as such from someone who didn’t know that he was God.
21 – Jesus’ goal here is to show this man that his love of money actually violated the law and made him a sinner.
25 – Jesus is using a dramatic illustration to make a point here; he’s not actually saying that it is impossible.
32 – Going up – Jerusalem is more than 2500 feet above sea level.
33 – This is the 3^rd time in Mark that Jesus has predicted his death
39 – James did end up dying as a martyr (Acts 12:2) and they kept on trying to kill John and failing so he ended up suffering in exile (Revelation 1:9).
52 – His faith made him well. This is a common theme in Jesus miracles.

THINK: Reread verses 17-22. Take a minute or two and write down a couple of the things that hit you when you read this. How are you similar to the rich man? How are you different?

Jesus knows that, though the rich man is morally good, he still has strings attached to his heart that will keep him from being a devoted follower.

Take an internal inventory of your heart. What things are deeply attached to your heart that must be relinquished for you to be a wholehearted follower of Jesus? They may be possessions, but they may also be thoughts, relationships, activities, and so on.

Later in the passage, Jesus basically says this about anyone’s chance of getting into God’s kingdom: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.” Based on these words from Jesus, write down, in your own words, a short description of the grace God offers to each one of us.

PRAY: Reflect on God’s grace. Thank God for the grace he extends to you. Confess the times when you have abused his grace. Offer God the strings of your heart, those that keep you from completely following Jesus. Ask God to help you sever those strings and replace them with fray-proof connections to him.

LIVE: Live in freedom and follow Jesus.

Adapted from Eugene Peterson in Solo