MARK

The ancient Greek title for this gospel was "Kata Markon" translates to "According to Mark"

Marcus "polite" was his Latin name and John "Jehovah is Gracious" was his Hebrew name. He has been referred several times in Scripture as John Mark. But many call him "Mark" because of the profusion of "Johns" in the New Testament, much like Judas had the surname "Iscariot" (man of Kerioth) to separate him from another of Jesus' disciples named Judas.

Mark appears to have been the cousin of Barnabas, the apostle Paul's traveling companion. (Paul mentions this fact when he wrote to the church in Colossae);

COLOSSIANS 4:10

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him),

This would also explain the dispute between Paul and Barnabas during one of Paul's journeys as mentioned in the book of Acts, a dispute so sharp as to cause them to go separate ways;

ACTS 15:36-39

36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.

38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;

If Mark was indeed Barnabas' cousin as it appears, this would explain Barnabas' determination to take Mark with him, even though Mark had apparently deserted them at one point during one of Paul's missionary journeys.

Mark was present for some of the events that he speaks of in his book. However for the other events told of in his book, scholars believe that Mark received most of his information from the disciple Peter, because Peter had traveled with Jesus from the beginning and was a part of the inner circle of disciples of Jesus.

The book of Mark can be summed up in a single verse:

MARK 10:45

45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Mark's focus is on the service and sacrifice in the life of Jesus. Mark shows Jesus as the Servant who instantly responds to the will of the Father by preaching, teaching and healing. He ministers to the needs of others even at the point of death. After His resurrection, He commissions His followers to continue following in the steps of the perfect Servant.

MARK 1 - John the Baptist appears; baptism, temptation of Jesus; first disciples called

MARK 2 - Jesus heals a paralyzed man; Levi (Matthew) called; Jesus is Lord of Sabbath

MARK 3 - Jesus heals on Sabbath; 12 disciples chosen; Pharisees blaspheme Holy Spirit

MARK 4 - Parable of sower; parable of mustard seed; reason for parables; Jesus calms storm

MARK 5 - Jesus frees man from a legion of demons; Jesus resurrects Jairus' daughter

MARK 6 - Jesus rejected in Nazareth; miraculous feeding of 5,000; Jesus walks on water

MARK 7 - Commandment vs tradition; source of evil; Jesus commends Gentile woman's faith

MARK 8 - Miraculous feeding of 4,000; Jesus prophesies of His coming death

MARK 9 - Transfiguration; demon cast out of child; greatness of humility; warnings of offenses

MARK 10 - Divorce; child-like faith; Jesus' coming resurrection; James and John's request

MARK 11 - Final entry into Jerusalem; withered fig tree; Temple cleansed; Jesus' authority

MARK 12 - Taxes; life after resurrection; greatest commandment; widow's offering

MARK 13 - End Times prophecies; timing of Jesus' return known only by God the Father

MARK 14 - Judas betrays Jesus; Last Supper; Jesus arrested, put on trial; Peter denies Jesus

MARK 15 - Pilate sentences Jesus; mocking, scourging, crucifixion and death of JesusChrist

MARK 16 - Resurrection of Jesus; His appearances to disciples; The Great Commission

MARK 1:1-6

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

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

3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

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

6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Mark starts out with a very blunt assertion in the beginning of his Gospel, stating plainly that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He doesn't say that Jesus was "acclaimed to be the Son of God", or "was hailed as the Son of God" he states it as an established fact, namely that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

John came in the spirit of Elijah as prophesied as they both had the same task to do for the Lord, to bring the people back to God. Just as in Elijah's day, the people had strayed very far from serving the Lord. John was also to prepare the people for the coming of the prophesied Messiah.

This was an exciting time in Judea. The Jews were already chafing under harsh Roman rule, and were in a rebellious mood. There had already been several people who had claimed to be the Messiah some years before and who had been killed by the Romans (see below), and now here was a man proclaiming the words of the prophets Isaiah and Malachi which would herald the coming of the true Messiah.

ACTS 5:35-37

35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.

36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.

37 "After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.

It is interesting to note that none of the people who had proclaimed themselves to be the Messiah are recorded to have had a "forerunner" come before them in accordance with prophecy as Jesus did.

What made John different here was that he wasn't proclaiming himself as the Messiah, he was acting as the forerunner as prophesied by Isaiah about 600 years earlier. The scholars of his time might have understood that just as there had been 430 years of silence between the time that Jacob went to Egypt and the time that God spoke to Moses, there had been 430 years of silence since the last spoken prophecy of Malachi in the Old Testament.

John's message was different also in that he didn't glorify himself, he told the people to purify themselves and get their lives in order for the coming of the true Messiah.

Baptism (Greek: baptismos, “to immerse”) as practiced and preached by John was not unknown in Jesus' time. The Jews had long immersed themselves in ritual baths (Hebrew: mikvah) to purify themselves. (These are still used today in some sects of Judaism) The rule was that the bath had to consist of "living" (running) water, so immersion in a stream or river would be ideal for the purpose.

Note: The people that came to be baptized were old enough to make their own decision, they were not infants!!! The decision to repent can't be made by an infant. While a parent can dedicate a child to the Lord, the decision to repent and follow the Lord must be made by each person individually. Nobody else can make the decision for you, it is only between you and God!

MARK 1:7-11

7 And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.

8 "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

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

10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John wasted no words in his preaching, neither did he "soft soap" his message as many do today. He went straight to the point: repent, or perish. Many of the Jews felt that just being Jews granted them entry into God's kingdom, but John quickly disillusioned them of that idea.

The Pharisees (Hebrew: Paroshim, "Pure Ones") and the Sadducees (Hebrew: Sadducim, exact meaning unknown) were the two religious groups of the day. The Sadducees were the aristocrats of Jewish society, "Hellenized" Jews (Jews who followed Greek customs), whereas the Pharisees were teachers who believed in teaching the "Oral Law" to the people in synagogues. (The written Law of Moses could not be changed, but the "Oral Law" was open for interpretation and change).

When Alexander the Great conquered Judah in 332 B.C. and instituted Greek customs into Jewish society, he also imported Greek citizens into the Galilee area which later became known as the Decapolis (Greek: Deca Polis "10 cities"). Jewish society then became split, with those following Greek customs becoming the Sadducees and those still following the Law of Moses becoming the Pharisees.

John tells them all that they must all repent and follow the Lord to be saved. He is also humble when he speaks of the coming Messiah. John also stipulates that repenting isn't enough either, it is the first step in obedience to the Lord.

Note: The Father, Son and Spirit are all separate, but still one God. And note that the Spirit descended like a dove, it doesn't say it was a dove. (This is probably where the Christian symbol of the dove comes from.)

MARK 1:12-13

12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

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.

Matthew and Luke give us more details of many of the temptations during the forty days. The Gospel of Luke says that Jesus was tempted for all 40 days. This makes sense, as Jesus needed to be tested in all ways that we are, so He could understand first-hand what we face when we are tempted. Because He is God He could not sin, but He could experience the lures of temptation the same way that we do.

Also fasting for 40 days and nights would have made Him incredibly weak physically. We often forget that when He walked this Earth, He was as human as any one of us. He was filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but was subject to pain, thirst, weariness, hunger, etc. as we are. He had to experience the weaknesses of the flesh also.

MARK 1:14-15

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

John had to decrease so Jesus could increase. When John was unjustly imprisoned by Jewish king Herod Antipas, he knew that his job was almost finished. He had preached repentance to the people and he had paved the road for the Messiah. Now it was the Messiah's turn to take the stage.

MARK 1:16-20

16 And 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.

17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

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

Jesus chooses the first 4 disciples. (Simon) Peter, Andrew, James and John (the beloved).

It is important to read all four of the Gospels, for some have things that the others don't. In this case, the four disciples already knew Jesus from a previous experience and knew who He was, having seen first-hand one of His miracles, which is why they were mending their nets in the first place. That is why they immediately left everything and followed Him. (See Luke 5:1-11)

Note that James and John had hired help with them, showing that even though they were ignorant fishermen, they were well-off enough to hire servants.

Disciple (Latin: “Discipulus”) means "one who is instructed or taught by their master or teacher".

Apostle (Greek: “Apostolos”) means "delegate or one sent with a mission".

They wouldn't become Apostles until after the death and resurrection of Jesus, when He commissioned them to go into the world and preach the gospel. By this fact, all who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and follow His command to preach and teach the gospel to the world are Apostles of Jesus Christ.

MARK 1:21-22

21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.

22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When the scribes would teach, they would teach every known opinion given by previous teachers and sages for each Scripture. Some of these interpretations were erroneous and contradictory, causing much doubt and confusion among the hearers. But Jesus read the Scripture and then told them exactly what it meant in plain terms. The people had never heard anything like this before.

MARK 1:23-28

23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

24 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are the Holy One of God!"

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"

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

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

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

Jesus commanded the demons to be quiet because He didn't want demons testifying for Him and of Him. He wanted people to listen to His teachings and to obey His words. The people in turn were stunned, for here was a man who had power over unclean spirits and they were forced to obey him!

Note that the demons asked Him if He was going to destroy them. They knew that they had been judged and sentenced by God, and that the time of their punishment had been set. The demons were frightened that Jesus had come to send them to Hell before their appointed time.

MARK 1:29-34

29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

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

31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

This shows that Peter was married, as he had a mother-in-law. The Catholic Church wrongly claims that Peter was the first Pope and commands that their priests be celibate, yet Peter was obviously married, so in this they violate even their own man-made laws.

Here we see Jesus fulfilling more prophecy spoken centuries before by the prophet Isaiah. Notice that Jesus took care of both the physical and spiritual problems.

ISAIAH 53:4

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

The literal translation of “griefs” is literally “sicknesses” and “sorrows” is literally “pains”.

MARK 1:35-39

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

37 When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

38 But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."

39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Jesus always kept on track. He knew why He was on Earth and knew He had a job to complete. We need to remember this in our lives also. Sometimes we can be distracted from the task God has set before us, and we must be watchful to stay on task.

MARK 1:40-45

40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."

42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

43 And He strictly warned 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."

45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Many of the Jews today accuse Jesus of not having followed the Law of Moses and do not believe He was the Messiah because of that fact, yet here Jesus was still keeping the Law as it had not been fulfilled yet.

He warned the leper to remain silent because He wanted people to believe in Him because of His teachings, not because of the miracles He performed. This also required tremendous faith on the part of the leper, as he had to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

MARK 2:1-12

1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.

2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

7 "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

9 "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?

10 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" He said to the paralytic,

11 "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Only God has the authority to forgive sins. No man has the power to forgive the sins of others. However, if someone sins against you, you can forgive them for their transgressions against you, but you cannot forgive their sins committed against the Lord or against others. The person must still go before the Lord to ask forgiveness from the Lord for their transgressions committed against Him. Every sin we commit is a sin of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord.

This is why the priests of the Catholic Church cannot absolve (release) anyone of their sins as they claim, as this goes against Scripture and puts men in the position and power of God alone. They have no authority anywhere in Scripture to forgive sins in the place of God, for God has never given men this authority.

By forgiving sin, Jesus was showing that He was truly the Son of God, the Messiah they had been waiting for, for so many centuries. Remember that part of their anger and fear was that with the coming of the Messiah the leaders would lose much of the power, wealth and position they had accumulated. Jesus gave all honor and glory to God the Father, keeping none for Himself. In actuality, it would be easier to tell a man to rise and walk than it would be to tell him that his sins were forgiven and have it be true. While God may empower us to heal others physically, it is God alone who can forgive sins not made against us.

We should follow this example in our own lives, we must guard against becoming like the scribes and Pharisees. As Jesus said;

LUKE 12:1

1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

JOHN 20:21-23

21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Jesus was warning that whatever sins people did against the disciples would be forgiven if the disciples forgave them. If the disciples did not forgive, then God would not forgive the sins the people committed against the disciples either. This was a warning to the disciples to forgive also, lest their sins in turn not be forgiven by God.

But in either case, again, it is God who has the power to forgive the sins of people, for remember, if people sin against God's children, they also sin against God who dwells within them. As far as retaining sins, again skipping ahead a bit, Jesus said;

MATTHEW 10:11-15

11 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.

12 "And when you go into a household, greet it.

13 "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

15 "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

This is the only case where the sins of a household or city will be retained against them. This is not to be done lightly, and only if they fulfill the conditions set by Jesus in the verses above.

MARK 2:13-17

13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.

14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.

15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"

17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Notice that Matthew left everything behind and followed Jesus. He didn't ask to finish what he was doing first or tell Jesus that he would join Him in a little while when it would be more convenient, but he left books, collected taxes, everything, and went with Jesus.

This probably astonished some of Jesus' followers, for tax-collectors (Latin: “publicans”) were universally hated and despised people. They were Jews who collected taxes for the Roman provincial governor and frequently collected above the amount set by the Romans and kept the difference. People didn't dare to complain, for the tax collector could bring word to the governor and the complainer could be imprisoned or worse.

When the Lord asks anything of us we must do it in His timing not ours. Serving the Lord is not always convenient in our selfish reasoning, but we are to respond immediately and with a happy and willing heart, not grudgingly and with complaint. Remember that every choice we make is a free will choice. Jesus doesn't want anything from you that you are not willing to freely give.

The scribes and Pharisees would not go near tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves and the like as they felt they would be defiled if they did. Thus, they condemned the sinners to destruction, not lifting a finger to help them come to righteousness.

Jesus showed His love and compassion by reaching out to these people, to bring the good news of salvation to those who so desperately needed to hear it, telling them that they could still enter the kingdom of Heaven if they repented and turned their lives around.

Whether you follow Jesus or not, He loves you. Jesus wants everyone to repent, believe in Him and be saved, but He knows that He will only be found by those who seek Him. Again each person must make their own free will choice. To those seeking Him, they will find Him. Nobody is beyond the saving grace of Jesus!

LUKE 11:9-10

9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

MARK 2:18-22

18 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

19 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

20 "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

21 "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

22 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

The bridegroom spoken of here, is Jesus, expressing His relationship with His people as being a bridegroom preparing to marry his betrothed. It is a symbol of the intimacy of God's relationship to His people in the emotional and spiritual sense, not the physical sense.

In the examples of the unshrunk cloth and the wineskins, Jesus is saying that the doctrine of Christianity isn't a "patch" or an extension of Judaism, but a whole new covenant. The new wine/new cloth is the Holy Spirit and the old garment/wineskin is our old nature. When we come to Jesus we are made new in Him and are filled with the Holy Spirit to help us to follow the will of the Lord.

MARK 2:23-28

23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.

24 And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

25 But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:

26 "how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"

27 And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

28 "Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

This shows the corruption in the teachings of the Pharisees in that they considered the fact that the disciples were picking grain to eat was "work", carrying the concept of not working on the Sabbath to a ridiculous extent.

Jesus countered that in some cases there are exceptions to the rules, especially in unexpected or emergency situations.

When King David was on the run from King Saul who sought to kill him, he and his men were hungry and ate of the showbread which according to the Law of Moses was only for the priests. But as he did it out of need and there was no other food available, it was lawful for him and his men to eat it. As Scripture records;

I SAMUEL 21:1-6

1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one is with you?"

2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, 'Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.' And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

3 "Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found."

4 And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women."

5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day."

6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

The priests broke the Sabbath every time they performed sacrifices and circumcisions on the Sabbath, which would fall under the Law concerning working on the Sabbath, but God understood these things and allowed for such.

Jesus was telling them that God was Lord over the Sabbath and He understands when a need arises to eat or heal or save a life, even on the Sabbath. Jesus and the disciples had no house to live in during their travels, and nowhere to cook food ahead on the day before the Sabbath as most others did.

MARK 3:1-6

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."

4 Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent.

5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Again this shows the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in that they considered healing to be "work" and therefore to be forbidden on the Sabbath. The people listened to them, believing them to be learned men, as most common people were illiterate and had to rely on their leaders to tell them what the Word of God said and to show them how to please the Lord.

The Pharisees were also jealous of Jesus' popularity and His miracles, for it took attention away from them, and focused it on this upstart teacher of righteousness.

The "Herodians" were a party formed under Herod the Great, a "personality cult" if you will. They held that it was good to pay homage to any leader who might be able to bring the friendship of Rome and other advantages. They were men who held no official titles to reign by law or by religion. They were not a religious sect, but were more like a political party. They would work with the Pharisees only against a common enemy.

MARK 3:7-12

7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea

8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.

9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.

10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.

11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."

12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

Jesus traveled all over the country side preaching and healing many people because of His compassion for them. His fame was so great that people from over 100 miles (166 Km) in all directions were coming to see Him.

MARK 3:13-19

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.

14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,

15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;

17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder";

18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;

19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

Simon - "Hearing" Peter - "Stone"  

He was the elder brother of Andrew. Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John were partners in a fishing business.

James - (Hebrew: Jacob- "Supplanter; Following After")

He was the elder brother of John; the son of Zebedee and Salome. James, John, Simon Peter, and Andrew were partners in a fishing business.

John - (contraction of Johanan, "Jehovah is Gracious")

He was the younger brother of James; the son of Zebedee and Salome. John, James, Simon Peter, and Andrew were partners in a fishing business.

Andrew - (Greek:"Manly")  

He was the younger brother of Simon Peter. Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John were partners in a fishing business.

Philip - (Greek:"Lover of Horses")   He was from the city of Bethsaida in Galilee.

Bartholomew - (Aramaic: "Son of Tolmai")

Generally believed to be the same person referred to as Nathanael (God has given) in the gospel of John.

Thomas - (Greek : Didymus - twin)

Matthew - (Hebrew: Mattityahu - "Gift of God"), surnamed Levi (Hebrew: joining).

He was a publican or tax-gatherer, the son of Alpheus (leader), possibly a brother of James (James the Less).

James - (Hebrew: Jacob - "Supplanter; Following After")

He was also known as James the Lesser, to differentiate him from James, Jesus' physical brother. The son of Alpheus (leader), possibly a brother to Matthew.

Thaddaeus "Praise" surnamed Lebbaeus "courageous". Also known as Judas, Roman form of Judah (Hebrew:"Praised").

Simon - "Hearing"  

Sometimes called Simon the Zealot, he belonged to the faction of Zealots, (Latin: Sicarii, "dagger men") assassins who were well known for their fierce desire to promote the strict following of the Mosaic laws and rituals. He is not to be confused with Simon the brother of Jesus, or Simon Peter. He was known as a Canaanite, perhaps his father was of Canaanite ancestry.

Judas - "May God be Praised"; Iscariot - "Inhabitant of Kerioth")

He was the treasurer for the Apostles. He was also a thief and became a traitor to Jesus. The surname "Iscariot" was given to him to differentiate him from the other disciple named Judas (Lebbaeus).

MARK 3:20-30

20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."

23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?

24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25 "And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26 "And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

27 "No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

28 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

29 "but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"

30 because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

The Pharisees performed the "unforgivable sin", calling the work of the Holy Spirit the work of Satan, speaking as if they, as learned men, knew such things.

Jesus brought up a valid point, in that if Satan cast out his own demons, he would be defeating his own purpose. Demons may try to hide within a person, but the discernment of the Holy Spirit will show them to be there. The reference concerning "binding the strong man" is actually a double reference, in that the demons first have to bind the spirit of a person before they can possess them, and that God being greater in might and power can bind demons and cast them out.

Jesus lays down the law concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. As the Pharisees spoke out of ignorance, Jesus was willing to overlook their blasphemy this time. But once He told them about what they had done, they were now responsible for that knowledge, and if they continued, they would never be forgiven.

MARK 3:31-35

31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.

32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."

33 But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"

34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!

35 "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

This shows that Jesus' physical brethren and mother had no power over Him, as the Catholics teach. Joseph His foster-father had already died and therefore could not exercise authority over Jesus, and He was the eldest of His brethren.

Mary, His earthly mother, was a sinner in need of salvation as much as any of us as she herself pointed out;

LUKE 1:46-47

46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

If Mary had been born without sin as the Catholic Church teaches, why would she need a Savior like the rest of us? (For more on this subject, please see the study on Mary in this Web site)

Jesus was pointing out to all generations that His brethren and kindred were those who did the will of His Father. Thus He removed Mary as being an authority figure to those who would come later, showing that she, being a sinful mortal in need of a Savior like the rest of us, was no different than any of the other people He had come to save.

MARK 4:1-9

1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.

2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 "And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

5 "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

6 "But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

7 "And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 "But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

The seeds that fell by the wayside:

These are the people who hear the word, but don't immediately understand it. They don't ponder on it neither do they seek wisdom from the Lord to understand it, and Satan quickly snatches it away before it can grow in their heart. This is why we need to keep reading God's Word, so it can stay with us and can grow in our hearts.

The seeds that fell in stony places:

These are the people who don't have a solid foundation in Jesus. They are overjoyed at hearing the word of God, but they stumble at the first trials or temptations that test their faith.

Jesus never promised us that it would be easy to follow Him. As soon as you accept Jesus, you instantly become a hated enemy of Satan and he will quickly try to draw you away from Jesus back into his dark kingdom.

The seeds that fell among the thorns:

These are the people who won't give up the worldly things in their lives, such as possessions or money. No one can serve both God and the world, it must be one or the other.

This does not mean that you must give up your possessions or money, but if they stand between you and Jesus, or interfere with your walk with Him, you must seek God's will as to what to do in the matter, and follow His instructions.

The seeds that fell on good ground:

These are the people who have a good foundation in Jesus and understand the word of God. They will work hard and serve the Lord with great joy even in the midst of hardships and persecution. Their lives will bring great joy to the Lord and the fruits of their lives will be bountiful.

MARK 4:10-12

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

11 And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,

12 "so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"

The Word of God will be understood by those for whom the words are meant. Those who seek the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul will find Him and will receive understanding and wisdom. As James, Jesus physical brother said;

JAMES 1:5-8

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If you seek wisdom, ask for it in prayer and God will freely provide it to you. But ask in faith, believing that God will answer you or He may not answer you because of your doubt and lack of faith.

MARK 4:13-23

13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

14 "The sower sows the word.

15 "And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 "These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 "and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.

18 "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,

19 "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

21 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?

22 "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

The seeds that fell by the wayside:

This is why we must continuously and repeatedly read the Word of God. We must also use the Armor of God (found in Ephesians chapter 6 in the New Testament), especially the Helmet of Salvation as this protects our minds, making it easier to remember what we have read in the Bible.

The seeds that fell in stony places:

It is easy to believe and worship when things are going well, with no persecution coming against us. But when the End Times get to the worst parts, the faith of many believers is likely to collapse if their faith is based on man made doctrines instead of based on God-given doctrines.

Such are the people who base their faith in the theory of the Pre-tribulation Rapture despite the fact that Scripture proves that they will still here during all the trials and tribulations to come. So they are very likely to be unprepared for the tribulations that will come, and the foundation of their faith may be shattered when they discover that Christians will indeed go through the great persecutions of the End Times.

(I have woven the Scriptural proofs of a post-Tribulation Rapture in the End Times Studies in this Web site. For further information, please read these studies.)

The seeds that fell among the thorns:

Many people worry about physical needs and desires instead of relying of the Lord. The people who base their faith in the doctrine of "Name it and claim it" are likely to fit into this category. They want to follow God, but only if they can tell God what to do, what to give them and they fully expect that God must do as they ask. This way they can have the world and claim to serve God.

But there can only be ONE master of a house, and God is the master and we are the servants. No servant has the authority to order their master to do anything.

Besides, if God could feed a million people when Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, is He too weak to feed and care for us? He loves to provide for our needs, but we in turn must be willing to serve and obey Him and keep His commandments.

The seeds that fell on good ground:

These people who grow and mature in Jesus Christ and willingly serve Him and perform the works He assigns for them to do. Serving the Lord isn't a competition, we are to do our best and help others along the way, without envy, jealousy or strife, but with joy, love and understanding.

Every thought, word and deed is already known to God, and there will be nothing left unrevealed at the Judgment.

Just because you may not have a visible, popular ministry before the Lord doesn't mean that your service is less valuable in His sight! A good servant in a household is one who does their work so quietly and efficiently that the Master praises them for keeping the household running so smoothly. Such a servant will be given more authority and duties because of their efficiency and diligence. But if that servant starts to become lazy and not do their assigned tasks, then the whole household suffers.

There are many parts of your body that function so quietly and efficiently that we don't notice them. But let one of them start malfunctioning, and we notice it immediately! Even so we are like a body, in which by helping our brethren we keep the body functioning efficiently. And if we slack off or fail in our duties, the body suffers.

God sees everything you do, and will reward you for the quality of your service to Him. He may reward you in this world with physical things, but He more than likely will reward you with treasures in Heaven where you will enjoy them for eternity and all in Heaven will know why you received them and will honor you.

MARK 4:24-29

24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

25 "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

26 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,

27 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

28 "For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.

29 "But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

The more you are capable and willing to do for the Lord, the more responsibilities He will give to you. But a lazy servant will lose what little he was put in charge of for the Lord. We are to plant the seeds (Word of God), but the growth of the seeds is up to God.

We can't control the germinating and growth of the seeds any more than we can control the germination and growth of the Word of God in a person's life. But just as a farmer sows in faith that God will cause the seeds to sprout and bear fruit, even so must we sow the Word in faith, believing that God will cause it to bear fruit.

During a harvest, the grain is gathered and the husk (chaff) is thrown away, after which the wheat is gathered and stored. Even so with us, for those who die before Jesus returns, death removes our bodies (husk/chaff) that the spirit may be gathered to God in Heaven to await the return of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus returns, those believers who are still living will have their fleshly bodies transformed into eternal bodies, and those who have died in Jesus will be resurrected and given new eternal bodies. Then we will all be gathered to be with Jesus and the Father in Heaven for eternity.

MARK 4:30-32

30 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

31 "It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;

32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Faith is like leaven (yeast in a loaf of bread), it permeates everything. Our faith continues to grow as long as we feed it, by reading the Word of God and talking to Him as well as listening to Him.

And like a mustard seed, faith starts out small and as we grow in Jesus and understand more about Him and His Word, it increases to the point of where it can defy even death itself and remove the natural fear that death brings. Our faith can also help others in their walk with the Lord.

MARK 4:33-34

33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.

34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

This was to fulfill the prophesy spoken in Psalms;

PSALM 78:2-3

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

MARK 4:35-41

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."

36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

There were other little boats with the twelve disciples, so we need to understand that when it is talking about disciples here, it is talking about many people, not just the twelve we normally think about.

The Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinnereth) lies in a depression below Mount Hermon which stands 9,230 feet above sea level and is perpetually snow-covered, providing for much of the water resources in the region.

During the hot summer months sudden downdrafts of cold air descend the mountain and sweep over the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinnereth) producing sudden violent storms and squalls that lash the area. This is probably what happened here.

I think that it was an attempt by Satan to kill Jesus or to drown His disciples, for if any perished it would make Jesus seem powerless and not the Son of God.

Jesus however showed His authority and power and by His word alone, stopped the storm. He also rebuked them for their lack of faith, for even though the storm had been violent, He would not have allowed any of them to perish. Remember, nothing is too difficult or impossible for Him.

JEREMIAH 32:26-27

26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

MARK 5:1-13

1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."

8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"

9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.

12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."

13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

Demons are afraid of the power of God, they just don't like to admit it to humans. They are afraid because they know God is far more powerful than they are. Satan and his demons also know they cannot escape their judgment already set by God. Being created beings themselves, they can never be greater than God, their Creator.

Notice that the demons knew exactly who Jesus was, even though the man they inhabited had never met Him before. And note especially that they begged Him to not to harm them. Matthew states that they begged Him to not torment them before the time set for their eternal punishment.

MATTHEW 8:28-29

28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.

29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

Some have problems with the fact that Matthew reports that there were two demon-possessed men while Mark only speaks of one. We need to remember that Mark wasn't there when this happened, he was reporting what someone else, possibly one of the other disciples had seen. Chances are that the second man didn't speak, as the leader of the legion of demons was the one who spoke.

Some also question Jesus' divinity in the fact that He asked the name of the man instead of knowing who he was already. Interestingly enough, it was the controlling demon who answered Jesus' question, not the man himself. I believe that Jesus knew exactly who he was, but asked his name to show that many demons can possess a man, not just one. A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 soldiers and officers, so this man could have been possessed by up to 6,000 demons. This is important to remember for those of us called into spiritual warfare.

It is interesting to note that some psychotic people are noted for their tremendous strength, and the man spoken of here could pull apart metal chains and shackles. If psychiatrists would believe the Scriptures, I think that many psychotic people who are demon-driven could be freed from this terrible bondage, rather than being medicated into a stupor with drugs which merely treats the symptoms, not the source of the problem.

Verse 13 above also shows that demons can enter and possess animals. The demons know what their final punishment will be as they have already been judged and sentenced. Also notice that the demons asked permission to enter the swine, showing that they have no authority to demand that Jesus do anything.

MARK 5:14-20

14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened.

15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.

17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.

19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."

20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

Apparently the man was well-known to the people of the area as they were frightened when they saw that he was rational, clothed and sitting at Jesus' feet, and knowing his violent nature understood immediately that Jesus was more powerful than the demons who had possessed the man. I imagine that they wanted to get rid of both the problem and the solution at the same time, begging Jesus to leave and probably asking Him to take the man with Him.

The healed man wanted to come with Jesus, but He wanted the man to go tell his family and friends of the compassion and mercy of the Lord. This would help remove the fear of the local townspeople, who had asked Jesus to leave, and would spread word of the Messiah to many people, Jew and Gentile alike.

The compassion and mercy of Jesus was well demonstrated by the fact that He crossed the Sea of Galilee just to free this man of the legion of demons within Him.

MARK 5:21-24

21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.

22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet

23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."

24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

This ruler (a synagogue official) of a Synagogue near Capernaum also showed tremendous faith by asking Jesus to heal his daughter, publicly showing his belief that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the promised Messiah who alone would have such power.

His daughter was almost dead, but he believed if Jesus came to her that she would be healed.

Jairus (Enlightened).

MARK 5:25-34

25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.

27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.

28 For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."

29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"

31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?"'

32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.

33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

This is interesting, as while Jesus had people crowding and pressing against Him, only this woman received healing, and Jesus knew it immediately.

From the sounds of it, this woman may have been a hemophiliac in which her blood lacked platelets needed for blood clotting. Such people can bleed to death from a small wound unless medically treated.

One could picture her hesitantly approaching Jesus, trying to be unobtrusive, reaching out to touch His clothing and her fear and embarrassment when Jesus suddenly stops and begins looking for her.

Jesus showed great compassion in that He was not angry with the woman seeking healing without asking first, He instead commended her publicly for her faith and confirmed that she had been healed.

MARK 5:35-37

35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."

37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

It is hard to imagine the anguish of Jairus, the stunned realization of having had Jesus so close and then finding out that he had reached Jesus too late.

One can imagine him, tears streaming down his face, in desperate hope trying to believe that Jesus could resurrect his daughter even as his friends gently tugged at him, trying to get him to come home.

MARK 5:38-43

38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.

39 When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping."

40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."

42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.

43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

In ancient times when a person died professional mourners were hired to express grief on behalf of the bereaved, shrieking and wailing and playing noisy instruments and flutes which supposedly demonstrated the sorrow of the grief-stricken family members.

When the people at the rulers' house ridiculed Jesus, this didn't deter Him. He merely got them to leave so that He could give the family privacy and perform His work in private.

This must have been deeply moving to Jesus, seeing the tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy when the parents saw their daughter rise up and join them. And knowing the trauma her body had been through, He commanded that she be given something to eat so as to give her body a source of energy to draw from.

MARK 6:1-6

1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

2 And when the Sabbath 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 such mighty works are performed by His hands!

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

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

5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Jesus had at least 6 siblings; 4 brothers and at least 2 sisters in Nazareth. His siblings didn't believe in Jesus as their Savior until later. In the New Testament, Jesus' physical brother James wrote the book of James, while another of Jesus' brothers, Judas (Jude), wrote the book of Jude.

The apostle Paul spoke of James being Jesus' brother when he said;

GALATIANS 19:18-19

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19 But I saw no other of the apostles, except James the Lord's brother.

Jude (Judas) speaks of his relation to James when he said;

JUDE 1:1-2

1 JUDE, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

We need to remember that many of the poorer professions such as carpenters and fishermen were illiterate, common people. Yet here was Jesus who never had a formal education but who could read, prophesy, perform miracles and confound the greatest teachers and scholars of His day.

They were essentially saying, "We know Him and His family, that they are poor and uneducated. How did He get all of this? Who gave this to Him?" They were offended at His fame as they were envious of what He had.

Jesus healed and performed miracles according to the faith people had in Him, and wondered at their unbelief. Family and friends can be the most difficult ones to witness to, because they are judging your knowledge and faith in God by their knowledge of you in the past.

God forgives our sins and teaches us what we need to know to serve Him, so don't let others discourage you from doing the Lord's bidding.

MARK 6:7-13

7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts

9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

10 Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.

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

12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.

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

Any power we have as servants of the Lord comes from Him, in accordance with His will. This is why there are to be no power struggles in God's kingdom and this also helps Christians to keep humble. He allows us to use His power to accomplish His will.

This again proves Jesus' deity, as only God could give His power and authority to others; none of the prophets were able to do so.

If money is your god, preaching the Word of God is not your calling. Jesus was telling them to preach His word to meet the spiritual needs of the people and the people listening would provide for their physical needs. Notice that their needs would be met, but they would not be made rich.

If the people refused to receive them and listen to the Word of God then they were to shake the dust from their feet as they left, bringing a curse from God on those people for rejecting the message of the Lord's servants. This still holds true today. They were to shake off the dust from their feet only if the people refused to receive them and listen to their words.

MARK 6:14-16

14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."

15 Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."

16 But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"

Verse 15 shows the confusion of the people concerning Moses' words concerning the coming of the Messiah. Moses had said;

DEUTERONOMY 18:15

15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

Moses spoke of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. However the people later on had equated the "Prophet" that Moses spoke of as being someone other than the Messiah. That's why they said "It is the Prophet...."

MARK 6:17-29

17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.

18 Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not;

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

21 Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.

22 And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."

23 He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

24 So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"

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

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.

27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,

28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the daughter of Herod Philip and Herodias was Salome. On her mother's side, Salome was the granddaughter of Simeon the High Priest. Herodias was granddaughter of Herod the Great and sister of Herod Agrippa I. Herodias was also the wife of Herod Philip.

Herodias was first married to Herod Philip, and after they had a daughter, Salome, Herodias eloped with Herod Antipas. At the time they eloped Herod Antipas was already married to the daughter of Aretas, an Arabian king of Petraea. Herod Philip and Herod Antipas were half-brothers, both sons of Herod the Great.

Under Jewish law, because Philip and Herodias had a child, this barred Herodias from a second marriage while her first husband still lived. Because she was a Jewess and belonged to the royal family, the fact that both Antipas and Herodias were married to each other while their first spouses were still living, broke Jewish law and was a source of great aggravation to the Jews of the time. Also they didn't like Herodias being married to Antipas because of the way he constantly defied Jewish law and the way he ruled the Jews of the area.

John had embarrassed them and turned the people against them by proclaiming that this was not right in the sight of God. Herodias wanted to be with Herod Antipas because he was richer and more powerful than her first husband. She was also very angry with John the Baptist for pointing out that they were breaking Jewish law. Herod Antipas was afraid of harming a man of God, but he had given his word in the presence of witnesses and his pride wouldn't let him back down.

John was imprisoned in a rocky fortress called Machaerus (the modern name is Mkaur) carved into a mesa on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The prison was directly below the banquet hall where the festival took place.

It is interesting to note that these are the same mountains where some Israelites looked for the grave of their first prophet (Moses) and where their last prophet (John the Baptist) was killed. Moses was the first prophet sent to the Jews and John was the last prophet sent to the Jews before the coming of the Messiah.

MARK 6:30-44

30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

31 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.

34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.

36 "Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."

37 But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"

38 But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."

39 Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.

40 So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.

42 So they all ate and were filled.

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.

44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

One denarius (plural: denarii) was a days wage.

Jesus was reminding them to show compassion for others, even though they themselves were tired from their travels. Part of serving Jesus is having compassion for others whether you are tired or very busy.

They had just finished teaching and performing miracles, yet didn't think to ask for God to provide food for all of these people seeking more words from the Lord. The disciples were still learning that with God nothing is too difficult or impossible.

Jesus had great compassion for these people and took care of both their spiritual and physical needs. He didn't want to send them away without eating, as some might faint from hunger along the way, and the size of the crowd would quickly have cleaned out the surrounding villages of food with some still not having food because there would be none left. It is estimated that here were at least 20,000-30,000 people including women and children, that were fed that day.

MARK 6:45-46

45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

There are times when everyone needs time alone with God, and Jesus was no different. Remember that Jesus had the same physical and emotional limitations as all humans.

He needed time to speak to His Father with nobody else around, and most of the time He was surrounded either by His students (the disciples) or the crowds of people that followed them to hear what Jesus had to say to them.

MARK 6:47-52

47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.

48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.

49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;

50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."

51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

The fourth watch of the night would have been between about 3:00 - 6:00 A.M. It still would have been dark, the Moon and stars were probably visible and the disciples could more than likely see the lights of the towns across the water to guide them.

The disciples probably didn't think about it being Jesus walking toward them, and it is easy to understand their terror at seeing a human figure walking across the water toward them, especially not having Jesus with them to protect them.

Jesus' actual words to the disciples were not "It is I", but "I AM", thereby again equating Himself with God.

MARK 6:53-56

53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.

54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him,

55 ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.

56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the Marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

No matter where He went, He had people coming to Him to be healed and crowding around Him. This must have made Him incredibly weary and frustrated, for people were seemingly more interested in being healed, than in hearing His message.

MARK 7:1-8

1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.

2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"

6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."

Religious leaders had exhaustively examined the Law of Moses, trying to extract every bit of meaning from it, and had so many different teachers and sages "interpret" the Law that many errors had crept into the Oral Law.

This had resulted in parallel man-made laws that had the same force as Scripture and in some cases superceded Scripture in the eyes of the religious leaders and teachers.

Unfortunately this still happens today as Rabbis and teachers try to adapt the Law of Moses to modern times. One result is the Talmud which was codified during the Babylonian captivity.

The Talmud has all of the teachings and writings of many teachers and sages, containing their opinions and ideas concerning the Law of Moses, which at times show the teachers and sages disagreeing with each other.

The Talmud also contains many legends, superstitions and stories which have nothing to do with the written Law of Moses.

And it was for this reason that Jesus quoted "It is written..." when he spoke to Satan during the time of temptation in the wilderness, as written Scripture does not change as does the Oral Law.

Follow the spirit of the law not just the letter of the law. And never teach doctrines and traditions of men as if they were Scripture from the Word of God. Many churches today fall into the trap of teaching and following the doctrines and traditions of men instead of the commandments of God.

MARK 7:9-13

9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

10 "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'

11 "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"' (that is, a gift to God),

12 "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother,

13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."

God commands children to honor their parents - this includes financially and physically caring for your parents.

The tradition the Pharisees enforced was that if the grown children gave money as a gift to the Temple in their parents' name, the child received the glory and honor of the donation (better seats in the Synagogue on Sabbath, in the Temple on Holy Day services, etc.) and they were then not required to do any more for their parents to help them.

This helped the Pharisees become richer and more powerful.

MARK 7:14-23

14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:

15 "There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.

16 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"

17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

18 So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him,

19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"

20 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.

21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.

23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

Another tradition of the Pharisees is shot down. They had taught that everything had to be ritually clean before it could be eaten, and if you ate clean food with unwashed hands, you became ritually defiled.

The Pharisees themselves would wash their hands after eating each course to ensure that their hands were clean before eating the next dish.

Jesus pointed out that eating with unwashed hands does not defile the spirit which is what God sees and judges. Washing is good hygiene, but does not make you defiled in the sight of God if you eat without washing your hands first.

The mouth speaks what is in the heart, and it is from the mouth that we praise God and curse men made in His image. A good person with a good heart will speak good things. A wicked person from an evil, defiled heart will speak evil things. As James says;

JAMES 3:8-12

8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

MARK 7:24-30

24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.

25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.

26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."

29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."

30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Even though Jesus came first to the house of Israel, He did not ignore the needs of the Gentiles who came to Him in faith.

MARK 7:31-37

31 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.

32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.

33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.

34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Jesus must have been weary with people bringing sick friends and family to Him to be healed, but He still showed compassion on them, because of the love of their friends and family who were willing to bring them to be healed.

He wanted people to believe in Him and the Father because of His words rather than the miracles, but at the same time it fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah which said;

ISAIAH 29:18

18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

ISAIAH 35:5-6

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.

MARK 8:1-10

1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them,

2 "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

3 "And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."

4 Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"

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

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

7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.

8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.

9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away,

10 and immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Even though they had previously already fed more people with very little bread and fish, the disciples still wanted to make the people fend for themselves for some reason.

Jesus was teaching them compassion for others and that God will provide for your needs. He was building their faith by teaching them that God will provide for them, even though they can't see or understand how He will do it.

MARK 8:11-12

11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

The Sadducees and Pharisees were literate and had read the Scriptures. They knew of the coming Messiah and the signs to verify Him as the Son of God. They wanted more proof of His identity as they didn't want to give up their power, positions, and wealth from their traditions that they taught as if they were Scripture. Jesus was becoming very weary of their constant challenges and demands for more proof of His identity.

MARK 8:13-21

13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.

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

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."

17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?

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

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

20 "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."

21 So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

The disciples were still thinking on physical matters while Jesus was speaking of spiritual matters.

The doctrines of men are like a spiritual poison, in that many man-made doctrines sound right on the surface, but they are displeasing to God and are contrary to His Word.

There can be no compromise, it is all or nothing. Either you serve Jesus by following the true Word of God or you don't follow Jesus.

MARK 8:22-26

22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.

23 So 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.

24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

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

The man wanted to see, but his faith was weak. Remember that Jesus always healed "according to your faith". The man had some hope and faith but only enough so he could see somewhat but not totally clearly the first time. Jesus touched him, but seeing even a little, encouraged his faith in Jesus so that the second time the man saw clearly. We need to remember this when we ask anything of God, we must believe whatever answer He gives us.

MARK 8:27-30

27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"

28 So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."

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

30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

The Father chooses to whom He will reveal the truth in His own timing. Some may think it natural for Peter to believe that Jesus was who He said He was based on what he had seen and heard, but remember many had already seen and did not believe.

MARK 8:31-33

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

32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus knew that He was here to accomplish the Father's will, and would let nothing stand in His way of completing His work. Again Peter was still thinking of the physical not the spiritual implications of Jesus dying.

The disciples were slowly learning, but Jesus knew that He was running out of time to teach them.

Jesus didn't mean that Peter was Satan, but that like Satan, Peter was a hindrance to Jesus finishing what He had to do. Besides, Peter's rash action needed to be answered as the rest of the disciples would have been watching to see what would happen.

MARK 8:34-38

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

This is where the expression "you can't take it with you" comes from, in that you can gain the whole world (as the Antichrist will) but still perish in the Lake of Fire for eternity. Is what you may gain here worth eternity in agony?

We are only here in this world for a short time compared to eternity. Physically we can live up to 120 years, but our spirits will never die. If you deny Jesus, you can lose your soul.

Be sure to count the cost, whatever you decide, because once you die you can never change your decision.

You will reap whatever you sow. Jesus speaks of this event as being when He would return in glory with His angels to claim His kingdom. Just as the reaping of the harvest is a single event so the return of Jesus to claim His kingdom will be a single event.

MARK 9:1

1 And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

Judas Iscariot was the only one of the twelve that didn't see Jesus ascend into His Kingdom after the Resurrection.

MARK 9:2-4

2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Moses represented the Law, Elijah represented the Prophets. This was to show that in Jesus was the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets.

MARK 9:5-8

5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"

6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"

8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

Just as God had told Peter that Jesus is the Son of God, He must have told Peter, James and John that these were Moses and Elijah. There were no pictures or statues of these men, so how else could he have known who they were?

Peter wanted to build three shrines to commemorate this event, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah, speaking out of shock at what he was seeing.

Notice that God tells them to listen to His Son, acknowledging that Jesus is His Son and letting them know that what Jesus has to tell them is much more important than building shrines, monasteries or churches to commemorate any event. They, with time, will perish whereas He will not.

MARK 9:9-13

9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

11 And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

12 Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

13 "But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

Jesus is getting them to accept the idea that He must endure many things at the hands of men. And He confirmed that John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah and was indeed the forerunner to the Messiah whom Herod had beheaded.

Jesus in turn would fulfill both the Law and the Prophets upon His resurrection and ascension to the Father.

MARK 9:14-29

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.

15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.

16 And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"

17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

18 "And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."

19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."

20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

22 "And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"

26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"

29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

This shows us that there are many classifications of demons. Some are stronger than others. Always remember that when dealing with demons, it is the power of God not our own power that we use. God allows us to use His power to accomplish His will.

Never take the glory or praise for yourself. Amazingly, only a small amount of faith can accomplish wondrous things, if there is no doubt to hinder it.

From the description of the behavior of the child, today we would deem him to have epilepsy or be psychotic. Remember, demon possession can have physical consequences, and apparently this was a very powerful demon.

Note carefully that Jesus commanded the demon to leave the child, and never enter him again. This is something we need to remember when dealing with demon possession, for once cast out, they will try to re-enter the person at some point.

They are familiar with the person and it would be easy for them to regain control if they are allowed back, rather than try to possess and gain control of someone new.

Note also, that Jesus even though being God had set aside His Godhood to be born as a man. Having human limitations, He didn’t know how long the boy had been possessed.

But like us, He relied on the Holy Spirit for information concerning the type of demon involved.

MARK 9:30-32

30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.

31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."

32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem, speaking to His disciples of His coming death and resurrection. The disciples are learning to listen to Jesus; they may not have completely understood what He meant, but they knew something bad was coming.

MARK 9:33-37

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"

34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.

35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

37 "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

In God's kingdom our goal isn't to be the richest, the most popular or have the most worldly treasures. Our goal should be to have a child-like faith in Him and to do everything to the best of our ability for Him.

A child has complete faith and trust without reservation and in this way the Lord wants us to be like a child. He wants us to encourage and take care of each other, not discourage, fight and compete with each other.

Note that He called the twelve disciples to Him. There were always many who followed Him including the twelve, but these were the ones He would later commission to be apostles, (with the exception of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.)

MARK 9:38-50

38 Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."

39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.

40 "For he who is not against us is on our side.

41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

42 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.

43 "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched

44 "where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

45 "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched

46 "where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into Hell fire

48 "where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

49 "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

50 "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

We must be very careful not to cause a believer in Jesus to lose faith. It doesn't matter if it is caused by word or deed.

While everyone is responsible before the Lord for their own decisions, if a thoughtless word or deed causes someone to turn away from Jesus you will be held accountable for your part in the losing of a soul to Hell.

The disciples were indignant that someone else was casting out demons in Jesus' name, but Jesus told them to forbid no one from doing so. Again, there is to be no competition or rank in God's kingdom, we are all brethren and equal in His sight.

If something keeps tempting you to sin, get away from it. Even if you have to give up something that seems very important to you, it would be better than going to Hell.

MARK 10:1-12

1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.

2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.

3 And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"

4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."

5 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

6 "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'

7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,

8 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.

9 "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.

11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

12 "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

When two people divorce it is like ripping a body into two pieces. Both will be missing vital parts that can never be replaced, except by God. And there will be many scars, some inside where few others will see them and others on the outside for all to see.

This is why we should seek God's advice when deciding to marry. Only He knows the true intent of the heart of another and only He knows what the future holds. God can make you whole again, but He is the only one who can.

If your spouse commits adultery, you can divorce them without penalty from God. The main idea here was that you just cannot divorce your wife for trivial reasons. In God's eyes you have become one and He expects you to remain that way for life.

Also this is to prevent the terrible devastation that happens to children when their parents divorce. The children will survive, but there will be emotional scars that will take a long time to heal, if they ever do.

MARK 10:13-16

13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

15 "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

The faith, love, innocence and trust that children have is a special thing. Jesus would never turn away children. We need to have the trust and faith of a child in our walk with Jesus.

The disciples were developing arrogant and elite attitudes, and Jesus was very angry because of it, publicly rebuking them.

MARK 10:17-22

17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

19 "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"

20 And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

You must serve God above everything else. Money and riches are not evil, but the love of money will separate you from the love of God. You can love God or you can love money, but not both.

Remember, money is like fire: a good servant, but a bad master.

MARK 10:23-31

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

28 Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."

29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's,

30 "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.

31 "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The poor have an easier time relying on God, as they have no other resources available to them. But rich people tend to rely on their money, power and position in society instead of God.

The disciples were worried because several of them were wealthy men. Remember, Peter, Andrew, James and John had their own commercial fishing business, and James and John were rich enough that they could hire servants to help them with their fishing business.

But unlike most rich men, money wasn't their God. It was a tool used for their needs and the needs of others, but they gave it up at Gods request.

At the Judgment it seems that some who are saved last will be judged and rewarded first, and vice versa.

MARK 10:32-34

32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:

33 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles;

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

The Gentiles here are the Romans. Jesus is preparing them for the events about to unfold so that they will be ready when it happens.

One has to admire the tremendous courage Jesus showed, knowing what was going to happen to Him, yet still being willing to do His Father's will just so that we might be free of sin and have eternal life through Him.

People tend to forget that when Jesus walked the Earth, He was just as human as any of us. He felt hunger, weariness, both physical and emotional pain, sorrow, thirst, etc. just as we do.

The difference was that He was filled with the completeness of the Holy Spirit, whereas we receive a measure of the Spirit until we die and become perfect through Him.

Did this then make Him more than human? In no way, for He had to experience the fullness of what it was like to be human, to be both fully God and fully Man. As someone once said of Him, "Jesus Christ: God's Man and Man's God".

MARK 10:35-40

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."

36 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

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

38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

39 They said to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;

40 "but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."

The baptism Jesus spoke of was the baptism of the Holy Spirit; the cup which He spoke of, was the Communion cup He shared with the disciples at the Last Supper the night that Judas Iscariot betrayed Him to the High Priest and his henchmen.

This also shows that while Jesus and the Father are one, the Father being supreme still retains some things under His own power, again showing that the Father and Jesus are separate, yet one.

The best analogy I can come up with to explain this would be like a king who has absolute authority and rule over his domain.

At his own discretion he elevates his son to be co-ruler with him and while the son has all of the power and authority of his father, the father is still greater than the son because the father is the one who gave this power to his son and is therefore greater by that fact.

And the father, being supreme, retains the right to do or keep things for himself, and the son would respect that right.

So it is also with the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. Who will sit on the right and left sides of Jesus in His kingdom? It may be Moses and Elijah, considered to be the two greatest figures in the Bible outside of Jesus, or the Father may have one be the greatest in the kingdom and the other the least. Even Jesus Himself didn't know.

MARK 10:41-45

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

42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

44 "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.

45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Unlike Satan's kingdom, serving Jesus isn't a competition. We are to always be humble in both His sight and in each other's. This will keep pride from sneaking in and causing God to humble us publicly.

Jesus took no pride in dwelling among us and performing miracles, He did so out of His love and compassion for us.

Thus we should humbly serve our brethren, following Jesus' example to us. We are to serve and encourage one another. Don't fight to become the boss over others or to have more than others.

MARK 10:46-52

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

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

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you."

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."

52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

One has to wonder at the selfish attitude of the crowd around Jesus. Here was a blind man who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, begging for His attention in the hope of receiving his sight, and the crowd is telling him to shut up and not bother the Master.

Bartimaeus persisted, as for all he knew, Jesus might never pass that way again and this may have been his only chance to be healed.

We take our sight for granted and don't think of what a priceless gift it truly is to be able to physically see the world around us. Try walking around for a day or so with your eyes closed and see how you fare. Then consider a lifetime living like this and you will appreciate the gift of sight.

By calling Jesus "Lord" and "Son of David", he was publicly proclaiming Him as Messiah. And note that Jesus had compassion on him and healed him as he requested.

MARK 11:1-6

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;

2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.

3 "And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."

4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.

5 But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"

6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go.

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem caused great excitement among the people, for it fulfilled another prophecy spoken of about the Messiah, which said;

ZECHARIAH 9:9

9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Jesus has fulfilled almost every prophecy of the Old Covenant (Old Testament) ever written of Him (some are left to be fulfilled at His return). There are over 400 prophecies concerning the Messiah according to Biblical scholars.

By using the modern day science of probability in reference to prophecies, if only 8 of these prophecies were used in the probability equation, the chance that any one man who has ever lived fulfilling all 8 prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power! This would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (one in one hundred quadrillion).

In order to help us comprehend this, if we took one hundred quadrillion silver dollars and laid them down on the surface of Texas, they would cover the State two feet deep. Now mark only one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the State. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wants, but he can only pick up one silver dollar and it must be the marked silver dollar.

This man would have the same chances as a prophet writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.

MARK 11:7-11

7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.

8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Notice that the people are hailing and praising Jesus as the promised Messiah and King, yet several days later these same people would be howling for His crucifixion.

We need to keep vigilant and not be easily swayed by others around us so we don't do what is not right before the Lord.

Even though this was prophesied, each person there had a choice to do right or wrong. Remember the Lord will be our Judge, nobody else. You will be judged by your own actions and words, not by anyone else's.

MARK 11:12-14

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.

13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.

The fig tree could also be an analogy for unfruitful Christians. Jesus will expect us to bear fruit for Him, but if we continue to be barren of fruitful works in our lives, He will do to us as He did to the fig tree. He also spoke of this when He spoke this parable;

LUKE 13:6-9

6 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

7 "Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'

8 "But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

9 'And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

MARK 11:15-19

15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.

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

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 teaching.

19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

This shows that anger is not a sin, if it is righteous anger.

The sacrificial system had become corrupted by the priests over the years. People were required by the Law of Moses to bring animals to the Temple for sacrifice.

The priests would find a "blemish" on most animals brought to them and reject the animal as being an acceptable sacrifice. Then they would offer to sell one of their "pre-approved" animals for an acceptable sacrifice to be purchased for a tidy profit for the priests.

In ancient times, animals were kept outside of the Temple itself until it was time to bring them into the courtyard for sacrifice.

Merchants approved by the priests were later allowed to bring their animals inside the Temple itself, making the Temple more like a zoo than a house of worship.

Just like today, money in ancient times had faces of rulers and pagan gods embossed on them which were considered by the Jews to be graven images (idols).

In order to ensure that no graven images were brought into the Temple, the money paid to the Temple as a Temple tax required money changers to exchange the common currency for the Temple coins, which were silver coins that bore no images, acceptable to bring into the Temple.

But instead of exchanging equal values, the priests made a profit by charging more for their coins than the actual face value of the coin itself.

MARK 11:20-26

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

21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.

23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

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

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

Jesus didn't mean that we should be literally trying to cast mountains into the sea, He was referring to obstacles in our lives that may seem insurmountable.

With faith and prayer, God can do miracles in our lives, removing obstacles that are in our path. But we must ask in faith, believing that God will hear and help us. We must also pray for our needs, not our wants.

And when we pray to God, we need to be sure we don't have unresolved issues with others in our lives. We need to be at peace with our brethren before we can be at peace with God. We must also forgive others for God to forgive our sins.

MARK 11:27-33

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

28 And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?"

29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:

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

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

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

33 So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Jesus created an interesting trap which quickly deflated the arrogance of these men. He knew they wouldn't admit publicly what they thought of John the Baptist, but He was also letting them know that He knew their double-mindedness, saying one thing in public and another amongst themselves.

I think the common people enjoyed seeing Jesus easily turn the tables on these pompous, arrogant religious leaders.

MARK 12:1-12

1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

2 "Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.

3 "And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

4 "Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

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

6 "Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

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

8 "So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 "Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.

10 "Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

11 This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

The vineyard in this case, is the land of Israel; the vine-dressers are the Jews; the hedge, God's protection; the servants are the prophets; the son was Jesus, and the owner of the vineyard, God the Father.

God first sent a few prophets to speak to His people, to warn them of their wickedness and to exhort them to practice righteousness and they beat and killed the prophets.

Then God over time sent many prophets to speak to His people and many were beaten, driven out, imprisoned and/or killed.

Then God sent His Son and He was also beaten, cast out and killed, with the rulers figuring if they could kill the heir they could have the land for themselves.

God had warned them through the prophets of the price of continued disobedience and wickedness but they refused to listen, as did their fathers when God finally sent Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar against their fathers over 500 years earlier.

And just as king Nebuchadnezzar burned the Temple and the city of Jerusalem and killed or deported most of the inhabitants to Babylon (he left the poor to care for the land), the Romans would burn the Temple and the city and would kill or sell the inhabitants as slaves throughout the Empire.

And it is fascinating to note that both Temples were destroyed on the exact same day, the first Temple in 586 B.C. the second Temple in 70 A.D.

The Babylonian captivity (called the Exile) only lasted for 70 years, but the Second Exile by the Romans lasted for 1,878 years.

MARK 12:13-17

13 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.

14 When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

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

16 So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's."

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

Many tyrannical rulers develop "personality cults", where people revere the leader and elevate them to almost god-like status. The late Kim Il Sung of North Korea was such a figure, and even now the North Korean calendar has the year of his birth as "Year 1" of their calendar dating system. Adolph Hitler of Nazi Germany and Josef Stalin of Soviet Russia are other examples.

The Pharisees and the Herodians despised each other and the fact that they teamed up shows the desperation of the religious leaders to get rid of Jesus.

They probably planned to ask Him questions to attempt to have Him either violate the Law of Moses, or to revile either Herod Antipas or Tiberius Caesar, which in any case could be used as a justification to put Him to death for blasphemy or treason.

But again Jesus neatly turned the tables on them, leaving them in open-mouthed astonishment. It was not yet time for Him to be put to death, and therefore any attempt to kill Him ahead of time would fail.

MARK 12:18-27

18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:

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

20 "Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.

21 "And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.

22 "So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.

23 "Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."

24 Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

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

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

27 "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

In the kingdom of Heaven there will be no need for male or female genders as there will be no need to have children to continue the race of Man. God, however will never change and He has lived and will continue to live forever.

The Sadducees truly showed their hypocrisy here as they were what was known as "Hellenized Jews", Jews who had adopted Greek customs and some Greek beliefs.

The Sadducees believed that when a man died he went to Hades, the Greek place of the dead where the spirits wander for eternity in darkness beneath the Earth.

But here they were asking Jesus about the resurrection, something they didn't believe in themselves in order to get Him to say something for which they could accuse Him.

Jesus in turn reminded them that when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush and stated His identity, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had long been dead. Yet God spoke as being their God as if they yet lived, for while they may be dead to us, they live to Him.

That is why praying to any deceased person such as "Mary" or the "saints" is necromancy (communication with the dead) forbidden and condemned by God as witchcraft, because "Mary" and the "saints" are dead to us. We cannot speak to them and they cannot hear us.

Remember, prayers are only offered to deities (gods), so praying to "Mary" or the "saints" elevates them to the position of gods which is blasphemy.

MARK 12:28-34

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

29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

30 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.

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

32 So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.

33 "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

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

Think about every law and commandment spoken by the prophets in the name of the Lord. If you truly live by these two commandments you would be able to fulfill each one.

To love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind would mean knowing every Scriptural requirement and your love of God would cause you to want to follow them.

Likewise, if you love your neighbor you would extend them every courtesy and would always be helpful to them in every way possible.

The Pharisees, while probably gleeful that their rivals the Sadducees had been publicly embarrassed and silenced, gathered together because they knew they were in trouble.

They had to silence Him, and quickly, or they would lose everything.

MARK 12:35-37

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

36 "For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'

37 "Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly.

Jesus posed an interesting riddle to the Pharisees, in that in Psalms David states that God spoke to someone greater than king David, the greatest king Israel has ever had, yet this person was David's son.

And as the son, while the father is still living is never considered to be greater than his father, and David was the greatest king in Israel's history, who could God be speaking to but the Messiah, God's Son who would be of the line of David?

Needless to say they couldn't answer that one for if they did, they would be confirming Jesus' claim to be the promised Messiah.

The genealogical records would also show that He came from the line of Judah and like king David was born in Bethlehem Ephrata in Judea just as the prophets foretold, adding further credence to His claim

MARK 12:38-40

38 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,

39 "the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,

40 "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

Outward appearances and honor from men were most important to them, but as God had already explained to the prophet Samuel when Samuel was to anoint the next king of Israel, God looks at the heart not the outward appearance of men. This includes everything from clothes and physical looks to words and deeds.

I SAMUEL 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

The greater condemnation they would receive would come because they knew the Scriptures and would be held responsible for this knowledge.

They knew what they were doing was wrong, but liked their money, power and positions so much they were willing to ignore the Word of God for their own gain.

MARK 12:41-44

41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.

43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;

44 "for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

The mite was also called a Lepton which was first minted by the Maccabees and two of them were equal to one Roman Kodrantes (quadrans). The quadrans was the smallest Roman copper coin and about one-sixteenth of a soldier's daily pay.

Our smallest copper coin is a penny, and I suspect this is where we get the expression, "putting in your two cents".

Jesus was impressed because He knew that while others gave much, this woman gave all of the money she needed to live, trusting the Lord to provide for her needs. We need to remember this when we tithe to the Lord.

We need to tithe not only our money, but our time, harvests, cattle, talents and anything else that God has blessed us with.

Be sure to ask the Lord where He wants your tithes to go. If you ask Him, He will let you know what His will is in the matter.

MARK 13:1-2

1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"

2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

In 70 A.D. the infuriated Roman legions under general Titus burned the city and the Temple. When the Temple was burned all the gold inside and on the roof melted between the stones in the walls and floors. Titus ordered each stone removed, the gold taken off the stone, then the stones be thrown down the mountainside to ensure that the Temple would not be rebuilt.

Archaeological discoveries have shown that the paving stones by where the Temple once stood have been deeply scored and smashed from where the multi-ton stone blocks from the Temple came crashing down into the streets.

They razed the city, renamed it Aelia Capitolina, dedicated the ruins to Jupiter and forbid the Jews to come there to weep for the loss of their Temple.

These events are also recorded in the writings of the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, a general in the Jewish army captured by Roman general Vespasian during the final war with the Jews.

In the book of Daniel the angel Gabriel prophesied that seventy "weeks" (periods of seven years) would pass in order to rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity and bring the Messiah.

However it was prophesied that after 69 "weeks" the Messiah would be "cut off" (killed) but not for Himself (not for His own sins).

DANIEL 9:20-27

20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God,

21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.

23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."

Note that the prophecy states that after 69 "weeks" (483 years) the Messiah would be cut off. And especially note that the 70th "week" is separated from the 69 previous "weeks".

In 457 B.C. Persian king Artaxerxes Longimanus gave Ezra the scribe permission to return and rebuild Jerusalem, which event is recorded in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

And exactly 483 years later, Jesus Christ made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, sitting on a donkey and acclaimed to be the Messiah by the people, just as the angel Gabriel had told Daniel over 500 years earlier.

When Jesus died, God's prophetic "clock" stopped, leaving the last "week" unfulfilled. Jesus died in 26 A.D. and the final Jewish war with Rome started 40 years later in 66 A.D. ending with the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation of Judea in 70 A.D.

God's prophetic "clock" remained stopped during the 1,878 years when Israel was not a nation after its destruction by the Romans.

Jesus knew of the destruction to come, so He prophesied of the destruction of the Temple and the nation in the near future, then prophesied of the events during the interim time that Israel would be scattered to the corners of the Earth.

The last "week" will be fulfilled when the coming Antichrist will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel after WW III. (For more information on this subject, please see the End Times Part 1 and Part 5 in this Web site.)

MARK 13:3-13

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,

4 "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"

5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you.

6 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.

7 "But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

8 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 "But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

10 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

11 "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

12 "Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

13 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

We have already seen the beginnings of Jesus' prophecies.

There have been numerous people down through history claiming to be the Messiah, the latest being Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh, who was killed in Waco Texas in 1993, after Federal agents stormed his heavily-armed compound. There are others reported in the New Age circles today.

The news services constantly report of wars, famines, AIDS epidemics, increasing violence, murders and terrorism. There has been a marked increase of violent weather in the form of hurricanes, tornados, bitterly cold winters, blizzards and flooding, while other areas suffer from decades-long drought.

Killer earthquakes (some generating tsunamis) are on the rise as are the eruptions of volcanos. Increasing pollution is killing rivers, and oceanographers are reporting more and more "dead zones" in the ocean, where oxygen depletion due to pollutants is killing ocean life.

What we are seeing is just the beginning of the age of the End Times; there will be much more to come before the end of this age when Jesus returns.

And understand this well, Christians will go through the tribulations of this age. We will not be "raptured" out before Jesus returns in glory to put an end to the Antichrist.

We are seeing a rise in atheism in America, where one person's challenge to things like having the words "under God" as being "offensive" can force an entire school district to suspend the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. There have even been court cases (unsuccessful so far) trying to have the words "In God We Trust" removed from our currency.

America still has too much religious background to have God thrown out completely from our social functions and workplaces, but when America is destroyed by WW III, that will swiftly change, fulfilling Jesus' words in verse 9 above.

Many who believe in the Pre-tribulation Rapture theory will lose their faith when the persecution and tribulations worsen and they are still here waiting with the rest of us for the return of Jesus.

Note in verse 13 He says he who endures to the end will be saved. This could refer to death or to His return at the end of the age.

When we are persecuted and go through trials we must remember that it is Jesus that is being rejected and we are the visual target for that retaliation. Jesus said;

JOHN 15:20-21

20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

And when we stand before our persecutors, God Himself will give us wisdom and the words to say, wisdom that our enemies won't be able to counter.

While the persecution He is speaking of here seems to refer to the End Times, in which people will betray each other to try to save their lives, and those who lose their faith and fall away will betray those who remain faithful, history shows that this has happened many times before now.

And remember, though we are sheep in the midst of wolves, even wolves fear the Shepherd.

MARK 13:14-18

14 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

15 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.

16 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

17 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

18 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter.

The abomination of desolation spoken of in Daniel was not Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes' desecration of the Temple as some believe, (Antiochus after conquering Jerusalem dedicated the Temple to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on the altar) as Antiochus had performed his abominations 150 years before Jesus birth, and Jesus refers to the persecution here as a future event.

And it could not be the fact that the Roman general Titus entered the Temple's inner sanctuary before he destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D., as some believe. By that time Jerusalem was already in ruins and those who could flee had already done so.

But just as Antiocus Epiphanes set up an image of himself on the altar of the Temple and demanded that the Jews worship it, slaughtering those who refused, the "False Prophet" will erect an image of the Antichrist on the altar of the rebuilt Temple and will demand that all people worship it or face death.

MARK 13:19-20

19 "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

20 "And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

This is the Great Tribulation spoken of by Daniel, the three and one half year period in which the Antichrist will be allowed to destroy Christians and Jews virtually unchecked.

Satan will wage war against God's people and will try to destroy all of mankind at Armageddon.

The word for "flesh" used here is the Greek word "sarx" meaning literal flesh. If Jesus were to delay His return, He would return to a dead planet. Mankind would no longer exist. But for the sake of the elect (us), He will shorten the days of persecution.

MARK 13:21-23

21 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.

22 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

23 "But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

Here is a warning we all need to heed! Satan's servants will be empowered to perform miracles to the point that the elect (believers in Jesus) could be deceived by them.

Sadly enough, I have seen people in churches today that are so hungry for signs of God's power that they could very well fall into Satan's trap. They are so desperate for displays of something that they are willing to accept Satanic counterfeits and false prophets without testing them as the apostles Paul and John cautioned. Sadly, some Christians and Messianic Jews will be deceived by the Antichrist and his people.

I cannot stress enough the fact that we are to test every spirit to be sure that the person demonstrating a "gift" is from God! Ask them to publicly confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh for the salvation of mankind. If they refuse or give an evasive answer, you will know that they are not from God.

Having seen demonic powers first-hand I know they can be very convincing, but they are not from God!!! Remember the words of John.....

I JOHN 4:1-3

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

And the words of Paul.....

II CORINTHIANS 11:13-15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

I THESSALONIANS 5:21

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

MARK 13:24-27

24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

25 "the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 "And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

The "stars" are Satan and his demons who will be thrown out of Heaven, never to return there. (Satan still has access to Heaven even now, as shown in Job chapters 1 and 2)

Jesus will come after the Great Tribulation, as it is also stated in the book of Revelation in which John states;

REVELATION 16:13-16

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Note carefully that Satan is gathering the armies of the world to Armageddon and Jesus is still saying "Behold, I am coming as a thief". If He had already "raptured" the Christians beforehand, the world would know that He was coming back soon.

But He is still saying He is coming as a thief, which means that Armageddon is about to start and He hasn't returned yet!

Please understand that the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" theory is a false doctrine! Jesus never said that we would escape the Great Tribulation. If we are going to escape it, why would He warn us to prepare for it?

MARK 13:28-32

28 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

29 "So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near at the doors!

30 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

32 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

As we mentioned previously, God's "70 week" (490 year) prophetical clock stopped at Jesus' death in the 69th "week" (483rd year). The last 7 years (one prophetical week) will begin again when the Antichrist signs a seven year peace treaty with Israel after WW III.

In the midst of the seven years, the Antichrist will break the peace treaty and the one known as the False Prophet will set up the abomination of desolation (an image of the Antichrist) in the Temple.

When the seven year peace treaty is signed the last prophetical “week” will be locked into place. Only the Father knows when the Antichrist will arise and set the last “week” into motion. That is why Jesus Himself didn't know the exact day or hour He would return.

The generation Jesus is speaking of is our generation. The generation that sees these signs will be here when Jesus returns.

MARK 13:33-37

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

34 "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.

35 "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning

36 "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

37 "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

We need to be sure we are serving Him to the best of our abilities at ALL times. Whether we die or Jesus comes before our death, He knows every thought, word and deed for everyone.

We must never become lazy or complacent about serving the Lord. And we are to watch for the things He said would indicate that the End Times are upon us, lest we be taken by surprise.

MARK 14:1-2

1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.

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

They weren't bothered by the idea of breaking their own laws and murdering an innocent man, but they were afraid of the reaction of the people. If the people rioted the Romans could come in and take away their place and with it their power and money.

MARK 14:3-9

3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.

4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?

5 "For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply.

6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.

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

8 "She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.

9 "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Alabaster was a very expensive form of white semi-translucent calcite and the fragrant oil was Spikenard, a rare and very expensive oil that needed to be imported from India or Himalayan China where it grows.

Three hundred denarii was about ten months wages (one denarius was about one days wage). The disciples were thinking of how the money could be better used, but Jesus knew the real reason for this being done to Him.

This woman was honoring Jesus greatly by anointing Him with fragrant oil as was done with kings at their coronation. And in this case, she was also anointing Him for His upcoming burial.

MARK 14:10-11

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

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

I believe that Judas Iscariot was trying to force Jesus to openly declare Himself as the Messiah, force the Romans out of Judea and declare Himself as King.

Many of the Jews believe that when the Messiah comes it will be in power, glory and with great might, not understanding that during His first visit He would be a suffering servant.

Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave at that time. This was also a fulfillment of prophecy;

ZECHARIAH 11:12-13

12 Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter" that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.

And as we shall see later, the prophecy of Zechariah was indeed fulfilled to the letter.

MARK 14:12-17

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"

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

14 "Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'

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

16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

17 In the evening He came with the twelve.

This is believed to be the disciple John Mark's house. It is believed that Mark received most of his information of the daily life of Jesus from Simon Peter.

MARK 14:18-21

18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."

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

20 He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.

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

Most people believe that only the twelve disciples that Jesus had chosen were at the Last Supper. Yet Jesus indicates that there were others with them, when He said it was one of those at the table with Him who would betray Him, and states it would be one of the twelve. If they had been there alone, He would not have needed to restrict whom He was talking about being one of the twelve chosen disciples.

During those days, it was customary to have a bowl of stew or soup, or sometimes even a bowl of wine in the center of the table, and those eating would dip pieces of bread into the bowl and then eat.

It is hard to imagine a punishment so great that it had been better for Judas Iscariot if he had not been born!

MARK 14:22-26

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

23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

25 "Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

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

The wine is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed for payment of our sins and the bread is a symbol of His body that He sacrificed for our sins to be paid in full, once and for all time.

There are those who believe and teach that the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Jesus. Please understand that this is completely false and contrary to the teachings of God! God states emphatically that drinking blood is forbidden.

GENESIS 9:3-4

3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.

4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

LEVITICUS 3:17

17 'This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.'"

LEVITICUS 7:26-27

26 'Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast.

27 'Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.'"

Also;

ACTS 21:25

25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

Jesus made one sacrifice for sins, never to be repeated. For by one sacrifice He took away all sin forever, therefore there is no reason for repeat sacrifices as required in the Old Testament, and in disobedience by the Catholic Church and others today.

If any man could actually command Jesus into the bread and turn the wine into the blood of Jesus as the Catholic Church teaches that its priests are empowered to do during the Mass, that would mean that they are greater in power than Jesus. Jesus commands us, not the other way around.

And it would also mean that Jesus' original sacrifice wasn't good enough, as the Catholics and others claim that Jesus must be sacrificed over and over again. Yet Scripture tells us the opposite is true.

ROMANS 6:10

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

HEBREWS 10:10-14

10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Knowing this we must be careful, as we will be held responsible for this knowledge. If anyone continues practicing this abomination the following Scripture will apply;

HEBREWS 10:26-31

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Jesus will not drink wine again until after His return in glory. The New Covenant Jesus was talking about is spoken of in....

JEREMIAH 31:31-34

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah

32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

MARK 14:27-31

27 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written' I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

28 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."

29 Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."

30 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

31 But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all said likewise.

Peter and the others were so sure of themselves that they refused to believe Jesus' words. This is a lesson for all followers of Jesus Christ. We tend to make decisions based on our sight and previous knowledge.

However, the Lord speaks from knowledge of future events. God is the only one who knows the entire future. So if He says something will happen, you can depend on it; even though you may not be able to understand how it will happen.

Jesus was quoting the prophet Zechariah who said;

ZECHARIAH 13:7

7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,” says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

MARK 14:32-42

32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.

34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch."

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

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

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

38 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.

40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.

41 Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him to watch and pray with Him. Jesus was showing His humanity when He asked God to allow this to pass from Him if there was any other way.

But He puts the Fathers will above His own will, saying that if it must be done this way, He would be obedient to His Father.

We must do the same thing, that is submit to God, no matter what it may cost us. The rewards we will receive in Heaven for our obedience will be far greater than the cost of disobedience on Earth.

This is also our greatest defense against Satan. Remember James' words when he said;

JAMES 4:7

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Jesus was so distressed about the events about to happen that Luke tells us that Jesus began to literally sweat blood, an affliction called "hematidrosis" (Greek: bloody sweat).

This is happens when dire stress causes the capillaries under the skin to break open and the blood mixes with the sweat, causing severe dehydration, shock and weakness.

LUKE 22:44

44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

MARK 14:43-50

43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."

45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

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

48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?

49 "I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."

50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.

Notice they didn't go to arrest Jesus quietly, they were out for blood so they brought a mob in case of trouble. That way if a riot started, they could take Jesus while the crowd was distracted and when the Roman Guard came and started breaking heads, the ones who took Jesus could slip away. Here the High Priest broke the first of many laws, by arresting Jesus at night.

According to John, Peter was the one to cut off the servant Malchus' ear and Luke tells us that Jesus healed the injury. Even though they were out for blood, Jesus still showed kindness by healing the injury.

JOHN 18:10

10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.

LUKE 22:50-51

50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this." And He touched his ear and healed him.

MARK 14:51-52

51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him,

52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

This is believed to be John Mark, who fled away naked to keep from getting caught.

MARK 14:53-65

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

54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.

56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying,

58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"

59 But not even then did their testimony agree.

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

61 But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?

64 "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

65 Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!" And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

These are some of the laws they broke in order to get rid of Jesus:

1. Jesus was arrested at night.

2. A trial for a capital crime was held at night.

3. They accepted false testimony.

4. Jesus was forced to testify against Himself.

5. All testimony was required to be corroborated with witnesses

6. The full Sanhedrin was not assembled for a capital crime trial

7. Physical abuse of the defendant

8. The defendant wasn't allowed to call any witnesses in His defense

9. A capital crime trial required 3 days of fasting to determine guilt

10. A capital crime trial could not be held during any holiday (this was held on the Feast of Passover)

These are only a few of the Jewish laws broken by the Priests and Sanhedrin to condemn Jesus to death. By the time Jesus was buried, the High Priest and the Sanhedrin had broken many more of their own laws.

They were determined to hold onto the corruption, positions, money and power they had acquired by manipulation of the laws of God for their own gain and glory.

Note that when the High Priest asked Jesus if He was the promised Messiah (Greek: Christos, Christ), He said, "I am", thereby confirming that He was the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah and that He was the Son of God.

MARK 14:66-72

66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.

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

68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.

69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them."

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

71 Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"

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

According to Luke, Jesus turned and looked at Peter just as he denied Him for the third time.

LUKE 22:55-62

55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."

57 But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."

58 And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."

60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."

62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

The guilt and humiliation must have been overwhelming, but Peter learned a great lesson from this experience and it helped him to become a stronger man of God.

When we fail God, the best thing we can do is to learn from our mistakes, and become stronger because of them.

MARK 15:1

1 Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.

Note again that they didn't wait and fast for three days to determine Jesus' guilt or innocence. They also took Him to Pilate because the Romans had taken away the right of the Jews to put anyone to death for a crime. The Roman procurator (governor) was the only one who could issue a death sentence.

MARK 15:2-5

2 Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."

3 And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.

4 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!"

5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

The chief priests, scribes and elders of the Sanhedrin brought the only charge they knew would gain Pilate's attention, namely that Jesus had proclaimed Himself as King of the Jews, which was treason against Rome. Any other charge would have been dismissed by Pilate and he would have told the Jews to take care of the matter themselves.

But as it had been prophesied that He would be crucified, a Roman punishment for a capital crime, He had to be accused of treason against the Roman Empire and against Tiberius Caesar in order to force Pilate to hear the case.

Jesus told the truth, but didn't bother to refute the priests and elders which confused and surprised Pilate. This also fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said;

ISAIAH 53:7-8

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Even though Jesus spoke to Pilate, He didn't defend Himself against the accusations of the priests, scribes and Pharisees.

MARK 15:6-15

6 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.

7 And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.

8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

12 Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

13 So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"

14 Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"

15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

Pilate was in a difficult position, balancing between his allegiance to Rome and wanting to pacify the people he governed. He figured if he presented the people with a choice between harmless Jesus and Barabbas, a convicted robber and murderer, the people would choose to release Jesus and the problem would take care of itself.

However Pilate soon realized that he would have a major riot on his hands if he released Jesus for which he would have to answer to Caesar. He tried to stir guilt in the people by asking them what had Jesus done to deserve death and then tried to absolve himself and Rome in the matter. However, he finally gave the death sentence and ordered Jesus to be crucified, making himself complicit in the matter.

Actually this behavior is at odds with Pilates known nature. He was a cruel, easily irritated man and usually had no qualms about sending soldiers into crowds to quell a potential riot by force. Giving in to the crowd's demands to have Jesus crucified was to place his fear of the crowds before the authority and power of his superiors, namely the governor of Syria and Caesar himself.

Most people today don't understand what "scourging" actually entailed in Roman times. A scourge is a whip with leather strips coming out of the handle, and each strip had a dumbbell shaped piece of lead attached to the end of the thong.

The victim was stripped, then tied to a post with their arms taut so the skin of the back and chest was tight and exposed.

The scourge was long enough that when swung at the victim the leather strips would wrap around the body with great speed and force so that the lead dumbbells would impact hard enough to cause bruising and bleeding on the inside of the chest cavity and deep bruising and tearing of muscle tissue elsewhere.

The victim was whipped from neck to ankles and many victims died while being scourged, or died later from the trauma.

Jewish law set beatings/floggings at a maximum of 39 lashes with a regular whip. The Romans had no such limits, and the Shroud of Turin, reportedly Jesus' burial shroud (scientific evidence is proving this more and more to be true) shows that the victim buried in the shroud was whipped over 120 times.

The result would be deep bruising, bleeding, internal hemorrhaging, shock, dehydration, vomiting, uncontrolled tremors and great weakness. And remember, Jesus was as human as any of us when this happened.

MARK 15:16-19

16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.

17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,

18 and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

19 Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.

After the scourging His cloak had been put on Him to move Him from the place of the scourging to the Praetorium. By this time the blood from the wounds would have begun to congeal and when they stripped the cloak off, that would have ripped open all of the wounds.

The thorns used were Judean thorns that are thick and about 6 inches long. They pounded this "crown of thorns" into His skull by beating on it with a reed (stick). They spat on Him and continued to mock Him by bowing before Him.

The scalp has many sensitive nerve endings and the thorns would have torn many of these nerves, causing what is known in the medical field as "lancinating pains", stabs of pain that would feel as if hot pokers were being jabbed into the scalp and face.

People suffering from these lancinating pains have been known to commit suicide because they couldn't stand the pain any longer. The damaged nerves would have also caused uncontrollable twitching of the scalp and facial muscles, increasing His agony.

Scarlet and purple cloth was only worn by high officials and royalty because it was expensive to produce, therefore by putting such a robe on Jesus they were mocking Him as a king.

MARK 15:20

20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

Once again, the blood from the wounds would have begun to congeal and when they stripped off the robe that would have ripped open all of the wounds.

MARK 15:21

21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

Jesus, while He was indeed God, had also agreed to be confined to the limitations of the human body during His time on Earth.

After being punched in the face, being scourged, repeatedly having His wounds ripped open, six inch thorns pounded into His head, the trauma to His body, severe dehydration, the emotional battering of knowing that He was innocent and that these people that He had claimed as His own children were doing this to Him with such obvious zeal, His physical limitations were finally reached.

He just couldn't handle the weight of the cross beam of His cross which was usually tied across the shoulders of the condemned as they were driven by whips to the place of execution.

Concerning the trauma He suffered before His execution, a modern forensic pathologist once said, "The miracle isn't that Jesus died on the cross; the miracle is that He made it there at all."

Cyrene is modern day Tripoli and located in upper Libya, Northern Africa. When the Romans "compelled" you to work for them actually it was a choice of do it now or die now.

More laws were broken here as Jesus was supposed to have a placard around His neck showing the crimes He was accused of, and several people were to go before Him requesting that any witnesses in His defense step forward if they had evidence of His innocence. None of this happened.

MARK 15:22-23

22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.

Oak gall or myrrh was mixed with wine and given to the victims of crucifixion as a small act of mercy. It clouded their minds and dulled the pain. Jesus would not dull the pain or cloud His mind as He knew that He must suffer to the full extent of the sin offering required to give Man the opportunity to once again be made whole before God the Father.

He would have been greatly dehydrated at this point and drinking the vinegar would have helped His thirst somewhat. But He refused, knowing that prophecy had to be fulfilled. King David had prophesied of this event when he said;

PSALM 69:21

21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

And concerning His crucifixion and atoning death;

PSALM 22:12-19

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

I won't go into the details of crucifixion here, but it is the most hideous form of execution ever created in that it continually tortures the condemned even as it slowly kills them. It was originally created by the Persians, then adopted and further refined by the ever efficient Romans.

MARK 15:24-25

24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

The third hour is 9:00 in the morning. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken in;

PSALM 22:18

18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

MARK 15:26-28

26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.

28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."

The fact that He was crucified with robbers also fulfilled prophecy;

ISAIAH 53:9

9 And they made His grave with the wicked but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Pilate wrote the sign in three languages, Hebrew, Greek and Latin; the most popular languages of the region at that time. The priests may have used their influence with the crowd and forced Pilate to do their bidding, but he used this sign to show the priests that their power was limited.

MARK 15:29-32

29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

30 "save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"

31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.

32 "Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

The mockery of the priests, scribes and elders in verses 29-30 was also the fulfillment of prophecy, and they, the doctors and teachers of the Law, should have recognized this. King David had said 1,000 years earlier;

PSALM 22:7-8

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"

MARK 15:33-37

33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"

36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

The sixth hour was 12:00 p.m. (noon) and the ninth hour was 3:00 p.m. Passover is only held at a full moon and an eclipse can only happen at a new moon.

The spiritual aspect of all the sins of mankind (past, present and future) were put upon Jesus and this event was so monumental that it actually had a physical effect on the world.

The Greek historian Thallus wrote of the event some 50 years after Jesus' death, calling it a "super eclipse" as he had no other explanation for it.

However the prophet Amos had said of this event;

AMOS 8:9

9 "And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight;

The maximum time of totality (darkness) of any place on Earth in the Moon's shadow during a solar eclipse is 15 minutes. Yet Scripture states that the sun was darkened for three hours.

And note that it happened at noon, just as Amos had prophesied.

Jesus was spiritually completely alone with a total separation between Father and Son.

This was the only time this would ever happen; but the Father had to turn His back on His Son when His Son needed Him the most because the Father could not look at the sin heaped upon Jesus.

As the prophet Habakkuk observed;

Habakkuk 1:13a

13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.

MARK 15:38-41

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,

41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

The veil of the Temple was a thick, heavy woven tapestry curtain that went from floor to ceiling, separating the Most Holy Place where God dwelt from the rest of the Temple and represented the barrier of sin standing between God and Man.

The tearing from top to bottom symbolized the removing of the barrier of sin, and the fact that it was torn from the top shows that God is the one who tore it apart. Now anyone can talk directly to God as Jesus Christ has removed our sins and is our High Priest who will reign forever.

Some of the women who followed Jesus were watching but didn't get too close to keep clear of the violent crowds and the Roman soldiers.

MARK 15:42-47

42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.

45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Pilate probably gave the body to him, just to be sure the priests didn't get their hands on it. Joseph then greatly honored Jesus by placing Him in his own tomb cut into a limestone hill (in ancient times, rich people carved their own tombs out of solid rock), a tomb which had never been used.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said;

ISAIAH 53:9

9 And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

MARK 16:1-8

1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away for it was very large.

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

7 "But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The women were expecting to do the final preparations for Jesus' burial, as He had been buried in haste because of the upcoming Sabbath.

The stone covering the tomb entrance was usually a thick, heavy circular slab that was rolled into a deep-cut slot carved into the bedrock before the entrance, used to keep animals and robbers out, and usually required several men to roll it into place. Rolling it back was even more difficult as the stone had to be rolled up out of its slot and onto level ground again.

The corpse was usually placed on a shelf in the cave and remained in the tomb until decomposition was complete, then the bones were removed and were usually interred in an "ossuary", a stone box that contained the bones of family members. Note that the angel sat on the right side, indicating that there were possibly several shelves for the dead in the tomb.

It is interesting that an ossuary containing the bones of Joseph ben Caiaphas, the High Priest that prosecuted Jesus at His trial was found in Israel a few years ago when excavators accidentally broke into an ancient tomb. Inside was a beautifully carved limestone ossuary with the inscription reading "Joseph ben Caiaphas". An examination of the bones was determined to be that of a man who had died while in his 60's.

The reason for rolling the stone back was to show that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, not to let Him out. After His resurrection He was no longer restricted by such trivial things as space, time, and matter.

And it is interesting that the women weren't worried about being ritually defiled by entering the tomb, they looked inside and raced away in fear and overwhelming joy to tell the other disciples the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead as He had promised!

MARK 16:9-11

9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.

11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

The last time the disciples had seen Jesus was to wrap his mutilated, crucified body and place it in a cave for burial. And yet here is a woman telling them that she had seen Him alive, something they refused to believe.

MARK 16:12-14

12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

More witnesses came to tell the disciples that they had seen Jesus alive, and they still refused to believe. It took Jesus literally appearing to them in person for them to understand that He was indeed alive, as He had promised.

MARK 16:15-18

15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Jesus met with his disciples and helped them overcome their doubts and fears. Some condemn those who doubted, but after seeing what had happened to Jesus would we readily believe unless we saw Him again?

With His resurrection the Father gave all of His authority in both Heaven and Earth to His Son so that Jesus is now in control of everything. The Father did this that all men may honor His Son as much as they honor Him, much as subjects in a kingdom honor both the king and his son(s).

And in this way, we can only access the Father through Jesus. There is no other mediator between us and God the Father. We worship and pray to Jesus and He in turn intercedes with the Father on our behalf.

By the same token, there is no mediator between us and Jesus Christ. We pray directly to Him and make our requests only to Him. With His death He removed the barrier of sin between men and God which had required a priesthood to intercede for us. With the removal of the barrier of sin, the need for a priesthood was also removed.

And while Jesus can't be here with us physically, He has sent the Holy Spirit of His Father to dwell within us until He comes back to take us to be with Him forever. Thus He is with us always, until death or the end of all things, whichever comes first.

Jesus didn't mean for us to preach the Gospel to every creature, literally. Catholic "saint" Francis of Assisi took this literally, and preached to animals and birds. Jesus meant that we are to preach the Gospel to all men, everywhere.

And note that He says those who believe and who are baptized, will be saved, but those who don't believe will be condemned. He didn't say that those who are not baptized will be condemned, as some teach. Baptism, like communion, is a symbol, in which we publicly confess our faith in Jesus, and we are symbolically cleansed of our sins by that faith.

MARK 16:19-20

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Jesus' ascension to Heaven and being seated at the right hand of the Father was the completion of the Old Covenant created between the Israelites and God. Now the New Covenant began as stated in Jeremiah.

JEREMIAH 31:31-34

31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah

32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 

33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

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