July 21, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Mark? Here’s today’s reading:
Mark 16 (NIV)
Jesus Has Risen
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”…..Continue Reading
Mark readings completed. Every time I read the passion of Jesus I feel humbled and happy that God loves us so much that He sent his Son to us in fulfillment of the Old Testament who took away the sins of the world with His death. I am still amazed that He preached a message of love to all who believed. That all who believe will be saved.
Mark 11 and Mark 12
Been reading daily. Just hard sometimes to read the last days Jesus had on earth. And how evil men can be towards God. All that God did to save mankind. Hard to grasp that. But as scripture says the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Been rereading the parable of the vineyard owner in mark ch 12. I’ll send my son they will respect him. Nope. Kill him snd we can own the vineyard. Then what will the owner of the vineyard do. Come and kill those tenants for killing his Son and give the tenants to others
Mark 16 He is Risen!
He rose from the dead and lives for us today. We have God’s Grace through our faith in him and the stronger our relationship is with Christ the easier it will be to share his gospel with others who don’t know him. He sacrificed his life for us so we can have everlasting life with him. We need to share that good news!
How fitting that the kind of life that Jesus of Nazareth lived would end with an event like this. How fitting that Jesus would do for Himself what He had done for others, be risen from the dead. How fitting that this account of His resurrection would be the great affirmation that Jesus was who He claimed to be, that His body was never found and all the apostles died affirming this fact. How fitting that this would be the accomplishment that would seal our salvation, the thing that shows that Jesus was not defeated by death or sin. How fitting that it would be the least regarded of society who would be the first to see Him and be able to declare, He is risen. How fitting that we would have this evidence to affirm our faith. It makes sense that those who saw Him at first would not understand what was happening. But then after He continued to reveal Himself, that they would testify to the world, Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!
Jesus could have chose to not take the pain Killed those who kicked him. But our sins were on the cross too. We were a part of the crucified Christ. The only adequate response is to say YES to the payment for our sins Say yes to the greatest act of love in the history of all of mankind. It is finished!!! And he shall reign for ever and ever. Hallelujah. Hallelujah!!!
20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Something about this verse struck me today. We are called to be disciples, just like the 12. Called to carry on their work of spreading the gospel, healing the sick, and saving the lost….and God works with us! I have worked with many people over the years and some people are great to work with and some not so much;) Then I wondered what kind of worker am I to work with? I try to be a hard worker, dependable, loyal, and thorough on tasks given to me but does God see that worker? Am I the lazy worker on the shift not pulling my weight?? Am I daily completing my tasks of spreading His word, having faith and believing He gives me the power to heal and help?
Jesus died for me and asks me just complete His work on earth and I wonder how well my job performance review might go with God. This simple verse gave me a wake up call to be sure I am dedicated to my work with God every day just as I am with my earthly work!
The Resurrection of Jesus the Christ and His many proofs. Mark only gives a brief account of the resurrection. But you have to look at the four gospels and the book of Acts to have a clearer view of this fact in history. Also some other scriptures. We are not going to take the time to do that. Years ago I wrote a paper on Jesus resurrection and we had to have a word limit. So I found more information than I could use. That was years ago and in my older age have forgotten alot. The first test would be that the Old Testament foretold through Moses and the prophets the death and resurrection of the Messiah. Even the Psalms referred to about Christ. I don`t remember the number of references about Christ but I believe they were in the hundreds maybe thousands. Pastor probably can tell us if I am even close. Often in Matthew he mentions that this is in fulfillment of scripture and says who. Of course the Second Coming prophecies about Christ has yet to be fulfilled. But the scriptures referring to His first coming as The Lamb of God is so accurate that one cannot dispute it. But the nay sayers try to. Then you have many eyewitness accounts that He arose. After He arose He appeared to the disciples and the women, and many others. He spoke to them, ate with them, cooked the fish for them and was with them for 40 days. Also He appeared to 500 people at one time. It`s interesting to note that that the women were the first to witness the empty tomb and hear the loud earth quake. Also to witness thee appearance of angels around the tomb who also spoke to them. Perhaps because they were bringing the spices for burial. However whatever the reason they were the first eyewitnesses. Even when they told the disciples that He has risen they thought it a idle tail. But after this Peter and John run to the tomb to see for themselves if what the women told them was actually true. None of the followers of Jesus really thought that He had risen. Even though Jesus taught that this would happen. Remember when Jesus was taken away after He was betrayed they all ran away and fled. Peter even denying Jesus. So what caused this amazing turnabout in their lives that they were willing to preach Christ crucified and to die for Him. Tradition is that Peter died on a cross upside down. These followers certainly believed that He had risen. The church down through the centuries preaching and dying for Christ. People willing to die in foreign lands for the cause of Christ, even going to head hunters like Jim Elliot and the other men with him and died. But not in vain for the wives of these men led by Ellizabeth Elliot went to the people who killed their husbands and ended up leading not only this tribe but tribes around them to Christ. Only the love of Christ working inside these women could they even go there in the first place never mind leading them to Christ and teaching them. This in itself is proof of the resurrection. So many of us have our own stories of how we came to Christ. Many of us have seen first hand God`s miracles. I am thinking of Mark and Steve who were brought back after heart problems. That`s their story to tell. Two of our leaders. I guess God stills has work for them. Another proof of Jesus resurrection are the historians who have written about His death and resurrection as facts that happened. Josephus who was a Jewish historian was not a Christian but wrote of it as true. And so many other historians. I like the way that John ends his book. John 21;25 [ And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.] He is the only one in history that had the power to conquer death and die for our sins. I think that when He says,[ I am the way, the truth and the life, no mans comes to the Father but by me.] that we should take Him at His word and believe Him. All these other false prophets have died in their sins and are not risen up. But Jesus the Christ proved who He was and is. God bless us in Him the only true One.
Mark 16
“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.”
I like that Jesus rebukes the disciples for not believing Mary when she told them that she saw Him. I like to think that He appeared to her first because He wanted to begin to teach the disciples that He would not always be there, and that many would need to believe based on their testimony alone, and even after the disciples are gone, not even their first hand witness, but faith alone. Don’t start out by doubting your sister in Christ.
“And Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith.” After all his disciples saw all the miracles Jesus did and what he said about his death and resurrection, they still didn’t believe that he rose from the dead. Faith is so important in the walk of the Christian life. Although we do not see the Father, we know he is alive and active in our world and that he cares for us. Seeing is not believing, faith is believing.