When I was a young boy there were certain times I was afraid to tell the truth. These occasions were associated with something I had said or done wrong and telling the truth would have dire consequences for me in the form of punishment. Making up a good story was not an option; my parents would never buy it. They would know I wasn’t telling the truth. So out came the truth with the consequences of punishment along with it.
Today, many years later, telling the truth can still have consequences for me although not due to the same circumstances. The apostle Paul in his defense of the gospel said, “I am not out of my mind…….but I utter words of sober truth.” Today if we preach Jesus Christ, the true gospel message, even using His words we are sometimes accused of being irrational or “out of our minds.” We are accused of being insensitive, offensive, and narrow minded.
One very important point to remember is that we are not making up a good story, we are telling a good story, the Greatest Story ever to be told. And we are commanded by Jesus Himself to tell the story (Mt.28:19-20.) Yes, there may be consequences, but Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb.13:5.) Let us not be afraid of the consequences, let us not be afraid to ‘Tell the Truth!’
“Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.” Mark 14:3 NLT
We are heading into the final days of Passion Week in our study in the book of Mark. Jesus finished answering His disciples questions about the end times and it is now near the end of the day. Jesus had been staying at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and most likely retired there for the night. This is either Tuesday or Wednesday evening depending on how one counts the days to Passover. Chapter 14 starts out, “It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.” (Mk.14:1 nlt) A Jewish day was sunset to sunset. Verse 1 goes on to inform us the leading priests and teachers of the Law were still plotting to arrest Jesus and put Him to death but did not want to do it during the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for fear of the people. The population of Jerusalem grows during those days to over 500,000 people. The religious rulers were afraid of an uprising among the people if Jesus was arrested. So, they backed off at the moment.
Although placed in the middle of Passion Week in Mark’s gospel, the following event took place on the night before Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. Mark may have placed it here, as Matthew did, to show the significance of Jesus’ anointing to His upcoming death. The story begins, “Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.” (Mk.14:3 nlt)
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The home is the residence of Simon who at one time was a leper. Jesus had healed him and now Simon was part of the wider circle of Jesus’ followers. Simon’s home could have been a regular stop for Jesus when in Bethany along with Lazarus and his sisters’ home. While they were eating a woman, we know it to be Mary from John’s gospel, came in with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume. She proceeded to break open the bottle and pour it over Jesus’ head anointing Him with the aromatic oil of pure nard. It was customary in those days to anoint a guest with a dab of oil, of course this was more than a dab. As the aroma spread throughout the room, the realization began to sink in of Mary’s action. This perfume was kept in an alabaster jar made of a special variety of marble to keep it preserved. It was imported from India and would have been valued at a years wages at the time. Needless to say there were plenty of people upset for what they perceived as a waste of money. “Some of those at the table were indignant. ‘Why waste such expensive perfume?’ they asked. ‘It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!’ So they scolded her harshly.” (Mk.14:4-5 nlt) The gospel of Matthew names the disciples as the ones complaining and John states it was Judas who was leading the charge in the murmuring. They were looking at it from the world’s perspective, as most of us do, but Jesus gives a full explanation to the purpose of Mary’s anointing Him.
The first thing Jesus says is to stop criticizing her. Mary had done a good thing. Then He says, “You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.” (Mk.14:7 nlt) Jesus was not displaying a lack of concern for the poor but was making a point. (It is true we always have the poor among us. That has not changed. But are we following Jesus’ advice that we can help them whenever we want? And more importantly when do we want to?) Jesus made it a point to stress He will not always be around, in fact Jesus had least than one week before His crucifixion. Mary had done what she could. She anointed Jesus’ body for burial. Did Mary realize the symbolism of what she was doing? We really don’t know. But she was one who sat at His feet listening intently to Jesus’ every word. If we do that today, we may be surprised how much insight the Lord will reveal to us. Jesus knew He was headed for a criminal’s death and criminals did not have their bodies anointed after death before burial. Mary anointed Jesus for His burial. This anointing also displayed her love and devotion to her Lord and Savior, the one who was worthy to have the entire bottle of expensive fragrant oil poured over Him. It was not wasted. He is worthy!
Judas was more than upset, he had enough, “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.” (Mk.14:10 nlt) Judas being a thief did not care about the poor, but it sounded good in scolding Mary. He lost an opportunity to put that money in his own pockets. Judas was also looking to Jesus as a political revolutionary to overthrow Rome, and that wasn’t going to happen. He then when to Jesus’ enemies to make a deal to betray Him. The religious leaders who decided to wait until after the Passover changed their minds and took advantage of the opportunity they had and paid Judas thirty pieces of silver. Judas began to secure a time when Jesus would be away from the crowds to set up His arrest.
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Mary displayed complete devotion to Jesus, her Lord. No price was too high for Mary to show Him her love. No price was too low for Judas to betray Jesus the Son of God. Thirty pieces of silver seemed the right price for treachery.
Next week we begin our look at the Last Supper………..
You have heard it said many times I’m sure, two areas of conversation you should avoid at all cost are religion and politics. But what if you’re a Christian with a mandate from Jesus who said before ascending into heaven, “….. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8b nlt) And if you are a Christian living somewhere in ‘the ends of the earth’ witnessing for Christ does it not stand to reason that we engage in the well-being of our neighbors where the Lord has placed us? Looking out for our neighbors may mean being involved in politics to some degree.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines ‘politics’ as ‘the science and art of government.’ The Britannica Dictionary expands on it by saying, ‘activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government.’ A Christian’s responsibility in politics is always to achieve through persuasion what is best according to God’s design for those under authority. Laws and ordinances that provide protection and safety of the general public should be of enough concern for every Christian to support such measures. The New Testament book of Romans states rather clearly that all authority comes from God and we need to submit to it. Governments are put in place to maintain order and stability in society by punishing wrongdoers. “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, because they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.” (Ro.13:4 nlt)
We can argue there are wrong doers among those in authority who are to protect us from wrong doers, but that is the point. To stand by idle and not be engaged in support of those in government or pursuing a role in government to properly carry out the ordinance of God is not an option for the Christian. Looking out for the well-being of our neighbor includes presenting the gospel to them and working in support of peace and safety as far as it depends on us. Paul writes in Romans, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Ro. 12:17-18 nlt) And the author of the book of Hebrews writes, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14 niv) And we can’t leave out King David who wrote, “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it.” (Ps. 34:14 nlt)
As Christians we need not heed the advice from those who advocate to restrain from engaging in conversation of religion and politics, especially when we are presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ and His rule of authority as recorded in Scripture.
“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” 1 Tim.1:15 nasb
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What makes a statement trustworthy? Well, for one thing, consider the source. Our modern-day news sources have us searching across the internet to a verify a breaking news story. When news outlets are trustworthy, this is unnecessary. It would nice to have the assurance the news we consume every day is trustworthy.
Having accurate information is important in our day-to-day lives- but crucially important for our souls after this life. The church in Ephesus had trustworthy statements they could count on through previous teaching from Paul establishing sound doctrine. These statements were common knowledge to the people if they had paid attention to the apostle’s teaching. Paul uses the term, ‘a trustworthy statement’ in his letter to Timothy. In fact Paul uses it five times in his Pastoral Epistles, and it is found in no other place in the New Testament.
The trustworthy statement is, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1Tim.1:15 nasb) Just eight simple words to explain the most vital life-or-death breaking news story ever, and we can count on it. It comes from the most reliable trusted news source in history, the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle Paul. No need to fact check or search other sources. The Lord God can be trusted.
So, what have you done with this breaking news? Don’t put it off another day. This news story will not be updated. It will not change. Don’t look for an updated version of this news. You have all the information you need to make your decision. So, what will it be? It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.
“Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.” Luke 5:27-28 NLT
Cell phones are a target for every scammer looking to deceive and make a quick dollar. The block call list on our phones grows with the amount of scam calls or pesky fundraiser calls we receive daily. For clarification, I’m not against fundraising, it’s just those repeated pesky calls. It is only natural we secure our phones and block certain numbers from potential scam artists. A typical reaction when seeing an unwelcomed call is, ‘Oh no, not again’ and we quickly delete and block it. But there may be some calls that are annoying that you should answer, in fact you need to answer.
Levi, a tax collector in Jesus’ day, answered such a call. Tax collectors were the most hated people in first century Palestine. They scammed people by charging an excess amount over what was owed to the Roman government and put the money in their own pockets. What made it worse was a fellow Jew sitting in the tax booth. Levi, no doubt, heard of Jesus. He may have been one who had said, ‘Oh no, here He comes again!’ Levi may have blocked Jesus out of his mind, but there He was again around his tax booth. One day Jesus called him, and Levi answered the call.
Now Scripture doesn’t inform us how many times Levi was in the vicinity of Jesus’ teaching. Levi may have just heard of Jesus, but he was beginning to take it in, and when the call came he answered it. You could be in a similar situation. You have heard about Jesus through various resources. You may have friends who shared the gospel with you. However, you say, ‘Oh no, not again,’ and you’re about to block them once again, but there’s a hesitation in doing so. It’s the Holy Spirit who is working in you and wants you to answer the call. So, answer the call. It’s not a scam!
Did you ever wonder why so many verses in the book of Proverbs are often repeated. I have. My first thought was, obviously they’re important enough to be repeated. Along with that, some people don’t get it the first time, yours truly included, therefore the repetition. The book of Proverbs is an Old Testament book all about wisdom. Many subjects are repeated more than once indicating their importance. One such subject among the repetitive verses speak of the value of wisdom over money.
In Proverbs chapter 8, ‘wisdom’ is personified, a poetic device used to help us understand and relate, especially in contrasting ‘wisdom’ and ‘folly.’ Wisdom says that her gifts or fruit are better than gold. She produces higher wages than we can ever earn from a Fortune 500 company. It is true that wisdom helps and guides us into a position to make a nice living, but that is not the point here. The point here is simple, to have wisdom is to enjoy all the fruit, benefits, and wages it produces in our lives. It is more profitable than sliver and gold as described in Proverbs 3:14 above.
If you seek wisdom from its foundation in the “Fear of the LORD” (Pr.9:10 nlt) and follow its leading you will have all you need to function in life. Your assets no matter how much or how little will be better than gold along with the wisdom you have obtained from the Lord.
One final thought from ‘wisdom’, “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.” (Pr.8:10-11 nlt)
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 ESV
Are you at peace? Whatever your situation in life might be at this moment, are you at peace? It is hard to be at peace in certain situations such as in the loss of a loved one or caring for a loved one with a terminal disease or going through a severe illness yourself. Perhaps you are going though marital problems, family instability, or a financial crisis. Name your own crisis at this time of your life. It doesn’t matter what it is. It is in these times that our faith in the Lord is tested if we’re trusting Him that His peace, which surpasses all understanding, is still there. It is. I know at times it may not feel like it is not there, but it is.
Every Easter season on Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ Triumphant entry into Jerusalem, at the beginning of Passion week. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was prophesied by Zechariah in his Old Testament prophetic book. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zech.9:9 esv) There is a very important point we do not want to miss here. Jesus rode into Jerusalem ‘mounted on a donkey.’ A donkey is a lowly animal of peace. Jesus came in peace, to provide peace, peace which surpasses all understanding.
Since Jesus came in peace to give us everlasting peace by saving us from our sins and guaranteeing eternal life, there are no gaps in His peace towards us once we have been saved and are born again to new life. Jesus’ peace is always with us. He is always with us. Trust Him in your time of crisis to show you His peace. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.4:7 esv)
“Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’” Isaiah 35:1-2a, 4 NLT
There is an abundant need for restoration in our world today. Relationships in broken families need to be restored. Broken marriages need healing returning to health, strength, and stability. Incarcerated individuals need restoration while in prison and when released back into society. Those who have fallen into addiction of drugs, alcohol, pornography, or gambling are in dire need of restoration. Most governments around the globe have fallen far from the original intent of the law. Societal ills are the major cause of broken relationships, crime, addictions, and corrupt governments. And sin is the cause of all our societal ills including each of us who are estranged from God. But there is hope, hope for restoration.
The prophet Isaiah writes about a future day of restoration for the nation of Israel and the world during the Millennium period when Christ will rule on the earth. There will be no societal ills to worry about, no addictions, broken families, or corrupt governments. “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’” (Is. 35:4 NLT) It is a comfort to know all will be restored in the future, but what about now you may say, where is my hope for restoration?
Our hope for restoration in the here and now begins with the forgiveness of sins as we confessed them to God. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 Jn. 1:9 NLT) Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (5:17 NLT) As a new person in Christ the Holy Spirit comes upon you to assist in your struggles within your family, your temptations, and your addictions. (1 Cor. 6:19)
God is in the business of restoration, so there is your hope for restoration. “Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy!” (Is. 35:1-2a NLT)
This week we venture into the last days of the Great Tribulation. It is hard for us to imagine let alone understand. That is why we will look to Jesus’ words very carefully to decipher as much as we can about this upcoming day, the close of the tribulation period and the return of Christ. Jesus is still answering His disciples question as to when will these things take place. Jesus gave them the signs to look for right up to and including His physical return to rule during the millennium.
Jesus continues His Olivet Discourse, “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” (Mk.13:24-25 nlt) Jesus is making note what was prophesied in the Old Testament book of Joel about the end days. (Joel 2:10, 31, 3:15) It is at this time as explained by late Dr. John MacArthur that the universe begins to disintegrate. The millions of stars within the countless galaxies begin to fall out of place, the sun is darken meaning no moonlight, indeed this is the heavens being shaken. Then Jesus says, “Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.” (Mk.13:26 nlt) Everyone on the earth at that time will see Jesus, the Son of Man, coming down on the clouds in the same manner He ascended to heaven. (Acts 1:9-11) Yes, again this is hard to imagine that everyone wherever they are in the world will see this event, but if Jesus says everyone will see Him, then everyone will see Him.
Angels will be sent out to gather His chosen ones, those who believed during the tribulation. They will be gathered from every corner of the earth. None will be missed. All the saved will enter into the millennium period with Christ as ruler. Less we forget all the saints the Lord brings back with Him in His return. Yes, all the redeemed will be there! (Rev.19:11-16)
Jesus reminds the disciples of the signs He told them to look for and equates them to the fig tree. Observing when the branches sprout and leaves begin to form they know summer is near, so then, “In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door.” (Mk.13:29 nlt) Jesus’ next statement is a matter as to when and who it relates to. “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” (Mk.13:30-31 nlt) It is best to understand this as the generation living at the time these things take place. There is also a thought this can refer to the Jewish people, as ‘generation’ can be noted as ‘race’ or ‘people.’ This would be the promise the Jewish people will survive until Jesus returns. Jesus then affirms it is impossible for God’s words to be destroyed or fade away. Heaven and earth will be destroyed, by God’s Word, never!
The Olivet Discourse concludes with Jesus telling us to be ready, be on guard, stay alert, and watch for Him. No one knows when that day will be, “not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” (Mk.13:32 nlt) Jesus in His humanity did not know the day of His return as He gave up His divine privileges when He came to earth in human form to save us. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form. (Phil.2:6-7 nlt)
Jesus’ final words on this subject is to give us the example of a man leaving on a long trip. He gives instructions to all of his servants of what he wants done and assigns a gatekeeper to guard the gate outside the house until his return. The message for us is simple, Jesus gave us work to do in His absence. May we be doing His work. And we are to be as the gatekeeper always looking for His return for we don’t know when that will be. Remember Jesus’ words, “And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!” (Mk.13:33, 36-37 nlt)
Next week we continue to look at the events of Passion Week leading up to the Last Supper. Until next week…….
“O LORD, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.” (Ps.140:1-3 nlt)
The above verses are a prayer of every Christian in the world today, especially those of us in America. There are evil people committing violent acts. They plan this evil for weeks, months, maybe a year. Their rhetoric reveals what is in their heart, only evil, and it is against Jesus Christ and His followers. Although they will say otherwise. The violent slander that protrudes from their lips is the venom of a conniving snake to destroy the innocent to advance their agenda. Their agenda; to rid the world from those standing in the way of a global society. The justification for this hatred towards Christians is ‘we are the cause of all the evil in the world.’
Our prayer continues, “O LORD, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me. The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way.” (Ps.140:4-5 nlt) We Christians have a target on our backs. Evil is always scouring the landscape of Christianity to find a weak spot to infiltrate and bring us down. Sadly, we have succumbed to that all to often. We do have a gracious and merciful God who will forgive us, but sometimes the damage is already done and we have lost our influence. Beware of the traps that have been set up in our daily lives. They are there and are not going away.
Our Lord God will listen to our prayers, “I said to the LORD, ‘You are my God!’ Listen, O LORD, to my cries for mercy! O Sovereign LORD, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. LORD, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.” (Ps.140:6-8 nlt) When evil people have their way and their schemes succeed, as in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, they do become proud. Celebrating the death of an innocent man for simply speaking what they disagree with is pure evil. But this shouldn’t surprise Christians. I was reminded of this fact this past Sunday of the celebration that will take place by the world at the death of the two witnesses sent by God in the end times. (Rev.11) A must read!
This prayer from the book of Psalms was first spoken by David, king of Israel, who had enemies all around him. Conspiracies and slandering were frequent in his life. David was God’s chosen king of the Jewish people. The surrounding nations hated the Jewish people and their God, therefore the constant threat towards him and Israel. Christians today are God’s chosen people, therefore the threats and slander towards us. The world hates us, because they hate Christ. Oh, they may not say it, but they do.
Let us remember Jesus’ words, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (Jn.15:18-19 nlt)
And let us also remember Jesus said, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt.28:20 nlt)
Word for the Soul 