Mark 14:10

Mark 14:10 says, And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.  While the woman was anointing Jesus with expensive oil, Judas, one of the twelve called to be Jesus's closest disciples, went to the priest to betray Jesus.  We might wonder how someone so close to Jesus could betray Him, and yet as Christians we often do the same thing.  Any time the things of this world seem more important to us than being totally committed to God is, we are betraying our relationship with Him.  Verse eleven adds, And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. The chief priests were glad to hear that Judas was willing to betray Jesus and they were willing to pay him to do so.  They may have questioned the woman's anointing Jesus with expensive oil that could have gone to help the poor, but they had no problem with paying Judas to betray Jesus with money that could have gone to help the poor.  Though the people of the world may be happy if we as Christians betray Jesus, we need to pray that the leaders of the church never do, and we need to also pray that they never use the things given to God to work against Him.  Of course, unless we have entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we cannot betray Him, nor can we be saved.  Verse twelve states, And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?  On the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when the sacrifice was killed, the Passover lamb, the disciples really didn't know where they were going to be able to prepare to eat it.  Jesus had no permanent home, so this was something that the disciples were concerned about, since they were Jews.  I believe at this point the disciples were still looking more at keeping God's law than they were looking at Jesus to be the fulfillment of that law.  We should be concerned about keeping God's law as Christians today, but until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, the keeping of God's law will never be acceptable for salvation, since we all fall short of keeping it completely. Verse thirteen adds, And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. Jesus gave them specific instructions on how to find the place to observe the Passover.  God will give us directions on how to be obedient as followers of Christ today if we are listening to Him.  Jesus said that they would meet a man bearing a picture of water, and they were to follow him and when they got to where he was going, they were to tell the owner of the house that the Master sent them.  Verse fourteen says, And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  Verse fifteen adds, And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. They were then to ask where the guest chamber was, so that they could use it as a place to eat the Passover meal with Him.  This required the obedience of both the disciples and the young man that they met, and the owner of the house.  We today as Christians need to be working together to accomplish God's will, and I believe that He will be working with us to bring this about.  Of course, we must act on His leadership in order for this to happen.  Verse sixteen continues, And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.  The disciples found things to be as Jesus said and made ready the Passover.  We today have to act in faith in order to see God's will done in the world, and we must do so without doubting that it will happen.  As Christians, we can celebrate the Passover every day, because when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He became the everlasting sacrifice that causes God to pass over the spiritual death of people who put their faith in Him. 

Mark 14:1

Mark 14:1 says, After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.  Two days after Jesus was discussing what were really signs leading up to His return, the chief priests and scribes were discussing how to get rid of Him.  This was on the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, commemorating God's deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt.  What they failed to realize was that Jesus came to be everyone's deliverance from sin and death if they would put their faith in His coming death, burial and resurrection.  Verse two adds, But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.  They were afraid to try and take Jesus on the feast day, because He was still adored by the crowds at this point.  As people are trying to discredit Jesus today, are they still afraid to do so because of the number of His followers, and where do we fit in?  Are we still devoted to following Him.  Verse three continues, And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  While the chief priests and scribes were discussing His arrest, Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, eating with him.  This was a man most would have avoided, but Jesus was eating with him instead. We need to be careful that we don't avoid people simply because the world looks down on them.  While there, a woman with an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard which was very expensive broke it and poured it on Jesus's head.  She wasn't worried about the cost, nor even about what others might think.  She simply wanted to serve and show her devotion to Jesus.  We should likewise never worry about the cost of serving and showing our devotion to Jesus as Christians, nor should we worry about what others may think when we do.   Verse four states, And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  Verse five adds, For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.  She may not have been worried about what others thought, but that didn't stop them from criticizing her.  They said she had wasted the ointment, which could have been sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor.  First, this was her ointment and not theirs, and second, that does not mean that they would have given the money from the sell to the poor.  We too often find people wanting to determine how others give to God and criticizing them for the way they do, instead of determining how they are going to give to God themselves.  There were two reactions to Jesus that day.  The religious leaders were looking to destroy Him, and the woman was wanting to help Him and serve Him, no matter the cost.  The majority of people today still want to destroy Jesus.  The only way to keep from being one of the people who want to do this is to accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord. Verse six states, And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  After those around Jesus berated the woman for anointing Him with expensive oil, He asked them why they were troubling her.  What she did had really cost them nothing, even if they thought there might have been a better use of the oil.  I believe that too often today, instead of giving everything we have to God, we as Christians want to determine how we use what He has blessed us with, and we also often want to question how others use what is theirs.   Verse seven adds, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.  Jesus said that the woman had done a good work for Him, and that they would always have the poor with them, but that they wouldn't always have Him physically in this world.  Shortly thereafter, Jesus died on the cross, was buried and arose again to ascend back to heaven, but we still have the poor with us.  As followers of Christ, I believe that we need to have a genuine concern for the poor and do everything we can under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to help them.  Verse eight continues, She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Jesus said the woman had anointed Him for His burial beforehand.  Hearing Jesus again speak of His burial should have made those who were looking to put Him to death happy, but I think they may have still been more concerned with losing the value of the oil, even though I don't believe they were really too concerned about the poor.  Verse nine concludes, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.  Jesus then said that what the woman did would be spoken about as long as the gospel was preached anywhere in the world, and it still is.  Our first priority as Christians should be to do everything we do to bring honor and glory to God and the sharing of the gospel, and next should be helping those in need.  We should not be concerned about bigger houses or finer cars, or any other material thing, before we help others. 

Mark 13:28

Mark 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:  Jesus told them that they needed to learn from the fig tree.  When the fig tree branch is tender, they would know that the time was close for the for the figs to be produced, so they should be ready for the coming harvest.  Verse twenty-nine adds, So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Jesus said that when we see the signs that were mentioned that we can know the end is near.  Jesus said that many who believed that He was the Christ in that day expected Him to almost immediately claim great power, and after His death, burial and resurrection that they would expect His almost immediate return.  He had given them many signs, such as the wars and rumors of war, the earthquakes in diverse places, the false christs and persecution of Christians for example that would lead up to the day of destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and they were interpreting this to apply to the second coming of Christ.  Verse thirty continues, Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.  We today also often interpret it the same way, but Jesus said that the generation alive then would not pass away before these things came to pass, and the Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed in that time frame.  Verse thirty-one says, Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. Then, He said that heaven and earth would pass away, but His words never would, which I believe means that we need to simply wait patiently for His return.  Even if we pass away, Jesus's promises are still certain, and He will return.  Verse thirty-two adds, But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Jesus then said that the Father alone, and not any person, angel, nor the Son, Jesus Himself, knew.  There really is no reason for us to attempt to decide the nearness of the return of Christ to claim His church, those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord.   Verse thirty-three continues, Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  Jesus said we are to take heed, watch and pray, because we don't know when He is coming again.  Still, we can be certain that He is, and He will claim those who are His, so if you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, I pray that you will do so today. Verse thirty-four declares, For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Though Jesus was telling the disciples this before His death, burial, and resurrection, we today know that He has gone to His heavenly home to await the Father telling Him it is time to return and claim His church.  His church is those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord and has nothing to do with church buildings or denominations.  This is not to say that we should not have organized religion, or maybe I should say religion that is organized, because we are told also that God is not the author of confusion. (1 Cor. 14:33) Verse thirty-five adds, Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:  Jesus told His disciples that He was leaving His work to them under His authority.  We are His disciples as Christians today, and this still applies to us.  We have our calling to the work that God assigns to us, and we need to be working and watching.  We may be watching the signs for the return of Jesus Christ today, but as He Himself said, we don't know the time when He will return, but that we are to be at work can be understood easily enough.  Verse thirty-six continues, Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.   Jesus then warned the disciples to be ready, so that He would not return and find them sleeping.  We need to wake up today as followers of Christ and be busy doing what He calls us to do.  We cannot know the time of the Second Coming, but we can know that it is closer every day, and that doing the work of God becomes more critical each day.  Verse thirty-seven concludes, And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.  We need to look at lost people, no matter how bad they may be, not with scorn and hatred, just waiting for them to get what they deserve, but with the love and compassion that Jesus Christ feels for them.  We ourselves never deserved God's forgiveness and mercy, and the comparison is not between other people and us, but between Jesus Christ and us, and we all fail by comparison.

 

Mark 13:22

Mark 13:22 says, For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.  In those early days, and at all ages since, there have been those who have claimed to be Christ.  Jesus said that they would do many signs and wonders.  I believe that this would be more from the perception of people who put their faith in one of these false Christs than from their actual power, but I also know that Satan is given a great deal of power in the world, so some of these signs and wonders may be real.  They were not called miracles though.  Jesus said that they would seduce the elect if possible.   I believe that if we are truly a part of the elect of God, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, that we can never be seduced away from Him, because God seals those who have done so to Himself.  Verse twenty-three continues, But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.  Jesus then told them to take heed, because he had foretold all these things to warn them.  We as followers of Christ today should not be surprised when trials and tribulations come, because we have already been told that they will.  Verse twenty-four says, But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Jesus then discusses the time of the second coming of Christ.  The disciples seemed to expect this to happen soon, but Mark said there would be no doubt when it did happen.  He said that it would be after the tribulation.  He also said at that time, the sun would be darkened, and the moon would not give light.  Verse twenty-five adds, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken He then added that the stars would fall from heaven and the powers in heaven would be shaken.  We often hear scientists speculate about when the sun will burn out, yet we as Christians should already know.  It will be when Christ returns, whenever that will be.  Jesus Christ Himself will be the Light by which we will see, as He should already be for us spiritually.  Verse twenty-six continues, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  Jesus said when this happens, then we will see the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  He is not coming back as a baby or carpenter's son, but as the all-powerful Son of God.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Jesus then said that He would send His angels to gather His elect, those who put their faith in Him as their personal Savior and Lord, from the uttermost parts of the earth to carry them to the uttermost parts of heaven. No one who ever accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be left, even those who died centuries ago.  One thing is certain, if you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, when the day of His return happens, it will be too late to do so.