Month: December 2016

Mark 15:42 “Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,”

   This means either that the day which was just ending, or the day which was just beginning, was the Preparation Day. This is why there is some debate as to what day Jesus was crucified. In any case, we can see from Luke 22:7 that Jesus died the same day the Passover was killed.

Heavenly Father, Your timing is perfect! You always get it just right. We cannot forget how You have planned and fulfilled all that You have done in the past. We will trust You for the future. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:41 “who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”

   And how exactly did these women minister to Christ? There were many things that would need to be done that the men would have been unable, or unwilling, to do. While in Gallilie, we find Him often at Peter’s house. These ladies may have shared in assisting Him and His mother. For Him to care for her, she would need to stay with some of these other ladies as she would not have gone with Him every time He ventured out if town.
   What is truly interesting here is that so many women followed Him. Indeed, it seems He had a good mixture of male and female followers. This is still true in the church today. It is not a men’s only club. Men and women are involved together in the kingdom of our Lord.

Heavenly Father, Your plans are perfect. You have built Your church as You see fit. It is diverse but beautiful. Thank You for the opportunity to serve in it. It is a blessing to our souls. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:40 “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,”

   These women were there because they too were involved with the Lord in His ministry. They did not have the role twelve did and could not. But, they were important to Christ. And they were, for the most part, friends of His mother Mary. He was caring for her at this point as it seems Joseph was already dead. The fact that the women were there is a great testimony to their significance in the church. We need everyone, male and female.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the great group of people we get to work with. It is wonderful to be a part of the body of Christ. You are wise and gracious. Your blessings are better than we could ask for. You are worthy of the praise! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:39 “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!”

   On what does this centurion base his statement? What caused him to make it? Why would a man of the world say this? Well, several things need to be kept in mind here. First, many of the common folk who rubbed shoulders with Christ were impressed with Him. It was the elites and leaders that tended to have a hard time accepting His exceptional nature. This centurion was among the commoners. Secondly, many in that day were very superstitious. Now, I am not trying to make the centurion’s words simply the remarks of ignorant superstition. But, superstitious persons will often start out on the path to faith with their superstition dragging along behind them. In other words, though I believe this man did indeed move on to true faith, it was likely his superstition that pushed him towards this particular outburst. As his mind thought on thew truth of what he had said, and as he witnessed other special circumstances of the death of Christ first hand, his faith grew beyond the ignorance of superstition. Finally, I am sure many present that day were thinking much the same. The circumstances of the crucifixion were quite compelling. They were impressed by the One on the middle cross.

Heavenly Father, we tend to think only of our own future and greatness. We want ourselves to be the most important thing in our lives. We keep people dear to us only because they are dear to us. But, You have given us a different way. We are to live all because of Him. That third cross is to be our whole focus. Our importance and all that we know should be measured by Him Who hanged there. He is the theme, the song, the cause of our lives. He is of the utmost importance. He is Your Son, He is our connection to eternity. He is our Future and Hope. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:38 “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

   This begins an age of great mercy and grace, the age we are now in. The Spirit of God is no longer limited to the Holy Place. He no longer comes and goes from the hearts of only a select few. Now He is available. He is loose. He inhabits the hearts of a vast multitude of every tongue and people, and nation. He energizes that great worldwide organism, the Church of the Living Christ.
   And, the power of the Spirit, His influence in this world, grows all the time as we reach the time of the end. The Church marches on and on. And it cannot be stopped. The enemy is powerless to prevent it. This is why Christ Jesus is so hated. This world’s program is on hold, waiting till the God from behind the veil gets through choosing out a people for His Name. But, the time of the end will come. And there will be another change. And God will work to close men’s minds rather than open them. And the lie of the evil man will be believed. Even then, God will have those who are His.

Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us understand the supernatural. This world goes on its way acting as if all has continued the same from the beginning. But, it has not. Change occurs in Your world. And they act as if You have changed, but You have not. You do not change as Your world does. Man thinks God must change to be better. God knows man must change, for man is wicked. Being changeless is not to be lifeless. It is to remain true to the Nature that is always there. You alone are wise, oh Lord! You have taken us in our own net, and we find ourselves in awe. Can we stop singing to You? I love You Lord! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:37 “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.”

  We are tempted to take issue with the translation here. This is not the last breath of Christ. The gospel record makes that quite plain. But, the translation I can assure you is quite accurate.
  But why? Why would Mark make it sound so final? Because it was final. Mark couldn’t make it anything but what it was. Jesus died, period. He didn’t swoon, go into a weird coma, fake death, or anything of the kind. He actually died. It was final.
   So then how can we move forward from there? Isn’t that the end of the story? No, because finality doesn’t stop Almighty God. That was it, but it wasn’t. As Revelations tells us He was alive, and He was dead, and He is alive forever. It’s not doubletalk, it is just plain fact. Praise God!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ. His death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, all are a great blessing to us. We can never praise You enough! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Been sick, no post today.

Mark 15:36 “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.”

  Would we believe the gospel accounts more of they were identical? No. They would be less authentic. So, we see the order of things a bit different in the accounts only because each leaves different things out. Mark here leaves out the fact that Jesus had said ‘I thirst’ and that this is why the person took the sour wine to Him. This person then makes the statement recorded here in Mark.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your great loving kindness, and for Your truth. You have done wonderous works. I will proclaim Your great goodness for all of my days. You alone are worthy, and You have given me an eternal song to sing for You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I will be taking a vacation from posting this week. I hope to resume next Monday.

Mark 15:35 “Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!”

   They misunderstood what Jesus said. In His condition, that’s not very surprising. He would have been difficult to understand. They thought He was calling Elijah to help Him.
   We must keep in mind that the religious elite among the Jews thought Jesus was possessed by the devil. They likely thought He wanted to speak to Elijah in much the same way as Saul spoke to Samuel. And, they expected the message to be the same. Jesus had already met with Elijah, but through the power of God, and not the devil. And Elijah had discussed with Christ His plans concerning the crucifixion.

Heavenly Father, thank You for planning all of this and telling us about it. We are amazed as we think of Your role in history. You have loved us with an everlasting love. You are worthy of our praise for ever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.