Category: Uncategorized

Mark 10:3
Jesus went straight to Moses. Now, this is exactly what the Pharisees did not expect him to do. They thought that he was trying to set himself up as a substitute for Moses and give a ‘new’ law. They were only half right. Jesus is Moses’ Lord, and the law’s author.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your law! It is perfect and holy. It gives us a path for our feet. It shows us the way in which we must go. Thank you for Christ, and salvation in him. Without him we would have no way to live by the law. It would be only a horror to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:2
The Pharisees are once again hoping to find some slip up in Jesus’ theology. However, they were getting desperate.  They hoped that a hot-button issue like this would anger other groups among the Jews. They needed help in thier campaign against Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great mercy! In spite of the plans of men, you continue your great work of grace. You are truly worthy of all the praise, for you have done well in all things. You alone are good and just. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:1
Ah, yet again we see the action of choice from Jesus. He was always teaching. Which would only be natural. If you were smarter than anybody on the planet, and you knew everything that could ever be known, you would do the same thing. It just makes sense. Even if you were asked a question about something that somebody thought you knew nothing about, you would end up teaching them.
And, that’s exactly how Jesus was. Though he also was very focused. He directed his teaching to the most important things. He touched on what would be the most vital to the situation at hand.

Heavenly Father, your teaching is of great blessing to all of us. You don’t play around, you get right to what is important. Thank you for guiding our lives! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:50
Jesus is highlighting the flavor-enriching nature of salt, and its preservative powers. The Christian life is to make a difference in this world, and that is what Jesus is concerned about. Just as the lost are condemned and manifest the works of darkness, the saved are to manifest the works of light.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word! The teaching we find in it challenges us every day to strive to be the Christian that we are supposed to be. The resources you give us are complete, but we must depend upon what you have given us. We must not trust in the flesh. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:49
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were offered with salt. So, Jesus is saying two things here on the basis of this one principle of salting the sacrifice. First, the fires of hell serve as salt on the condemned. They are preserved from annihilation, but ever-tormented. Second, spiritual salt serves as a preservative in the life of Christians.

Heavenly Father, thank you for preserving us from condemnation! You are worthy of all of our praise. You have given us a way of escape, and I praise you for it and your goodness. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:48
You get the idea that Jesus wants to get this point across. Why? It is so vital. To miss this is to miss it all. The is a problem to be solved, there is a hell to fear.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Christ! You have made a way to escape the terrible destiny of traitors. You always do the best thing. You are loving and just. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:47
Jesus helps us understand what he is saying by this repeat using different parts of the body. The feet, hands, and eyes are significant. Your feet represent where you go. Your hands represent what you do. And your eyes represent what you absorb. It is in these three areas that we get in trouble. Sin sneaks in by these inroads, and choke the Word in our hearts.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. May we always value it! You have given us so much. We will seek to honor you with our choices, where we go, what we do, what we think. Thanks for the life you give us in Christ. We have no need for the things of this world because of all that we have in him. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:46
Looking at the word ‘worm’ here we see that he is speaking of the deterioration of the body. Of course, normally this process would be finished after a time. However, he seems to indicate that in hell the punished will have physical bodies which will experience eternal degradation. Obviously, we do not completely understand what this entails. But, Jesus says it in such a way that the point must not be lost on us. Hell is a real, physical place, and the damned will be cast there physically.

Heavenly Father, your mercy is so wonderful! Though as imperfect beings we struggle to understand just how undeserving we are, we realize that life in Christ is infinitely more than what we deserve. Never could we have come from what we are in the flesh to what you have made us in Christ. The shed blood of your Son on Calvary changed us forever where we met him at the cross. I am so thankful for salvation in the Lord Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:45
In order to avoid confusion here, we must understand something of Jesus’ perspective. Those who he is speaking of entering into life with just one foot would be entering into the life of the blessed. Whereas, those having two feet would be embarking upon a life of wickedness only to be ended by being cast into hell. In other words, he’s not just speaking of the ultimate destiny of people, but also the means by which they get there.
So, we see a real contrast between the life of the blessed and the life of the wicked. Why? Why is Jesus so concerned to illustrate this contrast? The answer is easy. While living this life here on earth, we tend to think that all is secure, all is well. It’s very easy to go through our lives forgetting the spiritual aspect altogether. Jesus hopes to help the disciples have the eternal perspective even in this present life. They would need to help people understand that feeling secure in the here and now was not enough. Sin must be taken care of. The Savior must be accepted. Eternal life must commence today, not someday way off later on.

Heavenly Father, thank you for warning us! You don’t just give us the truth as something to cling to in the last moments of our fleeting existence. Instead, you have given it to us for every moment of our lives here. You care not just about our future destiny, but about our lives here and now. Thank you for helping us to understand that, though we miss it sometimes, there is a great difference between living here with Christ, and without him. Thank you for the difference! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:44
Jesus’ teachings on the subject of hell are quite specific. He has a lot to say about it. In fact it is one of his primary subjects. Between this verse and the previous one he uses two different words to describe the nature of the fire. He literally tells us it is unquenchable fire that shall not be quenched.
Why so much about hell? Well, Jesus loves his people. Of that we can be certain. Jesus doesn’t want anybody to go to hell. But he’s not going to prevent that destiny if people reject the truth.

Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiveness in your Son. Thank you for the love that you have for us. It is wonderful that you tell us the truth. And, it is understandable that you expect us to believe it. Thank you for sending the Lord Jesus. Thank you for his teaching. I praise you for your wonderful Word! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.