Driving Them Out

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Mark 11:15-16

Jerusalem, the temple, a place of worship and quiet contemplation of the Lord. Except there was a thriving marketplace going on at this time - noise, animals, money, and crowds. Jesus was not against markets, but He was against a market being held right there. But He also had a name for this particular marketplace here in Mark - "den of thieves" (v17). It would seem this market was not entirely on the honest side of commerce. Into this den of thieves comes one some may have thought of as always nice. He makes a shambles of the marketplace. He is angry. And He leaves. Gentle and kind, humble and lowly of heart, but also angry when the situation demands, and nice was not called for by this den of thieves. Jesus is, and did not fit inside the box that some would place Him in. 

So, if you are one who thinks that Jesus will be nice because you are so nice, you might want to talk to some of those money changers who were no doubt quite nice to the clients as they fleeced 'em blind in the temple of the Lord. And maybe Jesus was being nice when He cleared the temple. 

Bucky

The Triumphant Entry

And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Mark 11:6-8

A big moment in the ministry of Jesus begins with this colt. And things have gone just as our Lord said it would for the two disciples fetching the colt. Jerusalem has been prepared and stands ready to receive her king, or so it seems. Clothes and tree branches are spread on the road before Him. People shout out the verses foretold from the prophets. Surely this is how the Messiah will make everything right in the city and Israel will soon be great again. A great silence falls over us, broken only by a slow, steady drip of water into a pool. This was the same crowd who would soon shout to Pilate, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Within a week? What happened? Yes, reading the gospel accounts of that week, it is difficult for us to place the same people at either end of it. But that is how quickly hardened hearts can turn on their Savior.

Repentance or rejection, it seems like eternity should not be so quickly decided. Yet, it often is.

Bucky

A Test Of Faith

He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” Mark 11:2-3

Two disciples were sent on a mission. This mission appeared to be a mission of theft. Just take it. An equivalent for our time might be to get into a brand-new car that has just been delivered to a house and is sitting outside the garage. Jesus gave the two disciples specific instructions, but the response they were to give might not have felt all that solid to them. Saying, "The Lord has need of it," does not seem like a password that would work in an age of unbelief. However, when sent out, Jesus reminds the disciples in His special way, they may run into a believer just waiting for their chance to shine in the Lord's service. And the mission goes just as our Lord Jesus said it would.

All the two disciples had to do was believe and obey.

Bucky

When Your Way Becomes His Way

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Mark 10:52

Bartimaeus had called out in faith and he wouldn't be shooshed. Okay, not an official, dictionary word, but we know his faith kept calling out as the crowd told him to shut up. Jesus then tells him that it wasn't the ability of Jesus but the faith of Bartimaeus that made him well. Do you doubt, go ahead, but it's the word of the Lord that was spoken. Of course we also know from scripture that it was the power of God in Christ that healed. Jesus said this thing about faith to others who were healed. However, when Jesus tells Bart to go his way, the healed man's way became following after Jesus. Faith does that. When we believe in Jesus, His way tends to become our way. 

It may not seem like it yet, but you and I are coming around to His way,

Bucky

Is That All?

So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Mark 10:51

At the end of Mark 10 we come to the story of a man outside Jericho begging. He was also blind. Jesus comes by, and the man calls out for mercy. And then Jesus asks the question we read in our verse for today, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The man was begging, we might see him asking for wealth so that he could give up his occupation. But the man wanted to see, as other people did all around him. We can almost hear Jesus sighing within himself, "Is that all?" The man had called out for mercy, and mercy we all need. But not for our physical limitations, we need mercy for our sin.

The story brings up one of our most common failings. We pray often for the short-term problems of this current life and set aside the spiritual need of forgiveness of sins for eternal life. I understand, I feel them too. Those problems of the body and emotion hurt right now. We keenly feel our pain and limitations. If pain grew muscles, we would all look like comic-book superheroes by now. But Jesus did not go to the cross because Bartimaeus was blind or we feel some pain. He died to save us from our sin.

A little more prayer for mercy, forgiveness of sin, and grace, may be in our eternal best interest,

Bucky

The Son of Man

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Yesterday I promised more in the Son of Man title that Jesus used of himself. If you saw the episode in The Chosen show, Jesus causes the Pharisees to nearly fly out of their sandals when he uses the title from the prophet Daniel. That, for our edification, refers to Daniel 7:13-14, where one like the Son of Man comes with the clouds of Heaven to the Ancient of Days. The Pharisees would know the passage well, since it promises that the Son of Man will receive a gift.

Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion. (Daniel 7:14a)

This is what the Pharisees and Israel expected of the Son of Man, and then Jesus comes along and says what is in our verse for today - to serve. The Pharisees refused to believe that the Son of Man could come to serve first, and then later receive His kingdom. They decided it was a blasphemy and to oppose Jesus. From their obstinacy, we the Gentiles gained the opportunity to believe in the Son of Man, so let's make the most of it!

To our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ, we believe in You!

Bucky

Service and Ransom

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45

One day in the dusty days of the Roman empire, you are out weeding a field of turnips when your neighbor's kid runs past shouting that the king of the universe is coming... to your house. Oh, dear! You run to gather the family and servants, advance bath day by a couple of days, and have them all put on their finest clothing. The king arrives and you prepare to serve him as best the household is able. 

The king then states, "No, I came to serve you and be a ransom for all your household." 

Ransom? You quickly count heads and find no one missing. How can a kidnapping have occurred? Serve the king, no wait, be served by the king, how will he know where the serving dishes are? Did he bring his chef? Whose food will he use in this service? 

We can easily see with just a short story that this statement Jesus made would shock the disciples. But there's more! That title Jesus used of Himself, Son of Man? 

When the King of kings arrives, will we be ready to be served? 

Bucky

Learning to Serve

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Mark 10:42-43

Danger, there will be some out there who want me to take the current president of a certain nation and have a go at him, but the lesson from our verses for today aims right at our part in this faith. Jesus told us by way of His disciples that if we want to append, the great, to our names as some of our rulers have done in the past, that we must become a servant. Oh, cool! I can serve as CEO, right? Do we suppose Jesus will be fooled by smooshing a few terms until they are unrecognized? We can say things like servant leadership or serving in the top position, but servant in our Lord's context probably meant something quite different.

Perhaps with prayer and scripture study we can learn to serve,

Bucky

The Greatest Ones

They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.”
-- Mark 10:37-39

James and John, the sons of thunder, did not know what they were asking, but they knew with that confidence born of ignorance that they could do it. They wanted to be the greatest ones among the disciples, and they asked first. I have enjoyed a similar confidence once or twice in my life, and we'll just say that ignorance can be a tough and humiliating teacher. And asking first makes no difference to ignorance, it will roll over the first with its full weight as well as it will the last to ask. James and John are granted what they ask. Oh, not the places that Jesus will admit He cannot give, but that cup and baptism they know nothing about. As always with this story, I have to wonder if James and John recalled their request as they saw Jesus crucified with two criminals, one on the right and the other on the left of Him.

The Independence Day holiday begins tomorrow for most of us. May the Lord God bless the United States and redeem us from our sins.

Bucky

Plainly Told 'Em

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again. Mark 10:33-34

Some weather excitement last night. A little thumping on the roof, but it does not look like any damage in my immediate area. Now imagine that I told a story more like, "Last night a thunderstorm hit and I ran out to grab the cat, and a 15-lb hailstone whacked me into a coma for two weeks!" You would be nonplussed since clearly I just typed this message to you, and you know what a coma is. Jesus got a similar reaction from His disciples this third time He announced exactly what would happen to Him in Jerusalem. The disciples this time were like, "Yeah, okay. Did you guys see that shooting star last night? It was a whopper!" Jesus plainly told 'em, and they clearly blew it off.

Since we're imagining, now imagine you are a disciple and after blowing off three clear prophecies of what would happen, you are facing the risen Lord Jesus. What do you say to Him? Someone in your group has already done the "ghost!" thing out on the sea. So now what?

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

But Not With God

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27

Another way to be introduced to the Almighty is to hear that with Him all things are possible. Jesus states this in our verse for today in response to the disciples' astonished question, "Who then can be saved?" The disciples had just found out that the things we work for in this life cannot save us. Both religious obedience and wealth accumulation had presented themselves to the Master in one rich young ruler. And Jesus had told him that he lacked just one thing that required quite a list of tasks to obtain. Plus... the obedient young man could not do those tasks at that time. The one thing he lacked must come from God it seems, for with men it is impossible. 

All the things we may do from reading the word to selling all our possessions, from kneeling down and praying at an altar to religiously following the commandments and others may prepare the way for receiving salvation, but only God can provide it to us and for us. And it is debatable that doing all that can even prepare the way, since preparing the heart comes by way of the Holy Spirit. So, it is no wonder to us why the disciples were astonished. Peter even begins right after to say all that the disciples had done to follow Jesus. Sorry, Pete, it is still impossible for us. 

Have faith in God,

Bucky

Make A Little Security?

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23

Earthly riches: easy to preach against from the words of our Lord Jesus, popular to preach against because no one considers themselves rich. Seems like a win-win for the preacher. However, that same preacher needs a house, often provided by the church that takes in offerings to pay for the house. Those offerings consist of bits of other peoples riches. Some struggle with that monthly dilemma between wanting to give an offering and being short on the bills of the household. Others may have enough to ponder on where the dividing line might be between rich and not rich, so that they are not left out of the kingdom of God that Jesus will mention in the following verse (v24). For all the struggle and effort we put in to make a little security and not worry about riches, we sure seem to have much to worry over when it comes to riches! And then Jesus went and said to not worry over riches back in the big sermon. Aigh!

You and I are not alone in this. The disciples also were astonished at our Lord's statement. They probably looked to the rich young man with some envy as an example of success in this world. "Obeyed the commandments, got rich, if he can't get into the kingdom of God, who will?!!" they may have muttered among themselves. Actually, that's simply a dramatic version of the disciples' question, "Who then can be saved?" in verse 26. We do not have to worry over rich or not-rich though, but to come to the One who has possible firmly in hand. We will meet Him next time as we continue this story of the rich young ruler.

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

What Would Be Your One Thing?

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”  Mark 10:21

Our first response to our Lord's statement this morning might be, "That's one thing?" However the one thing our Lord had for that particular young man might not be the same for you or me. I might ask, "Is there one thing for me or a whole bunch of things I lack?" Of course, the one thing this young man lacked was faith in Jesus. We see in the story that he was good on the commandments, but could not give up his life as it was that day. And that one thing may cause many of us to stumble. 

We can build up quite a castle here on earth, whether we live in a grass hut or a 20-room house on a large acreage. Hut or  house, we will fill our castle with things we need and like, and then protect the walls as best we are able. As much as Heaven is described in the Word of God, it still seems to us kind of out there and ungraspable. It is hard for us to work for something so promised, when things here are touchable and visible. The rich young man could stand on his property, but treasure in heaven was kind of... not there yet? Let us pray for one another that there is no one thing holding us back from all that Jesus would give to us as treasure in heaven. 

May the blessed love of Jesus be with you today,

Bucky

You Know Those

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother. Mark 10:19

You know those commandments, or do you? Adultery, murder, steal, false witness, defraud...wait, do not defraud? Where is that in the big ten? Yes, the reasoning of the flesh would have us argue with the Master. I'm sure that in those call centers, you know the ones, there are those who would say that what they are doing is not stealing since the 'customer' gave the money to them. Jesus shows us by this that combinations of the commandments can trip us up as well. Bearing false witness - your PC is infected with the doomsday virus! - and then accepting money for fixing their machine so that it can be, oh, unfixed again to get more money, will not slip through a net of the ten commandments when the judgment comes. But, so easily do we see the carnal excuses in others while what, forgetting that beam in our own eye?

Rejoice in the Lord, and let Him split those beams for us,

Bucky

The Only One

So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God."   Mark 10:18

Hmm, certainly lots of Pharisees had a difference of opinion on that. Only One is good, that is, God. It is one of the more astonishing recordings of our Lord's words. Did He just say that He wasn't God? Yet He will later tell His disciples that He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) Or perhaps He says that we, born fallen sinners, are unable to tell who is good, and thus we should begin with God alone? 

The story begins with a man running up to Jesus and kneeling at His feet and asking, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Always with the unbeliever it is the action one may take without God in order to gain everlasting life. "What must I do?" becomes a way to reject what Jesus came to do for all who will believe in Him. When asking after eternal life in worldly unbelief, does the man understand that it isn't a continuation of his life of many possessions? Apparently not, as in the last verse of this story, the man goes away sorrowful. He wanted to know what he could do to gain what he wanted, yet he didn't want to do once he found out what he needed to do. 

Since Jesus did for us what we needed for eternal life, let us just accept His already done. 

And God is good!

Bucky

Infant First, Then Child

But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

Good morning! It is just about to turn Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand as I write this. But I'm firmly at the start of Friday here in our little town in northeast Colorado. In the scriptural today, we come to a moment where His disciples did a thing that greatly displeased their rabbi, our Lord Jesus. And then Jesus says of little children, "for of such is the kingdom of God." Uh, oh, I'm way past the little child stage of life, does that mean that I am disqualified? I like my little tractor toys, does second childhood count? Oh, and the next verse makes it even worse, as only those who receive the kingdom of God as a little child will enter it. Oh, dear! So, if I wasn't saved way back then, I'm doomed?

In John 3, Jesus offers us a clue through His talk with Nicodemus. That famous teacher-baffling line comes, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So, just to see the kingdom of God, one must be born again, and then to enter it one becomes a little child. That makes more sense as a little child comes right after a newborn infant. Therefore, Jesus has not introduced something new, but a continuation of His lesson to Nicodemus. We must be born again of the Spirit of Truth (see John 16), and then grow in the love and grace of Jesus Christ to enter into the kingdom of God.

Love and joy to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Let Not Man Separate

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Mark 10:9

Mark 10 begins with a question and lesson on divorce, and how it was okay with Moses. Jesus had a disagreement with Moses on this and told them the reason why Moses allowed it. You may note along with me how we seem to have gone back to Moses in a manner of speaking on divorce. Merely mention the subject and a long parade of people you and I know come to mind who have suffered a divorce, or more than one. We may even try to make excuses for them by saying that maybe God hadn't put those two together and so divorce was inevitable, or something like that. The difficulty of the subject tells of how much pain there is involved with it. Whether you have experienced being one of the two central characters, or simply have endured extremely awkward communications with two friends going through the thing, you know the feelings swirling around this particular whirlpool. According to Jesus, there shouldn't be any divorce.

And that shows, dear boys and girls, how far we are from the Lord our God in this world.

Bucky

Salty Words

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another. Mark 9:50

This verse... Well, this verse has been used in a great many ways in sermons I have heard and seen over the years. We have lost some of the value though in our latter days as salt is commonly available, even cheap to purchase. In our Lord's time, salt was critical to life and not easily come by. If we needed further evidence that Jesus was a man, we find it here in our verse today, "Salt is good." Men like the taste of salt. Salt has been used to preserve meat, but we have refrigeration. But the point does not seem to be how to use salt, but that if salt becomes not salt, how can a person make it salt again? In other words, if something in us is lost, we may not be able to find it again. If a person believes in Jesus today, but loses his faith tomorrow, his state may be one of such woe that even the best efforts of the Spirit may not revive him. This salt of sacrifice also seems to allow for peace in our relationships.

Some salty words for you today,

Bucky

Seasoned With Fire

For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Mark 9:49

So what does a small-group Bible study teacher do when the group decides it would rather be elsewhere this morning? Right, he goes out in search of another group of students. So, good morning, students! We have a tough verse to study this morning. What does Jesus mean by seasoned with fire? Are we to be barbecued?

Tough verses we come across generate more questions for us than answers. If a person reads through the entire Bible and has no questions, then that person wasn't paying attention as they read. As a veteran of much reading, I can testify that it is possible to do that, maybe more so as we get older. However, back to the question, what does He mean by seasoned with fire? I would tend along Paul's thoughts (see 1 Corinthians 3) that some of us, perhaps all of us, will arrive at the pearly gates smelling of smoke and with singe marks where sin used to cling. It will be a far sight better than going down below and burning for all eternity!

Ouch! And love to you in Christ Jesus this morning,

Bucky

Unquenched Fire

Where,
Their worm does not die
​​And the fire is not quenched.
  -- Mark 9:48

I don't want to write about Hades or Hell, but He keeps speaking of it. There are the parables like the rich man and the beggar (Luke 16:19-31). Then come the references such as 'son of Hell' (Matt 23:15). Hell or Hades, Jesus mentioned them too much to ignore. From His words we know it is down, has gates with keys, and there is much unquenched fire and that worm. We also know by faith in His words that we do not ever want to go there, not even for a visit. So, a question might occur to some. If Jesus brought the good news, why all this down stuff about Hell? Warning is of course the answer. We were born on a path to destruction, and Hell is the place of that destruction. We are quite right to not want to go there. The good news Jesus brought is that by believing in Him, we can be turned around and not go there!

Believe in Jesus, and don't go there!

Bucky