Bible Study

He has risen!
Mark 16:9-20

Mary Magdalene and Mary mother of James & Salome had seen an angel who told them that Jesus was alive.  Now Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.  She went and told the disciples, but was not believed.

What’s wrong with this picture?  What’s going on?

Didn’t Jesus just spend three years and certainly all last week, telling the disciples about His resurrection?  With the possible exception of John, none of the disciples were even at the crucifixion.  Why were they so willing to believe in His death, but not in His resurrection?

Why were they so willing to believe in His death, but not in His resurrection?  Wouldn’t they want to believe that Jesus was alive?  That He did what He said He would do.  Did they not believe Mary because she was a woman and an ex-prostitute?  It’s not like people rise from the dead every day, but they had seen Lazarus rise up after he was dead.  If God had allowed Lazarus to rise, why couldn’t he do the same for Jesus?  Where was their faith?

Eventually, Jesus did appear to the 11 and He scolded them for their unbelief.  He then told them to go and preach the Good News to the world.  Later, with His earthly work accomplished, Jesus ascended to heaven and His disciples got to work spreading the word — with His help.

As we close this book of Mark, we see that even the disciples had a hard time believing that Jesus did what He said He would do.  It took an appearance to change their minds.  No reports of a “Jesus sighting” would do.  Once Jesus made it clear that He did indeed accomplish what He set out to do, the disciples had no problem spending the rest of their lives spreading the Good News — even to the point of death (tradition has it that only John lived to a ripe old age — and he was placed in exile for his belief.  The other disciples were martyred for their faith.)  The fact that we are here as Christians today is a testament to the work they began, but mostly due to the work God did through His people.  If God wasn’t in it, there is no way that this obscure “Jewish sect” (Christianity) would have spread as it has.

Jesus said: “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.”  Christianity was begun by those who had seen, but spread over two millennia by those who believed.  If you have faith that Jesus did what He said He would do, then you should be spreading the Good News as well.  Jesus’ command to “go” wasn’t just for 11 men, but for all those who know the Truth.  And don’t be afraid — God will help you every step of the way.  He does not sleep, and wherever you are, there He is.  Go for it!

The trials begin
Mark 14:53-15:20

The trials begin in this passage of scripture.  Jesus is arrested, and brought before different groups who want Him out of the way for different reasons.  Remember, Jesus could have gotten out of his predicament many times, but He chose not to.  He was fulfilling God’s plan for our salvation.

A lot happened from around midnight to 9AM on Good Friday.  Not all of this is covered in Mark.  Once Jesus was taken away from Gethsemane, He was brought to Annas, the father-in-law of Ciaiphas, the high priest who wanted Jesus dead (John 18:12-14).  From there, He was brought to Ciaiphas and the Sanhedrin for the Jewish/religious trial.  They tried to bear false witness against Him, but their testimonies didn’t line up.  By their own laws, they couldn’t get Him that way.  Finally, they asked Jesus if He was the Son of God.  Jesus answered “yes.”  Since the Sanhedrin viewed Jesus as a man, and not God, they tore their clothes (something Jews did when they were troubled) and charged Him with blasphemy.  They sentenced Him to death.  They spit on Him, blindfolded Him, and asked Jesus to prophesy who was going to hit Him next.  Now, I’m a little hazy on why they didn’t stone Him on the spot, but for some reason, they felt they needed Roman permission to kill Jesus, so they shipped Jesus off to Pilot.

Meanwhile, outside on the porch, Peter denies that he knows Jesus three times, then a cock crows, most likely signaling dawn in addition to telling Peter that he had just blown it big time.

So, sometime around dawn, Jesus meets with Pilot, the Roman prefect or governor of Judea who is in charge of this region.  Pilot was already on the hot seat with Rome because he couldn’t control the Zealots.  He was charged with keeping the peace this Passover — or else! (which is why he was in Jerusalem at the time).  Pilot could find no wrong with Jesus (Matt. 27:2, 11-14) so he sent Jesus to the Jewish governor Herod.  Herod wanted to see miracles, but Jesus would perform none, so Herod sent Jesus back to Pilot to have Him put to death (Luke 23:6-12).  Pilot was not happy seeing Jesus again.  There were two groups he had to please — those seeking Jesus’ death, and those who thought Jesus was the Son of God.  Either way, Pilot’s decision about Jesus’ fate would make someone upset.  He tried to appease the crowds by having Jesus flogged, then by trying to release a prisoner in honor of Passover, but neither plan worked.  The crowd released the wrong guy (Matt. 27:15-26).  Why?  The crowd in attendance that morning WAS NOT the crowd that cheered Jesus on His way into Jerusalem a few days ago.  Since the crowd was in the governor’s palace early in the morning, and since most of these events transpired overnight, the only crowd who would have known to show up would have been mostly Jewish leaders and officials.  These were the people who wanted Jesus dead!  Pilot gave this crowd the verdict they wanted to hear and Jesus was sent off to be crucified.

Priorities
Mark 14:1-16

A while back, I told a friend that I tithed.  This was not a Christian friend mind you, so his reaction was: “what a stupid waste of money!”  I’m sure he was thinking that I could better spend that money on the poor, the lottery or myself.  He was actually grieving over my choice; the loss of pure income.  He did not share my priorities.  He thought I was insane.  You would think that after three years, the disciples would have figured out Jesus’ priorities as well.  Guess again.

Jesus and His disciples were spending the evening in Bethany at Simon the leper’s house two days prior to Passover (For some reason, I believe that Simon was no longer a leper).  Anyway, along came Mary of Bethany and she anointed Jesus with an alabaster jar of pure nard.

Nard was worth 300 denarii in those days, equal to 300 day’s wages for the average field worker — essentially, a years wages.  Once the jar is broken, the fragrant oil must be used, and use it she does.

The disciples, lead by Judas Iscariot, saw this as a “waste” of money and complained that it could have gone to the poor — maybe to some of Simon’s leper friends.  Jesus saw Mary’s act as an offering of worship.  She gave her most precious earthly possession to Jesus freely.  Mary had her priorities straight.  Jesus would only be here a little while longer.  The poor would always be here.  Jesus knew that.  Mary knew that.  Jesus was not saying; “don’t give to the poor,” but rather, He wanted people to give their primary focus to the Lord.  In doing so, helping the poor would become an automatic thing because attitudes would be changed.

Two days later, Jesus sent His disciples to Jerusalem find a man with a water jar who would lead them to a huge upper room that had already been prepared for the Passover feast.  Do you think the disciples could find one man in a city the size of Jerusalem, complete with tons of visitors?  Sure — men never carried water jugs!  That was woman’s work in those days.  He would have been easy to spot.  And what are the odds that this non-traditional man would have a huge upper room prepared for no one in particular at a time when rooms were booked months to years in advance?  Most would have bet against it, yet God provided it.

Mary had prepared Jesus for burial with the nard, even while He was still alive.  God had prepared Jesus’ last meal through miraculous, unusual circumstances.  In the previous chapter, Jesus prepared His disciples for life after His departure.  There’s a lot of foreshadowing going on here.  There is definitely a plan in the works, and it’s God’s plan for our salvation.  Thanks be to God!

Where your treasure is. . .
Mark 12:41-44

Jesus now moved over to the treasury at the temple grounds to view people putting in their tithes (which were pretty much mandatory back then) and their offerings.  (A tithe is 10% of all you make, which goes to where you worship.  An offering is anything you give beyond your tithe.)  Jesus and his followers watched as the people put their money in the treasury.  They saw some rich people putting in huge sums.  Then along came a poor woman who put in two pennies.  Jesus, knowing this woman as He knows all people, told the multitude that this woman gave more than all the rest!  How can this be?

This woman had given more than all the rest because while the rich gave out of their excess, she gave all she owned out of her poverty and Jesus knew it.

The concept in this section of scripture is both easy and difficult at the same time.  God asks us to give back to Him a portion of what He has already given us (which is everything).  This should be a joyous event for us.  Giving back some money shows our thankfulness.  Those who do are blessed.  But this woman gave back all she had.  I know, 10% of .02¢ is about the same as .02¢, but the point of the illustration is that in giving all she owned, she became totally dependent on God for her very life.  That’s beyond obedience — that’s faith!

God is not impressed by how much wealth we can give to the church.  The rich will win that kind of race most of the time.  We could say that tithing is all about percentages of our earnings, which is closer to the truth from an obedience/tithe perspective, but tithing is really about the condition of our heart when we give.  Whether we give a little or a lot, how joyfully we give determines the acceptability of the gift.  If we give in joy and obedience (for God does call us to give), then we are storing up treasures in heaven.  That’s where our treasure should lie.

My friend Lori told me a joke the other day that somewhat fits this situation:  A rich man knew he was about to die.  Fortunately, he knew Christ, but he still couldn’t part with all his wealth.  After some haggling, Jesus agreed that the rich man could bring one suitcase with him to heaven.  The man packed it full of gold and jewels.  Not long after, the man died.  When he got to heaven, Peter, who knew about the agreement, asked the man to open the suitcase.  Upon seeing the contents, Peter said to the man: “I know of your agreement — that you were allowed to pack some worldly possessions in your suitcase, but why did you bring pavement?”

God has so much more for us than gold and jewels.  He wants our heart.  Where are you storing your treasures?

When are you guys going to get it right?
Mark 12:18-27

Still in the temple, some Sadducees now approached Jesus.  These guys were much like the Pharisees, who had just left, except that they did not believe in a resurrection (life after death, or the resurrection of the Messiah).  Why then would they ask Jesus about a resurrection?  Yep, it had to be some sort of a trap.

This question was about a woman whose husband had died, and they had no offspring.  In Hebrew tradition, the next brother in line would marry the childless widow so the widow could have children (who would take care of her in her old age – think of it as a Biblical retirement plan).  This particular widow went through seven brothers who all left her childless, then she too died.  The question to Jesus was this: “So, to whom will she be married after she is raised up?”  A modern day translation of Jesus’ response might go something like this:  “Are you that clueless?  You don’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God at all!  No one is married in heaven, but will instead live like angels.  There is no marriage between souls in heaven because no offspring are produced in heaven.  And regarding the resurrection thing, which you don’t even believe; how did you miss THAT in the scriptures?  Didn’t you read where God said to Moses that He IS the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 3:6); three patriarchs who were very much dead on earth at the time God spoke to Moses?  There was no past tense in that statement.  Abraham, Issac and Jacob were alive with God in heaven!  Their bodies had perished, but their souls rose up to heaven.  THEY WERE RESURRECTED!  God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You guys really missed the boat here.”  The Sadducees probably wanted to kill Jesus too at this point.  For once, they agreed with the Pharisees.  Hey, that’s progress.  Jesus wasn’t making any friends on this day, but it wasn’t His fault, the Sadducees and the Pharisees didn’t want to hear the truth.

Truth is, God is very much alive today.  He is not a God of the dead, nor has He gone away.  Our God does not sleep.  He loves us so much that he not only knows our names, but how many hairs we each have on our head (in my case, an ever decreasing number).  God still reigns supreme in heaven.  Wouldn’t you like to meet Him some day “like an angel?”  I sure would.  Give Him your heart today!  Let Him be the God of your life.