Month: October 2018

Isaiah 39 is brief. It records a visit of envoys from Babylon. They came to offer best wishes, because they heard Hezekiah had been sick. While they were with Hezekiah, he showed them all his wealth. Isaiah came to ask what the Babylonians had seen. When Hezekiah told Isaiah they had seen everything he owned, Isaiah responded that in the future the Babylonians would come and carry all his wealth to Babylon and that some of the sons that came from Hezekiah would be carried off as eunuchs in Babylon. Hezekiah’s response is selfish: that’s okay. At least it won’t happen in my lifetime. It would be easy to be hard on Hezekiah for such thinking, but most of us would have similar thoughts, at least on the inside, if we heard such news.

Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful passages in Isaiah’s entire prophecy. It speaks of God’s comfort for His people Israel. It contains so many quotable statements. In it we are told the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the LORD stands forever. We’re also told that even youths will grow tired and weary, but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. Each day during my daily time of pray, I tell the LORD I am waiting on Him. I wait as a servant waits on his King, as a child waits on his daddy. I often quote this last passage of Isaiah 40 in my prayer. I proclaim that as I wait on the LORD He will renew my strength. He will do that supernaturally, because it is supernatural to mount up on wings as eagles. He will do that in providing perseverance as one who runs and does not grow weary, or who walks and does not faint. In my time of waiting on the LORD, I listen for anything He has to say to me, and I remember that before I do anything, I need to praise the LORD and wait on Him. After all, I serve Him, not the other way around.

As we return to John 4, we remember Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. From a social and cultural standpoint, Jesus did everything “wrong.” He ought not to have spoken to a woman in public, and certainly not a Samaritan woman. Yet, Jesus not only spoke to the woman, He asked her to give Him a drink of water. This was a practical request, and having recently returned from Israel, I know how scarce water is in the region of Samaria. Jesus needed a drink. But Jesus wasn’t asking for water simply, because He was thirsty. He asked so He could share with the woman that He was the one who provides “living water.” Jesus could quench the woman’s thirst, and not merely her physical thirst. He could quench the thirst in her soul. The woman was damaged. She had been married five times, which in that culture was considered horrendous. She was living with a man who was not her husband. Again, this was radically unacceptable. Still, Jesus accepted the woman, and not only accepted her, He revealed to her that He was the Messiah! He hadn’t told that to Nicodemus. He didn’t offer that information when He was at the wedding in Cana. He revealed it to a woman who was as low on the societal scale as possible. Just like Jesus! Jesus never cared about social conformity. Jesus certainly never cared about what other people thought about Him or the people with whom He associated. He only cared about showing His Father’s love to everyone He could. The result of Jesus’ encounter with the woman, was she believed, and not only her, but eventually all the people in her town. They believed first based on her testimony, and then based on their personal interaction with Jesus. The good news for us is we can also believe based on the woman’s testimony and the testimony of so many others we read in the words of John, the other gospel writers, and Paul, along with so many others. One day, we too, will get to be with Jesus. Then our faith will be fully confirmed, but for now we rely on the evidence we see so clearly in the transformations that took place in those who knew Jesus personally from those who walked with Him, to those in our present day.

The other important event of John 4, was Jesus’ healing of the son of an official from Cana.  We don’t know whether the man was a synagogue official, or a government official, but whatever it was, putting his faith in Jesus was an act of desperation as much as an act of faith. When Jesus healed the boy, though, the official and his family believed in Jesus. John reminds us this was the second sign Jesus performed during His ministry. The first was a “nature” sign as Jesus turned water into wine. This was a healing sign, and Jesus did it without even going near the boy. Again, we see Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son. His actions speak that message clearly.

Isaiah 37 records the amazing delivery of Judah from the hands of King Sennacherib of Assyria. King Hezekiah of Judah humbled himself before the LORD twice, asking for the LORD to protect the people. Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrians, who had defeated many lands and “burned their gods in the fire,” would not do the same to Israel, because the other nations “gods” were not gods at all. In addition to condemning the Assyrians in this prophecy, the angel of the LORD went out and killed 185,000 of the Assyrians’ troops. They returned to their homeland, and there two of Sennacherib’s sons assassinated him.

In Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah becomes sick, and Isaiah goes to him to tell him to get his house in order, because the LORD has determined it is time for him to die. Hezekiah turns to the LORD immediately, crying out and asking for more time. The LORD responds and promises Hezekiah fifteen more years. To show Hezekiah His promise is true, the LORD makes the sun goes back ten steps. Hezekiah responds with a “psalm” of lament that ends in joy, because he was preparing for death, but the LORD delivered him from it.

As we return to John 3, we remember it as the chapter with the best known verse in Scripture: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. While that verse is the climax, it was John 3:3 that brought the truth to Nicodemus about eternal life, that Nicodemus was not able to fully grasp. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, wanting to speak with Him, but not wanting others to know, (thus the coming at night!). He started buttering Jesus up with accolades about His abilities, but Jesus cut straight to the point:  Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus thought of a second physical birth, which he rightly saw as impossible. Jesus wasn’t talking of a second physical birth, but of a spiritual birth! When we are born again, we receive the Holy Spirit, and we receive the spiritual life that will live forever, the life we read about in John 3:16. John 3:17 is also powerful: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him, the world could be saved.  So many in our world today think the God of Christianity is a vindictive, even hateful God. He is not. He doesn’t want to condemn us. He wants to free us. We can say if anyone dies separated from God it is literally over Jesus’ dead body. God did everything He could do for us. What remains is for us to respond. All we have to do is surrender our old, sinful lives for the new life Jesus offered through the second birth. Jesus would soon die on the cross to fulfill John 3:16. We don’t know whether Nicodemus got the message that night. What we do know is when Jesus died, he and another Pharisee named Joseph took Jesus’ body down from the cross and buried it in Joseph’s tomb. That move would have been seen by the other members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews of which they were a part, as an act of betrayal and denial. Ironic, that Jesus was betrayed and denied by those closest to Him the night before He was crucified, and on the day of His crucifixion and death, two members of the body that worked to ensure His condemnation went public with their support of Jesus.

Isaiah 34 pronounces judgment on the nations. The LORD tells the nations that He will destroy them. Particular desolation is pronounced on Edom. We’re told the entire nation will become a “nature preserve.” While Isaiah doesn’t put it in those terms. He tells us of all the wild animals that will take over the land, because Edom will be no more.

Isaiah 35 announces the restoration of the land of Israel. While the place names are cities mainly in northern Israel and include Lebanon, the promises are that all people will be restored. The blind will receive sight, the deaf will hear, the lame will jump for joy. The land will also be restored. The dry land will be made fruitful once again. Having recently returned from Israel, I can picture the places named, and also the arid nature of the land. The promised future is one every Israeli longs to see.

In Isaiah 36, Isaiah records the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib of Assyria. The Assyrians take the cities surrounding Jerusalem and then come against Jerusalem.Their leader calls out to the people of Jerusalem to surrender. He promises if they will surrender, each will be able to go to his own home with his own vineyard. Otherwise, each will face a tortured end to their lives. The Assyrians planned to starve the Israelites as they waited outside the city. But the leaders of Israel did not answer the Assyrians, because they were told not to by King Hezekiah. As the chapter ends, the leaders go to Hezekiah in sackcloth telling him of their dire situation.

As we return to John 2, we find three main events. First, Jesus and His disciples attend a wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother asked Him to do something. Jesus seemed unwilling at first, because “His time had not yet come. Even so, He intervened in the situation and turned a great deal of purified water into wine. This was His first miracle. We’re told when His disciples saw it, they believed in Him. Next, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and went to the Temple. While He was there, He noticed the moneychangers who were taking advantage of the people who had come from out of town. He upset the moneychangers’ tables and condemned them for turning the Lord’s house into a den of thieves.  The final event is the religious leaders asked Jesus why He thought He had the authority to do such a thing, and asked for a sign to show He did. Jesus told them if they tore down the “Temple,” He would rebuild it in three day. They thought He was speaking of the Jerusalem Temple, which had taken forty-six years to build to that point. He was talking about His body, and He would eventually come through on that promise!

Isaiah 31 makes a brief, but clear point: Trust in the LORD not in any human being or nation.  The Israelites were relying on Egypt and their horses (and chariots) to deliver them from the Assyrians. That was not God’s plan. God reminded them He would take care of the Assyrians and no human sword would be necessary. Even though we live on the resurrection side of Easter, and we rely on Jesus as Savior and Lord in every situation, this is a helpful reminder to us. While we can make our plans, and we are supposed to do all that we can do to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, it is always God who works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure!

Isaiah 32 is another chapter with a mixed message. It starts with a statement about a king who will rule in righteousness. We’re told how that king will rid the nation of foolishness, and of calling foolishness anything but what it is. But then the chapter takes a turn and the wealthy women of the nation are told they are to turn to repentance (noted by telling them to put on sackcloth and to beat their breasts.). The chapter ends on a positive not, but as we find throughout Isaiah, the LORD has Isaiah remind the people their sin is cause for repentance, and their future is only secure in Him.

Isaiah 33 starts with the stark reality of Israel’s situation but builds to a time when the LORD will be the king, when Jerusalem will be reestablished. In that time even the lame will have more than enough. we cannot know whether this time was to be in a chronological future, or at the time of the LORD’s return. It isn’t always clear in Isaiah’s prophecies whether He was speaking of a time in the immediate future, or of the time when God will bring about the fulfillment of history through Jesus. The one sure reality is God’s people will be vindicated in the end by God, and not by our own efforts, or because of our own goodness.

As we return to the Gospel of John for the third time, it ought to be becoming clear to us that John’s gospel is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. As we have said the first three gospels are known as the “Synoptic” gospels, which means “seen together.” That’s because they have similar content, and many of the same accounts, sometimes with virtually the same wording. John, on the other hand, is a more theological work. Having been written twenty to thirty years after the other gospels, when John was an old man, the account is much more concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is God, and that He is the way to salvation. John tells us as much in John 20:30-23:  ³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31 (ESV)

John 1 records who Jesus is from an overarching perspective: He is “the Word.” The Greek work, “logos,” which John used can mean both the Word as in the Word of God, and the divine ordering principle behind everything. Greek philosophers used logos the second way. It could well be John was using the word with both intentions, because Jesus is the Word of God, and He is also the divine ordering principle behind everything. In any case, John wasn’t concerned to tell us about Jesus’ physical birth, and he often left out details that about when and where events took place. In John 1, in addition to telling us Jesus was the word, he also tells us Jesus was full of grace and truth. What a vital combination. Grace or truth are easy paths to take. I can be gracious to you, if I don’t care about holding you to the truth. Or I can speak truth to you, if I don’t care about being gracious. But to be full of both grace and truth means I would show you grace while holding you to the truth. That’s what Jesus does for us. He shows us absolute grace, while holding us to absolute truth. That combination can only be carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus held in all His fullness. As we work our way through John’s gospel this time, we will point out one or two aspects of Jesus divine nature and or power, because that is what John wanted us to see.

Isaiah 29 contains both judgment and promise for Jerusalem. The judgment extends to the enemies of Jerusalem, for after a preliminary pronouncement of judgement against the city, Isaiah moves on to prophecy the destruction of any who come against “Mt. Zion.” As we read some of the words of judgment, we find words Jesus would later use to describe the Pharisees. He tells us the people honor the LORD with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. How easy it is to honor the LORD with our lips, to praise Him in worship, to tell people how much we rely on Him, and then to live in the flesh, in the desires of our sinful nature. I have often spoken of the “hypocrisy factor” in our lives, which is the distance between what we say and what we do. If I say I love Jesus, but I dishonor my parents, for example, there’s a great hypocrisy factor, because my words and actions are opposite. Jesus didn’t tolerate the hypocrisy of the Pharisees; Isaiah didn’t tolerate the hypocrisy of the people in his day, and we ought not to tolerate hypocrisy within our own lives. How important it is for each of us to examine our hearts, to be sure we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit and our words and actions are coming closer and closer into alignment. In that way, we bring glory to the LORD through our lives!

Isaiah 30 starts with a rebuke of God’s people for trusting Egypt to deliver them from their enemies instead of relying on him. It moves next to calling out the people of Judah for their unfaithfulness. But as with so many of the chapters we read, it ends with a promise for the LORD to be with His people, to deliver them, and to guide them back to Him so long as they return to Him. In addition, the LORD promises to destroy their enemies.

As we return to the final chapter of Mark, Mark 16, we read of Jesus’ resurrection! As we mentioned in our first reading of Mark, chapter 16 offers us two endings one that’s shorter and one that’s longer. The longer ending wasn’t included in many of the earliest manuscripts of Mark, yet there is no reason to doubt its validity. The message we find there is consistent with Jesus’ message to the apostles through the other gospels. The key point of Mark 16 is Jesus is alive! One of the details we find in Mark’s resurrection account is the angels tell the women to go tell the apostles and Peter that Jesus has risen. Peter was an apostle, and yet the angels singled him out to be told Jesus was alive. Why? We can’t say for sure, but it seems likely the message was intended to encourage Peter. After all, the last thing he did “for” Jesus was deny three times he had ever met Him! This pointed message from the angels might have been saying, “Look, Peter, you messed up big time, but Jesus is still for you. You are still one of His apostles.” We know from John’s gospel, when Jesus met with the apostles on one occasion He took Peter aside and “reinstated” him as an apostle. What we learn from this is Jesus doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t abandon us, because we deny or abandon Him. He gives us additional opportunities. How many additional opportunities? As many as it takes. Jesus’ resurrection tells us He did, indeed, die in our place, to pay the penalty for our sin, and He does have the power to overcome any sin, any denial, anything we have done against Him in our lives. That is good news, and it makes all the difference!

Isaiah 26 is a beautiful song of praise to the LORD. Isaiah recounts many ways the LORD is good to those who trust him. He also tells us the wicked do not change when the LORD shows them good, so He will judge them. The tone is hopeful, and points toward the constant theme of every Israelite: the restoration of their nation.

Isaiah 27 continues the message of chapter 26. In it, Isaiah reminds the Israelites that while the LORD destroys other nations, Israel was banished for their wickedness, but in the end He would call them back from exile in Assyria and Egypt and they would be restored. While he calls his own people wicked and stupid, not unlike the peoples of the rest of the earth, the difference, was they were the LORD’s people. He would show them mercy and restore them to their previous glory one day.

Isaiah 28 is a warning for Samaria. Much of the first portion of the chapter is devoted to condemning the priests and leaders for their drunkenness. They consume alcohol until they are sick and cry out against the LORD for His over explanation of details, but the LORD’s judgment is coming upon them. In the remainder of the chapter, we are told of the future time when Jerusalem will be reestablished and when the LORD’s will is going to be done once again. We see this theme time and time again in Isaiah: cycles of judgment followed by restoration. Indeed, as we read the entire Old Testament we see this repeated: God’s calls His people together. They respond. Over time they reject God and turn away. He subjects them to slavery or oppression by foreign peoples. They cry out to the LORD and He restores them. The LORD’s mercy has the final word. We see that most clearly in Jesus, and as we return to the Gospel of Mark, we will see the ultimate sacrifice Jesus offered, and the mercy and grace poured out through it.

As we return to Mark 15, we read again of Jesus’ condemnation by Pilate, the beating He received at the Roman soldiers’ hands, the mocking that came to Him through Jews and Romans alike, His crucifixion, death, and burial. As we read the details once again, we are reminded of how passive Jesus was in it all. He had the power to call down angels to release Him, but He didn’t. He had the right to respond to Pilate’s questions, but He didn’t. He could have come down from the cross when the people mocked Him, but He stayed there. Why? Why the passivity? If real men reject passivity, then why in this most crucial moment was Jesus passive? Because God’s justice and love required it. If Jesus hadn’t died in our place, our sin would still be on us, we would still stand guilty before God. Jesus satisfied God’s justice and wrath as He died in our place. In addition, we know from John 3:16 that God loves the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Love required Jesus to stay on the cross. He did what love required. Now, we who follow Jesus must ask ourselves, “What does Jesus’ love require of me?” What is it today that Jesus will ask me to do, to demonstrate His love to others? Will I be ready when He asks? We don’t know what He will ask us to do, but we can most definitely be ready. All that requires is that we abandon ourselves to Jesus’ lordship in our lives, and that we live in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is so simple, not so easy, but so simple.

It doesn’t get any more dismal and gloomy than Isaiah 24! Isaiah tells us the whole earth will be destroyed. He speaks of the earth bearing the consequences of human sin. He speaks of the people being destroyed by fire. He speaks of those who seek escape through alcohol having the alcohol turn bitter in their mouths. The key question is: Is this a picture of what must happen or what might happen? As with all prophesy in the Old Testament, the prophets were given messages from the LORD of what was going to happen if the people didn’t repent, and turn back to Him. We don’t have any words of hope in Isaiah 24. There is no, “But if you turn back…” It is simply doom and gloom. We must always read every verse in light of its chapter, and every chapter in light of its book, and every book in light of the entire sixty-six books of the Bible, so there is always hope. Yet, in isolation, Isaiah 24 offers a hopeless picture.

Isaiah 25 offers us a turnaround from the previous chapter as Isaiah offers praise to the LORD for His goodness and for His deliverance. In this chapter it seems Moab is the subject of the LORD’s wrath, and the He is bound to protect the poor from any harm. The poor would not be the poor of Moab, but the poor of Israel. Once again, as always, the LORD is going to vindicate the downcast, and show Himself the protector of those who have no other to protect them. We must remember the poor are not blessed by the LORD simply because they are poor. These are poor and just. They have followed the LORD’s ways, and nevertheless find themselves downtrodden and oppressed. In this case the LORD will redeem them. In this message we see the message of redemption coming from Jesus. He came to set the captives free, and to preach the Good News to the poor. Matthew would add poor in spirit, while Luke would leave it at poor. In any case, our hope in any seemingly hopeless situation is the LORD!

As we return to Mark 14, we find this long chapter recounts everything from the “next to the last supper,” through Peter’s denial of Jesus. As we read it, we find those closest to Jesus, His disciples, ended up betraying Him, denying Him, and deserting Him. I have heard some say, “I would never do such a thing,” which is the very thing Peter said. Peter had been with Jesus for three years, and was bold enough to attempt to defend Jesus when He was arrested, but when the moment came and Peter had to choose self-preservation or remaining faithful to Jesus, he chose self-preservation. The one thing Peter lacked that night was an indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had not yet died, risen from the dead, returned to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to empower believers to follow Him no matter what. Peter would eventually die for his faith in Jesus, but no on the night of Jesus’ arrest. That night Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Him, and the rest ran away, as Jesus knew they would. Despite that Jesus loved them, and Jesus died for them, as Jesus loves us and died for us, regardless of how we have betrayed, denied, or ignored Him. The amazing truth of Jesus’ salvation for us is it is totally unconditional. We did nothing to gain it, and indeed, we could do nothing to gain it. The goodness required to gain salvation isn’t in us by nature. we receive it supernaturally as a gift from Jesus when we trust Him as Savior and Lord. We can then demonstrate the kind of faithfulness Peter demonstrated after He had received the Holy Spirit. The same kind of faith that will permit us to do whatever is necessary to remain faithful to Jesus at home, work, school, or wherever we are. The key is to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, and then the rest is up to His Holy Spirit power inside of us!

Isaiah 21 pronounces condemnation of Babylon, Edom, and Arabia. While the LORD used Babylon to carry out His judgment against Israel, the time was coming for Babylon to be judge. They were never righteous, and the time was coming for their destruction. They worshiped idols, and took the idols of the nations they conquered to Babylon, where they were added to the collection. Yet, when the time came, all the idols would be broken, because the one, true God is not an idol.

Isaiah returns to Jerusalem as his focus in Isaiah 22. He pronounces judgment against the city and its people, because instead of turning to the LORD for their deliverance and protection, they turned to their own means. This is such a vital reminder to us: We are not to put our own wisdom and plans above the LORD’s. We are most certainly called to do what we can do in life, and the LORD will do what we can’t, but before we do anything, we are to call on the LORD for His instruction. Isaiah, also called out one individual, Shebna, the palace administrator, for special judgment. While God judges His people as a group in this chapter, He also calls one who led the people astray to personal accountability. Each of us is responsible to the LORD for our actions as well.

Isaiah 23 condemns Tyre and Sidon. Both were economic centers known for their immorality. The LORD tells them they will be destroyed, and then rebuilt and then destroyed again. When any nation, community, or person determines to reject the LORD and His ways, the end is destruction. We see this time and time again as we read through Isaiah. The LORD is a just and holy God, who does not respond well to being ignored, mocked, or actively rebelled against.

As we return to Mark 13, let’s focus on one statement in it. When Jesus and the disciples were leaving the Temple one of them said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” Jesus answer is powerful: “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will beat on another; every one will be thrown down.” Jesus made that statement in about 30 AD. Forty years later, exactly what Jesus predicted happened. The Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, but they didn’t stop with destroying it. They took every stone of the Temple and threw it over the side of the Temple Mount. I saw a portion of the pile of “stones” that was thrown over the side during my recent trip to Israel. They were huge cut stones, and they were nothing more than a pile of rubble. Think of the significance of what Jesus did: Forty years before the event happened, He described in detail what was going to happen. He was no less than a great prophet. He foresaw the future exactly as it would be. This adds so much credibility to our belief He is the Messiah, God’s anointed, and our Savior and Lord. I can’t tell you the profound impact seeing that pile of stones had on me. I have always believed Jesus is the Son of God, and the Savior of sinners like me. But as I stood and looked at those stones, I realized the historicity of the man who is my Savior and yours–I pray. As we read these accounts, we are reading reliable testimonies from those who were there, or those who interviewed those who were there. While it will always take faith to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the evidence for His being who He said He was is significant!

 

In Isaiah 18, Isaiah continues with messages for other countries. This chapter is devoted to Ethiopia. The message is one of judgment, while the Ethiopians were known as great warriors, the message is they will bring gifts to Jerusalem. In other words, they’re defeat is assured and Israel will be victorious.

Isaiah 19 pronounces an incredible future in which Egypt, Israel and Assyria are allies and all worship the LORD! Before that, though, most of the chapter pronounces judgment, not only on the leaders and people of Egypt, but also on the land. The Nile River will dry up so the land won’t produce crops, so there will be no fish to catch, and the whole region will be decimated. While the people cry out to their idols, nothing will come from that. Only when the people turn to the LORD, as Isaiah prophesies will happen, will there be a future and hope for Egypt.

Isaiah 20 moves in a different direction. Here we are told the Philistines will be attacked by the Assyrians, and the Philistines’ allies the Egyptians and Ethiopians will be defeated and humiliated by the Assyrians. Throughout Israel’s history, it has been the “middle ground,” of the Middle East. The Assyrians or whoever was in charge in the north typically met Egypt or whoever was in charge from the south in battle in the land of Israel. The Philistines were Israel’s enemy, but they shared the middle ground, because they lived in southwest Israel. The battle predicted here would impact not only the Philistines, but all of Israel.

As we return to Mark 12, we find Jesus telling a parable about a vineyard owner and the servants of the vineyard. The parable clearly portrayed the religious leaders as the servants, and Jesus as the vineyard owners son, who was killed by the servants. This is a clear prediction of Jesus’ death, and it was not well received by the religious leaders. They wanted to arrest Him but were afraid, because of the crowds. After this, various groups of religious leaders sought to trap Jesus with questions, but each time Jesus demonstrated not only His superior knowledge and understanding of both life and God’s word, but showed the religious leaders where they were wrong. Once again, this added fuel to the growing fire of their desire to be rid of Jesus once and for all. The chapter ends with Jesus affirming a widow for giving away her last penny as her offering. Jesus affirmed her above the rich donors who gave much, but it was a pittance based on their wealth. The widow’s gift represented a total sacrifice, and that is the kind of gift Jesus will always affirm.

In Isaiah 15 and 16 Isaiah offers an oracle against Moab. The length of the oracle seems out of proportion to the size and importance of Moab, but Moab’s sin was not only in worshiping idols, but went all the way back to the time of Moses, when they would not let Israel pass through their land on the way to the Promised Land. Moab had always been arrogant, and against Israel. Their coming demise was going to be soon and it was going to be devastating.

Isaiah 17 offers an oracle against Damascus, but it also extends to Israel and Judah. We must always remember, the LORD’s purpose in establishing Israel was to set Himself apart a holy nation. They were so far from that through nearly all of their history. The LORD’s judgment was promised on unfaithfulness, and His own people were always at the center of His fulfillment of that promise.

As we return to Mark 11, we read of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. This was the one, brief moment when the people recognized Jesus as the King He was and is! The next day, Jesus launched a frontal assault on the religious leaders, as he went to the Temple and overturned the money changers tables. These were massive tables, but Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s house consumed Him. The religious leaders were ready to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid because of the crowds. We also have the account of Jesus cursing a fig tree in the morning, because it had no fruit. Later, when they passed by it, the tree was withered from the root. This amazed the disciples and they asked Jesus about it. He told them if they had faith as a grain of mustard seed, they could cast a mountain in the sea. Jesus continued speaking about prayer, and how central it is to our lives as His followers. The chapter closes out with the religious leaders asking Jesus where He got His authority. Again, Jesus answered a question with a question, “Where did John’s (the Baptist) authority come from –heaven or men?) The question had the religious leaders. If they said heaven, Jesus would ask why they didn’t follow him? if they said men, the crowd would mob them. They decided not to answer Jesus’ question. He said, “Then I’m not going to answer your question either.” The key for us here is to remember: You can’t get up earlier than Jesus. He’s the Son of the Living God. He always knows what’s going on around Him. You can’t trick Him or trip Him up. As we go about our lives, how important it is to work to advance His Kingdom rather than questioning His authority, or  anything else about His Lordship in our lives.