Chris Marshall Resources

Hosea 12-13 offer scathing rebuke and more judgment against Israel.  Judah is also included in the condemnation.  The LORD tells them they will both live in tents once again, meaning they will wander as they did for forty years in the wilderness after He delivered them from Egypt.  This time the wandering would be for seventy years, before some of them returned to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.  The LORD’s judgment is sure, and in ferocious terms He tells the people He will carry it out upon them.

Hosea 14 closes out the book with a call to repentance.  We see no evidence of that repentance, nor do we hear of a return to mercy.  We know the LORD has told us He will show mercy in the future in other chapters, and in other books of prophecy, but Hosea ends with no emphasis on that.

As we return to Mark 11, we read of the second time in Jesus’ life when He was acknowledged for the King He is: His Triumphal entry. The first time was when the wise men came from the east and worshiped Him when He was only two years old.  The Triumphal entry offers us the opportunity to see the people gathered from many lands for Passover in Jerusalem shout, “Hosanna!” to Him.  While the same crowd would shout, “Crucify!” in just five days, in this moment they called out to Him in exultation.  The next day, Jesus pronounces a curse on a fig tree, and cleanses the money changers out of the Temple. This altercation was a direct attack on the religious leaders’ ways, and Jesus knew where it would lead.  It didn’t matter, because His zeal for His Father’s house, would not let the religious leaders make a travesty of it.  When the disciples saw the fig tree Jesus cursed was withered from the roots, they were amazed.  Jesus used it as an opportunity to point out the importance of faith in our lives.  Finally, the religious leaders challenged Jesus’ authority.  This would be the first of a number of tests they would put before Jesus.  Each time they would be the ones who looked foolish, not Him.  In this case, when they asked Him where He received His authority to say and do what He did, He turned the tables by asking whether John the Baptist’s authority was from God or people?  The leaders knew if they said from God, Jesus would ask why they didn’t listen to him, but if they said from people, the people would riot, because they thought John was a prophet.  Thus, they said they didn’t know, and Jesus said then He wouldn’t tell them where His authority originated either.  This standoff was only a foreshadowing of what would take place over the next couple of days, but in the end Jesus knew where the path was leading–to the cross.  Thankfully, He was fully prepared for it, because that’s why He came to the world.  He came to die, so we can live life in abundance now, and in eternity with Him when this life ends!

Hosea 9-10 offer more words of judgment for Israel.  While the details vary, the theme is the same: Israel will be carried off by their enemies.  Both Assyria and Egypt are named.  The reason?  The same reason offered throughout the letter: the people have been unfaithful to the LORD, and their wickedness continues to increase.

After the nearly contemptuous condemnation of chapters 9-10, the LORD tells us in chapter 11 of His love for Ephraim, for Israel.  He recalls His founding of the people as He called them out of Egypt, and how even while they were “children” they turned from Him.  Yet, He is God and not a person, so He will show mercy.  It is the common theme of the prophetic books: The LORD’s judgment is sure, but His mercy is even surer!

As we return to Mark 10, we’re reminded of Jesus’ affirmation of His Heavenly Father’s establishment of marriage in the fabric of creation as a relationship between a man and a woman for life.  The religious leaders came to Him asking whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife?  Jesus asked them how the Law of Moses read?  They said it was permitted, but Jesus responded this was because of human hardness of heart, but not God’s purpose or plan.  In this day of anything goes sexuality, it is vital for us to remember Jesus’ affirmation of the order of creation concerning it: Sexuality is a gift from God and is to be exercised between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage.  This statement rattled the disciples, because even in their day, such an affirmation seemed radical.  Imagine how radical it seems to us!  Yet, God’s truth is always best for us, His boundaries are intended to guide and help us, not to hinder or limit us.  After this comment on marriage, Jesus blesses children, whose parents brought them to Him.  While the disciples didn’t think this important, Jesus affirmed the parents’ desires and blessed the children.

Next, Jesus encountered a rich, young man who wanted to know how to inherit eternal life.  We need to understand in that day (as often in ours), wealth was considered to be a blessing of God.  Imagine the young man’s surprise when after passing the “religion” test, Jesus told the man the only thing he “lacked,” was to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, so he would have riches in heaven, and then come and follow Jesus.  The young man walked away sad, because he couldn’t give up his wealth.  Picture being offered a spot among Jesus’ disciples and giving it up, because you couldn’t let go of your money.  That’s exactly what happened.  The disciples were confused once again, by the idea that wealth could be a stumbling block, but Jesus offered His famous statement about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. We must never let anything stand between us and Jesus, because whatever it is, Jesus will ask us to give it up–or at least be willing to give it up–to serve Him.

The chapter continues with Jesus telling the disciples a third time He is going to be crucified and then rise again.  This time James and John see this as an opportunity to be given important positions when Jesus reigns as King. They ask for those positions on his right and left hand.  But Jesus tells them it isn’t His to give.  The rest of the disciples become irate when they find out what happened.  It wasn’t because they were so righteous, but because they were pre-empted.  Jesus reminds all of them leadership in God’s Kingdom is the opposite of worldly leadership.  Leadership in God’s Kingdom starts with servanthood, and Jesus is the best example of that!

Finally, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus as we would expect in Mark’s gospel.  The entire chapter has been talk–significant talk, but talk nonetheless.  It ends with Jesus healing Bartimaeus, so we remember what Jesus came to do: Bring the Kingdom of God to earth.  In His Kingdom all can see!  Faith is the ingredient that makes it happen.  Here it was Bartimaeus’ faith.  In other places it was Jesus’ faith in His own power.  Always, faith brings the Kingdom forward.

Today, we turn to the Book of Hosea, a prophet whose ministry was directed to the Northern Kingdom, Israel.  He is often called the “Deathbed Prophet,” because he was the last prophet in Israel before the nation fell to the Assyrians.  As we will see, the LORD directed Hosea to marry a prostitute, which was to symbolize Israel’s relationship with Him.  Israel had become a prostitute, and even so the LORD still loved “her.”  He would, however, tolerate no other lovers in Israel’s life, so the message was to repent or perish . Some biblical scholars believe the LORD’s command to Hosea to marry a prostitute was symbolic, but the book reads as a literal direction to Hosea, not a symbolic one.

Hosea 1 lays out the command of the LORD to Hosea: marry a prostitute and have children.  Each of the children’s names symbolized the LORD’s judgment against Israel.  The first, named Jezreel, symbolized the LORD’s judgment of the people that would take place at Jezreel.  The second, named No Mercy, showed the LORD would not have mercy on His people.  The third, Not My People, showed the LORD would say the Israelites were not His people.  The chapter ends, as we have seen so many chapters of prophecy end already: with a promise of hope for the future.  The people of Israel would return and be numerous.  They would once again be God’s people.

In Hosea 2, the LORD condemns Israel for her unfaithfulness.  In graphic detail, He recounts how she has turned from Him, but then in the second half of the chapter, the LORD promises to take back His unfaithful wife.  He promises the people will prosper and “No Mercy” will be called “Mercy,” and “Not My People,” will be called “My People.”  This shows us the LORD’s mercy and forgiveness are always the final word for His people.

Hosea 3 recounts the LORD’s command for Hosea to go and redeem his wife from prostitution.  Hosea pays the price of her redemption but tells her she must remain pure for many days.  In the same way, the LORD promises to redeem Israel, but it will be after a long time without prince, or king, or anyone in charge over Israel.

The LORD condemns the people once again in Hosea 4.  He continues to pronounce judgment against them and compares their going after false gods to “whoredom,” which it was.  The LORD was their “husband,” but instead of remaining true to Him, they chased after gods of wood and stone, and worshiped aspects of nature.  This passage is comparable to Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul condemned those who knew the LORD and his ways but abandoned them to worship idols and nature.  The human heart was created to worship.  When we don’t worship the living God, we worship created things.  When we become so arrogant that we will no longer worship any god, claiming to be atheists, we worship ourselves.  Thankfully, as we see from cover to cover in the Scriptures, the LORD is merciful, and His steadfast love endures forever.  While He condemns sin, when we repent–when we turn away from our sins–He receives us back and restores us.  Jesus is the ultimate affirmation of the redemption the LORD has for us.

As return to Mark 8, we come once again to the “turning point,” in the gospel.  Here Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem.  While we are only half-way through the book, from this time forward Jesus is heading to His ultimate destiny of dying on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin and rising from the dead to show He is Lord and God and the only way to salvation.  As the chapter unfolds, Jesus feeds four thousand men along with women and children with a few loaves of bread and fish. Then He has a brief run in with the Pharisees who demand a sign, which is quite odd given He just fed thousands of people with a meager amount of food!  Jesus tells them He isn’t giving them any sign.  Then as Jesus and the disciples travel by boat across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus tells the disciples to beware of the “leaven” of the Pharisees.  As was often the case, they didn’t get it.  They thought He was reprimanding them forgetting to bring bread.  Jesus reminded them He had provided bread for thousands but was talking about the works of the Pharisees.

When they arrived at land, they went to Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asked the key question: Who do you say I am?  We must all answer that question.  Peter gave the right answer, “You are the Christ(Messiah) of God!”  After affirming Peter’s answer, Jesus told them for the first time He was going to be arrested, found guilty, crucified and buried.  He told them He would rise again.  Peter, who had just answered the most important question ever, showed his humanity by rebuking Jesus for saying He was going to die.  Jesus then called Peter “Satan,” for thinking solely from a human perspective.  Jesus then turned to the crowd and reminded them, and through them us, the only way to follow Jesus is to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow.  Jesus never sugar-coated the cost of being His follower.  It will involve self-denial, pain, and in extreme cases even death in this life, but the rewards both now and eternally are far more than any cost.

Daniel 10-12 comes to us as a unit.  It is an extended vision the LORD gave Daniel, but it starts with an amazing revelation: Daniel had prayed and fasted for understanding and for deliverance of his people.  He prayed day after day, and eventually he received an answer.  The answer was delayed for twenty-one days.  We’re told the reason for the delay was the “Prince of Persia” had battled the speaker, and eventually the LORD sent the angel, Michael, to help him overcome the prince.  The Prince of Persia is a demonic force.  We see here a clear example of spiritual warfare, and also how prayer plays a part in it.  The vision covers a vast amount of time, from Daniel’s immediate future to the time of Jesus’ return. We’re not told that specifically, but as we read through the vision, we read of the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. The detail is so clear and accurate that many scholars, biblical and otherwise, who don’t believe the LORD revealed the future to the prophets, believe Daniel was written after the events occurred.  But there is also a prediction of the time of the end–the time when our time will end, and eternity will come to us.  Daniel was told to close up or save the message until that time came.  He was also promised when the end came, he would be rewarded with eternal life.  What a promise!

As we return to Mark 7, we find Jesus in another debate with the religious leaders.  The disciples caused the debate by eating food without washing their hands according to the ceremonial tradition developed by the religious leaders.  When they complained to Jesus about it, He quoted the prophet Isaiah’s condemnation of previous Israelites for honoring God with their lips, but not with their hearts.  Jesus made a general comment to the crowds about food and righteousness: No food makes one unclean.  It isn’t what goes into a person, but what comes out that makes the person clean or unclean. He meant it is what is in our hearts that determines what comes out of us.  After this encounter, a Syrophoenician woman approached Jesus about healing her child.  Jesus said, “No.” His explanation was He wasn’t going to throw the “children’s” (the people of Israel) food, to the “dogs” (Gentiles).  The woman answered, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table.”  Jesus healed the child because of the woman’s answer.  Finally, Jesus healed a man who was deaf and mute.  Mark always manages to complete a chapter that was primarily teaching or interaction with the religious leaders with a couple of miracles to remind us how Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth not only in words, but in power!

Daniel 7 offers us a vision seen by Daniel himself.  The vision was of four terrifying beasts, each of which represented a particular nation.  These nations had come and gone by our time in history, but they were said to be nations that would battle against the saints or the LORD’s people.  The overarching theme of the vision, though, is the Ancient of Days, and His entrusting authority to the Son of Man.  This speaks of God the Father, and Jesus.  We know this time is yet future even for us, so Daniel was given the opportunity to see visions that related to his time as well as to the end of time.  The visions disturbed Daniel, as well they ought to have done.  Neither the present nor the future is always easy for God’s people but in the end, we win, because God wins. Daniel’s vision made that clear.

Daniel 8 offers us another vision of Daniel.  In it, The Medo-Persian Empire is represented by a ram, and Greece is represented by a goat. The goat overcame the ram, just as Greece would one day overcome the Medo-Persian Empire. Many consider Daniel’s message to be written after these events, because they are so precise as to what happened.  But if the LORD is the one who gave the vision, then we would expect it to be precise!  We’re told even after Daniel was given the explanation for the vision he still did not understand, and it made him sick for some time.  Many in our day hurl themselves into the study of the prophecies relating to the end times, and Daniel is certainly among those prophecies.  The challenge is Jesus told us no one knows the day or time when He will return.  Even He didn’t know.  That means we must invest the best part of our time in being ready when He returns, whether it is today or decades from now.  Living in a state of readiness only happens when we put Jesus first and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Daniel 9, Daniel offers a prayer of repentance to the LORD.  He admits the LORD was right in sending the people of Israel into exile.  He admits the people disobeyed the LORD and didn’t follow the Law of Moses.  Yet, he calls on the LORD to show mercy and to restore the people.  The prayer is filled with acknowledgement of what the people have done but calls on the LORD to do what He does: show mercy.  That is such a vital reminder for us!  We must call on the LORD to forgive and restore us when we turn away from Him.

As we return to Mark 6, we see Jesus returning to Nazareth, His hometown, and while the people recognize Jesus’ authority and ability to heal and deliver people, they reject Him, because they have known him throughout His life.  Next, Jesus sends out His disciples to minister in the towns and villages of Galilee.  When King Herod heard of the miraculous power of Jesus, he said it was John the Baptist raised from the dead.  Then Mark recounts how Herod had been the one to execute John, because of a promise he made to his wife’s daughter at a dinner party.  As the chapter continues, Jesus feeds the five thousand, and then sends the disciples on ahead of Him in a boat.  This gives Jesus the opportunity to come to them walking on the water.  The disciples are, of course, amazed at Jesus’ power to defy the laws of nature.  After this, they crossed the Sea of Galilee once again, and landed at Gennesaret.  There Jesus healed everyone the people brought to Him.  We see God’s Kingdom breaking in everywhere Jesus goes.  That is also how it ought to be when we go places where people experience life challenges they can’t handle.  As the salt and light Jesus called us to be, our presence ought to change their reality and bring wholeness in their lives, too.

Daniel 4 records King Nebuchadnezzar praising the God of heaven for who He is and all He does.  Then it moves to a second dream of the king.  He told the contents of this dream to his advisors, but none could interpret it.  He called Daniel once again, and Daniel interpreted the dream.  The news wasn’t good for the king.  The dream was about a tree that grew majestically but was then cut down and bound with iron.  The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar.  He had grown great, but also proud. The LORD’s plan was to humiliate him for seven years.  He would go mad and eat grass like a cow.  The dream came true a year later as Nebuchadnezzar was bragging about the majesty of the kingdom he had built.  He became like an animal immediately, and the madness lasted for seven years.  When the seven years were up, he looked up to heaven, and immediately the LORD restored him.  This meant he was able to retake his throne, and for the time being He once again praised the LORD of heaven. 

As we move to Daniel 5, we also move decades ahead in time.  Belshazzar has become the king. We’re told he threw a party for all the nobles, and he used the sacred cups from the Temple in Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar had brought to Babylon when he destroyed the Temple.  As the party was continuing, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall.  The message was indecipherable to the king, and to his wisemen.  Once again, Daniel was called, and he interpreted the message. He started by telling the king that his father (more likely his grandfather, or great grandfather), Nebuchadnezzar, had suffered seven years for his great pride, and now because he had not learned, he, too would suffer.  The suffering was more immediate as the king was killed that night, and King Darius of the Medes took over the kingdom.

In Daniel 6, we find King Darius falling for a trap set for him by his advisors who were jealous of Daniel.  They convinced Darius to pronounce that for the next thirty days if anyone bowed down before any god except the king himself, that person would be thrown into a den of lions.  The other advisors knew Daniel would not obey the edict, as he prayed to his God several times each day.  Once the trap was set, the advisors went and found Daniel praying to the LORD.  They brought him to the king and asked the king what had to be done.  The king couldn’t change the edict, or make an exception, so Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den.  The king stayed up all night and refused his usual “entertainment.”  He went to the lions’ den at daybreak and shouted to Daniel to see whether his God had protected him.  Daniel responded immediately, that yes, the LORD had protected him.  The king had Daniel taken out of the den, and the advisors who had set the trap and their families thrown into it. Before they hit the floor of the den, the lions lunged, attacked, and killed them.  Once again, we see the LORD’s protection of Daniel as He upheld his integrity rather than bow down to false gods.

As we return to Mark 5, we come to an account of Jesus performing three miraculous healings.  First, He healed a demon-possessed man in the land of the Gerasenes.  Second, he healed a woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for many years.  She touched His robe as He was on His way to heal a little girl.  Because of her faith Jesus healed her.  He even called her “daughter.”  This was the only time in the gospels Jesus used such a term of endearment.  Finally, Jesus raised the little girl from the dead.  One detail I never knew about the first miracle, the healing of the demon-possessed man, whose name was “Legion,” because he had many demons: when Jesus got to that side of the lake, only He got out of the boat.  The reason is the land was Gentile land, and by getting out of the boat there, He became ceremonially unclean. He didn’t subject the disciples to that, but He was willing to go there to bring healing to the man, and His message of Good News to the people.  The people rejected Jesus and asked Him to leave.  When Legion asked Jesus if he could go with Him, Jesus told him to go back to his home and the surrounding towns and tell everyone what the LORD had done for him.  He responded, and the people who heard His testimony were amazed.  These events show us that no human condition or situation, even death could stop Jesus from bringing the impact of the Kingdom of God to earth!

Today, we turn to the Book of Daniel.  If you are part of New Life Christian Ministries, you will recall we worked our way through the entire Book of Daniel in the summer of 2018 during weekend worship.  You can watch the videos of those messages by going to www.newlifexn.org.  Daniel isn’t a typical book of prophecy in that Daniel and three of his friends, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (aka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo) were young Israelites who were carried off to Babylon, when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, and carried many Israelites into exile.  For Daniel and his friends, the exile was different.  They were drafted into training as advisors for the king.  Daniel turned out to be the wisest of all the advisors, because he continued to follow the LORD.  As we read through Daniel’s twelve chapters, we’ll read of miraculous events and amazing visions.  The visions depict times which were in the immediate future as well as the end of time, so many of the events have already happened, but some are yet to occur at the end of time.  Let’s turn to this book that will be familiar to many.

In Daniel 1, we read of Daniel and his three friends being carried off to Babylon and being put in the training program to become advisors to the king.  Immediately, Daniel balked at eating the rich foods provided by the king.  He wanted to eat a diet of vegetables and fruits.  He convinced the man charged with their welfare to let them try this simple diet for a period of time and then to examine them against the rest of those in training, who were eating the king’s rich foods.  The young men were healthier than the rest after the trial period, so they were given permission to continue their simple regimen.  As the training was completed, Daniel and the other three Israelites proved to be wiser in all matters than any of the others among the king’s advisors and magicians.  The chapter ends by telling us Daniel served throughout the entire reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.

 In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream.  He called his advisors, enchanters, and magicians to tell him what the dream was and then to give its interpretation.  The pagan advisors told the king no king on earth had ever asked such a thing, and he would have to tell them what the dream was and then they could interpret it.  The king was incensed and told them he would kill them all if they didn’t tell him the dream and its interpretation.  When the king’s men came to get Daniel and the other three, he asked what was going on, and why the urgency?  The captain of the king’s guard told him the situation.  Daniel asked for time to pray, and he told the other three to pray.  The LORD gave Daniel both the dream and the interpretation.  The dream was of a man with various types of metal and other materials, starting with gold in his head, bronze in his chest and so on.  Daniel told the king of the dream, and then told him it represented four kingdoms each successively weaker that started with King Nebuchadnezzar himself.  When the King realized the LORD had given Daniel the dream and the interpretation, he acknowledged Daniel’s God, as the God of heaven, and promoted Daniel to the highest post in the kingdom.  He also promoted Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael next to Daniel.

Daniel 3 shifts the attention from Daniel to his three friends.  The chapter begins with King Nebuchadnezzar making a golden statue of himself and commanding that everyone bow down and worship it.  Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael would not.  Therefore, the king had them bound and thrown into a fiery furnace.  Before they were thrown in the king gave them a chance to bow down to his statue.  The young men told the king their God could deliver them, but even if He didn’t, they wouldn’t bow down to the statue.  With that the king flew into a rage and had them thrown into the furnace.  It was so hot the men who threw them in were killed, yet the three were unharmed.  In addition to that, the king saw four men in the furnace, and not three.  Many think it was Jesus or an angel.  In any case, after that the king had the men called out of the furnace.  He once again gave glory to the God of heaven and promoted the three to a higher position.

As we return to Mark 4, Jesus tells several parables to the disciples, including the Parable of the Sower.  He also tells them why He tells the parables.  As we’re returning to the book for the fifth time, these accounts are becoming quite familiar to us. Let’s remember Mark emphasizes Jesus amazing works, much more than His teaching, so these parables were of great importance to Mark.  As we read them, we see Jesus using parables to explain what the Kingdom of God is like.  As we seek to understand God’s Kingdom and to grow to live more and more as citizens of the Kingdom, it’s important for us to read these parables, consider Jesus’ explanations, and then live out the implications or applications. After all information-application=information, but information +application= transformation.  The chapter ends with action once again: Jesus calms a storm.  Much of the action to this point has been Jesus healing the sick and casting out demons.  Here He shows His followers He has authority over nature as well.  We must always remember God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are supernatural beings.  That means they can do acts of power that go beyond any natural ability or strength.  Let’s remember that the next time we’re at the end of our natural abilities and call on the supernatural power of God to move in, through, and beyond us!

Ezekiel 47-48 are a unit, with the start of the chapter telling us about a river that flows from the Temple to the east.  The river brings life, as wherever it flows will be freshwater fish and creatures of all kinds.  Having been to Israel, this is an incredible concept, because to the east of Jerusalem is arid land that looks nothing like it will support creatures of all kinds.  The river will supply the nation with fresh water as well as food.  As the chapter continues and flows into chapter 48, the LORD tells Ezekiel how the land of Israel will be divided up among the twelve tribes.  In extensive detail, each tribe is given specific dimensions and areas where they will live. The LORD also talks about land to be given to the sojourners in the land.  Thus, the book ends on a positive focus, with the future of Israel sure and bright.

As we return to Mark 3, we’re reminded of how Jesus provoked the religious leaders by healing on the Sabbath.  While Jesus’ concern was for the well-being of the man with the withered hand, the religious leaders were concerned about their traditions.  They saw Jesus’ action as a rebellion against their traditions and went immediately to the Herodians to start planning how to get rid of Jesus. Think of that: They wanted to kill Jesus, and He hadn’t called His twelve disciples yet!  In fact, after a session of healing the sick and demon-possessed, Jesus went up a mountain and called the twelve disciples.  Since it was pointed out to me about thirty years ago, I have always recognized the importance of a small word in the description of why Jesus called the twelve.  First, He called them to be “with” Him.  He wanted them to be part of His life, day-in and day-out.  He was always teaching them and showing them how to offer ministry to the people, but He desired to be with them.

The remainder of the chapter focuses on two events.  First, Jesus took on the religious leaders for saying He was casting out demons by the Prince of Demons.  He pointed out this was ridiculous, because no kingdom divided against itself can stand.  Then He pointed out that to attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil is an unpardonable sin.  Second, Jesus’ mother and brothers wanted to see Him, but they couldn’t because of the crowd gathered around Him.  When someone told Him His mother and brothers wanted to see Him, He asked this question, “Who are my mother and brothers?”  It seems like a strange question.  But He answered it by saying whoever does God’s will is His mother, sister, and brothers.  In our lives as Jesus’ followers, our spiritual brothers and sisters might well become closer to us over time than our biological ones, because we are united to each other by the blood of Jesus, and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 45 lays out the dimensions of the land for the Temple, for the priests, for the people of Israel and for the princes.  It also lays out the command for righteousness to be practiced by all the people of Israel, particularly the “prince.”  The LORD outlines the official weights and measures for the people, and the ordering of when the special feasts and sacrifices shall be, including the observance of Passover.  The chapter shows us the LORD intended to reinstitute Israel in holiness.

Ezekiel 46 offers more instructions for the prince and for the people for the observance of the Sabbath.  The Prince was to sit at the east gate on the Sabbath.  That gate was to be closed except on the Sabbath, and when it was opened the prince would enter by the vestibule and sit in the gate.  The people who came to the Temple and entered the north gate were to leave by the south one, and those who entered by the southern gate were to leave by the northern one.  They were not to retrace their steps, but to go forward.  This is a powerful image of how we who follow the LORD are not to turn back.  In other words, once we have repented – turned around – we are to keep going straight.   As the chapter continues, Ezekiel is given instructions about how the outer courts were to be arranged, and what sacrifices were to be offered when.  He is also given instructions for boiling pots for the meat and where they were to be located.  While all this might seem strange to us, given that Jesus is our once and for all sacrifice, the point of it all is the LORD was going to reestablish righteousness and worship among the people.  The LORD was going to be first, and the people were going to live in obedience.

As we return to Mark 2, we find Jesus having His first run in with the religious leaders. In Capernaum, as Jesus was ministering in a house, a group of four men carried their paralytic friend to Jesus for healing.  When they couldn’t get in the door of the house, because of the crowd, they opened a hole in the roof, and let their friend down in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw the man’s friends’ faith, He told the man, “Your sins are forgiven.”  This raised a great discontent among the religious leaders.  They asked how Jesus thought He could forgive sins, the prerogative of God alone.  Jesus responded by asking whether it was easier to forgive sins, or tell the paralytic to get up and walk?  To show His authority to forgive sins, He healed the man physically.  All were amazed.

Next, Jesus called Levi or Matthew, a tax-collector to follow Him.  This also raised the ire of the religious leaders.  When Levi invited Jesus to a meal at His home, along with all his friends, who were mainly tax-collectors and other assorted sinners, the religious leaders asked why Jesus would eat with “them.” Jesus responded the healthy don’t need a doctor but the sick. (Jesus pronounced something vital for us: there is no “them.”  We are all sinners.)

Next, the people raised a question with Jesus about fasting.  They wanted to know why John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus’ disciples did not?  Jesus responded that no one fasts during the wedding feast, and so long as He, the “bridegroom” was present His disciples wouldn’t fast, but when He was gone, they would.