Category Archives: Gospel of Mark

2021, Calendar Reading Notes from The WORD, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Questions

Flavor and Spice

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In my considered opinion, the world has a way of ruining the use of certain words; perhaps you have noticed that too.

I came across one of those words in my Bible today. 

Luke 11.

8 But I tell you, even if he won’t get up because the man is his friend, yet because of the man’s hutzpah he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
source

Do you see it? 
Hutzpah. 

It’s a strong word. With much flavor and spice. 

But let’s gets some history. 

Yeshua is teaching and as He often does, He is sharing a parable for those with ears to hear. (Mark 4:33-34) In this parable, He is teaching the art of persistent asking (that is we must persist in asking until we get His answer) and He uses the word hutzpah. 

Now the world has taken this word and used it to mean arrogant, obnoxious, and other such unpleasantries.  [Yes. It’s the same word some add a C, some do not]

Do you see what I mean?

Now let me share with you a different slant and the one JESUS surely meant. 

Boldness, Audacity, Insolence. Nerve. Gall OR a combination thereof weighted according to the situational need.  (from the glossary of my Complete Jewish Bible)

Now let’s see the TEXT.  Let’s see how JESUS illustrates the word.

9 “Moreover, I myself say to you: keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who goes on asking receives; and he who goes on seeking finds; and to him who continues knocking, the door will be opened.
source

He is not saying don’t take no for an answer. 
He is saying don’t stop until you get HIS ANSWER. 

And don’t you love, I do, the first 6 words of verse 9? 
“Moreover, I myself say to you:

I Myself He said. I Myself am saying to you. How AWESOME is that? 
JESUS is saying to us: ask Father.
Ask Him with hutzpah. With full intent of asking until He gives you His Answer. 

And know this please, Father does not wait long with His answers so He can see how long we will ask; He waits so WE will see how long WE will ask.
How much hutzpah do we really have?
We do need to know! Don’t you think?

We were made for this, 

Please know your honest questions are welcome here, via comment or email.
2021, An Assignment, Calendar Reading Notes from The WORD, Gospel of John, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Questions

An Assignment

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I have an assignment for you if you choose to accept it.

Matthew 20: 20-23

I read in Matthew 20 that James and John along with their mother came to JESUS to ask of Him a favor. The favor was that James and John could sit one on His right and the other on His left when He set up His kingdom. 

Mark 10:35-45 also gives an account of this happening. 
Forgive me if I am wrong but from this, I see the Disciples were oh so human. Yeshua is about to be crucified for the sins of the world, including theirs, and they have missed it. At this time James and John are thinking politics, power, getting out from under Roman rule, they are thinking Yeshua would soon be setting up His Rule, His Kingdom and they wanted in on it. Do you see what I mean? 

As you read Matthew 20:20-23, look what Yeshua tells them. 
What does He tell them about His Kingdom and greatness in His Kingdom?

NOW.
John 19:25-27
Where is John? 
Where are the other 10?

Your assignment: What could have happened to John between the Matthew 20 encounter and the John 19 happening?  How different was he, do you think? 

We were meant for this,

1 Peter, 2021, Gospel of John, Gospel of Mark, Job, Revelation

Dead or Alive?

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Admittedly, it’s my opinion, an opinion born of observation. 

The Church (by that I mean people as a whole professing to be Christians) has forgotten we have a real enemy.
The church at large, for a way long time now, conducts business as though Satan is dead or at the most just a little cartoon character with neither power nor gumption to pay us any mind. 
How about this?

1 Peter 5:8  (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. source

Or this one?

John 10:10  (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. source

And this one?

Job 2:7  (NKJV) 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. source

Does this sound like someone we should just ignore, pretend he does not exist? 

Let’s look at another one. 

Mark 4:15  (NKJV) 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. source

Shall we ignore this? If we do, he is well at work just as described in Mark 4:15.

Am I suggesting we live in mortal fear of him? Hiding in our homes refusing to venture out, afraid to open our mouths? 
Nope. Just cultivate a healthy respect for a deadly enemy and a passion to abide in an intimate fellowship with our Father Who can right today send him cowering in mortal fear and eventually to the Lake of Fire forever. 

Here. Read this from Revelation 20 and have a delightful day! 

Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. source

7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. source

How’s that for encouragement?