Read: Mark 13:24-37 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. (vv. 32-33) All the commentators agree that this is one of the most difficult chapters in the Bible to understand. Certainly, Jesus is talking about the future. But the issue seems to be that he is talking about more than one event in the future, and they all seem …
Giving
Read: Mark 12:41-44 This poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had to live on. (vv. 43-44) In these verses, Jesus is watching as people are dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. Many well-to-do people put in large amounts of money. But a poor widow drops in just two copper coins. …
How Not to Lead
Read: Mark 12:35-40 “Beware of the scribes . . .” (v. 38) Around AD 600, Pope Gregory I revised a list of evil thoughts, which came to be called the “Seven Deadly Sins.” At the top of that list is pride. Pride and vanity were, without a doubt, one of the things that got Jesus’ ire up more than anything else. William Barclay calls the words in today’s verses “as stern as Jesus ever spoke” (Daily Study Bible). For him, …
The Essence of What We Believe
Read: Mark 12:28-34 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. (vv. 30-31) Have you ever had anyone ask you what you believe? The trouble with many of us who are Christians is that we have attended so many Bible studies and …
The Resurrection
Read: Mark 12:18-27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. (v. 27) What happens after we die has always been a topic of debate throughout human history. Even in Jesus’ time there were a variety of opinions. One opinion held by a group of religious leaders known as the Sadducees was that there is no resurrection of the dead. Although not large in number, they wielded a fair amount of authority in Jewish society. And Jesus’ …