Read Mark 13:1-13

Verse 2 was fulfilled in 70 AD. When this incident occured, it was around 30 AD, and the temple was still being worked on until 60 AD. So that leaves us with vs. 5-13 referring to either the preliminaries to 70 AD or else future events for us. We tend to look at these verses as future for us. Verse 8 says, "these are the beginnings of sorrows." The Greek word for "sorrows" is birthpains and implies that it will start slowly and become closer and closer together. Jesus gives a wonderful promise in verse 11 where He says that the Holy Spirit will help them to speak when faced with persecutors. We saw this fulfilled in Acts with the beginning of the church and it still holds true today.

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Ps 37:4-5

Read Mark 12:28-34

"Which is the first commandment of all?"

Why did the scribe hit Jesus with this question? The scribe was asking an honest question because there was confusion at the time over which were the important commandments and which were the lesser ones. Jesus answered by quoting the first part of the OT shema and a verse from Leviticus. The scribe was impressed with Jesus' answer and Jesus commended the scribe for answering wisely.

Read Mark 12:35-44

Jesus is reminding the people that David called his descendant "Lord", and that David knew he would be the Messiah, not just a son.

Then Jesus reminds us that giving sacrificially is more important than the amount that is given. Mark was using Jewish units (2 mites) to describe the scene, and compares it to quadrons, a Roman unit, for his Roman readers. The poor widow gave about 80 cents while the others put in hundreds of dollars.

One Bride for Seven Brothers

Mark 12:13-27

In verse 15, Mark writes that Jesus was thinking of the pharisees' hypocrisy. The men had just finished saying that Jesus " teaches the way of God in truth". They didn't really believe that!

"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus is pointing out that Caesar was not worthy of man's worship, only the one true God is worthy of our praise. Caesar was a secular ruler, claiming to be a godhead, and wrongly asking for worship.

Now the Saducess present a hypothetical question to Jesus about the resurrection in which they do not even believe. They are just trying to embarrass Jesus. And here is Dad's "One Bride for Seven Brothers". Praise God that He is the God of the living and not the dead, and that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were and are in heaven and not just lying dormant somewhere. But I'm still not so sure about not being married in heaven! It's been so blissful on earth, why would I want it to end?

Mark 10-12

I'm behind again, so will just highlight some verses.



Mk 10:27 "But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."


Mk 11:2 ".......you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat." (how was Jesus going to sit on it?)


Mk 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."


Mk 11:25-26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."


Mk 12:12 "...for they knew He had spoken the parable against them."

Dad asked, how did they immediately know that the parable of the vineyard was speaking of them? Usually the crowds didn't get the parables. But he showed us Isaiah 5:1-7 and asked us to meditate on those verses. The Jews were very familiar with this scripture, and immediately linked the vineyard to themselves.