Daily Scripture
Mark 13:1 As Yeshua came out of the Temple, one of the talmidim said to him, “Look, Rabbi! What huge stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “You see all these great buildings?” Yeshua said to him, “They will be totally destroyed — not a single stone will be left standing!”
3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Kefa, Ya‘akov, Yochanan and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what sign will show when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
5 Yeshua began speaking to them: “Watch out! Don’t let anyone fool you! 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people. 7 When you hear the noise of wars nearby and the news of wars far off, don’t become frightened. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come. 8 For peoples will fight each other, and nations will fight each other, there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the ‘birth pains.’
9 “But you, watch yourselves! They will hand you over to the local Sanhedrins, you will be beaten up in synagogues, and on my account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 Indeed, the Good News has to be proclaimed first to all the Goyim. 11 Now when they arrest you and bring you to trial, don’t worry beforehand about what to say. Rather, say whatever is given you when the time comes; for it will not be just you speaking, but the Ruach HaKodesh. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death; 13 and everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered.
14 “Now when you see the abomination that causes devastation[Mark 13:14 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11]standing where it ought not to be” (let the reader understand the allusion), “that will be the time for those in Y’hudah to escape to the hills. 15 If someone is on the roof, he must not go down and enter his house to take any of his belongings; 16 if someone is in the field, he must not turn back to get his coat. 17 What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For there will be worse troubleat that time than there has ever been from the very beginning, when God created the universe, until now; and there will be nothing like it again.[Mark 13:19 Joel 2:2; Daniel 12:1 ] 20 Indeed, if God had not limited the duration of the trouble, no one would survive; but for the sake of the elect, those whom he has chosen, he has limited it. (Complete Jewish Bible)
***Reflection Questions
Herod the Great built the Temple complex in a futile attempt to win the Jewish people’s acceptance. It was the largest, most striking building for miles in any direction. (Click here to see a rendering of how the Temple may have appeared in Jesus' day.) Yet Jesus said none of it would last. That seemed impossible to the disciples. The only set of events they could imagine that would lead to the ruin of the great Temple would be the convulsive events when God made the earth new and purged all that was evil. With clearer insight, Jesus knew that if Israel’s leaders insisted on seeking political, military deliverance, they’d face a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Roman armies.
Lord Jesus, you taught your disciples what the apostle Paul learned: “The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Help me to build my life on the solid foundation of your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Family ActivityMany people were cruel to Jesus during the last week of His life on earth. He consistently responded with love and forgiveness towards the people who were hurting Him. As a family, share some of your favorite stories about Jesus. What words would you use to describe Jesus in those stories? Review the events of the Final Week together and explore Jesus’ responses in them. How would you describe Jesus in those times? What qualities does Jesus faithfully display throughout His life? Choose one or two characteristics of Jesus your family can develop. What steps will your family take to grow more Christ-like? Pray and ask God to help you become more like Jesus.
Read today's Insight by Michelle Kirby
Michelle Kirby is Resurrection’s Associate Director of Discipleship Ministries. She is co-author of the Journey 101 Course, provides shared leadership in the Adult Discipleship ministry and has been a member of Resurrection since 1998.
“When you hear of wars and reports of wars…nations and kingdoms will fight each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines…you will be beaten…brothers and sisters will hand each other over to death…a father will turn in his children…children will rise up against their parents and have them executed…in those days there will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never see again…”
This is the Good News? Today’s reading doesn’t sound or feel like good news at first glance. Our eyes immediately leap to the words that bring us the most fear. When we read things like this in the Bible it can be terrifying. The hearers of Jesus’ words must have also felt fear and wondered what their own fates would entail.
Unfortunately, there is still so much to be frightened of in our world today.
Today, thousands are planning a march in Washington, D.C. to protest gun violence. This march was organized after a Florida school shooting that killed 17 teenagers. Yesterday I read about a pastor being held in a prison in Turkey because he has been sharing his faith with others. His trial is scheduled for April. If convicted, he will likely be sentenced to 35 years in prison. On last night’s news I heard about more shootings, rioting, bombings, and a mother prostituting her children in exchange for drugs and money. There were also stories about sexual misconduct allegations against our President and against a high profile Christian leader.
What is happening in our world? All of this can leave us feeling vulnerable and paralyzed with fear. It makes us want to throw our hands up in the air and ask if God cares about what is happening. And if he does, why isn’t he doing anything about it? How do we make sense of it all?
Looking back at today’s Scripture, when Jesus was having this discussion with his disciples, he was warning them of what was coming to prepare them. He didn’t want them caught off-guard, and notice that he didn't sugar-coat the dangers. These things were real and were going to happen.
However, we mustn’t miss what else the text tells us. Jesus explains that while terrifying things are going to happen, the Holy Spirit will be with them. He gives them practical advice and tells them where and how to make their escapes. He tells them to stand firm and they will be saved. Jesus encourages them by reminding them that this won't be the end.
One of my favorite quotes by the late theologian and author, Dallas Willard, is this: “The Kingdom of God is never in trouble.”
As alarming as world events are in either the first century or in our time, God’s Kingdom is never in trouble. God will continue to be God.
So, what does that mean to me? There are things I can do, and am responsible for doing, to promote God's peace and healing in a fragmented world. I’m supposed to engage and be the church. Sometimes that looks like a listening ear, a hug, speaking up, teaching, sharing a meal, picking up a hammer, cleaning up trash or a host of other expressions of love. We are all part of God’s redemptive plan to save the world. What a challenge and incredible honor to be a part of that. Being a part of what God is doing in the world empowers us to push back the darkness and the crippling fear associated with it.
Next Sunday we will celebrate Easter, a reminder of the reordering of things in the world. Jesus encouraged his disciples, in one of their own moments of fear, with these words we find in John’s gospel (16:33): “I have said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”
And that IS Good News!
One final thought: if you are struggling with fear, Pastor Adam Hamilton has a new book out titled Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times. You may find his book a helpful tool.
***
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Grow Pray Study Guide for Friday, 23 March 2018 "Praising a poor widow, not greedy legal experts" Mark 35:35-44
Daily Scripture
Mark 12:35 As Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “How is it that the Torah-teachers say the Messiah is the Son of David? 36 David himself, inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh, said,
‘Adonai said to my Lord,
“Sit here at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’[Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1]
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?”
The great crowd listened eagerly to him. 38 As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the kind of Torah-teachers who like to walk around in robes and be greeted deferentially in the marketplaces, 39 who like to have the best seats in the synagogues and take the places of honor at banquets, 40 who like to swallow up widows’ houses while making a show of davvening at great length. Their punishment will be all the worse!”
41 Then Yeshua sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the crowd as they put money into the offering-boxes. Many rich people put in large sums, 42 but a poor widow came and put in two small coins. 43 He called his talmidim to him and said to them, “Yes! I tell you, this poor widow has put more in the offering-box than all the others making donations. 44 For all of them, out of their wealth, have contributed money they can easily spare; but she, out of her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.” (Complete Jewish Bible)
***
Reflection Questions
Jesus turned the elaborate, often technical way the rabbis and legal experts used the Bible to his own ends. “The Christ” was the title for the promised Messiah. Jesus used Psalm 110 to teach that the Messiah was not “just” David’s descendant, but also his eternal Lord. In the Temple Jesus noticed and prized a widow’s devout generosity, such a welcome contrast to the hostile authorities who kept pursuing him.
Lord Jesus, help me to be honest with myself so that I can be honest with other people and with you. I desire to be “all in” for you as the eternal Lord of my life. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 175.
Read today's Insight by Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group and a men’s group, and serves on the curriculum team.
Literature is filled with stories about little old women, like the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, or the Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, or the Old Woman & the Gingerbread Man.
As a kid, I learned early on to tread carefully around “little old women.” For example, I might have been tempted to think my Grandmother Erma wasn’t a particularly imposing woman. However, a few stories of her time as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse near Morganville, Kansas or how she was pregnant with my Dad during the summer of the Dust Bowl in 1936 or, as a young lady, how she was quite handy with a rifle quickly made me realize there was more spunk to her than one might first imagine. (It didn’t hurt that her homemade waffles were also the stuff of legend.)
Aside: Her favorite joke told by Granddad Orville was about 2 old codgers sitting in the living room while their wives were in the kitchen. One was talking about a new restaurant in town that they had really enjoyed. What was the name? Oh I forget. Let’s see. What’s that flower that is red with thorns? A rose? That’s it! (Calling to the kitchen) Rose, what was the name of the restaurant we ate at last week?
Today’s passage illustrates the story of another little old woman - the generous widow. Mark’s succinct description provides us little information about this woman, but how might we picture her? I would submit she is probably on the shorter side. Her skin would be weathered from the sun & the wind. She might have a slight stoop as she walked. Due to doing all of her own chores, she’d be wiry & much stronger than you would first expect. Her hands would be rough & calloused. Her clothing would be dark colors – nothing flashy or showy. She’d be very quiet – used to roaming about Jerusalem without anyone even noticing her.
Theologians discern a variety of important lessons from this vignette, but for today’s purposes let’s focus on the minor miracle. Did you see it? The miracle from the human/earthly perspective is that the Son of Man, the Messiah not only took notice of this woman but also even commended her for her faithful service. How did Jesus even spot this quiet, nondescript woman as she subtly made her donation? Jesus saw this woman’s great act of faithfulness, precisely because He was seeking her out.
I would submit, this has huge implications for us today. For that Mom who is exhausted at the end of the day only to have her young son “suddenly” remember a shoebox diorama of Valley Forge is due tomorrow, for that husband/caregiver who introduces himself daily to his wife of 60 years as she suffers from dementia & shyly asks if he might have lunch with her, for that teenager who has a heart to volunteer for others & yet still feels invisible - I would submit this scene is a game changer. Nothing. Nothing escapes the attention of the Son of God.
I like to think that maybe our widow as she trudged back to her lonely one-room home to prepare a slice of barley bread and a bowl of some thin lentil soup, that perhaps she paused ever so briefly & suddenly felt the warmth & glow of the realization that her Lord & Savior had blessed her. Maybe she allowed herself a brief smile & went on her way with a slight bounce in her step.
Today as we perform some of those thankless tasks that rarely earn any acknowledgement let alone appreciation, perhaps we should pause & realize that the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords does see us & does bless us this day.
Like our widowed friend, maybe “little old women” can serve as an inspiration for us all. As an older friend said, “I don’t want my children/grandchildren calling and asking in hushed tones, ‘How is Grandma?’ I want them instead to say, ‘Uh oh. What is that woman up to today?’”***
Herod the Great built the Temple complex in a futile attempt to win the Jewish people’s acceptance. It was the largest, most striking building for miles in any direction. (Click here to see a rendering of how the Temple may have appeared in Jesus' day.) Yet Jesus said none of it would last. That seemed impossible to the disciples. The only set of events they could imagine that would lead to the ruin of the great Temple would be the convulsive events when God made the earth new and purged all that was evil. With clearer insight, Jesus knew that if Israel’s leaders insisted on seeking political, military deliverance, they’d face a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Roman armies.
- In 70 A.D., Roman soldiers smashed Jerusalem and the Temple. It was awful—but not the end of the world. Many of Jesus’ words applied locally to Jerusalem’s fall. Others did reach to the end of the age. Note which parts of Jesus’ teaching were more local, and which more cosmic. People often find fearful “signs” in verses 5-8—false messiahs, famines, wars, earthquakes. Some voices say, “The world is about to end.” Jesus said, “Don’t be alarmed” (verse 7) by such things—they’re part of life in a broken world. How can Jesus' words help you avoid needless fear? The disciples “knew” the Temple was permanent. What “permanent” realities in your world have changed or “shaken” just since the year 2000? How can trusting God always give you peace about whatever the future holds?
Lord Jesus, you taught your disciples what the apostle Paul learned: “The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Help me to build my life on the solid foundation of your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Family ActivityMany people were cruel to Jesus during the last week of His life on earth. He consistently responded with love and forgiveness towards the people who were hurting Him. As a family, share some of your favorite stories about Jesus. What words would you use to describe Jesus in those stories? Review the events of the Final Week together and explore Jesus’ responses in them. How would you describe Jesus in those times? What qualities does Jesus faithfully display throughout His life? Choose one or two characteristics of Jesus your family can develop. What steps will your family take to grow more Christ-like? Pray and ask God to help you become more like Jesus.
Michelle Kirby is Resurrection’s Associate Director of Discipleship Ministries. She is co-author of the Journey 101 Course, provides shared leadership in the Adult Discipleship ministry and has been a member of Resurrection since 1998.
“When you hear of wars and reports of wars…nations and kingdoms will fight each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines…you will be beaten…brothers and sisters will hand each other over to death…a father will turn in his children…children will rise up against their parents and have them executed…in those days there will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never see again…”
This is the Good News? Today’s reading doesn’t sound or feel like good news at first glance. Our eyes immediately leap to the words that bring us the most fear. When we read things like this in the Bible it can be terrifying. The hearers of Jesus’ words must have also felt fear and wondered what their own fates would entail.
Unfortunately, there is still so much to be frightened of in our world today.
Today, thousands are planning a march in Washington, D.C. to protest gun violence. This march was organized after a Florida school shooting that killed 17 teenagers. Yesterday I read about a pastor being held in a prison in Turkey because he has been sharing his faith with others. His trial is scheduled for April. If convicted, he will likely be sentenced to 35 years in prison. On last night’s news I heard about more shootings, rioting, bombings, and a mother prostituting her children in exchange for drugs and money. There were also stories about sexual misconduct allegations against our President and against a high profile Christian leader.
What is happening in our world? All of this can leave us feeling vulnerable and paralyzed with fear. It makes us want to throw our hands up in the air and ask if God cares about what is happening. And if he does, why isn’t he doing anything about it? How do we make sense of it all?
Looking back at today’s Scripture, when Jesus was having this discussion with his disciples, he was warning them of what was coming to prepare them. He didn’t want them caught off-guard, and notice that he didn't sugar-coat the dangers. These things were real and were going to happen.
However, we mustn’t miss what else the text tells us. Jesus explains that while terrifying things are going to happen, the Holy Spirit will be with them. He gives them practical advice and tells them where and how to make their escapes. He tells them to stand firm and they will be saved. Jesus encourages them by reminding them that this won't be the end.
One of my favorite quotes by the late theologian and author, Dallas Willard, is this: “The Kingdom of God is never in trouble.”
As alarming as world events are in either the first century or in our time, God’s Kingdom is never in trouble. God will continue to be God.
So, what does that mean to me? There are things I can do, and am responsible for doing, to promote God's peace and healing in a fragmented world. I’m supposed to engage and be the church. Sometimes that looks like a listening ear, a hug, speaking up, teaching, sharing a meal, picking up a hammer, cleaning up trash or a host of other expressions of love. We are all part of God’s redemptive plan to save the world. What a challenge and incredible honor to be a part of that. Being a part of what God is doing in the world empowers us to push back the darkness and the crippling fear associated with it.
Next Sunday we will celebrate Easter, a reminder of the reordering of things in the world. Jesus encouraged his disciples, in one of their own moments of fear, with these words we find in John’s gospel (16:33): “I have said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”
And that IS Good News!
One final thought: if you are struggling with fear, Pastor Adam Hamilton has a new book out titled Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times. You may find his book a helpful tool.
***
Like this post? Share it!
  |
- Praising a poor widow, not greedy legal experts
- Malicious hypotheticals and great commandments
- The fearful tenants abusing God's vineyard
- The prince of peace infuriated by an unholy rip-off
- The glory of serving
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Grow Pray Study Guide for Friday, 23 March 2018 "Praising a poor widow, not greedy legal experts" Mark 35:35-44
Daily Scripture
Mark 12:35 As Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “How is it that the Torah-teachers say the Messiah is the Son of David? 36 David himself, inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh, said,
‘Adonai said to my Lord,
“Sit here at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’[Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1]
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?”
The great crowd listened eagerly to him. 38 As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the kind of Torah-teachers who like to walk around in robes and be greeted deferentially in the marketplaces, 39 who like to have the best seats in the synagogues and take the places of honor at banquets, 40 who like to swallow up widows’ houses while making a show of davvening at great length. Their punishment will be all the worse!”
41 Then Yeshua sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the crowd as they put money into the offering-boxes. Many rich people put in large sums, 42 but a poor widow came and put in two small coins. 43 He called his talmidim to him and said to them, “Yes! I tell you, this poor widow has put more in the offering-box than all the others making donations. 44 For all of them, out of their wealth, have contributed money they can easily spare; but she, out of her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.” (Complete Jewish Bible)
***
Reflection Questions
Jesus turned the elaborate, often technical way the rabbis and legal experts used the Bible to his own ends. “The Christ” was the title for the promised Messiah. Jesus used Psalm 110 to teach that the Messiah was not “just” David’s descendant, but also his eternal Lord. In the Temple Jesus noticed and prized a widow’s devout generosity, such a welcome contrast to the hostile authorities who kept pursuing him.
- We use the phrase “all in” about a person fully committed to a belief or course of action. How was the widow Jesus saw in the Temple “all in” for God’s kingdom? (As with the young ruler—cf. Mark 10:17-27—Jesus did not mean it was wrong to be able to pay bills or buy food. He was honoring a heart that worships and serves God before material goods.) In what ways are you “all in” with Jesus? In what ways, if any, are you holding back?
- N. T. Wright said of the “legal experts,” “They give themselves airs, and have a great reputation for piety, but are only interested in lining their pockets. The world has not changed, it seems. Not only lawyers, but also politicians and other leaders in the civic world, are again and again discovered to be putting on a show to gain favour while underneath they are after money.”* What helps you to monitor your motives, to avoid “putting on a show” that doesn’t match your inner reality?
Lord Jesus, help me to be honest with myself so that I can be honest with other people and with you. I desire to be “all in” for you as the eternal Lord of my life. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 175.
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group and a men’s group, and serves on the curriculum team.
Literature is filled with stories about little old women, like the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, or the Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, or the Old Woman & the Gingerbread Man.
As a kid, I learned early on to tread carefully around “little old women.” For example, I might have been tempted to think my Grandmother Erma wasn’t a particularly imposing woman. However, a few stories of her time as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse near Morganville, Kansas or how she was pregnant with my Dad during the summer of the Dust Bowl in 1936 or, as a young lady, how she was quite handy with a rifle quickly made me realize there was more spunk to her than one might first imagine. (It didn’t hurt that her homemade waffles were also the stuff of legend.)
Aside: Her favorite joke told by Granddad Orville was about 2 old codgers sitting in the living room while their wives were in the kitchen. One was talking about a new restaurant in town that they had really enjoyed. What was the name? Oh I forget. Let’s see. What’s that flower that is red with thorns? A rose? That’s it! (Calling to the kitchen) Rose, what was the name of the restaurant we ate at last week?
Today’s passage illustrates the story of another little old woman - the generous widow. Mark’s succinct description provides us little information about this woman, but how might we picture her? I would submit she is probably on the shorter side. Her skin would be weathered from the sun & the wind. She might have a slight stoop as she walked. Due to doing all of her own chores, she’d be wiry & much stronger than you would first expect. Her hands would be rough & calloused. Her clothing would be dark colors – nothing flashy or showy. She’d be very quiet – used to roaming about Jerusalem without anyone even noticing her.
Theologians discern a variety of important lessons from this vignette, but for today’s purposes let’s focus on the minor miracle. Did you see it? The miracle from the human/earthly perspective is that the Son of Man, the Messiah not only took notice of this woman but also even commended her for her faithful service. How did Jesus even spot this quiet, nondescript woman as she subtly made her donation? Jesus saw this woman’s great act of faithfulness, precisely because He was seeking her out.
I would submit, this has huge implications for us today. For that Mom who is exhausted at the end of the day only to have her young son “suddenly” remember a shoebox diorama of Valley Forge is due tomorrow, for that husband/caregiver who introduces himself daily to his wife of 60 years as she suffers from dementia & shyly asks if he might have lunch with her, for that teenager who has a heart to volunteer for others & yet still feels invisible - I would submit this scene is a game changer. Nothing. Nothing escapes the attention of the Son of God.
I like to think that maybe our widow as she trudged back to her lonely one-room home to prepare a slice of barley bread and a bowl of some thin lentil soup, that perhaps she paused ever so briefly & suddenly felt the warmth & glow of the realization that her Lord & Savior had blessed her. Maybe she allowed herself a brief smile & went on her way with a slight bounce in her step.
Today as we perform some of those thankless tasks that rarely earn any acknowledgement let alone appreciation, perhaps we should pause & realize that the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords does see us & does bless us this day.
Like our widowed friend, maybe “little old women” can serve as an inspiration for us all. As an older friend said, “I don’t want my children/grandchildren calling and asking in hushed tones, ‘How is Grandma?’ I want them instead to say, ‘Uh oh. What is that woman up to today?’”***
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like
You might also like
- Malicious hypotheticals and great commandments
- The fearful tenants abusing God's vineyard
- The prince of peace infuriated by an unholy rip-off
- The glory of serving
- Prayer Tip: A Suffering Gospel
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
***
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