Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: Jesus has been betrayed, and he did not run away. He has been arrested, and he did not fight. He is standing here on trial, and he does not defend himself against the multitude of lies and false testimonies. However, when asked a question, he answers in Truth knowing the consequences will not be pleasant. Up until now it has only been told to the public and religious leaders that he is the Son of God. He has even asked some whom he has healed to keep quiet about it to keep his identity unknown until the necessary time. Enter the necessary time. Christ stood for truth in the face of death. His work and ministry had come to an end in his earthly form, so it was necessary to set the record straight on his identity and what would happen in the end. He is the Son of God, seated at the right hand of the Father. This was blasphemy to the ears of the court and the Pharisees, so it would inevitably lead to the death of Jesus. None the less, he stood for Truth. This is obviously a stark contrast to the disciples who fled and hid and to Peter who denied him three times in this same evening. Perhaps one of the strongest testaments to Jesus’ identity is his truthfulness in the face of pain and suffering. What an example he sets for us. While standing for Truth will not get us killed or physically harmed, sometimes standing for the Truth will cause discomfort and other types of pain. We are called to remain in the Truth regardless. In a culture where everything is true it can be hard to stand for THE Truth. In a world where my truth is not supposed to hurt the feelings of another’s it is tempting to abandon THE Truth. As we watch the example of Christ, however, we are comforted that THE Truth is what will win out in the end as he establishes his Kingdom. May my life stand for Truth.

Biblical Commentary: “And Jesus said, I am—or, as in Matthew (Mt 26:64), “Thou hast said [it].” In Luke, however (Lu 22:70), the answer, “Ye say that I am,” should be rendered—as De Wette, Meyer, Ellicott, and the best critics agree that the preposition requires—“Ye say [it], for I am [so].” Some words, however, were spoken by our Lord before giving His answer to this solemn question. These are recorded by Luke alone (Lu 22:67, 68): “Art Thou the Christ [they asked]? tell us. And He said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if I also ask [interrogate] “you, ye will not answer Me, nor let Me go.” This seems to have been uttered before giving His direct answer, as a calm remonstrance and dignified protest against the prejudgment of His case and the unfairness of their mode of procedure. But now let us hear the rest of the answer, in which the conscious majesty of Jesus breaks forth from behind the dark cloud which overhung Him as He stood before the Council (2).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

(2) Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible. Jamieson, Robert. Fausett, A.R. Brown, David.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: Sometimes finding the “right Christ” feels like a “Where’s Waldo” book. He is always there, but it is hard to see him in the sea of impostors, posers, seducers, and deceivers. Once he jumps off the page at you, it is hard not to see Waldo on that page every time you turn to it. On the tougher pages, there are times in which you have to study the figures in the picture line by line in order to discover the true Waldo. Again, once you find him, his location is always obvious to you when returning to that page. Likewise with Christ, sometimes it is easy to “lose” Him in the midst of all the false messages seeking to lead us astray at every turn. Sometimes His truth seems hidden in a sea of worldly lies. On these occasions it becomes necessary to search earnestly the find the right one, the real Christ. When you do He becomes so obvious it makes you wonder how you ever had to search for Him in the first place. This is the warning Christ is giving to the disciples as He begins His explanation of the end of the world and the establishment of the Kingdom on earth. His first warning is to seek the real Christ and keep our eyes on Him lest we lose track of Him in the sea of distractions and detours Satan throws our way through worldly truths. Jesus also warns of signs of the end times (wars/earth quakes) and putting to rest their desire to know more by telling them that the “day and hour is not known.” Instead, we are called, in the midst of all the other options, to stick with the true Christ on a daily basis so that we are ready when He does return to establish His Kingdom.

Biblical Commentary: “They must take heed that they be not deceived by the seducers and imposters that should now shortly arise (v. 5, 6); “Take heed lest any man deceive you, lest, having found the true Messiah, you lose him again in the crowd of pretenders, or be inveigled to embrace others in rivalship with him. Many shall come in my name (not in the name of Jesus), but saying, I am the Christ, and so claiming the dignities which I only an entitled to.’ ’ After the Jews had rejected the true Christ, they were imposed upon, and so exposed by many false Christs, but never before; those false Christs deceived many; Therefore take heed lest they deceive you. Note, When many are deceived, we should thereby be awakened to look to ourselves (1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: This response comes in a series of responses to traps sprung by the Pharisees who were trying to build a case against Jesus. He has responded to taxes, the resurrection, and his own identity. Now the Pharisees seek to trap him in distinguishing which of the laws of Moses were most important. Jesus responds with, “Love God. Love People.” Everything of importance fits within those two commands. Sacrifices, the Sabbath, and other religious law existed to love God. Commands not to steal, murder, covet, etc were commands to love people in addition to recent commands to serve them instead of seeking to be served.

Biblical Commentary: “He enquired, Which is the first commandment of all? v. 28. He doth not mean the first in order, but the first in weight and dignity; “Which is that command which we ought to have in a special manner an eye to, and our obedience to which will lay a foundation for our obedience to all the rest?’ ’ Not that any commandment of God is little (they are all the commands of a great God), but some are greater than others, moral precepts than rituals, and of some we may say, They are the greatest of all. II. Christ gave him a direct answer to this enquiry, v. 29–31. Those that sincerely desire to be instructed concerning their duty, Christ will guide in judgment, and teach his way. He tells him, 1. That the great commandment of all, which is indeed inclusive of all, is, that of loving God with all our hearts. (1.) Where there is a commanding principle in the soul, there is a disposition to every other duty. Love is the leading affection of the soul; the love of God is the leading grace in the renewed soul (1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: Asking questions instead of giving commands is a leadership concept present in most books on leadership. Different authors have different ways of wording it, but they all mean the same thing. If we ask questions first, it allows the other person to arrive at their own conclusion. If we ask the RIGHT questions first, it allows the other person to arrive at our conclusion on their own. This is not manipulation but merely a skill to help others arrive at the truth. Giving commands typically turns into a “in one ear out the other” type situation. Jesus demonstrates this principle here to establish who he is. The religious leaders are asking him who gave him the authority to teach and do the things that he does (authority could be given directly from God like prophets or given by men on behalf of God like the Pharisees). Instead of responding with a quick remark, long sermon, or emphatic statement, Jesus merely asks a question to help them arrive at their own conclusion. John was viewed as a respected prophet from God, so Jesus has skillfully crafted a question that leads to really only one truthful response. Jesus establishes himself as from God in the same manner that he leads the disciples to the conclusion that he is the Christ (Mark 8:27-29).

Biblical Commentary: “By this resolve of their question into this, our Saviour intimates how near akin his doctrine and baptism were to John’s; they had the same original, and the same design and tendency—to introduce the gospel kingdom. Christ might with the better grace put this question to them, because they had sent a committee of their own house to examine John, Jn. 1:19. “Now,’ ’ saith Christ, “what was the result of your enquiries concerning him?’ ’They knew what they thought of this question; they could not but think that John Baptist was a man sent of God. But the difficulty was, what they should say to it now. Men that oblige not themselves to speak as they think (which is a certain rule) cannot avoid perplexing themselves thus (1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: This is the third time in the book of Mark where Jesus tells his disciples that they must be servants or make themselves last. This one is coming on the tale end of a rebuke first to James and John followed by rebuke of all the disciples. More importantly, look at how at the picture it paints of our God. Most other world religions revolve around following the rules of the leaders, being afraid of a distant being, or giving honor to the earthly representatives and representations of that diety. Not ours! He instead sends Himself in the form of a man to show two things: human compassion and reconciliation. His life models a life of service that we are too model because God, in His invite wisdom, knows that is the only true way to repair the broken worldly relationships in our lives. His second stated purpose, but most important, is His purpose of reconciling each of us to God. We belonged once to the world, to Satan. He held us hostage in the slavery of sin and meaningless existence, but Christ’s sacrifice was paid as the ransom for us to free us from that bondage. Perhaps no where in scripture is Jesus’ purpose better laid out. Serve to reconcile human relationships. Follow Christ to reconcile your Godly relationship. The danger we run as believers is focusing on only one of the two of these. Some serve and serve and serve but miss the point of their soul by rejecting or forgetting Jesus in the process. Others get so caught up in knowing Jesus that they forget to act like Him. Each of us will probably struggle with one, the other, or both in our lives. Our challenge, as we mature spiritually, is to strike the balance of service to our fellow man and relationship with God. Note: Serve can be viewed also as: “go between, to wait upon, take care of”. Random also: “price of release”.

Biblical Commentary: “That therefore it ought not to be admitted into the church; “It shall not be so among you; those that shall be put under your charge, must be as sheep under the charge of the shepherd, who is to tend them and feed them, and be a servant to them, not as horses under the command of the driver, that works them and beats them, and gets his pennyworths out of them. He that affects to be great and chief, that thrusts himself into a secular dignity and dominion, he shall be servant of all, he shall be mean and contemptible in the eyes of all that are wise and good; he that exalteth himself shall be abased.’ ’ Or rather, “He that would be truly great and chief, he must lay out himself to do good to all, must stoop to the meanest services, and labour in the hardest services. Those not only shall be most honoured hereafter, but are most honourable now, who are most useful.’ ’ To convince them of this, he sets before them his own example (v. 45); “The Son of man submits first to the greatest hardships and hazards, and then enters into his glory, and can you expect to come to it any other way; or to have more ease and honour than he has?’ ’ (1.) He takes upon him the form of a servant, comes not to be ministered to, and waited upon, but to minister, and wait to be gracious. (2.) He comes obedient to death, and to its dominion, for he gives his life a ransom for many; did he die for the benefit of good people, and shall not we study to live for their benefit (1)?”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: Those of us in the church have probably heard this verse so many times that it may have lost its true power. If you step back to look at the implications, however, it is easy to see that this interchange is quite revolutionary. The disciples are traveling with Jesus having witnessed a wide array of miracles. So far, these common men are convinced that Jesus, God, is going to establish an earthly kingdom with himself at the top. Therefore, he must be in need of a royal council, a royal court, and men given positions of power within these bodies. They were probably salivating at their change of life circumstances as they pictured Jesus expelling the Romans authorities and establishing a new form of the Jewish faith. They did not know it yet, but they would be sorely mistaken as the kingdom was something else entirely. They would still be given positions of honor within this kingdom, but that would only come after first becoming servants now. Thus Jesus tells them, if they seek positions of high esteem in God’s kingdom, the must become a servant of all. All? The leper? The blind? Children? The poor? Gentiles? Women? “Yes, yes, yes,” would be Jesus’ response. Revolutionary! The God of the universe, with his infinite power, knowledge, wisdom, and presence, establishes humility and service (not honor and prestige) as the keys to the Kingdom. Our response today then should be obvious. We do not serve to receive grace, as grace has already been freely given. We serve in response to that grace with the assurance that while rewards may not be reaped now, they will be in eternity.

Biblical Commentary: “As our other discourses among ourselves by the way, so especially our disputes, will be all called over again, and we shall be called to an account about them. 4. Of all disputes, Christ will be sure to reckon with his disciples for their disputes about precedency and superiority: that was the subject of the debate here, who should be the greater, v. 34. Nothing could be more contrary to the two great laws of Christ’s kingdom, lessons of his school, and instructions of his example, which are humility and love, than desiring preferment in the world, and disputing about it. This ill temper he took all occasions to check, both because it arose from a mistaken notion of his kingdom, as if it were of this world, and because it tended so directly to be debasing of the honour, and the corrupting of the purity, of his gospel, and, he foresaw, would be so much the bane of the church (1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: Think of how weird it would be at a wedding where the groom’s and bride’s fathers said, “I do,” on behalf of the young couple. That would be an odd ceremony. It would be an arranged marriage, not a voluntary one based on the relationship of the two people involved. Likewise, wouldn’t it be odd if our relationship with God existed based on our parents, pastors, or friends saying, “I do,” on our behalf in relation to accepting Christ? This is one of two main goals from this passage I think. Christ asks his disciples who everyone else thought he was. Their answers were all across the board, and you kind of have to wonder if the conversation wasn’t a bit longer than this. Perhaps they listed a wide range of people based on the hundreds of theories about who Christ is. Then, after getting all of the ideas out in the open, Jesus asks them to clarify who they, on a personal basis, believe him to be. Peter’s answer is the right one: “You are the Christ.” This interaction with Jesus and his disciples tells us two things about our own faith. 1. It establishes Jesus as the Christ who was prophesied about in the Old Testament. It establishes that he cannot be a prophet or a humanitarian or just a good teacher, but rather it draws a line in the sand and sets the record straight on Jesus as Christ. 2. This interaction shows us that we must personally make a decision, on our own behalf, to accept Christ. Other people can say he is their Lord and Savior. Other people may say he was a great man who helped people. Other people may say he was a great teacher who taught love, but what really is going to matter, when we arrive at the gates of heaven, is our answer to, “Who do you say I am?”

Biblical Commentary: “We have read a great deal of the doctrine Christ preached, and the miracles he wrought, which were many, and strange, and well-attested, of various kinds, and wrought in several places, to the astonishment of the multitudes that were eye-witnesses of them. It is now time for us to pause a little, and to consider what these things mean; the wondrous works which Christ then forbade the publishing of, being recorded in these sacred writings, are thereby published to all the world, to us, to all ages; now what shall we think of them? Is the record of those things designed only for an amusement, or to furnish us with matter for discourse? No, certainly these things are written, that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God (Jn. 20:31); and this discourse which Christ had with his disciples, will assist us in making the necessary reflections upon the miracles of Christ, and a right use of them. Three things we are here taught to infer from the miracles Christ wrought… I. They prove that he is the true Messiah, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world … II. These miracles of Christ take off the offence of the cross, and assure us that Christ was, in it, not conquered, but a Conqueror… III. These miracles of Christ should engage us all to follow him, whatever it cost us, not only as they were confirmations of his mission, but as they were explications of his design (1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: People love traditions. We eat certain foods at Super Bowl parties and love to watch the commercials. We go to the Varsity on Christmas Eve (our family tradition during my childhood). We have turkey at Thanksgiving. LSU fans make cajun food. Alabama fans eat BBQ. Georgia and Florida play in Jacksonville. The church has a late night Christmas Eve candle light service. Our student ministry has a middle school lock-in and a high school ski trip every year. Everywhere we turn, there tradition exists. Tradition, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. In fact, it is often what bonds people across different generational, economic, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds. It can, however, become a stumbling block in our faith life. In this passage, the Pharisees are rebuking Jesus’ disciples for eating with unclean hands which caused the food to be unclean. Jesus uses an Old Testament quote to call them out. He shows them the hypocrisy of honoring God with traditions, many of which have been made stronger by men, instead of honoring God through the keeping of his commandments. We are constantly in danger of this as Christians both personally and corporately. Personally, we get hung up the ways in which God speaks to us. We become reliant on certain types of worship to give us a “God-feeling”. We become dependent on certain experiences to make us “feel” the Holy Spirit”. Corporately, we get caught up in doing it the way we always have instead of being open to new direction from the Spirit. We find ourselves focusing on our denominational doctrines instead of focusing on drawing attention to Christ. Tradition is not a terrible thing, in and of itself, but we must constantly be aware of how it plays into our faith life. The only tradition that should exist, spiritually speaking, is that which draws attention to God lest the tradition become the Golden Calf idol that is put in His (God’s) place instead.

Biblical Commentary: “He [Jesus] reproves them for placing religion in the inventions and injunctions of their elders and rulers; They taught for doctrines the traditions of men. When they should have been pressing upon people the great principles of religion, they were enforcing the canons of their church, and judged of people’s being Jews or no, according as they did, or did not, conform to them, without any consideration had, whether they lived in obedience to God’s laws or no. It was true, there were divers washings imposed by the law of Moses (Heb. 9:10), which were intended to signify that inward purification of the heart from worldly fleshly lusts, which God requires as absolutely necessary to our communion with him; but, instead of providing the substance, they presumptuously added to the ceremony, and were very nice in washing pots and cups; and observe, he adds, Many other such like things ye do, v. 8. Note, Superstition is an endless thing. If one human invention and institution be admitted, though seemingly ever so innocent, as this of washing hands, behold, a troop comes, a door is opened for many other such things(1).”

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Opening Prayer: Thank you Lord for the provisions and guidance you have blessed me with in my life. Please give me discernment in applying your word to my life so that I might grow closer to you and impact those around me.

Journal Entry: One of the beauties about going off to college is the ability to reinvent one’s self, to become a new person. You have the chance to be seen as the 18 year old you and not the 8th grade you that some point may remember. It seems even Jesus experienced these issues in his own home town at the beginning of chapter 6. He tries to teach, heal, and serve in Nazareth as he already has in so many other places. Rather than accept him, the people merely call to question is right, authority, and ability to do this because they remember 12 year old Jesus who used to play in Joseph’s carpenter-shop. Thus Jesus leaves saying his hometown was not ready for the message. Jesus then tells his disciples to go out into the region in pairs, spreading the word and cleansing people of unclean spirits. This is the point where we arrive at the instructions given by Christ in verses 10-11. He is simply instructing them to only stay where they are welcome. Jesus was instructing them on staying in physical houses, but there is much more to it than just whether or not the disciples had a bed and food for the night. It had to do with that town’s receptiveness to hear the gospel. They were commanded to go everywhere, but they were also told to only apply their efforts to places open to hear. What a message for us today! We too are called to share Jesus with everyone, but we must also be willing to move on if the opportunity is not there. It seems like a harsh statement. Maybe it is someone else’s purpose to witness to that person. Maybe your initial efforts will soften their heart for future encounters. One thing we know for sure, the gospel cannot be forced into people’s hearts. Therefore, we must simply look for the windows God opens and be willing to jump through them. Suppose you have 10 minutes in which to share your faith. Is it not more productive to share with someone whose heart is at a point where they can hear your words openly and is soft enough to admit they are in need of a savior? If we are all looking for the open window, instead of spending our time banging down doors, the spread of the gospel will happen much more effectively and lovingly.

Biblical Commentary: He pronounces a very heavy doom upon those that rejected the gospel they preached (v. 11); “Whosoever shall not receive you, or will not so much as hear you, depart thence (if one will not, another will), and shake off the dust under your feet, for a testimony against them. Let them know that they have had a fair offer of life and happiness made them, witness that dust; but that, since they have refused it, they cannot expect ever to have another; let them take up with their own dust, for so shall their doom be,’(1).

Closing Prayer: Application, confession, others, myself

May the words of my mouth, my actions, and the condition of my heart be aligned with your word and will today Lord. Amen.

References: (1) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson.