Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 13:14-27.  Let’s go!

Mark 13:14-27 (NIV)
14  “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15  Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.
16  Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
17  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
18  Pray that this will not take place in winter,

On verses 14-27:  Many scholars believe that verses 14-23 are referring to two periods of time: first, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and second the end times when Jesus comes again.

To the extent that these verses deal with the end times, what can we learn from these verses?  While we don’t need to obsess over trying to figure out when exactly the end times will happen, Jesus does want us to be alert and aware of what the end times will look like.  Jesus describes the end times as “days of distress unequaled from the beginning…and never to be equaled again” (v19). 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 12:35-44.  Let’s go!

Mark 12:35-37 (NIV)
35  While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David?
36  David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”‘
37  David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight.
 
On verses 35-37:  The Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees and the teachers of the law all had their turns asking Jesus tough questions.  Jesus answered every one of their questions with amazing wisdom and poise.  Now it was Jesus’ turn to ask a question.  Unlike his critics whose questions were traps to make Jesus look bad, Jesus asks his question to reveal a powerful truth about Himself.  Jesus takes a familiar teaching that his listeners took for granted – the idea that the Christ (Messiah) is the “son of David”, i.e. a descendant of David.  Jesus questions how the Messiah can be the son of David when David himself in Psalm 110 describes this Messiah as “my Lord” (v36).  Doesn’t “my Lord” suggest someone much more senior and more powerful than David? 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 12:13-27.  Let’s go!

Mark 12:13-17 (NIV)
13  Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.
14  They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
15  Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16  They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17  Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.
 
On verses 13-17:  By asking Jesus whether it is right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees and Herodians were trying to trap Jesus in a lose-lose situation, a “catch-22”.   If Jesus answered their question by suggesting that the Jews should not pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees and Herodians could then take this to the Roman government and say, “Look, Jesus is inciting rebellion against Caesar!”  On the other hand, if Jesus suggested that the Jews should pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus might be seen by some Jews as siding with the Roman government and betraying the Jewish nation, similar to the way they viewed tax collectors. 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 11:27-33.  Let’s go!

Mark 11:27-33 (NIV)
27  They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.
28  “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”
29  Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
30  John’s baptism–was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!”
31  They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’
32  But if we say, ‘From men’….” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)
33  So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

On verses 27-33:  At one time Jesus’ critics claimed that it was by the prince of demons that Jesus drove out demons, basically attributing Jesus’ power to Satan.  But Jesus put that argument to rest (Mark 3:22-30).  Still, Jesus’ critics couldn’t figure out where Jesus’ power came from and they were also unwilling to acknowledge that God was behind Jesus’ ministry.  So they ask Jesus, “Who gave you the authority to do what you’re doing?” (v28)

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 11:12-19.  Let’s go!

Mark 11:12-14 (NIV)
12  The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
13  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.
14  Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
 
On verses 12-14:  We will see the fall out of this in verse 20.  In the meantime, we can learn a few things from these verses:
 
– In the first centuries of the church, history shows that some people had more of an issue with whether Jesus was human than whether Jesus was divine.  The fact that Jesus was hungry in verse 12 shows that Jesus was human.
 
– Was it fair for Jesus to curse the fig tree for not bearing fruit when it was not the season for bearing fruit (v13)?  The fact is: Jesus is sovereign.  He can do whatever he wants.  Perhaps a lesson here is that God always wants us to bear fruit, in any season or circumstance (e.g. see Jeremiah 17:8).  What kind of fruit?  The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the fruit of praise (Hebrews 13:15).