Jesus knew our greatest need. It wasn’t health or wealth. It was removal of the sin barrier between us and God. The needs of the heart trump the physical needs. He presents this to the people in His interaction with those who seem to ignore this truth or think they can’t be worthy in God’s sight.

Day One Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 2:1-12.

Historical Insight: Capernaum was a fairly large town with about 1500 residents and the major center of trade and commerce in Galilee. The international trade route from Egypt through Palestine to Syria and Mesopotamia passed nearby. Caravans came through with travelers and merchants from many nations and stations of life—not only Jews but non-Jews (also called Gentiles). It was also a tax collecting center for the Romans. Travelers and merchants had to stop and pay a tax on their way through town. Fishermen and farmers had to pay a tax when they sent out their products. So, a lot of tax collectors were headquartered in Capernaum—like Levi in Mark 2. Roman soldiers were stationed there to keep peace at this busy intersection.

The climate was so good that the locals thought of Capernaum as a “paradise.” Palm trees grew along the boulevards. Fruits and vegetables multiplied so the farmers were prosperous as were the fishermen. Nearly everyone lived on the same level economically. Jesus adopted Capernaum as His hometown and the center of His ministry in Galilee. Five of His 12 disciples came from there. It was an ideal place for Jesus to spread out His message. And, the inhabitants of Capernaum had many opportunities to see and hear Jesus.

1. Discover the Facts: It is generally thought that Peter’s house in Capernaum was Jesus’s home base. Since Peter was married (Mark 1:30; 1 Corinthians 9:5), see what is happening here through the eyes of his wife (Mrs. Peter). Picture crowds inside and outside the house.

• What news did the people hear (v. 1)?
• What is the situation in the house (v. 2)?
• What is Jesus doing?
• What happens next (vv. 3-4)?
• What does He see and say (v. 5)?
• Who was also present and watching (v. 6)?
• What were they thinking (vv. 6-7)?
• What does Jesus know about them (v. 8)?
• What does He say (v. 9)?
• Why does He then heal the man (vv. 10-11)?
• What is the healed man’s response (v. 12)?
• What is the crowd’s response?

Historical Insight: The Pharisees were an influential group of ~6000 men whose goal for about 150 years was that Israel would stay true to Judaism and never go back to idolatry. So, they emphasized keeping every bit of the law of Moses plus 100s of man-made laws. Since the Pharisees found that other Jews were not careful enough keeping those laws, they looked on other people as tainted by sin and, therefore, to be avoided. By Jesus’s day, they had become so self-satisfied with their law-keeping that they were hard-hearted to the things of God and His people. The “teachers of the law” (also called “scribes” or “lawyers”) were like today’s seminary professors since many of them taught in the Jerusalem seminary.

2. What did the 4 men think that their paralyzed friend’s most important need was? How do you know?

3. What did Jesus think was the man’s most important need? How do you know?

Scriptural Insight: This is an illustration of the difference between real needs and felt needs. Whereas the paralyzed man’s felt need was his need to walk again, his real need was to remove the barrier of sin that separated him from God. In Jesus’s mind, the man’s real need trumped his physical needs. Jesus took care of his real need first then his felt need. We see him doing this by teaching crowds of people everywhere He went about a relationship with God even while healing those who were sick.

4. How do Jesus’s action and words in vv. 8-9 answer the question asked silently in v. 7?

5. What is missing in the religious leaders’ attitude toward the paralyzed man?

Think About It: The Jews in bondage to Rome longed for the Kingdom. Jesus offered them the Kingdom and freedom from their bondage to sin. Many rejected it.

6. Heartbreak to Hope: The Pharisees and teachers of the law are always watching Jesus, always finding fault with Him. How do you feel about someone who always finds fault with you? Jesus gets it. He dealt with it every day.

Read Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32.

Historical Insight: Tax collectors sat at a tollbooth along the highways collecting Roman taxes on toll roads and customs on merchandise. They were considered greedy, on a get-rich-quick path to success since they could exact a surcharge on people, charging up to 4 times the tax fee itself. Because they were in collusion with the Romans, they were hated by most Jews as cheats and traitors. The tax collectors and their wives were not permitted to attend the synagogue. So, they formed their own social group. As to skills, tax collectors were educated men who could write in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. They carried an inkwell and paper with them to use for record keeping. The fact that Levi has two names—Levi Matthew—speaks to his wealth and prominence in the community. You will see throughout the gospels that tax collectors were drawn to Jesus.

1. Discover the Facts: Jesus calls another man to become His disciple—Levi, whom we know better as Matthew, the writer of the gospel by that name.

• What is happening (v. 13)?
• Who does Jesus see (v. 14)?
• When Jesus says, “Follow me,” how does Levi respond (v. 14)?

Think About It: Jesus knew Levi’s longing heart and offered hope by saying 2 words, “Follow me.” If there was a Mrs. Levi, she shared in her husband’s disgrace. When Jesus got a hold of her husband, it would affect her life as well.

• Where is Jesus later (v. 15)?
• Who is there (v. 15)? See also Luke 5:29.
• Who else showed up outside to listen and watch (v. 16)?
• What did they see Jesus doing?
• What question did they ask about this?

Scriptural Insight: Sinners were the really bad people such as money-changers, thieves and prostitutes. They were considered scum like the tax collectors but from a lower class.

• What is Jesus’s answer to them (v. 17)? See also Matthew 9:13.

Focus on the Meaning: According to the Pharisees’ teaching, God’s mercy extended only to those who kept the Law (including their laws). But, what is mercy? It is being pardoned and not getting the judgment or punishment we deserve. Forgiveness of sins is mercy. Jesus offered mercy to every tax collector and sinner. Levi said yes to the offer and probably left 10 times more income to follow Jesus than the fishermen did. Levi is known more by his other name Matthew (beloved of God) which speaks of his new identity. He also got a new way to use his writing skills. The Gospel of Matthew is the longest gospel and contains more of Jesus’s sermons than any other. In it, he refers to himself as “Matthew, the tax collector”—what he is now (beloved) and how he was known before Jesus came into his life.

2. Read Luke 3:12-13. Tax collectors were drawn to John the Baptist’s preaching and came to be baptized. What did he tell them?

3. Heartbreak to Hope: The paralyzed man was in need. But, so was healthy, wealthy Levi.

• Do you know someone like that who is smart and seemingly doing well in life but hopeless? Someone who is desperately in need of God’s mercy right now? What about that woman next door or sitting in that office? What can you tell her about your own acceptance of Jesus’s offer of mercy to you that would give them hope?
• Are you the one needing God’s mercy right now? Will you accept Jesus’s offer of mercy and forgiveness so your life can be changed by Jesus like Matthew’s life was changed?
• Perhaps your own “house neighbors” need the Jesus living in you to extend mercy to them, the kind of mercy you’ve already received from Him. Ask Jesus to help you do this.

Write A Prayer To God In Response To What He Has Shown You In This Lesson.

Day Two Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 2:18-22.

Scriptural Insight: Fasting is a voluntary abstinence from food and/or drink as an expression of religious devotion. In the Old Testament, God prescribed one yearly fast for all Jews on the Day of Atonement as an act of repentance and mourning over sin. By the time of the New Testament, some Jews practiced personal “fasting” (for example, Anna in Luke 2:37). Jesus did not by practice or by teaching stress fasting. The Pharisees promoted voluntary fasts for their disciples twice a week (on Mondays and Thursdays) as an act of piety. The feast in Levi’s house may have occurred on one of those days. Jesus’s parable referred to the Jewish custom exempting the friends of the bridegroom from certain religious obligations such as the weekly fasts. God was doing something new and different. It was the time for celebrating, not mourning, because the long-awaited Kingdom was here. After Pentecost, Jewish Christians continued to fast, but there is no record of Gentile Christians doing so.

1. Discover the Facts: This is a curious passage. The Pharisees are continually challenging Jesus’s practices and comparing those to what they consider acceptable.

• What oppositional question do they ask (v. 18)?
• How does Jesus answer them in vv. 19-20?
• What does He say about adding new things to old forms (vv. 21-22)?

Think About It: As Christians, we operate under grace and are free to fast or not to fast as we feel led by the Spirit of God to do so. Any time you feel coerced by others to fast, go to the Lord and ask Him, “Is this what you want me to do?” The Lord is pleased with whatever you give Him, as long as it is His idea and His power and not something you do in your own flesh (in your own power without relying on Him). (Sue Bohlin, Probe Ministries)

Read Mark 2:23-28.

2. Discover the Facts: Does it seem to you like the Pharisees are stalking Jesus? Here they are again with another oppositional question.

• One Sabbath, what was Jesus doing (v. 23)?
• What is the question asked by the Pharisees this time (v. 24)?
• How does Jesus answer them (vv. 25-26)?
• Then, what does He teach about the purpose of the Sabbath (v. 27)?
• What claim does He make for Himself (v. 28)?

3. It was according to the Pharisees that Jesus’s actions were unlawful, not according to God. Anyone can feed themselves on the Sabbath. The restriction to working on the Sabbath was for work that led to harvesting a crop to sell. Were Jesus and His disciples doing this?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Three Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 3:1-6.

Historical Insight: According to Dr. Paul Brand, the late world-renowned leprosy physician, the best example in the Bible of a person with Hansen’s disease is the man with the withered hand in Mark 3:5. He likely suffered from tuberculoid leprosy. (Answers Magazine, Vol. 2 No. 3, “Biblical Leprosy: Shedding Light on the Disease that Shuns,” p. 78)

1. Discover the Facts: With the question of what is lawful to do on the Sabbath in their minds (2:24), Jesus’s opposition once again closely watched Him to see what He would do in the synagogue.

• What is the situation (vv. 1-2)?
• What did Jesus say anyway (v. 3)?
• What question does Jesus ask to counter their illogical thinking (v. 4)?

Think About It: The Pharisees believed in Jesus’s power to perform miracles. The question was not “Could He?” but “Would He?” Jewish tradition prescribed that aid could be given the sick on the Sabbath only when the person’s life was threatened, which obviously was not the case here. (NIV Study Bible 1984 Edition, note on Mark 3:2, p. 1497)

• What did He recognize in them and how did He feel about that (v. 5)?
• What happens next (v. 5)?
• What is the response of the opposition to Jesus now (v. 6)?

Historical Insight: The Herodians were influential Jews who supported Rome. Normally, the Pharisees would have avoided them in every possible situation. But, their hatred of Jesus is so strong that they plot to kill Him. Now, who is really breaking the Law of Moses? The legalists plotted to break the Law to kill Jesus.

Jesus had a normal human emotional response of anger and distress against the stubborn hearts of the religious people who think they have it “right” and are not teachable. Their hard hearts angered and saddened our Lord. The Jewish people looked up to these religious leaders and were being led away from God, not toward Him, by their influence.

2. Heartbreak to Hope: Do you also feel anger and distress against hard-hearted people in your life? Jesus understands exactly how you feel. He didn’t stop teaching truth to those who were in opposition to Him or whose hearts seemed so uncompassionate towards the hurting. He did the right thing. He can help you do the right thing, also. Just ask for it.

Read Mark 3:7-12.

3. Discover the Facts: More crowds, more teaching, and more demonstrations of God’s power present in Jesus …

• What did Jesus do (v. 7)?
• What kept Him from getting away with His disciples (vv. 8-9)?
• What did He use to help Him stay focused on His priority of teaching the crowd (vv. 10-11; 4:1)?
• What interaction did Jesus have with the evil spirits (vv. 11-12)?

4. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s lesson speaks to your heart?

Write A Prayer To God In Response To What He Has Shown You In This Lesson.

Day Four Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16.

1. Discover the Facts: Jesus needed to make a big decision. He would choose some of His many followers (disciples) to be appointed for special service.

• What did He do before this moment (Luke 6:12-13)?
• Where did Jesus go to call together those He wanted (v. 13)?
• How many did He appoint and designate “apostles” (v. 14)?
• What would be their three-fold purpose (vv. 14-15)?

2. List those He chose plus what is said about them. Note: when comparing the lists in Matthew 10:2-4 and Luke 6:14-16 with what is here in Mark, some men were known by two names (Bartholomew was also Nathaniel; Thaddeus was also called Judas son of James).

From the Greek: The word translated “apostle” means “delegate, one sent with a special commission.”

3. Why would it be good to have these 12 dedicated Apostles? Consider all the various aspects of being with Jesus.

4. Heartbreak to Hope: Though we are not called to be “Apostles,” we are called by Jesus to be with Him. We are with Him continually because His Spirit lives in us. But, we can be with Him like the Apostles were through what He chose to have His Apostles record for us—now the New Testament writings. When you spend time reading a portion of the New Testament, you are with Jesus so He can teach you and send you out to tell others what you learned from Him. When is your daily designated time to be with Jesus?

5. Heartbreak to Hope: Reflect back on this whole lesson, how did someone experiencing heartbreak, pain, or uncertainty find hope, healing and love?

Write A Prayer To God In Response To What He Has Shown You In This Lesson.

[For additional application to this lesson, read the following essay, “Walking Home with Jesus.”]

— — — — —

Walking Home With Jesus

Where do you live? Picture it in your mind. Do you inhabit a house in a neighborhood or in the country? Do you reside in an apartment? Or, do you occupy a room of someone else’s house? Home is where you live—where you do life together with family and friends. You may spend so much time in an office or in your car that you might feel like you live there. 

Now picture the people who live or work around you. Anyone who is not you is your neighbor. Those are all part of your “neighborhood.”

In our lesson today, Mark describes what takes place in two homes filled with real people in a real town. Just like that, you and I go home every day to real places surrounded by real people in a real town. The real town for Jesus was Capernaum. Mark wrote,

Now after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.” (Mark 2:1)

Jesus made this town His home base for ministry to all sides of the Sea of Galilee. He made Himself at home among His new neighbors. And, He does the same thing with us.

I recently rediscovered this verse:

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.” (John 14:23)

Isn’t that delightful? That means walking in the door of wherever we live, Jesus is “with” us. And, what I think Jesus wants us to know today is this: we can experience and enjoy His presence in our homes—daily—and so can our neighbors.

What does it mean to walk home with Jesus? Let’s look at the first real home in Capernaum—Peter’s house, where the paralyzed man was healed.

Enjoying Jesus’s Presence At Home (Peter’s House)

Scholars and tradition strongly hold that Peter’s house became “the house of Jesus.” Whenever Jesus was in Capernaum, He walked across a small rocky yard through the front door, into the courtyard of a large house and dwelled there with His new “house neighbors.” Who were they?

For sure, Peter and Andrew, plus Peter’s wife—let’s call her Mrs. Peter—and Mrs. Peter’s mother (Mark 1:30). Later in Mark, when the disciples were in the house arguing about something, Jesus takes a little child in His arms. I doubt if He reached out the window and grabbed one off the street! So, I think there were children in Jesus’s new home.

What do you think it was like for Mrs. Peter to experience Jesus’s presence in her home? Of course, there were the fun things…like great conversation around the dinner table! What about how He healed her mom? That’s answered prayer, isn’t it? Especially since she had so many men to feed. Jesus not only ate meals that she prepared, He also befriended her husband and discipled him to be a more mature man. And, ladies, she got to learn from Him herself as He taught in her home. Whenever He was present in her home, she could enjoy Him.

To Enjoy Jesus’s Presence In Your Home Means To Accept It As An Absolute Fact.

Before we can begin to enjoy Him, we must accept His continual presence as an absolute fact. I don’t mean Jesus lives in the walls or ceilings of your house. You’re not going to find Him hiding in the closet. Nothing spooky like that. This is what I mean: When you and I hear the good news of Christ and put our faith in Him, the Holy Spirit, who’s called the Spirit of Christ, comes to live inside of you and me. We become united with Jesus Christ—one with Him in Spirit. For me, that means He lives in me, and I live in Him. When I am in my house, He’s with me. When I leave my house, He is still with me. What I do, He’s in on it.

That’s true for anyone who trusts in Him. And, get this: we can enjoy Jesus’s presence even when life is not presently enjoyable.

Sometimes life was a bit challenging for Mrs. Peter. For instance, the evening after her mom was healed, every sick person in the whole town was at her front door! How do you think she felt about that? How would you feel? If the townspeople in today’s lesson were crammed into her house to hear Jesus preach, that would mean wall-to-wall sweaty people sitting on her chairs and floor mats. Then, what happens? Crumbled mud starts dropping down all over her floor. She looks up and sees four men tearing this huge hole in her roof to let their friend’s stretcher down near Jesus. What do you think she might have been thinking? Even if it wasn’t Mrs. Peter’s house, it was someone’s house. What would you be thinking?

Some of those sweaty people were likely friends whom she knew and liked—her “street neighbors.” Jesus may have healed some of them outside her front door a while back. They were interested or already believed in Him like the four men and their desperate friend.

But, some of Mrs. Peter’s neighbors were not so nice. Here, Mark introduces us to some critical snobs called Pharisees—a small but influential group of men whose goal for about 150 years was that Israel would stay true to Judaism and never go back to idolatry. So, they emphasized keeping every bit of the law of Moses plus 100s of man-made laws. By Jesus’s day, they had become so self-satisfied with their law-keeping that they were hard-hearted to the things of God and His people. “Teachers of the law” also called “scribes” or “lawyers” were like modern lawyers or seminary professors.

For Mrs. Peter, these lawyers had traveled from all parts of Israel to prominently place themselves in her house, on her chairs and cast their critical remarks. How do you feel about someone who always finds fault with you? Who comes into your home to do the white glove test on your windowsills? All of these were in the presence of Jesus in Mrs. Peter’s home. She needed to accept that reality. And, there’s one more thing…

To Enjoy Jesus’s Presence In Your Home Means Giving Him Permission To Make It His Own.

For Mrs. Peter, it meant all her life. Whenever Jesus was in Capernaum, He and his disciples probably stayed in her house. That meant feeding a bunch more men besides her own. Crowds gathered at the door at mealtime so they could hardly eat before the food got cold. You’ll see this in the next lesson. Later on, a church met in her home. Mrs. Peter needed to remember who made His home in her house. And so do we.

I remember the time when the youth in our church met in someone’s home for mid-week Bible study. They played games outside, took their shoes off as they walked into the front door, and sprawled their sweaty bodies everywhere in Paula’s living room. Paula’s beautiful house reflected her gift for decorating and making things lovely. But, week after week for about four years, forty kids were welcomed there to get to know Jesus. I’m sure something was broken or stained during that time. But, Paula gave permission for Jesus to make her home His own. And, kids got to experience His presence in her home.

Here’s what I think Jesus wants us to know: when we go to wherever it is that we live, we walk in that door with Him. He wants us to give Him permission to make it His own.

Likely that won’t involve having crowds of people crammed into your place and tearing holes through your roof. But, it might. What do you do then? If you prayed about the place where you are now living, for what did you ask God? Something affordable? Comfortable? Near good schools? We pray; God answers by providing a place. Then what? Do we consider that God has provided not only for our shelter but also for His use?

A picture has been on our living room wall for about 35 years. It reads: “This is the Lord’s house, temporarily occupied by the Newtons.” Looking at this should remind me that Jesus gave us this place to live but not just for our comfort and enjoyment. It is His home, too. Am I enjoying His presence here? Does He have permission to use it to introduce Himself to His neighbors?

Remember the question I asked at the beginning. Who are your neighbors? The answer is, “Anyone who is not you.” That includes all your “house neighbors”—a husband if you are married, children or grandchildren if you have them, a roommate—as well as your “street neighbors” or “work neighbors” who live next door or work with you. Jesus was at home in Mrs. Peter’s house. She believed in Him, experienced and enjoyed His presence. And while Jesus stayed there, He got to know his new neighbors, including the one who owned the next real home we are visiting—Levi.

The Neighbors Enjoying Jesus’s Presence (Levi’s House)

Levi was on a “get rich quick” path of life. A tax collector back then was like a drug dealer today, except his business was legal. The Romans collected a tax on everything including highway tolls and customs on any goods you carried through the city. That’s what Levi was doing—sitting in his tollbooth, collecting that money. To do this job meant that he was educated and could write in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. His job required that he carry an inkwell at his waist and some paper for making notes.

Tax collecting was for the greedy. You could charge whatever you wanted above Rome’s share to line your own pockets. So, if you were a Jewish tax collector you were considered a cheat, a liar, and a traitor—the scum of Jewish society along with the “sinners” (really bad people like moneychangers, thieves, and prostitutes). Tax collectors were so despised that they were not allowed to attend synagogue or to testify in court.

Remember that paralyzed man in Peter’s house? He was desperate. But, so was healthy, wealthy Levi! Do you live near someone like that? Smart, but hopeless. Jesus knew his desperate condition and offered hope by saying two words, “Follow me.” Levi did. So, Jesus walked home with his new neighbor, Levi.

Paul asserts in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that all the Apostles had believing wives so Levi was probably married. Let’s call her Mrs. Levi. Her husband’s disgrace extended to her, also. No synagogue for her. The Jewish community shunned her. Perhaps there is someone in your neighborhood, even in your church, who has experienced this. She’s married to a guy who has a prison record, who struggles with pornography, who is a registered sex offender or an alcoholic. How do you feel about her? How does she feel about herself?

Jesus’s Presence Brings A Life Change.

If there was a Mrs. Levi, how do you think she felt when Jesus walked through her front door, arm-in-arm with her husband? We don’t know. But, something had changed her husband. And, it would change her life as well.

Look at what Levi did to celebrate his new relationship with Jesus. He threw a big party. Yay! And, look who he invited—guys from the office. Mrs. Levi was probably used to that. They stuck together. And, they brought friends—moneychangers, thieves, and maybe a prostitute or two. Jesus came with His disciples and those who followed Him. Plus, look who else showed up. The Pharisees were listening outside the front door, peering through the windows. Unlike Peter’s house, they would not have stepped foot inside this one!

Wherever Jesus goes, people are always watching, asking questions. Those lawyers saw Him do the unexpected—eating with “sinners.” So, they asked, “Why?” Back then, eating with someone was a sign of friendship so how could a preacher be a friend to sinners? You know that before those Pharisees would have eaten one bite of food with Levi, they would’ve demanded Levi wash 7 times in the Jordan River plus completely sanitize his house. Even that wouldn’t be enough! But, that’s not how our Jesus is.

Sure, Mr. and Mrs. Levi didn’t go to church to hear Jesus. They were guilty of sin in their lives just like we are. And, they needed God’s mercy just like we do. Mercy is God’s amnesty. It’s being pardoned and not getting the judgment or punishment we deserve.

Who in your life is desperately in need of God’s mercy right now? What about that woman next door or sitting in that office? We are supposed to allow Jesus to use His presence in our lives and homes to reach them. Perhaps your own “house neighbors” need the Jesus living in you to extend mercy to them, the kind of mercy you’ve already received from Him.

Jesus’s Presence Brings New Purpose.

Levi became known by another name—Matthew—meaning, “beloved of God.” That name certainly reflected his new identity. Mrs. Levi was no longer Mrs. Tax Collector but Mrs. Matthew, also beloved of God. And, Matthew had a new way to use his skills. His is the longest gospel and records more of Jesus’s teachings than the other authors do. In his own gospel, Matthew lists himself among the apostles as “Matthew, the tax collector.” That reflects what he was after Jesus came into his life, beloved of God, and how he was known before that time.

And, Matthew’s account of this story records Jesus saying to the Pharisees, “Go and learn what this means. ‘I (God) desire mercy and not sacrifice.’” Mercy is what Levi needed. Mercy is what his wife and friends needed. Jesus offered it to them all—right there in Mrs. Levi’s home.

To Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Levi, Jesus was God with skin on. He isn’t here on earth in His body anymore. But, remember, His Spirit comes to live inside our spirits so that in essence…

Jesus Lives Where I Live; My Neighbors Are His Neighbors.

Homes were significant to Jesus’s ministry on earth. In homes, He taught and had discussions with His disciples. You’ll see this throughout Mark (as in Mark 7:17; 9:33; 10:10). In homes, He ate with those who loved Him as well as with those who were skeptical of Him (Luke 7:36-47, 14:1). In homes, women sat at His feet, listening to Him teach and tearfully pouring out their hearts to Him. Yep. Homes were central to His ministry then and are still important now. Do you think that way?

Did you see the third home in today’s lesson? In Peter’s house, what did Jesus tell the healed man to do? Jesus said, “Go…home.” Why not to the synagogue? You know, go brag to the priests and rabbis? What was at home? The people who loved him and cared for him. Who do you think enjoyed Jesus’s presence more that day: the Pharisees or the healed man and his family?

Jesus often told people to go home. Later, in Mark 5, he said to another healed man, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” And, the man did that.

Henry Ward Beecher, a 19th century preacher, declared this,

“If you want your neighbor to know what Christ will do for him, let the neighbor see what Christ has done for you.”

I’ll go back to my original question. Where do you live? And, what has Jesus done in your life and my life that our “house neighbors” and “street neighbors” need to know about?

I recently heard one of my favorite teachers, Josh McDowell, reference Psalm 26:3 which says this about God:

For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, and your loyalty continually motivates me. [believing response]. (Psalm 26:3)

Then, he said this:

“Relationships determine what we believe. We are talked into talking; we are loved into loving; we are related into believing.” (Josh McDowell, Dallas Theological Seminary Commencement, May 2005)

A loving relationship with God incites me to accept His truth. A loving relationship with a child stimulates that child to accept the truth by which I live. A loving relationship with a neighbor, co-worker, or family member just might stir that person to accept the truth that drives my life. That’s why Jesus sent those men and others home. “Go to the ones with whom you have a relationship and introduce me to them.”

Another one of my favorite teachers from the 20th century, Howard Hendricks, said this:

“You can impress people at a distance; you can only impact them up close. The general principle is this: the closer the personal relationship, the greater the potential for impact. “

Impact starts with you enjoying your relationship with Jesus:

• Knowing He is constantly with you, never abandoning you.
• Spending frequent time with Him in Bible reading and prayer. Did you know that as you are doing your Bible study, you can be talking to Jesus about it the whole time? He’s enjoying it with you.
• Talking to Him about the big and small stuff in your life.
• Doing life together with Him all day long.

Have you been enjoying His presence like that? You can. I can. Then, we’ll have something to offer to our neighbors—”house neighbors,” “street neighbors,” and “work neighbors.”

Now What?

We have just started this study of Mark. Maybe you are curious but not yet convinced about Jesus. Is the Holy Spirit drawing you today to commit yourself to Him? If the prayer of your heart is for Jesus to have mercy on you, a sinner, at this moment Jesus is saying to you, “Follow Me.” Say yes. And, when you go home today, you’ll be walking home with Jesus. Please don’t leave this lesson without knowing for sure.

If you are already a Christian, what are you going to do with this message? You can enjoy Jesus’s presence in your life and home. Then, think, feel, and act like Jesus when it comes to interacting with your neighbors.

To Think Like Jesus

Jesus was selective in how He spent His relationship time. Even He couldn’t spend time with everybody. So, define your “neighborhood” accordingly. If you can only have time for the two people on either side of you, that’s okay. Two is more than none. Submit your “neighborhood” to the Lord, and say, “Lord, you live where I live. I know these are your neighbors, too. Please make me willing to be available for you to use me to introduce them to you.”

To Feel Like Jesus

Feeling like Jesus starts with longing for those who live near you to experience and enjoy His presence as you do.

• You can pray, “Lord Jesus, please give me your heart for them.”
• You can ask God to draw them to Himself (John 6:44) and for His Spirit to convince them of their sin and need for Jesus (John 16:8-10).
• You can also pray for her closest friend to get saved and then share the gospel with her.
• You can ask Jesus to help you know their needs and how they are thinking.
• You can extend mercy to the Mrs. Levi in your life.

To Act Like Jesus

What would it look like to act like Jesus?

1. Plan ways to interact with them. I don’t think Jesus accidentally walked by Levi’s tollbooth, do you? In America, we have a big obstacle—privacy. We go in the house and shut the door. We have privacy fences and closed garages. We have back decks and pools to spend our time. Who’s looking out the front as neighbors go by our houses?

2. Pay attention to the emotions and needs expressed in your conversations with them. God can use your natural nosiness in a constructive way!

3. Pursue opportunities to build relationships with the one who seems interested in spiritual things. Like the 4 friends who banded together to bring their needy friend to Jesus, surround your friend with other Christians—contractors, insurance agents, and doctors. Research says a typical unchurched person must get to know at least 5 believers relationally before she will cross the line and trust the message of Christianity.

Reflect and Respond

Day One Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 7:1-23

Focus on the Meaning: I heard someone call the group of Pharisees and lawyers “The Bureau of Tapping and Snapping.” They expected the people to do whatever they said without question, even if some of their traditions made no sense. The Pharisees had added many laws to the Law of Moses. These were called “traditions of the elders” and were often held in higher esteem than the Scriptures. The issue of washing hands when coming from the marketplace was not general cleaning of dirt but referred to an elaborate cleaning ritual that removed contamination from the Gentiles who were present in the public areas.

1. Discover the Facts: In today’s passage, Jesus gets “in the face” of His hard-hearted opposition.

• What did the Pharisees and lawyers see (vv. 1-2)?
• What is their accusation (v. 5)?
• What did Jesus say in response to them (vv. 6-7)?
• What is His accusation (v. 8)?
• What example does Jesus give to prove His point (vv. 9-13)?
• What does He say they do to the commands of God (vv. 8, 9, 13)?
• What does Jesus say to the crowd that nullifies the “traditions” and turns it into a heart issue (vv. 14-15)?
• How does He explain this better to His disciples (vv. 18-19)?
• What does make a person spiritually dirty (vv. 20-23)?

From the Greek: The word hypocrite was a Greek theatrical term referring to an actor, a pretender. This was a commonly known cultural term. The actor would do one of two things: 1) hold a mask in front of his face while playing a part on the stage (one who hid his true self under a mask) or 2) contort and exaggerate facial expressions so the entire audience could see them, performing for recognition and applause. Jesus knew the Greek culture around Him and communicated with people in terms they understood.

2. The key issue Jesus expresses in vv. 20-23 is that of the heart. What is the “heart” of man?

Focus on the Meaning: The list of sins in vv. 21-22 are not ranked by bad to worse. All sin is bad. Think of the most heinous crime. That’s the ugliness of each one of these sins to God. The consequences are different, though. People and circumstances do not cause our sin. Those things reveal our hearts.

3. Heartbreak to Hope: Jesus told the Pharisees and lawyers that they let go, set aside, and nullify the commands of God for their own purposes? How do we do this today to fit in with our culture or our pleasures? Doing so will eventually lead to heartbreak of some kind as we reap the consequences of our actions.

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Two Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-26.

1. Discover the Facts: Avoiding the hostility in Galilee, Jesus heads to Gentile territory. There He meets a woman who becomes a living example of the clean / unclean controversy.

• What was Jesus’s plan (v. 24)?
• A woman heard about Him. What do we know about her and her situation (vv. 25-26)?
• What did she do and say?
• How did Jesus test her heart with His response (v. 27)?
• What in her response revealed her heart (v. 28)?
• What is Jesus’s response (vv. 29-30, Matthew 15:28)?

Scriptural Insight: God desired to bless all people, but He purposed to bless humanity by first blessing the Jews (Genesis 12:3; Acts 3:26; Romans 1:16). In the gospels, Jesus restored Gentiles who came to Him in faith, not turning them away: the demon-possessed man (Mark 5:1-20, the Canaanite woman (Mark 7:24-30), and the Roman Centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13).

2. How did the woman demonstrate faith in what she did and said?

Think About It: Did you recognize her humility and tenaciousness? She basically told Jesus, “I recognize I have no rights. I don’t deserve a thing, but I’m asking anyway.” Jesus was pleased with what He saw in her faith.

3. Read 2 Chronicles 16:9. How does this incident in Jesus’s ministry show that God doesn’t play favorites? In what ways did He demonstrate grace to the woman?

4. Heartbreak to Hope: We all want to get away from such interruptions by needy people at times. Our responses may be governed by our time schedule, biases, and even hard hearts. We cannot meet every need. But, who can meet the spiritual needs of every person? Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes, what should they have done for that woman instead of trying to send her away? What can you do when faced with a need?

Read Mark 7:31-37.

Historical Insight: The Decapolis was a league of 10 independent cities characterized by Greek culture. All but one of them were located east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. This was Gentile territory. The healed man from Mark 5:19-20 lived there.

5. What grabbed your attention as you read this passage?

6. What truth was Jesus communicating to these Gentile people when He looked up to heaven as He healed the man (v. 34)?

7. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s lesson speaks to your heart?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Three Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 8:1-10.

1. Fill out the chart below comparing the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6) with the feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8).

What is similar?	What is different?
vv. 2-3
vv. 4-5
vv. 6-7
v. 8
v. 9

Jesus felt compassion for the crowds. He chose to be kind to them by taking care of not only their spiritual needs through His amazing teaching but also their physical needs through food. Kindness is being tender-hearted plus doing something to meet a need.

2. Heartbreak to Hope: In what ways do you try to be kind? Are you kind in your charity? Do you give what will actually benefit others or just to clean out your closet and pantry? Our kindness lets other people see God as kind and tender-hearted, compassionate. Go ahead, jot down 2 ways that you can be kind to someone in your sphere of influence specifically this week.

Read Mark 8:11-21.

3. Discover the Facts: Jesus is back on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.

• What did the Pharisees want this time (v. 11)?
• How does Jesus respond (v. 12)?
• On the way back across the lake, what were the disciples thinking (v. 14)?
• What did Jesus say to them (v. 15)?
• What did they hear (v. 16)?
• Aware of their discussion, of what does Jesus remind them (vv. 17-21)?

Focus on the Meaning: Confirmation is repeatedly put forth that Jesus was and is the Messiah, and He was given complete authority by God here on earth to heal, conquer death, and to forgive us of our sins. This evidence disclaims the statement, “If only I could see a miracle, then I would believe in God.”  The Pharisees and other Jews experienced and/or witnessed many miracles first-hand performed by Jesus. Yet, many still did not believe Him to be the Messiah or understand His message. Faith is not based on seeing. It is based on believing.

4. Jesus’s words in v. 15 are like a parent mulling over an incident and dispensing advice to children. What was He trying to tell them?

Think About It: Did you think to yourself when you read the Pharisees’ question (v. 11), “Weren’t healings and feedings enough?” I certainly did. What did they really want? Perhaps they wanted Jesus to call fire down from heaven like Elijah did in 1 Kings 18. But then, would that have convinced them? I doubt it. Their hearts were too hard. We, too, must beware of seeking “signs” different from what God has already shown us.

5. Heartbreak to Hope: Look at the disciples’ focus in vv. 14, 16. Do you do this? In what ways do you fret about something small and forget all about the power and teachings of the One who is always with you? Ask Jesus to help you stay focused on Him and His goodness to you.

Read Mark 8:22-26.

6. What grabbed your attention as you read this passage?

7. Have you noticed that Jesus took different actions to heal people? Jesus didn’t heal according to a formula. Sometimes He just spoke for it to be done; other times He touched, spit, and spoke. What would be a good reason for Him mixing things up like that?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Four Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 8:27-30.

1. Discover the Facts: Now Jesus and His disciples are way up north of Galilee near the foot of Mt. Hermon. It’s retreat time again.

• What question did Jesus ask His disciples (v. 27)?
• Who do people say that Jesus is (v. 28)?
• How does Peter answer the personal question, “Who do you say I am?”
• What does Jesus tell them?

Scriptural Insight: In Matthew 16:13-19, we learn that Peter’s answer was revealed by God. Jesus calls Simon petros, meaning “stone, a piece of a bigger rock.” The bigger rock is the apostles and prophets who know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ will build His Church on that foundation. And nothing, including the gates of Hell, will be able to stop the onslaught of the people of God to build the Church. Peter is given the keys of the kingdom, which we later understand meant that he would be present to open doors to the 3 different people groups—the Jews in Acts 2, the Samaritans (half-Jews) in Acts 8, and the Gentiles in Acts 10. The apostles are given the power of binding and loosing. That is not referring to forgiving sins or determining eternal destiny (as in cults or used by the medieval church). It is the ability to authoritatively state what is permitted or forbidden in terms of practices as in Acts 15 and 1 Corinthians 7.

Read Mark 8:31-9:1.

2. Discover the Facts: We are now at a turning point in Mark. Jesus begins to reveal the future to His disciples to prepare them for what’s ahead.

• What did He teach them (v. 31)?
• What did Peter do (v. 32)?
• What did Jesus say to him (v. 33)?
• To the crowd and the disciples, what does Jesus say (vv. 34-35)?
• How does He explain this in vv. 36-37?
• What evidence does He give for someone having in mind the things of God or the things of man (v. 38)?
• What promise does He make in 9:1?

Focus on the Meaning: 1) Denying oneself does not mean denying your personality, living as an ascetic, or neglecting your physical needs. It does mean saying “no” to selfish interests and earthly securities and turning away from the idolatry of self-centeredness. Following Jesus involves denying your own way of approaching life and adopting God’s way of approaching life. It is a daily choice of obeying God. 2) Taking up one’s cross does not mean to purposely suffer or stoically bear life’s troubles as though having no choices. Carrying the cross in Roman-occupied territory demonstrated submission to the authority against which one had previously rebelled. When Jesus took up His cross, He was submitting to the authority of God and obeying Him. So, taking up your cross represents obedience to God and whatever opportunity or adversity that brings to you. Your choice is this: “I am God’s, or I am my own.” You can’t have it both ways.

3. Because of the phrase “adulterous and sinful generation,” we know that Jesus is addressing those in the crowd who are listening to Him but resisting belief in Him.

• What does it mean to be ashamed?
• What would it look like for someone to be ashamed of Christ and His Words?

4. Heartbreak to Hope: Revelation demands a response. Jesus is the Son of God, calling you to follow Him—to approach life God’s way rather than your own way or the world’s way. Choosing His way is rewarding.

• What rewards have you received from choosing God’s way of doing life over the world’s way?
• What challenges have you faced for choosing God’s way of doing life over the world’s way?

5. Heartbreak to Hope: Reflect back on this whole lesson, how did someone experiencing heartbreak, pain, or uncertainty find hope, healing and love?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day One Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 11:1-11.

1. Discover the Facts: By comparing the four gospels, we can determine that Jesus got to Bethany on Friday and rested on Saturday (the Sabbath). Now it’s time for Him to present Himself to His people. Expectations are high!

• What are Jesus’s instructions to two disciples (vv. 2-3)?
• What did they find (vv. 4-6)?
• What did the disciples do for Jesus (v. 7)?
• What did the people do for Jesus (v. 8)?
• What did they shout (vv. 9-10)? See also Psalm 118:25-26.
• Jesus accepted their worship. Then, what did He do (v. 11)? See also Luke 19:41-44.

From the Greek: Hosanna (Greek) comes from hosiahna (Hebrew) meaning “O save us now,” a prayer addressed to God. Over time, it became a shout of praise like “Hallelujah.” Chanting “Hosanna” and “Hosanna in the highest” became part of the traditional Passover celebration. The Jews seeing Jesus on the donkey entering Jerusalem were filled with hope that Jesus was their promised Messiah.

2. What was Jesus deliberately doing now that He had been avoiding before this?

Read Mark 11:12-26.

3. Discover the Facts: This is another “sandwich” section—vv. 12-14 and vv. 20-26 are related. The clearing of the Temple comes in the middle.

• What happened with the fig tree (vv. 12-14)?
• In the Court of the Gentiles at the Temple, what four things did Jesus do (vv. 15-16)?
• Of what did He remind those watching and listening (v. 17)?
• How did the religious leaders take Jesus’s actions (v. 18)?
• After spending the night outside of Jerusalem, what did they see the next morning (v. 20)?

Scriptural Insight: A marketplace atmosphere existed in the court of the Gentiles, the outermost courtyard within the temple enclosure (Gr. hieron, cf. v. 17). During Passover season, pilgrims could buy sacrificial animals and change their money on the Mount of Olives, so there was no need to set up facilities to do these things in the temple courtyard—which Caiaphas [the High Priest] had done. Jesus’s literal housecleaning represented His authority as Messiah to clean up the corrupt nation of Israel. Verse 16, unique in Mark, shows the extent to which Jesus went in purifying the temple. [They were using the Temple courts as a shortcut to the Roman highway outside of town.] (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Mark 2017 Edition, p. 168)

4. The fig tree became an object lesson. It represented Israel. Jesus’s request of fruit from it represented His presence and the last chance before Israel would be judged as fruitless. Jesus then used hyperbole (exaggeration) to illustrate some things about faith and prayer in vv. 22-25 that are impossible without God. What does He tell them?

Focus on the Meaning: We must beware of taking v. 24 out of context. Rather than explaining the symbolic significance of the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus proceeded to focus on the means by which the miracle happened. … The point was that dependent trust in God can accomplish humanly impossible things through prayer (cf. James 1:6). God is the source of the power to change. “Moving a mountain” is a universal symbol of doing something that appears to be impossible (cf. Zechariah 4:7). Jesus presupposed that overcoming the difficulty in view was God’s will. A true disciple of Jesus would hardly pray for anything else (Matthew 6:10). The person praying can therefore believe that what he requests will happen because it is God’s will. He will neither doubt God’s ability to do what he requests, since God can do anything, nor will he doubt that God will grant his petition, since it is God’s will. He will not have a divided heart about this matter. (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Mark 2017 Edition, p. 170)

What the merchants were doing at the Temple is similar to having Facebook ads on the screens in a church service today during communion and prayer time. It would distract people from worshiping God. Can churches offer books and tickets for sale in the lobby? Yes. God’s temple now is the gathered people not the building (see 1 Corinthians 3:16, directed to the community not individuals). The building is not God’s house; it’s just a building used by the people of God for gathering together. And, yes, we should be cognizant of first impressions when people visit our building.

5. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s lesson speaks to your heart?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Two Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 11:27-33.

1. Discover the Facts: Now begins a series of tests for Jesus, trying to make Him do something that changes the popular opinion of Him. Here’s Test #1.

• Where is Jesus?
• Who comes to Him?
• What is the question (v. 28)?
• Jesus answers with a question of His own. What is it (vv. 29-30)?
• How do the leaders respond (vv. 31-32)?
• Then, what does Jesus say?

Think About It: The religious leaders issued the challenge but weren’t really interested in the answer. This is a case of intellectual dishonesty. Do you know anyone like that?

Read Mark 12:1-12.

2. Instead of answering their question, Jesus tells a parable that reveals their motives and lets them know the consequences of their actions before they even take them. This parable has recognizable parts to it. The listeners knew exactly what Jesus was saying.

• Who owns the vineyard?
• Where is the vineyard?
• Who are the tenants?
• What did they do to the son of the owner?
• What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
• What does Jesus declare in vv. 10-11?
• How does what Jesus say in the parable connect with Mark 11:28?
• What attitude / mindset of the religious leaders does Jesus bring out in v. 7?
• How did the religious leaders respond (v. 12)?

Think About It: Hard hearts don’t change with kindness, challenges, warnings, or consequences. Hard hearts can only be changed from the inside by one’s decision to give up rebellion against God and submit to His authority. Jesus shot an arrow directly at their need to submit their authority to God and recognize Jesus as being sent from Him.

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Three Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 12:13-17.

1. Discover the Facts: Here comes Test #2. Actually, these are more like traps than tests.

• Who comes to Jesus?
• Why (v. 13)?
• What do they admit about Him (v. 14)?
• What is their test question?
• What did Jesus know about them (v. 15)?
• What question does He ask (v. 15)?
• What does He tell them to do (v. 15)?
• When they bring the coin, what question does He ask (v. 16)?
• Then, how does He answer their test question (v. 17)?
• What is their response?

Historical Insight: Since Judea had become a Roman province in A.D. 6, the Romans had required the Jews to pay a yearly “poll (head) tax” into the emperor’s treasury. The Zealots later refused to pay it, claiming that payment acknowledged Rome’s right to rule over them. The Pharisees paid it but objected strongly to it. The Herodians paid it willingly since they supported Roman rule. (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Mark 2017 Edition, pp. 176-177)

2. The “Caesar” part we can figure out. But, what do you think Jesus meant when He said, give “to God what is God’s?”

Read Mark 12:18-27.

Historical Insight: The “Sadducees” were mainly urban, wealthy, and educated Jews. Their numbers were comparatively few, but they occupied important positions including many in the priesthood. Their influence was greater than their size as a party within Judaism. This is the only place Mark mentioned them. They claimed to believe only what the Old Testament taught, and they did not follow the traditions of the elders that the Pharisees observed. They did not believe in the “resurrection,” because they said they could find no clear revelation about it in the Old Testament. (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Mark 2017 Edition, p. 178)

3. Discover the Facts: We are now at Test (Trap) #3.

• What is the hypothetical situation presented by the Sadducees (vv. 19-22)?
• What is their test question (v. 23)?
• What is Jesus’s response to them (v. 24)?
• What truth is presented in v. 25?
• What proof does He present that there is life after death (vv. 26-27)?

Historical Insight: Resurrection in the ancient world was understood to be this: physical life after a time of life after death. The Greeks thought it a foolish idea since in their minds anything material (what you could see and touch like bodies) was evil. So, why would anyone want to have another body? However, God created the human body as something good. The cross (crucified Messiah) was a stumbling block to the Jews, and the resurrection was foolishness to the Gentiles. But, God’s plan represents the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) to all those who believe.

4. Heartbreak to Hope: In His answer to the Sadducees (v. 24), Jesus pointed out their illiteracy of the Scriptures and their disregard for the power of God. This is a common occurrence today as well. Do you know people who are going through pain and heartache but refuse to look to the Word of God and the power of God for answers? Why do you think they resist the truth so much? How can you specifically pray for them?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Four Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 12:28-34.

1. Discover the Facts: Here comes Test #4, But, this time it is from someone who seems to be sincerely asking the question.

• Who comes to Jesus?
• What does he hear?
• What is his test question (v. 28)?
• Jesus starts with the Jewish basic declaration about their God from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Write Jesus’s answer from vv. 30-31 in the space below.
• What is the lawyer’s response to this (vv. 32-33)?
• What encouragement does Jesus give to the man (v. 34)?
• From then on, what happened?

Focus on the Meaning: The lawyer showed he had faith. Most of the religious leaders had degenerated from a personal relationship with God to outward practice of religion without heart. God wants your heart—the seat of your affections.

2. Heartbreak to Hope: Loving your neighbor as yourself means going beyond the minimum standard of just being nice to someone. Jesus demonstrated going the extra step to love those around you. Example: when someone annoys you, the minimum would be not bad-mouthing that person. The heart of Jesus would lead you to find something kind to say to that person. Think of other examples from your life where you could go beyond the minimum to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Read Mark 12:35-40.

3. Discover the Facts: Jesus issues the next test while He is teaching the crowds.

• What is Jesus doing (v. 35)?
• What is His question?
• He quotes from what is called a Messianic psalm because it references the Messiah. Who wrote the psalm and who gave him the words to write (v. 36)?
• Write Psalm 110:1 (quoted by Jesus in Mark 12:36) in the space below. This Old Testament verse is the most quoted verse in the New Testament (Matthew 22:43-45; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; Acts 2:33-36; Hebrews 1:13 plus other partial quotes).
• How does the crowd respond?
• What warning does He give next and why (vv. 38-40)?

4. What is the answer to Jesus’s question in v. 37? See also Romans 1:1-4 and Colossians 2:9.

5. In what ways are the teachers of the law opposite of Jesus’s description of servant leaders in Mark 10:43-45?

Read Mark 12:41-44.

6. Discover the Facts: Jesus was continually “people watching” and teaching His disciples about people. In this section, He presents a contrast to His disciples of someone representing the heart for God that the teachers of the law lacked.

• Where are they?
• What do they see in v. 41?
• What do they see in v. 42?
• What did Jesus see in her heart attitude that He wanted His disciples to grasp? (vv. 43-44)?

7. Heartbreak to Hope: What is your take-away from this lesson that you will apply to your own life?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Question to consider: Recall the worst 12 hours of your life. What happened? How did you get through it?

Historical Insight: Here is a possible timeline for the day of the crucifixion.

3 AM	4-6 AM	6-8 AM	9 AM	Noon to 3 PM	3 PM
Arrest	Trial before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin	Trial before Pilate	Crucified	Darkness over the land	Jesus died

Day One Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 14:43-52.

1. Discover the Facts: Jesus was praying and waiting in the garden to be arrested. He knew it would happen; this was not a surprise to God. Jesus did not run away.

• Whom did the Sanhedrin send to arrest Jesus (v. 43)?
• How did the armed crowd identify Him (vv. 44-45)?
• How did you feel when you read that Judas called Jesus “rabbi” and kissed Him?
• What did the disciple standing nearby do to defend Jesus (vv. 46-47)? See John 18:10.
• What is Jesus’s response to the crowd, exposing their deceitfulness (vv. 48-49)?
• What happened to His disciples (v. 50)? But, see v. 54.
• Who else was there as an eyewitness (vv. 51-52)?

Did God need a betrayer for Jesus to get arrested? No. He chose to use Judas’s sinfulness to represent the sin of man in opposition against God. Judas represented evil, the sinfulness of man. And, Judas was part of God’s plan to fulfill the Scriptures in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.

Read Mark 14:53-65.

2. Discover the Facts: The Sanhedrin consisted of 70 members. Not all were present at this “trial.”

• Where was Jesus taken (v. 53)?
• Where is Peter (v. 54)?
• What did the religious leaders want but could not get (vv. 55-56)?
• What was the accusation against Him (vv. 57-59)?

Scriptural Insight: There is no recorded statement from Jesus about this. Perhaps it is a misuse of His words in John 2:18-22. In Acts 7, we read that the Sanhedrin throws a similar accusation at Stephen and stones him for it.

• When asked to respond to the accusation, what did Jesus say (vv. 60-61)?
• When asked if He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One, what did Jesus say (v. 62)?
• What was the High Priest’s response (vv. 63-64)?

Focus on the Meaning: Remember that blasphemy is anything that slanders God’s name or claims God’s majesty and authority. Jesus did not commit blasphemy since He was the Son of God as He said.

• What did the onlookers do (vv. 64-65)?

3. Read v. 62 again. Read Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14. Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God?

4. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s study speaks to your heart?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Two Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 14:66-72.

1. Discover the Facts: While Jesus was being attacked upstairs, Peter was being attacked in a different way.

• Who came by Peter in the courtyard, and what did she do (vv. 66-67)?
• What did Peter say (v. 68)?
• What did the servant girl do then (v. 69)?
• What is Peter’s response to those who said he had been “with the Nazarene” (v. 70-71)?
• What happened next (v. 72)?

Think About It: As I was preparing this lesson, I realized that Peter wanted to stay close by because he loved Jesus. And, he wanted to just be left alone. It wasn’t his faith that failed him. It was his courage and maybe his hope. Add to that exhaustion. How often does exhaustion, wanting to be left alone, and avoiding conflict get you into trouble?

2. Heartbreak to Hope: God doesn’t entice anyone to sin (James 1:13-14), but He does lead us to a place where we are tested (Job 1; Matthew 4:1; 6:13). His method of instruction is 1) Prepare by instruction (what Jesus had done) and 2) Learn by experience.

Testing reveals to us that we are weak in our humanity regarding even our good intentions. It also shows the terrible possibilities in us because sin is still in us. But, testing teaches us that the safest place to be is in humble dependence upon God (Romans 13:14; 2 Corinthians 1:9). Our prayer should be, “Lord, protect me from myself.”

What have you learned through a time of testing?

Read Mark 15:1-15.

3. Discover the Facts: Pilate was a bad dude. He minted coins with pagan images on them. He stole from the temple treasury to build an aqueduct and killed those who protested against that. Pilate represents worldly authority.

• What did the Sanhedrin do with Jesus (v. 1)?

Historical Insight: The Sanhedrin apparently reached the decision to accuse Jesus before the civil authority for treason rather than blasphemy. Then He could be executed by the Romans. (NIV Study Bible 1984 Edition, note on Mark 15:1, p. 1527)

• Why do you think they bound Him?
• What did Pilate ask Jesus (v. 2)?
• How did Jesus answer Pilate?
• What is Pilate’s next question (v. 4)?
• When Jesus refused to answer, what is Pilate’s response (v. 5)?

Historical Insight: According to Roman Law, if the accused made no defense, he would be considered guilty and judged as guilty.

• Pilate could release Jesus or the murderous rebel in his jail. What did he recognize in the religious leaders (v. 10)?
• What did the religious leaders do to get their way (v. 11)?
• What response did the crowd give to Pilate’s questions (vv. 12-14)?
• What did Pilate do (v. 15)?

Think About It: Was Pilate acting as an impartial judge? No. He asked questions for which he didn’t really want answers. His judicial decision was prompted by a desire to satisfy the crowd. Judgment in a Roman court was the sole responsibility of the imperial magistrate. There was no jury of peers. Pilate was a man of the world who rationalized to evade responsibility and the truth. Interestingly, he wanted to wash himself of blame for this judgment, but every doctrinal creed for Christians since this day says, “Suffered under Pontius Pilate.” God didn’t let him be forgotten.

4. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s study speaks to your heart?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Three Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 15:16-20.

1. Discover the Facts: Before this time, Jesus had little interaction with Roman soldiers (who were all non-Jewish) except for those centurions who sought His help in healing someone from their household.

• Where did the soldiers take Jesus (v. 16)?
• What did they do and say to Him there (vv. 17-19)?
• After they finished mocking Jesus, what did they do (v. 20)?

Read Mark 15:21-32.

Historical Insight: Crucifixion as a means of execution had been around for at least 100 years. The Phoenicians used it. Even a Jewish king had used it. The Romans popularized it, primarily using it for revolutionaries, criminals, and slaves to deter rebellion. To keep the Jews satisfied, they did not leave crucified Jews on the cross after death though non-Jews were left for days. Roman citizens were never crucified. Jesus was identified with the lowest of society here.

2. Discover the Facts: Mark’s account of the crucifixion is the briefest of the four gospels. You can read Matthew 27:33-34; Luke 23:33-43; and John 19:17-24 to find out more information.

• Who was drafted to help Him carry the cross beam?

Scriptural Insight: Simon was probably a Jew who was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Alexander and Rufus are only mentioned by Mark, but referred to in such a way as to suggest that they were known by those to whom he wrote. Rufus may be the same person spoken of by Paul in Romans 16:13. (NIV Study Bible 1984 Edition, note on Mark 15:21, p. 1528)

• Where did they take Jesus (v. 22)?
• What happened there (vv. 23-24)?

Historical Insight: It was the accepted right of the executioner’s squad to claim the minor possessions of the victim. Jesus’s clothing probably consisted of an under and an outer garment, a belt, sandals and possibly a head covering. Casting lots was a common practice for them to do this and fulfilled Psalm 22:18. (NIV Study Bible 1984 Edition, note on Mark 15:24, p. 1529)

• What did the sign above his head say (v. 26)?
• Who else was crucified that day (v. 27)?
• What did those passing by do (vv. 29-30)?
• What did the chief priests and lawyers do and admit about Him (vv. 31-32)?

3. Were the religious leaders sincere in their statement that they would believe if He came down from the cross? How do you know?

4. Read Luke 23:40-43. What do we know about one of those who were crucified with Jesus?

Think About It: Sin was very ugly that day. The one who was supposed to represent Jesus before God—the chief priest—did not do that. Those guiltier than Jesus heaped insults on Him. Those who saw Jesus heal many (“save others”) felt no compassion for His unjust execution. But, this was all part of God’s plan. There were no surprises.

5. Heartbreak to Hope: What in today’s study speaks to your heart?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

Day Four Study

Ask the Lord Jesus to speak to you through His Word. Tell Him that you are listening.

Read Mark 15:33-41.

1. Discover the Facts: Jesus spoke 7 times from the cross. Mark only records 1 of them.

• What happened between noon and 3 PM (v. 33)?

Historical Insight: Based on the latest research into historical records, it is generally thought that the Crucifixion took place on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 and the resurrection on Sunday, April 5. The Crucifixion had to occur in a year when Nisan 14 fell on a Friday. This happened in A.D. 33. Astronomy presents another insight related to the Crucifixion. Just as the sun was setting on April 3 of A.D. 33, there was an eclipse of the moon, giving the moon a dark red color. (Rodger C. Young, Book review: From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology, by Andrew E. Steinmann, accessed online)

• Read Amos 8:9-10 for the prediction of this event. What are the similarities?
• At 3 PM, what did Jesus cry out (v. 34)?

Think About It: Why did Jesus quote Psalm 22:1? The words accurately reflect what Jesus felt in His humanity, just as He shrunk back from the cross while in the garden. He identified with people in the horror of sin as the sin of the world was placed on Him. But, He was in the center of God’s will for His life and not really forsaken by God. Perhaps He was pointing those listening to Psalm 22, whose words amazingly describe a crucifixion 1000 years before this happened. It was as if He was saying, “David wrote about me.” Although often taught that God turned His back on Jesus that day, there is no verse in the New Testament declaring that. It is a mystery beyond our comprehension regarding what was going on between the Father and the Son at the cross.

• What did the bystanders hear and do (vv. 35-36)?
• How did Jesus die (v. 37)? See John 19:30.
• What happened next (v. 38)? See also Matthew 27:51.

Historical Insight: The inner “veil” of the temple is probably in view here, the one separating the holy place from the most holy place. It was a most elaborately woven fabric that was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and of the thickness of the palm of the hand. The tearing happened at 3:00 PM, the time of the evening incense offering. A priest would normally have been standing in the holy place offering incense when it tore (cf. Luke 1:8-10). Some early non-biblical Jewish sources also report unusual phenomena in the temple 40 years before its destruction in A.D. 70, one of which is the temple curtain tearing. The fact that this occurred from top to bottom signified that God is the One who ripped the thick curtain. It was not torn from the bottom by men ripping it. (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Matthew 2017 Edition, p. 471)

• Based on the above information, what does the tearing from top to bottom mean?
• What did the Roman centurion notice and declare (v. 39)?
• Who else was there watching (vv. 40-41)?

Think About It: Many of these women had been caring for His needs for a long time. But, now God is in charge, and they aren’t. They probably felt helpless since they could do nothing for Him. Jesus told them the plan, too. Like the men, they didn’t get it. So, they might have felt hopeless as well.

If you trace the use of the words “follow” and “minister” throughout the Gospel of Mark, you will see how the author used these same words to depict serious disciples. … The women as depicted by Mark do “whatever disciples may do on behalf of their teachers,” which might include table service, but it may include other forms of self-denying sacrifice, as well.

2. “It is finished” (John 19:30). These final words from Jesus come from an accounting term in Greek meaning, “a debt is paid in full.” What debt was paid in full that day? See Colossians 2:13-14 and other Bible verses you know that answer this question.

Think About It: When Jesus said, “It is finished.” God agreed. It is finished. The debt for sin was paid in full. The Old Covenant represented by the veil separating man from God is over. The New Covenant began.

Read Mark 15:42-47.

3. Discover the Facts: Jesus’s friends couldn’t help during the crucifixion. But, now they can do something to show their love for Him.

• What was coming soon that created the urgency to act (v. 42)?
• What is known about the one who buried Jesus’s body (v. 43)? See also Matthew 27:57.
• What actions did Pilate take in response to Joseph’s request (vv. 44-45)?
• What did Joseph do (v. 46)? See who helped him in John 19:39.
• What did Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses see (v. 47)?

Historical Insight: The Romans confirmed that Jesus was truly dead and had not just swooned or passed out. Two women knew exactly where the body was placed and would not have forgotten that location between Friday and Sunday.

4. Heartbreak to Hope: Ugly sin nailed sinless Jesus to a shameful cross in our place. Yet, our God is able to make ugly beautiful. What ugliness in your life has God made beautiful because of your faith in Jesus’s death on the cross for you?

Write a prayer to God in response to what He has shown you in this lesson.

[To see more of what God has made beautiful in your life, read the following essay, “Christ’s Finished Work on the Cross.”]

— —— — —

Christ’s Finished Work On The Cross

Announcement To The World: It Is Finished!

The gospel is an announcement to the world of an accomplished fact. What God set out to do for mankind, He accomplished. The apostles declared this from the time of Pentecost (Acts 2) and beyond.

Salvation is available on the basis of a single condition: faith (or “belief”). Belief is not just intellectual assent that something might be true. Belief is a commitment of the will. It is the difference between walking alongside a pool of water (seeing it is there) and jumping into the water (experiencing the water personally). God acted; we are to respond to His action by saying yes and jumping into the new life God has for us. Those who respond with faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, receive a firm assurance of security (1 John 5:13), a secure new identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and a true knowledge of God as seen through all that He has done through Christ’s finished work on the cross.

Six terms describe how our relationship with God is made new because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption, Forgiveness, Justification, and Sanctification. These 6 relationship changes are the direct result of Christ’s finished work on the cross so they are often called “words of the cross.” We will cover them one at a time.

Word Of The Cross #1 Propitiation: “God’s Holy Wrath Is Fully Satisfied.”

It comes up time and time again. Women who know Christ and have trusted in Him for salvation and new life struggle with the notion that God is still angry with them because of something they’ve done in the past. Maybe that is how you feel.

Do you wonder if you have a flawed understanding of salvation? Is salvation just getting eternal life when you die? From what are Christians saved? When you study the New Testament, you see that we are saved from many things, including ourselves and our own flawed righteousness. But, the main emphasis is that we are saved from the wrath of God.

What does that mean? And, how does understanding that give you confidence that God is no longer angry with you or at you?

What Is The Wrath Of God?

In Colossians, Paul described God’s response to all evil and sin as righteous, holy wrath (Colossians 3:6). We must not project our experience with human anger onto God and assume that “His is the same, only bigger.” God’s wrath is not a mood or a fit of temper. God’s disposition toward sin and evil is as constant and unrelenting as His love and goodness. He hates and rejects evil with a perfect and holy anger. He will never bend or compromise with it. His own nature demands that He judge it through action. To preserve His creation God must destroy whatever would destroy it (Romans 1:18-20). Every wrathful judgment of God in the history of the world has been a holy act of preservation.

God hates sin. It incurs His anger. You can probably recall a time when you incurred the anger of someone you love and needed to make some kind of restitution to “appease” their anger. The act of appeasement leads to that person now being satisfied because restitution has been made, so the relationship can be restored. That is what God did for us. Romans 3:25 says that God presented Christ as a sacrifice of propitiation for our sins. Propitiation is an old word meaning “to appease, satisfy.” Some translations use the words “sacrifice of atonement” or “atoning sacrifice” instead. The concept of God’s satisfaction is the same.

God’s Wrath Is Fully Satisfied

God took action. God’s holy wrath against all sin is fully satisfied by Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Because of that, God is able to extend mercy to every believer in Christ without compromise with evil. This is truth for you to know and claim.

Romans 5:9 says this, “Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath.”

There is no longer any sacrifice that anyone can ever do to appease God’s wrath against sin apart from what Christ has already done. Picture an empty altar—never again used. Jesus did the appeasement for you. It’s done, finished!

God Is No Longer Angry At You

Because you have trusted Christ and are now found in Christ, you can dwell on the FACT that God is no longer angry at your sin—ever! You CAN KNOW and live with confidence that God is SATISFIED…NO LONGER ANGRY at your sin because you believe in His Son.

Word Of The Cross #2 Reconciliation: “Our Relationship With God Is Restored.”

At some point in our lives, we all experience a personal relationship that is broken. You can probably think of one such conflict right now. Broken relationships cause pain and often leave us confused about how we can possibly fix them.

Most people want to be reconciled so that the relationship can be restored in some fashion. How sad it is when a broken relationship continues to remain broken and isn’t reconciled. What joy we experience when we see a broken relationship repaired and healthy again!

Reconciliation is certainly a reason for rejoicing, especially in our relationship with God! But, what does it take for reconciliation?

The Broken Relationship Restored

As Romans 3:23 describes, all people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Before Christ, our problem was a state of alienation (separation) from God because of sin (Isaiah 59:2). There was an impassable barrier between us. A broken relationship. Some kind of reconciliation needed to be done. We couldn’t do it on our part—no matter how many good deeds we did. There was always that chasm created by sin between us and God.

BUT GOD did something about that! I love those two words in the Bible, “But God.” Whenever it looks absolutely hopeless for us humans, God steps in and does the exact thing we need. God restored the broken relationship by reconciling us to Himself through Jesus’s death.

To reconcile means to re-establish friendship between two parties, to settle or resolve a dispute, and/or to bring acceptance. Wow! Did we need that!

What was God’s motivation to repair the broken relationship? It was love.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Romans 5:10 says that God loved us so much that even while we were God’s enemies, He did what was needed to reconcile us to Himself through the death of His Son.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10-11)

Jesus Christ has fully paid mankind’s debt, removing the barrier between God and men. A bridge has been built through Jesus Christ. As we cross over this bridge by our faith in Jesus, our relationship with God is restored. God stands eagerly welcoming anyone who will believe the good news and come home (repent, Luke 15:7-10). And, even more than that, Jesus presents us holy and blameless in God’s sight. Reconciliation is a present reality for every Christian and is worthy of our rejoicing!

Living In The Present Reality Of Reconciliation With God

Because this reconciliation extends to everyone who chooses to receive it by faith, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. We are to announce to others that they can have what we have in a restored relationship with the God who loves them.

“And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

The same power of reconciliation is available to you through Christ for your relationships. If you are in the midst of a relationship that is broken and in need of reconciliation, pray that God would work His mighty hand in the relationship and provide you with His wisdom in pursuing reconciliation.

Restored…No Longer Broken

You CAN KNOW and live with confidence that the barrier of sin has been taken away and a bridge has been built between you and God because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross. This was God’s act of reconciliation offered to you because you believe in His Son. Your relationship with God is RESTORED…NO LONGER BROKEN.

Word Of The Cross #3 Redemption: “Purchased Out Of Bondage To Sin.”

Bondage. No one likes being in bondage. Whether it is to a person, a contract, a debt, or something controlling your life, bondage stinks. It stifles. It discourages. It makes you a slave of whatever is holding you “in chains.” Every person who is in bondage longs to be released from those chains.

Did you know that every human being born on this planet is born into bondage? I don’t care how much money or status you have. You were born into bondage. Bondage to what? Colossians 1:13 calls it “the kingdom of darkness.” Romans 6:15-18 describes it as being a “slave to sin.” The slave master “sin” calls the shots. Obedience comes too easily. It’s a trap. But, you are released from that trap the moment you trust in Jesus Christ.

The Bible calls this “redemption.” We sing songs about being redeemed. But, do we really understand what that means?

What Is Redemption?

The concept of redemption refers to recovering ownership by paying a stipulated sum. Or, it can mean to set something or someone free from bondage by paying a ransom, such as for a kidnapped person or releasing a slave to become free. Either way, a price is paid.

Biblical redemption is based on an understanding of the pain of slavery—a common practice in the Roman Empire at the time. Nearly 50% of the people were slaves—1 out of every 2 men, women, and children! The readers of the New Testament were very familiar with the hopelessness of being owned by a slave master, the buying and selling associated with the slave market, and the only two ways out of the miserable cycle, one of which was death. The other way was for you to be bought by someone and then set free. Jesus did that for us.

Jesus Christ Set You Free.

Jesus declared that He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). It is through Christ’s blood (the purchase price) that we are redeemed. We are redeemed from the slavery of sin and from the empty way of life handed down to us by our forefathers.

Redemption represents an important change in our relationship with God. Before Christ, we were in a state of slavery to sin and to death (spiri­tual & physical). Biblical redemption means that we have been purchased by the blood of Christ out of slavery and released into freedom to serve God in obedience.

The life of slavery to sin leads to someone offering their bodies to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness, free from the control of righteousness with no benefits, only shame. The end result is death.

The life of freedom leads to someone offering their bodies to God and His righteousness leading to holiness, lavished grace and eternal life. Their life is characterized by hearts under obedience to God.

Released…No Longer In Bondage

God chooses to redeem us. It is an extension of His love and His purpose for us.

• God redeems us to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of the Son He loves (Colossians 1:13-14) where we have forgiveness of sins.
• God redeems us from all wickedness to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:13-14).
• God redeems men and women from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9-10) to be a kingdom and priests to serve Him.

When God redeems you, you become the possession of a loving, merciful God and can live in the security of your freedom from bondage to sin. And, here’s the best part. You have a new master now with greater power living inside of you—the Spirit of God Himself—who can give you freedom from any entrapping sin. Claim that freedom now. Choose to obey the Spirit inside you who will lead you and empower you to say “no” to sin.

Bask In The Freedom

You CAN KNOW and live with confidence that you, as a believer, have been purchased by the blood of Christ out of slavery to sin and released into freedom as God’s act of redemption.

Are you experiencing the freedom from slavery to sin in your life right now? If not, do you have confidence that you do not have to listen to the voice of your old slave master sin? You have been RELEASED…NO LONGER IN BONDAGE.

“Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.” (Fannie Crosby, 19th century hymn writer)

Word Of The Cross #4 Forgiveness: “Your Guilt Has Been Taken Away.”

Like the woman washing Jesus’s feet with her tears in Luke 7, many of us carry the guilt of our sins with us like a heavy burden, weighing us down. The continual reminder of our sins keeps us from experiencing freedom and from enjoying the relationship with God that we have by faith in Jesus Christ.

We don’t just need a teacher. We need a Savior who comes in and does for us what we can’t do for ourselves: forgiveness.

All of our debt of sin before God is enormous; we are incapable of ever paying it back. You and I need to understand how complete and continual is God’s forgiveness of us. And, we need to know how to deal with any recognized sin in our lives so that we won’t continue to carry that burden of guilt.

What Is Forgiveness?

In the Bible, the term “forgiveness” means “to send off or send away.” Our sin is transferred to a substitute, Jesus, and taken away. People in Old Testament times were accepted by God and received eternal life in the same way as we are today: by faith in the merciful grace of God. For daily living, however, they had to bring their animal sacrifice to the priest. Their sin was transferred to that sacrifice, and they received forgiveness for their sins up to that point.

God promised His people that one day forgiveness would no longer be a temporary solution, but it would be complete and permanent. That happened on the cross through Jesus.

Jesus Christ Set You Free From The Burden.

As Paul declared in Colossians 2,

“And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. 14 He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)

Once you place your faith in Jesus Christ, whatever you have done that was wrong in God’s eyes from the time you were born through the time of your death has been canceled. Taken away. All of it. Past, present and future. Nailed to the cross.

It’s even better than that! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians,

“in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthiasn 5:19)

Since your sins have been taken away, God is longer counting them against you. You are forgiven based on your faith alone. Sins are applied to Jesus who takes them on your behalf. FORGIVENESS: “Your guilt has been transferred to a substitute and taken away.”

Once you have trusted in Jesus, Ephesians 1:7 says that forgiveness is something we possess as believers. We receive God’s forgiveness for all our sins (past, present, and future) from the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ. That is very important for you to know. Forgiveness is complete and continual.

Although our God does not hold our sin against us any longer, and His grace is continually forgiving us of sin, that does not give us permission to intentionally sin. Intentional sin does not fit with who you are as a forgiven Christian with a new life to enjoy. But, as long as you live in your earthly body, you will be tempted to sin. Sin will happen—whether intentionally or unintentionally. And, though our God is no longer counting our sins against us, we still must deal with the consequences of any sinful behavior.

As an already forgiven Christian, the biblical process for dealing with recognized sin is to remember first that your identity is child of God, then agree with God that you have sinned against Him, mourn your sin and depend on the Holy Spirit to help you obey God in the future. Then, trust in Him to help you overcome the consequences of any sinful choices you have made in a way that brings glory to Him.

Forgiven…No Longer Burdened

Dwell on the FACT that Jesus will cleanse your conscience from guilt. Will you take Him at His word? If there is any past sin for which you are still feeling guilty, claim God’s complete forgiveness today. Now, choose to believe you are FORGIVEN…NO LONGER BURDENED by your sin. Allow Jesus to cleanse your conscience from any residual guilt. Every time you think about it again, thank God for His amazing gift!

Word Of The Cross #5 Justification: “Declared Righteous In God’s Eyes.”

As a teen, I wrestled with the notion that I was not good enough to please God. I could never measure up to His standards of perfection. I was always guilty of not doing something right, of falling short of whatever it was He expected of me.

Then, I heard some good news when I committed my life to Christ and chose to follow Him. God declared me “not guilty” of all my sin. Not guilty? All my sin? Really?

Yes, dear believer, God declares you “not guilty” of all sin, once and for all, based on your faith alone in His Son. It is an amazing plan that is totally based on His grace towards you, not anything you have earned by your own efforts.

And, this one decision made by God the Judge on behalf of every Christian is one of the most important aspects of our relationship with God. The word used to describe it is this: Justification. And, the truth wrapped up in this one word has rocked the world for centuries.

What Is Justification?

Justification is a legal term that literally means, “to declare righteous, to declare not guilty.” English New Testaments use “justified” and “made righteous” interchangeably, but both mean just about the same thing. Justification represents an important change in our relationship with God. Our problem before Christ was our need for perfect acceptability before a holy God. We could never reach that on our own.

Justification is God’s act as Judge where He declares a guilty sinner to be totally righteous in His sight on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross and that person’s faith in Christ. This is possible because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ fully honored and satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God (“propitiation”).

Justification involves both a negative and positive aspect. Negatively, justification is the removal of guilt from the offender (“forgiveness”). Positively, justification is the addition of righteousness to the one who believes (Romans 5:17). This is called the “Great Exchange.” Paul describes it clearly in 2 Corinthians,

“God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus Christ Took Your Sin; God Declares You Righteous.

God not only declares you “not guilty” of all sin through your faith in His Son, He also gives you a new status called “righteousness before God.” That’s the end result of JUSTIFICATION: “The believer in Jesus Christ is declared righteous before God.”

It is not your own righteousness that does it. You receive this righteous status by faith alone and not depending upon any works that you do to earn acceptability in God’s sight, even after you are saved. When God looks on you, He sees His Son’s righteousness taking the place of your sin—even your sin after you’ve been a believer for a long time.

Picture an accountant’s spreadsheet dedicated to your life. On the left side of the page is the heading “your sins;” on the right side of the page is the heading “Christ’s righteousness.” When you sin (intentionally or unintentionally) for the rest of your life, God replaces that sin on the “your sins” side with Christ’s righteousness and puts your sin on His side—your sin is taken away (forgiveness). It is a continual balancing. Your sin never stays on your side of the page because God declares in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that He is “not counting men’s sins against them.” You are forever declared “not guilty” in His sight. Isn’t that great news?!

But, Wait, There’s More…

According to Romans 5:1-2, we now have peace with God as a benefit of being justified. We are no longer enemies but are reconciled to Him as saved ones. We are no longer alienated from God as enemies in our minds because of our evil behavior. Instead, we are now presented as “holy in His sight,” without blemish and free from accusation.

In Galatians 3:26-27, Paul declares that every believer is a child of God by faith and, therefore, clothed with Christ. When God looks on you and me, He sees Jesus and His righteousness, not all of our faults. It is an amazing plan that is totally based on His grace toward us, not anything we have earned by our own efforts. 

Righteous…No Longer Guilty

If you are still wrestling with the notion that you are not good enough to please God, remember that no one can ever be good enough on his or her own merits to please God.

In Philippians 3:2-9, Paul considered his birth status, education, pursuit of knowledge, and zeal to get rid of Christians as evidence that he had plenty of reasons to convince himself that he was a “righteous” Jew and that God should have been pleased with his efforts.

But, after knowing Christ, Paul declared all those things that he once thought were in his favor to be rubbish, a loss rather than a win when it comes to faith. Instead, Paul discovered that knowing Jesus Christ as Lord was far better. He now preferred to be found in Christ with the righteousness that comes through faith, not by his own efforts. All Paul had to do to gain his new righteous standing before God was to trust in Jesus Christ as His Savior and Lord. That is true for you as well. 

Dwell on the FACT of your justification—being declared righteous so that you are now perfectly acceptable to a holy God based on your faith in His Son. How do you feel about this? When you are tempted to think that God could not possibly accept you because of your weaknesses and guilty past, declare this to yourself: “I am declared righteous in God’s eyes because of my faith in Jesus Christ.” You are RIGHTEOUS…NO LONGER GUILTY in God’s sight.

Word Of The Cross #6 Sanctification: “Set Apart As God’s Possession For His Exclusive Use.”

I was once an up-tight perfectionist. Yes, I admit it. My whole self-image depended upon being perfect in grades, piano performance and whatever got me awards for achievement.

Yet, my flaws kept getting in the way of getting straight A’s one six weeks so that I missed out on the “straight A’s” award for that school year. I was horrible in athletics so PE was my nemesis. Then, in college, physics knocked me down big time. I just couldn’t see how to get the answers to those problems.

My flaws were ever before me, and I sobbed when I couldn’t achieve perfection, which happened a lot. My self-image was tied to a losing cause.

Then, Jesus entered my life and showed me a new way to look at myself—through what He did for me on the cross. When my eyes stopped looking at me and my flaws and started looking at Him and my value in His sight, that burden of performance and perfectionism just rolled off my shoulders. It was the greatest relief I ever felt!

And, perfectionism has never controlled my life since then (although that tendency to evaluate myself and what I do with critical eyes remains latent in my personality). Through my faith in Christ, God looks upon me as already perfect, as flawless as the most perfect diamond. The Bible calls this Sanctification.

What Is Sanctification?

Like propitiation (word #1), sanctification is a word we don’t use in our daily vocabulary. To be sanctified means to be made holy. To be “holy” means to be “set apart for special use.” Because the two words—sanctified and holy—are so closely connected, they are used interchangeably in our English translations. They mean the same thing, though.

Sanctification represents another important change in our standing with God. Our problem before Christ was our need to be separated from the world and separated to God. This is accomplished through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as all believers are turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:17-18).

God demands that we be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). But, here’s the best news: God makes us holy in His sight by our faith in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:10). His love chooses to do that for us. It absolutely amazes me that God looks upon me and calls me holy in His sight. Doesn’t that amaze you?

But, sanctification is more than just having a different status before God. We have a different purpose as well. Every believer has been set apart as God’s special, beloved possession for His exclusive use. To be set apart for special use is similar to using fine china and silverware for special occasions. It is the opposite of ordinary and common. Dear Christian, you are God’s special, beloved possession—called by Him to be dedicated to His service. You have a valuable purpose. How sweet is that!

You Place Your Faith In Jesus; God Declares You His Saint.

Sanctified ones are called “holy people” and “saints” in the New Testament, depending on the translation. You can see how Paul described the believers in the first couple of verses of most of his letters—i.e., Romans 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:1, and Ephesians 1:1. Translators use various English words to represent Paul’s intended meaning, usually “saints,” “holy ones” or “holy people.” All of those are translating a derivative of the Greek word hagios, “holy,” meaning separated from sin and dedicated to God.

All believers are called “holy ones” based on their faith in Jesus Christ. You as a saint are identified by position, what God declares to be true about you. Every believer, including you, is one of God’s saints, totally loved and accepted by Him. You are considered a saint of God by His declaration, not because of your behavior. Although some particularly influential Christians have been titled “Saint” through the years as an honor for their service to God, this in no way negates the truth that every believer is a saint in God’s eyes.

Believers are made holy by Christ’s death on the cross in their relational status before God. Remember all those words we have already studied? You have been redeemed, reconciled to God, forgiven, justified and completely accepted by God because of what Jesus has already done for you on the cross. All of that contributes to God declaring you holy as one of His saints by faith in Jesus Christ. That is your status before God. Perfected…no longer flawed in His sight.

But, Wait, There’s More…

Believers are also “being made holy” in their thoughts, words, and actions by the work of the Holy Spirit. This is ongoing from the moment of salvation until the Lord comes or the believer dies, when our “being made holy” is complete (Philippians 1:6). The goal of the Spirit’s work is to transform us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18) so that we become in thought and behavior what we are in status—holy as God is holy.

Perfected…No Longer Flawed

An understanding of Christ’s finished work on the cross is the basis for a firm knowledge of your identity in Him—a founda­tional truth for successful Christian living. It was totally God’s work to make you acceptable again in His sight. Your proper response is to trust and rest in His work and to continually offer Him thanks from a grateful heart along with your willing service.

Dwell on the FACT that God declares you holy because of your faith in Christ. You are set apart by Him, for Him. This is your status before God because of your faith. Your behavior matches your position when you submit to the Spirit’s work to intentionally separate you from what God calls sin and then commit yourself to being used for His purposes throughout a typical day as you care for your household, be a parent or grandparent to children, work for an employer, interact with people around you, and spend your leisure time.

These Gifts Are Yours, Sister!

Because of the cross, you can dwell on the FACT that God was fully satisfied by Jesus’s finished work on the cross. God is no longer angry at your sin because you believe in His Son. You can dwell on the FACT that the barrier of sin has been taken away and complete reconciliation between you and God is possible because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross. Your relationship with God is restored. You can dwell on the FACT that you, as a believer, have been purchased by the blood of Christ out of slavery and released into freedom as God’s act of redemption. You have a new master with greater power living inside of you, the Spirit of God Himself, who can give you freedom from any entrapping sin.

You can also dwell on the FACT that you are completely forgiven of your sins and that Jesus promises to cleanse your conscience from guilt. You can dwell on the FACT that you have been declared righteous (justified) and are now perfectly acceptable to a holy God based on your faith in His Son. And, you can dwell on the FACT that God declares you holy because of your faith in Christ. You are sanctified—set apart by Him, for Him.

Mankind’s disease was sin. Because of this disease, we were: 1) never able to make ourselves well, 2) in bondage to the disease, 3) alienated from the one who could heal us, 4) carrying the guilt of having the disease, 5) experiencing cumulative effects of the disease, and 6) unable to live a purposeful life. Jesus’s finished work on the cross removed all these effects of the disease so that “by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24)—truly healed!

An understanding of Christ’s finished work on the cross is the basis for a firm knowledge of our identity in Him—a founda­tional truth for successful Christian living. It was totally God’s work to make sinners acceptable again in His sight. Our proper response is to trust and rest in His work, and to continually offer Him thanks from grateful hearts along with our willing service.

Now that you have a more complete understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross on your behalf—how does that make you feel? Believe it, sister. Embrace it. Relish in it. Bask in it. Anchor your hope in it.

As Paul writes in Colossians 3:12, you are dearly loved!

Reflect and Respond