When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

Mark 12:1-12

When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. Mark 12:2-5

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:1-12.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv1-5):

• The title of this chapter for the commentary is "God Sent His Son and We Killed Him" and the main idea is: "To reject the Son is to reject the Father who sent Him."
• "In “the parable of the wicked tenants,” Jesus tells a story of judgment and mercy, grace and wrath, Christmas and Easter. The meaning can scarcely be doubted: God sent His Son, and we killed Him."  
• "Jesus has recently entered Jerusalem to the shouts and applause of the people (11:1-11). A couple of days later He enraged the religious leaders by cleansing the temple (11:15-19). The tension grew worse as He embarrassed them in a public showdown over the source of John the Baptist’s ministry and His own (11:27-33). Now He will inflame their hatred even more with a parable that will expose their evil hearts and their long-intended goal: to “destroy Him” (3:6; cf. 11:18; 14:1-2)."  
• "The story Jesus tells is really an allegorical parable drawn from Isaiah 5:1-7." In the text from Isaiah, God is the One who plants and the master of the vineyard, and Israel is the vineyard.  The tenants are the religious leaders of Israel.    
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "God Is Patient When Sinners Resist His Wooing."
• The parable is directed towards the religious leaders of Israel much like the "clever trap" set by Nathan for David in 2 Samuel 12:1-5.  "It is a story of Israel’s relationship to the Son of God. It is a reminder of the extraordinary restraint of a God who, as 2 Peter 3:9 teaches, 'Is patient with [us], not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.'  Like David [the religious leaders] knew their guilt. Unlike David they did not repent." 
• "[God] went to great expense on behalf of the vineyard and had every right to expect a bountiful harvest. However, the vineyard failed in its assignment."
• The faithful servants the vineyard master sends in the parable represent the many prophets God sent to Israel such as Jeremiah, etc. and Hebrews 11:35-38 records these faithful servants and how they served yet were treated harshly like the parable in Mark 12:1-12.
• We are referred to Matthew 23:34-35 for Jesus' description of the messengers he sends and how they also will be harshly treated - in His name. 
• "God’s gracious patience was extended repeatedly, but rebellious sinners like you and me resisted His wooing. We took His good things and turned them into god things thereby making them bad things. We took what was His and in rebellion said it was ours!"

We should all recognize that we are the ones that should have been nailed to the cross - we deserved the death Jesus died.  Instead we received mercy and salvation - something we don't deserve.  Once we recognize this our response is one of humility and gratitude.  It is also one whereby we embrace Jesus and seek to please Him, knowing that we exist to bring Him glory in all that we do.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of incredible grace and mercy - seeking to save as many as You can - all of whom, including myself, are deserving of death due to our sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the grace You pour out for me and for my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

John 11

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. John 11:49:-53

Day 310 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on how Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and the opposition this act raises from the Jewish leaders. My commentary notes: "[t]his, of course, is such a dramatic and conclusive demonstration of Jesus’ power that his opponents call a hasty conference and immediately plot to kill him."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

What is remarkable about the scripture this morning is how God spoke through Caiaphas to deliver substitution of Jesus (His death on the cross as atonement for all sins for all humanity) - which John Piper refers to as "the heart of the Christian faith". God works and is sovereign over all, including death and those who oppose Him. As we experience Advent and then Christmas, we must also reflect on what God has done for us as the greatest gift of all time.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and You sent Your Son to die for me...personally....knowing everything about me, including my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this gift.  My sin is great and it continues, including worry, gossip, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Exodus 32-34

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. Exodus 32:14

Day 30 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on the Israelites' failure to remain faithful in God as Moses was with God on Mount Sinai.

Aaron holds much of the responsibility of this failure as he leads the Israelites in an effort to create an idol (see Exodus 32:2-6 where he makes no attempt to encourage the Israelites to remain faithful, and 32:22-24 where Aaron makes feeble excuses for his lack of courage to confront the Israelites in their sin).

Although God's anger burns, Moses intercedes on the Israelites' behalf and God's anger relents and He shows great compassion and mercy - see Exodus 32:11-14.  He renews his covenant with the Israelites.  Moses' act to intercede on behalf of the Israelites foreshadows what Jesus does for all of us as believers - He willingly lays down His life to atone for all sin for all of humanity.  Just as Moses intercedes for the Israelites, Jesus intercedes for us - we all need a savior, and Jesus is that Savior.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who is full of compassion and mercy - for the Israelites...and for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love, compassion, and mercy.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.

Lamentations 5

Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. v21-22

Sin separates us from God.  In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices and the spilling of animal blood was used as part of ceremonial law to atone for sins and to help restore and reconcile individuals back to God.  Jeremiah is correct that he and the exiled Jews needed to be restored, and Jeremiah also delivered prophecies pointing to Jesus, whose death on the cross permanently eliminated the need for animal sacrifice.  While Jesus does want us to repent and confess our sins, He does not want animal sacrifice.  Instead, He wants our lives to be about Him and for Him - we are to sacrifice FOR Him:


Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who laid down His life for me...for me...amazing!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such an act.  I miss the mark. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.

Jeremiah 25

Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you. v5-6

The Lord sent many of his servants (v4) to deliver this message to the Israelites who had turned away from God.  Yet they did not listen (v7). God is extremely patient with us, full of grace and mercy, slow to anger and abounding in love, yet He does NOT have unlimited patience.

What is great is that we DO have a God who sent His Son to drink from the same cup of wrath taken by others before Him such as those who did so as described here in Jeremiah 25 and elsewhere in the Bible.

We all have earthly fathers we love but we none of us have an earthly father who can do what Jesus did for us at the cross.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God - You have done for me what no earthly father can or could ever do.  Thank You Jesus. Thank You for my earthly father and thank You for being so full of grace, mercy, and love for me.  I am not worthy of such love.  I miss the mark daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

2 Samuel 24

Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. v25 

According to the Macarthur Bible Commentary, the Lord is angry with David for "some unspecified sins".  So He allows Satan to incite David against Israel - see 1 Chronicles 21:1.  Although there is no mention of any specific sin committed by Israel, we all know Israel has a long history of turning away from God and all of us will never cease sinning - hence WHY God had to send His one and only Son (John 3:16).

In 2 Samuel 24, David attempts to intercede on behalf of Israel and we see that David's intercession on behalf of Israel is successful.

We ALL need intercession.  We all need Jesus.  Others may provide intercessory prayer - which is powerful.  But first and foremost we need Jesus.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has interceded on my behalf and willingly gone to the cross for me and everyone - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such an incredible gift - the greatest gift of all time.  I am easily distracted by the world.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses for Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then the land had peace forty years.

Judges 5

Then the land had peace forty years. v31

In the book of Judges, the Israelites do as we all do...we do "evil in the eyes of the Lord". Thankfully, God has raised up for us a Savior in Jesus Christ who nailed all of our sin to the cross so that we would not be caught in the cycle of sin and shame and sin.  

We must be humble and allow Jesus to work in and through our lives - to be transformed to be more like Jesus.  

As I posted yesterday, we may not like what God is doing in our lives but He is always present with us, by our side, working in and for us, refining and training us.

Lord Jesus, please take my life and make me more like You.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are my God. I am Your child.  I desire to be more like You.  I want to please You and glorify You.  Thank You that You loved me enough to not only adopt me as Your child but that You would go to the cross for me.  Thank You Jesus! I am not worth such love.  Please forgive me for my harsh words and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.