Distracted by The Chosen Season 4 at the movies - Day 62 Bible Reading - Mark 11: 33 (ESV)

Getting caught up on Bible Readings. I saw The Chosen Season 4 episodes 7 and 8 on Monday March 4, and I was very moved and needed to take a break to digest what I watched. It was powerful season 4 finale. Don’t miss it in the theaters or when it comes out for free.

Leviticus 9 & 10, Mark 11: 27-33, Psalm 33: 12-22

Mark 11: 33 (ESV)

“So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.””

I like verse 11 from Mark 11 when Jesus spoke to the scribes who asked him by what authority was Jesus doing all these things. Jesus told them he will answer their question if they can tell him if the baptism of John was heaven or man. Jesus knew that a follower of John or anyone who had seen John the Baptist would have thought about or pondered for themselves. I find it interesting that the scribes hadn’t even thought of this question and couldn’t give Jesus a good answer. These were supposedly learned men in the Torah who couldn’t give Jesus an answer based on their understanding of Torah. And that’s how Jesus caught them and didn’t answer their question. I like this verse because I have saying I always ask myself before I ask any serious question – “don’t ask questions you don’t know want to know or aren’t prepared for the answer you are going to get.”

Day 61 Bible Reading - Mark 11: 13-14 (ESV)

Leviticus 7 & 8, Mark 11: 1-26, Psalm 33: 1-11

Mark 11: 13-14 (ESV)

“And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.”

I’ve been reading commentaries on verses 13-14 from Mark 11, and this is the most interesting interpretation of Jesus cursing the fig tree that I came across. Christ cursed the fig tree because it had leaves, but no fruit. A fig tree only has leaves when it has fruit, so the fig tree had false advertising. A commentator wrote that “God doesn’t approve when there is a profession without reality, talk without walk. God has displeasure when we have the appearance of fruit but not the fruit itself.” Any follower of Christ will need to look deep into their own hearts and analyze their behavior and ask themselves, “Am I a true follower of Christ or do I just have the appearance of being a follower of Christ?”

Day 60 Bible Reading - Mark 10: 43-44 (ESV)

I read these passages from the Bible yesterday, but I couldn’t figure out what to write about and reflect on, so I had to sleep on it. Below is what I came up with today.

Leviticus 5 & 6, Mark 10: 32-52, Psalm 32

Mark 10: 43-44 (ESV)

“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”

Verses 43-44 from Mark 10 stood out for me today. John and James are asking Jesus if they could have close and leadership positions in his kingdom. Many commentaries have noted that Jesus is telling John and James that in his version of the kingdom, the only requirement for leadership is humble service. That to have a leadership position in Jesus’ kingdom, you have to be like Jesus and emulate how humble he was in his life. Ministry is for the benefit of those you are serving, and not for the benefit of the one who is serving. The kingdom of Christ can be so hard to understand for people, because in our normal everyday world we receive something for leadership. We either receive something materially or financially. But in Jesus’ world, leadership comes up what you can give to people. Christ paid the ultimate price for his leadership. We will need to ask ourselves would we be willing to make such a sacrifice for leadership? Maybe not our life, but definitely our pride and ego will need to be let go to serve God’s people.

Day 59 Bible Reading - Mark 10: 15 (ESV)

Leviticus 3 & 4, Mark 10: 1-31, Psalm 31: 19-24

Mark 10: 15 (ESV)

” Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

When I first heard and read verse 15 from Mark 10, I used to think it meant that we needed child-like faith in God. Having faith in God the way a child trusts his father. I believe I have a child-like trust in God. But after reading several commentaries, many biblical scholars believe this verse also emphasizes that children don’t feel that they have to earn everything they get. Children will never refuse gifts out of self-sufficient pride. A child will receive a gift because at their age, that’s all they can do. I like this new way of looking at this verse because as an adult, I do often find it hard to receive gifts. The first thoughts that inevitably run through my head upon receiving a gift are 1) what does this person want? 2) I’m going to have to give them something now just to even out the scales, 3) I don’t deserve a gift ever, and 4) what did I do to earn this gift?” I’m going to have to add the child-like attitude of being able to just receive to my definition of faith.