Category Archives: Bible Study

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE TALITH – 15

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Mark 5:21, 24-25, 27-29 NIV

[21] “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 

[24] So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. [25] And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years…

[27] When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, [28] because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” [29] Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”

This beautiful story, so packed with symbolism and meaning, is often robbed of its significance if we do not understand the “tallit”.

The Israelites were simple in their understanding and use of language. They did not function in abstracts. They expressed their thoughts in pictures of everyday life. The things they saw, did, and used formed the basis of their understanding of spiritual truth. Hence, for example, God was, to them, not some elevated,  invisible Being with attributes of wisdom, grace, etc…however we, with our westen-orientated philosophical minds perceive God, but the one who was  “el”.  In their language, “el” was illustrated by an ox head and a shepherd’s staff, symbolising the one who had strength and authority.

So, God used “pictures”, symbols to teach them spiritual truth. In the early days of God’s association with Israel, He instructed His people to sew tassles, “tzitzit”, on the corners of their outer garment to remind them of the place of God’s “Torah” in their lives.

Google explains…

“In the Bible, tassels (Hebrew: tzitzit) are a tangible reminder of God’s commandments for the Israelites, symbolizing obedience, covenant, and their unique identity as God’s holy people. Worn on the corners of their garments, these fringes with a blue cord were a constant visual prompt for the Israelites to remember and obey God’s laws rather than follow their own desires.”

In Jesus’ day, the outer garment, called the “tallit”, was a kind of all-purpose poncho, used as a covering by day and a blanket at night which eventually devolved into a prayer shawl.

Google again,

“In the Bible, the tallit refers to a fringed garment, also known as a shawl or mantle, worn by Israelites to serve as a reminder of God’s commandments. The concept originates from God’s instruction to Moses to have the Israelites attach fringes (tzitzit) to the corners of their garments to remember God’s laws, as found in Numbers 15:37-40.’ “

Each tassel had five knots, symbolising the five books of Moses, and four spaces, reminding them of the four letters, YHWH, in God’s name.

The corners of the garment “kanaph”, on which the tassels were attached, were known as “wings”… so, Malachi prophesied that …

Malachi 4:2 NLT

[2] “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings (Hebrew, “kanaph”). And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”

Now, let’s put this explanation into our story of the woman with the bleeding problem. Probably with Malachi’s prophecy on her heart, she wanted to touch the tzitzit on thae “kanaph” of Jesus’ tallit, believing she would be healed…

…so it happened, exactly as she believed! Her action was not some random idea that, if she touched Him because of His reputation as a healer, she would be healed. She placed her faith squarely in God’s word, believing that Jesus was the one Malachi prophesied to be “the Sun of Righteousness” who had healing in His 

Notice how Jesus responded to her action. He called her, “Daughter!” and linked her standing in Israel to her faith. 

Mark 5:33-34 NIV

[33] “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. [34] He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Jesus recognised her as a member of the children of Israel, a true daughter of Abraham because…she believed in the truth of God’s word. 

This is a clear teaching of Scripture…

Galatians 3:26, 29 NIV

[26] “So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith… 

[29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Gods Word is never a hit-and-miss record of events but a carefully-woven tapestry of God and people, every detail a part of the whole. How important, then, that we read it all, trusting the Holy Spirit to be our Supreme Teacher, tying every detail together to give us understanding and to grow our faith in the author of this infallible and divinely-inspired book.

MARK’S GOSPEL…YOUR RESPONSIBILITY – 14

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Mark 4:21-25 NIV

[21] He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? [22] For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. [23] If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” [24] “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. [25] Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

There is something important that we, readers, need to clear up once and for all, that Jesus clarified in this teaching. Somehow, both preachers and people have become confused between what God has done through Jesus and what He requires us to do in response.

Jesus has done everything necessary to save us from our sin. We can add nothing to His finished work to gain acceptance with God.

Ephesians 1:7 NIV

[7] “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…” 

However, the experience of God’s salvation is a two-way street. The grace He provides to overcome our old nature and enjoy the blessings and benefits of our salvation can only come to us through our response of faith and obedience. 

Now, let’s examine what Jesus said about our response to His teaching.

Mark 4:21-23 NIV

[21] “He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? [22] For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. [23] If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

To what was Jesus referring when He used the illustration of a lamp? I think He was talking about His teaching. John called Him “the Word”, and He spoke of Himself as the “light of the world”. Since God’s Word is a lamp and a light…

Psalms 119:105 NIV

[105] “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

…the imagery is obvious. Jesus and His teaching are the light for our path.

So Jesus said, “A  lamp is intended to light a room, not to be hidden under something.” Just as a lamp shines to illuminate a room so, the light of Jesus’ Word must shine in our hearts…lighting up the darkness and showing us the way to live.

This leads to Jesus’ main point.

Mark 4:24-25 NIV

[24]  “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. [25] Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

In His typical, graphic way, Jesus was explaining to His disciples that they were responsible for their own spiritual growth. God has done everything for our salvation. Now, it is up to us to apply the truth to our own lives. God will not do for us what He has told us to do. He has told us to believe and obey the gospel. 

In his letters, Paul has expanded on the way we, as believers in Jesus, must live out our faith in the world. For example, 

Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV

[1] “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. [2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. [3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

…and so much more.

God will not do for us what He tells us to do. Through His grace, He gives us the strength to obey, but He does not believe or obey for us.

So, Jesus urges us…

Be careful how you listen. The more you obey, the more you will receive. The less you obey, the more you will lose. No one stands still in life. One either goes backwards or forwards.

We need to apply this principle to the church as well. In the New Covenant, there is no teaching about revival. The church does not need reviving since revival is about restoring what is dying. The church needs to obey.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV

[3] “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

This is what God has done. Now…

2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV

[5] “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Can you see, then, how clearly Peter lays out this requirement? Building on Jesus’ instruction, the Holy Spirit in Peter reminded him of Jesus ‘ words. So, we must differentiate between what Jesus has done for us and what He will do in us. How imperative this is if we are careful to do as Peter urged in his second letter…

2 Peter 3:18 NIV

[18] “But grow in the grace (His work in us), and knowledge (His work for us), of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! 

MARK’S GOSPEL …FORGIVENESS – 13

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10] When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. [11] He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables [12] so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ”

The parable of the sower is a familiar story among Jesus’ parables, but the purpose of His parables perhaps not so well known or understood. This is where we part company with Jesus in His attitude to followers. 

If we were Jesus, we would want as many people as possible to follow us. We would make it as easy as possible to gather disciples, even lowering the standard if necessary to attract people to our cause.

Not Jesus! He was after quality, not quantity. His stories were intended to sort out the “sheep” from the “goats”. He was not interested in gathering casual followers or freeloaders. Following Him was serious and costly, as His disciples would discover when they were left to carry the torch for Him.

So, what did He mean by His explanation? First, the story itself was significant. Only approximately one quarter of the farmer’s seed fell into suitable soil. Three quarters of the seed was wasted and unproductive because the ground was either too hard, too stony, or too overgrown with weeds.

For the disciples, this meant that they should not anticipate a harvest from every seed they sowed. Most of their labour would be wasted. They should not expect anything else.

On the contrary, as in Jesus’ ministry, so in theirs, the very 
preaching of the message would harden the hearts of those who refused to believe.

“…But to those on the outside everything is said in parables [12] so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ”

Jesus made it as difficult as possible for people to believe in Him so that those who followed Him would do so because they were convinced that He was who He said He was and that following Him meant all or nothing.

How different from much of today’s preaching! People are invited to follow Jesus for what He can do for them.. and when He doesn’t, they fall away or follow from a distance because He disappointed them.

What Jesus said sounds as though He didn’t want people to be forgiven. I think He meant that His forgiveness was not cheap. He did not want to dispense forgiveness that cost Him His life to people who would treat His gift lightly.

So, what do we gather from this parable and its interpretation?

Following Jesus is a serious and all-consuming business. To the would-be disciple, it means dying to self daily, setting aside all selfish and self-centred desires to love and obey the Master. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we commit to Him as our Supreme Authority.

Perhaps Francis Ridley Havergal’s well-known hymn says it best…

1. Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

Author: Frances Ridley Havergal
Source: https://www.hymnary.org

MARK’S GOSPEL…PICKY IRRITATION -11

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Mark 3:1-6 NIV
[1] “Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. [2] Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. [3] Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” [4] Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. [5] He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. [6] Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”

The Pharisees were incorrigible.
This means that they never gave up. Why were they so against Jesus? The bottom line was that they were in bondage to fear, the fear of breaking any of God’s laws, including those the ancient rabbis had added to the law of Moses to protect God’s people from violating any of God’s commandments.

The Sabbath was especially sacred because obedience to the Sabbath was a sign of the Covenant.

Exodus 31:12-13 NIV
[12] “Then the Lord said to Moses, [13] “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”

Sabbath rest was a sequel to creation, not a new instruction given at Sinai. God rested from His work on the seventh day, not because He was tired but because His creative work was complete. So also was His redemptive work in Christ. He called His people into His rest through obedience to His Covenant, but they failed to believe His word.

Hebrews 3:18-19 NIV
[18] “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? [19] So we see that they were not able to enter because of their unbelief.”

God’s people failed to understand the message of God’s rest written into the Old Covenant.

Hebrews 4:3-6 NIV
[3] “Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. [4] For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” [5] And again, in the passage above, he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” [6] Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience…”

So, for the Pharisees, the Sabbath meant work! By not doing work of any kind, they were working for God’s approval. Jesus contradicted their belief by doing good works on the Sabbath, which they condemned along with any kind of activity they regarded as “work”. This violation, above every other, incensed them because they regarded Jesus as a deliberate law breaker and not, as He claimed, Lord of the Sabbath.

The stringent laws of the Old Covenant demanded death as the ultimate penalty for disobedience. The Pharisees were determined to carry out the death sentence when the opportunity arose to confirm that they were in charge because of their “obedience” to the law.

However, there was one thing they could not deny…Jesus’ authority. Despite their objection on this occasion, Jesus did nothing…He only spoke! In what way, then, did He break the Sabbath? Was speaking on the Sabbath also breaking the law? The fact that the man was healed confirmed Jesus’ claim to have authority from God himself.

How perverse the Pharisees were! No amount of confirmation would shake them from their determination to eliminate Jesus. This is the characteristic of the hypocrite. No matter how many facts contradict their stance, they are always right! What they do is irrelevant. What they say is what counts.

There is a denomination/cult that also holds tenaciously to the Sabbath as the be-all and end-all of their faith. They trach dalvation through faith in Jesus but they also teach the law as necessary for obedience. One has to question their salvation, despite their protests that they believe the gospel, when they insist on legalistic obedience to certain laws and prohibitions.

What is the yardstick by which to measure their claims?

Galatians 5:2-4 NIV
[2] “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

Circumcision… Sabbath observance…food laws…anything we add to the all-sufficiency of Jesus’ death and resurrection cancels grace. Faith is transferred from Jesus to what we do, and the work of Jesus becomes ineffective.

Paul has to rebuke Peter on this very issue.

Galatians 2:11-13, 16, 19-21 NIV
[11] When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. [13] The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was led astray…
[16] …we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified…
[19] “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

It’s no wonder, then, that Sabbath observance became the most contentious issue for the Pharisees. If they were right and Jesus was wrong, then He must die for His disobedience to the law and for His claim to have the right to disobey because He was God!

If only the Pharisees understood that real Sabbath observance included mercy, kindness, and compassion, regardless of the day.

Matthew 12:1-5, 7-8 NIV
[1] “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. [2] When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”…

Jesus’ reply was shocking and condemning…

[3] He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? [4] He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. [5] Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
[7] If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. [8] For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

His title, “Son of Man”, was Messianic, His claim, “Lord of the Sabbath”, a claim to deity. As far as the Pharisees were concerned, what could be worse for Him than that?

MARK’S GOSPEL…PICKY IRRITATION -10

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Mark 2:15-17 NIV
[15] “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [17] On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Strange, isn’t it, that the religious leaders just couldn’t leave Jesus alone. Wherever He was, whatever He did, they were there, on His case, picking on Him for daring to challenge not only their authority but also their very philosophy of life.

The difference between the Pharisees and Jesus was simple.They focused on the “don’ts” while Jesus focused on the “do’s”. What do I mean? For the Pharisees, their preoccupation with being “holy” meant that they were careful not to do anything that they believed would displease God.

God’s laws were protected by a multiplicity of additional laws and prohibitions added by the learned rabbis over years of study, and preserved in the Mishnah.

Google explains…

“The Mishnah is a third-century Jewish collection that expands upon the legal material and language of the Old Testament and is considered to be “oral Torah.” Mishnah (the Hebrew term מִשְׁנָה means “study by repetition”) is the foundation of all subsequent Jewish law and praxis, from the Talmuds up to modern-day Jewish literature.”

To the Jewish religious leaders, the Mishnah was as authoritative as the Tanach. They were incensed when Jesus did what they considered to be violations of these additional laws, and they were quick to pick on Him for every infraction.

Jesus had chosen Matthew to be one of His disciples, a despised tax collector who worked for the Roman government. Matthew had arranged a dinner to which he invited Jesus and his circle of friends, outcasts like himself, of course. The Pharisees, nosing around as usual, noticed this event and immediately lodged their objection. “Why does Jesus share a meal with the riff-raff?”

On this occasion, Jesus dared to fellowship with those whom the Pharisees considered to be undesirable people, the outcasts of society, “sinners” in their eyes since these people didn’t care about “the law”.

In Hebrew culture, sharing a meal with people was much more than that. There was significance in eating together. It was a declaration that the participants were at peace with each other, no issues, no animosity.

How could Jesus be at peace with these “sinners” if He was who He claimed to be, the Son of God? In any case, He was a recognised rabbi, and rabbis don’t eat with sinners.

As usual, Jesus declared His intention not to condemn people for their sinfulness but to rescue them from self-destruction and call them into fellowship with Him.

Mark 2:17 NIV
[17] “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus had declared His intention not to do away with God’s law, but to fulfill it in the way that God meant it to be lived, not by being hypocritically holy but by treating all people with kindness and compassion.

Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
[17] “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. [18] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”

Since God’s word is eternal, what He intended in His law (instructions), was meant to be understood in the context of His nature and attributes, not according to human opinions and interpretations.

Jesus declared His purpose in His words to Nicodemus…

John 3:17 NLT
[17] “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

Once again, by their picky irritation with Jesus, the Pharisees revealed the nature of their hearts, self-serving and, by contrast, the nature of the heart of Jesus, selflessly serving.