Monthly Archives: August 2025

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE INAUGURATION – 3

Bible Study,

Mark 1:9-11 NIV
[9] “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. [10] Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [11] And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

How fitting that the Father, whose commission Jesus, His Servant, had come to fulfil, should authenticate Him at the start of His public ministry! How better than to own and affirm Him as His Son! Jesus, the man, was not just any man… not even a special man chosen for the job. He was God’s own Son, very God Himself, born in human form, to carry out a mission so risky and so sacred that only one person could pull it off.

This Servant needed the Father’s affirmation to secure Him and the Holy Spirit’s anointing to empower Him. Following the act of baptism, immersion in the waters of “mikvah”, for Him the Jordan River, He was set apart for His work to which He dedicated Himself with unwavering faithfulness.

According to Google,

“Jesus’ baptism, as recorded in the Gospels, was a significant event with multiple layers of meaning. It marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, symbolized his identification with humanity and their need for salvation, and demonstrated his submission to the Father. Furthermore, it was a pivotal moment where the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and the Father’s voice affirmed Jesus as his beloved Son.”

Like the action of ordinary humans when they submitted to the ceremonial washing of the “mikvah”, Jesus also drew a line in the sand. His action was much more than obedience to a ritual demanded by the religious culture of His people. It was a declaration of intent, His dedication to the greatest purpose of the Father symbolically expressed in the act…the washing away of sin, not by water but by His own blood.

Like the believers who would follow Him, His baptism would forever cut Him off from any other pursuit than to do the will of the Father. His role as the Ebed Yahweh was cemented in that act.

Matthew 3:13-15 NIV
[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. [14] But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.”

Jesus was secured in the Father’s love and affirmation, after thirty years of living in a Galilean village in obscurity, by “the Father’s blessing”. He would have been insecure and adrift without the verbal affirmation from the Father, of His belongingness and approval. Armed with the Father’s words ringing in His soul, Jesus could step out into a hostile world with the assurance that He was beloved and supported by the greatest power on earth and empowered by the Holy Spirit Himself to carry out the Father’s will.

So, from that moment, Jesus set His face, ultimately, towards Jerusalem, the centre of Israel and the place where all the prophetic visions of the Messiah would come together to fulfill God’s great plan of salvation. Though His earthly ministry would range across Israel and beyond, beginning at the Jordan River, and crisscrossing the territory of His people, it would culminate, from the heart of God to the heart of His nation, in the mighty return of His Spirit in Jerusalem, to indwell His people and to finish what He started.

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE MESSAGE – 2

Bible Study,

Mark 1:7-8 NIV
[7] “And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. [8] I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

According to Matthew, John the Baptist also predicted the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11-12 NIV
[11] “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [12] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John’s message, as reported by Mark, was short and to the point. His baptism of repentance was a symbol of something much greater.

In Lluke’s expanded version of John’s message, Jesus’ appearance on earth would herald not only a great awakening but also a great cleansing.

Luke 3:16-18 NIV
[16] “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [17] His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” [18] And with many other words, John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.”

As grim as the outcome of Jesus’ appearance would be, the separation of wheat and chaff and the utter destruction of the chaff, everything John preached about the advent and work of God’s Servant was included in the bundle of “good news”.

What was the essence of this good news?

First, John’s immersion of God’s people in the “mikvah” of the Jordan River prepared the hearts of the repentant ones for the good news of a cleansing far greater than the cleansing of a flowing river. Water on the outside to cleanse the body was symbolic of the Holy Spirit on the inside, purifying the soul.

Adam’s greatest loss, after his declaration of independence, was the departure of God’s Spirit, God’s presence in him, breathed into him at his creation. He retained his physical life for a season but his connection with God through the Spirit was broken. He was dead to the spiritual dimension and lost to God’s presence and purposes. He was afloat on the treacherous and stormy ocean of life and left alone to navigate his own way.

The coming of the Servant heralded something new in Israel, prophesied in the Old Covenant but only effected by Jesus…God’s decisive remedy for sin.

Second, John’s message included the good news that, not only would Messiah usher in God’s rule again in the hearts of His people but He would also immerse them in His Spirit just as their bodies were immersed in water.

Third, His work would also include separating the chaff from the wheat, not unbelievers from believers as some would suggest, but separating the chaff of the “outer man”, the thoughts and actions that spring from the evil desires of the old, sin nature, from the inner man, the shrine of God’s presence. Chaff and wheat are part of the same seed, chaff the outer husk and wheat the inner grain. By the fire of His Word, He would cleanse the soul of the old life, the chaff, and restore His own image in them.

So, in a nutshell, John heralded the Messiah’s coming with the promise of a thorough work of grace…This was impossible through the law of Moses which could not rein in the wickedness of the old nature, but would be made possible through the work of the Messiah and His Spirit.

For thecl people of God, the coming of the Holy Spirit to deluge and transform all people was not an unknown or unexpected event. Joel spoke of His coming centuries before John’s announcement.

Joel 2:28-32 NIV
[28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. [29] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. [30] I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. [31] The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. [32] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”

Peter matched this prophecy with the astonishing events of the day of Pentecost, witnessed by thousands of Jews from all over the Roman Empire.

The Holy Spirit had indeed come, as John had predicted, to restore God’s people to fellowship with Himself by removing their sin, cleansing their hearts and conscience from guilt and shame, and restoring His own presence in them through His Holy Spirit…

Acts 2:14-17 NIV
[14]” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams… “

…leading to the momentous event when the church of the Lord Jesus, His body, was born as they called on His name and received His gift of salvation.

MARK’S GOSPEL… THE PREPARATION – 1

Bible Study, ,

Mark1:1 NIV
[1] “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God…”

Mark begins his story about Jesus, God’s Son and Messiah with a blunt announcement…

… Not a birth notice in the daily newspaper or even an excited disclosure after an ultrasound scan, “We are pregnant!” but…

Just a bald statement, “The beginning of the Good News,” as if Jesus had just appeared on earth from heaven as a full grown man!

Mark said nothing about His childhood, or even His background and ancestry as a human. Why did he omit all the exciting and miraculous details surrounding His conception and birth?

Mark did not specifically state the purpose of his gospel but, in the divine plan of the Father, it fits in perfectly into the fourfold revelation of Jesus in the four gospels as the king of Israel (according to Matthew), the Servant of Yahweh (according to Mark), the Son of Man (according to Luke), and the Son of God, (according to John).

In keeping with a servant, to Mark  Jesus’ ancestry was irrelevant. Servants are just that, servants, not celebrities. Yet, at the same time, this servant had an ancestry in God clearly prophesied in the Tanach, the Old Testament Scriptures. He was the Father’s divinely appointed Servant, chosen before time to carry out His will, whose character, work, and suffering were predicted centuries before His coming.

Isaiah saw and predicted in four, possibly five “Servant Songs”, called  the Ebed Yahweh, contained in the chapters from 40 to 66 of his prophecies.

Google explains…

“In Isaiah’s prophecies, the “Ebed Yahweh” or “Servant of the Lord” refers to a figure who is both a servant and a chosen one of God, playing a significant role in God’s plan of redemption. This figure is depicted in four distinct poems within the book of Isaiah, each highlighting different aspects of his character and mission. While the identity of the Ebed Yahweh is not explicitly stated, many interpretations identify him as a messianic figure, with some seeing a connection to Jesus Christ.”

“The term “Ebed Yahweh” literally translates to “Servant of the Lord” and appears in Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12.”

Appropriately, this Sevant of God needed a forerunner to prepare His way. He would not appear out of nowhere unannounced. Certain details predicted by the prophets, would identify this forerunner so that there would be no mistake in recognising this Servant when He came.

Mark 1:2-4 NIV
[2] “…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— [3] “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” [4] And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

And so John came…out of the wilderness…a wild man…

Mark 1:6 NIV
[6] “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.”

… with a radical message of repentance, not new for Israel but with a new focus and a new announcement.

Mark 1:7-8 NIV
[7] And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. [8] I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism! Israel’s way of drawing a line in the sand…washing off the old, stepping into the new. John’s baptism was new but not new.

Mark 1:5 NIV
[5] “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

What was the meaning of John’s baptism? Over the centuries, the people of Israel had gone through the ritual washing of “baptism”, in the “mikvah”, the pool of water designated to be the place of washing.

Google explains…

“In the Old Testament, a mikvah is a pool of water used for ritual immersion to achieve purification from spiritual or ritual impurity. It’s a place where individuals immerse themselves to become ritually clean, often after experiencing states of impurity due to bodily functions or before engaging in sacred activities. The concept is rooted in the idea of “living waters” or natural bodies of water, though modern mikvahs are often specially constructed pools.”

“A mikvah in the Hebrew Bible is a gathering or collection of water. The word came to refer to a pool of water used for ceremonial cleansing. One who is impure or ceremonially unclean before immersion will be pure or ceremonially clean after immersion in a mikvah. A person would have to be ceremonially clean before entering the temple. Ceremonial cleansing is prescribed in the Bible on a number of occasions: women after childbirth or their monthly cycle and men after sexual discharge (Leviticus 15:19–30) and after contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:18–19). Clothing and utensils could also be cleansed by ritual immersion (Leviticus 11:32). Later, ritual immersion—baptism—became part of a proselyte’s conversion to Judaism.”

(Source: https://www.gotquestions.org
Question: What is a mikvah?)

John, then, operating within the culture of Israel, introduced to “mikvah” the concept of repentance for the forgiveness of sins using the Jordan River as his “mikvah”. This was much more than ceremonial cleansing. This was the forerunner of the work of the Servant…cleasing of the heart and conscience through the forgiveness of sin in preparation for immersion in the Holy Spirit.

God has promised, in the terms of the New Covenant…

Jeremiah 31:31-34 NIV
[31] “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [32] It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. [33] “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [34] No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

… and…

Joel 2:28-29 NIV
[28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. [29] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

The people of Israel had only known ritual cleansing through the sacrifice of animals. The Servant would come with the Good News of heart cleansing through the blood of the Lamb.

Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV
[13] “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. [14] How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

So, Mark shines the light on Jesus as God’s Servant, serving the Father  in His life, His works, and in His death… always at work, fulfilling His Messianic role as predicted in Isaiah’s prophetic songs. His work of salvation from sin, introduced by John the Baptist through his message and the baptism of repentance, would fulfil everything the Old Covenant had promised, ushering in the kingdom of God, the realm of God’s rule restored to earth.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… CONCLUSION-36

Bible Study, ,

John 20:30-31 NIV
[30] “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. [31] But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John concluded his story but not Jesus’ story. As Jesus’ companion and eyewitness, he had much more to tell but…where would he stop? Jesus had said and done so much in his presence that he concluded, with a sense of wonder…

John 21:25 NIV
[25] “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Was this just exaggeration or was John so overwhelmed with material for his book that he was forced to leave it there, a kind of open-ended conclusion and admission that he could have written reams more and never gotten to the end of this marvellous God-Man’s story.

So, John ends his record of the Son of God with a declaration of his purpose. The other gospel writers leave the reader to decide the reason for each presentation for themselves, but not John. He made sure that every reader would reach the conclusion he intended, and be faced with a decision.

Every person on earth, at some point in life, must face the question, “Who will you serve?” and bear the consequences of that decision. Since there are witnesses to God’s existence everywhere that no one can deny, the witness of creation…

Psalms 19:1-4 NIV
[1] “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. [2] Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. [3] They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. [4] Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.”

Romans 1:20 NIV
[20] “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

…and the witness of conscience,

Romans 2:14-15 NIV
[14] “(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. [15] They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them).”

Every person must decide about Jesus to settle their destiny.

To his credit, John intensified this witness by preserving and presenting the story of Jesus in written form. In this way, every reader is faced with a decision and a choice, to believe or not to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and to receive Him or reject Him as Lord.

John 1:12 NIV
[12] “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… “

Throughout his gospel, John presents records of Jesus’ miracles as signs, evidence pointing to His identity. In every clash with His opponents, Jesus reinforced His claim to be the Son of God. Time and again, Jesus’ words matched the revelation of Messiah in the writings of the Tanach. John presented Him as the embodiment of truth, God’s Word, prophesied in the Old Testament, clothed in a human body. Like the lamp of David’s psalm,

Psalms 119:105 NIV
[105] “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

…He came to bring light to the people who walked in darkness.

John 8:12 NIV
[12] “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

… shining the light on His true identity and offering His people the opportunity to receive and live by His light.

John masterfully wove together the two strands of witness, Jesus words and His works, that provide the undeniable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. In Jesus’ own words, the reader’s choice will decide his/her eternal destiny by believing and receiving or rejecting His witness.

John 3:18 NIV
[18] “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

So, John urged, read to believe so that, by believing, you will have life through Him.

1 John 5:11-12 NIV
[11] “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

John 3:36 NIV
[36] “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

You be the judge. Your life is in your hands!

JOHN’S GOSPEL… FORGIVEN – 35

Bible Study, ,

John 21:4-5 NKJV
[4] But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”

Why did John choose to record this specific event among everything Jesus did during His remaining forty days on earth before He returned to the Father?

Uncertainty, unfinished business! Yes, Jesus had revealed Himself to His disciples after the resurrection. He had shown them His wounds, convinced them that He was alive, not just a spirit among them. He had calmed them with His declaration of peace…but doubts still lingered. What now?

They had treated Him badly in His hour of need. They had deserted Him, even denied Him. What did He think of them now? Were they still His disciples after such cowardly behaviour?

They had been instructed to meet Him in Galilee. Why Galilee? They were in Jerusalem. He was in Jerusalem. Why not in Jerusalem?

Jesus did nothing without a purpose and everything thoroughly.

Galilee was the scene of their calling…by the lake, away from father, family, and familiar things…into unknown and uncharted waters. The lake was often their classroom, learning the ways of their Master. Storms…the fear of drowning…bread and fish miraculously multiplied…a demoniac delivered…pigs drowning in their thousands…Jesus walking on water… it had all happened on and around the lake.

So, seven of the disciples decided to return to the lake. It was, for some, a familiar place, comforting in their time of confusion and uncertainty. At least some of them could do something they knew to do well…fishing.

John 21:2-3 NIV

[2] Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. [3] “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”

What a let down! Even the pleasure of catching fish failed them when they needed it most! As dawn broke over the lake a figure, shrouded in the early morning mist, stood on the shore. He called to them…

John 21:5-6 NKJV
[5] Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” [6] And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”

How important that Jesus take them back to where it all began…to remind them of their calling. The scene was strangely familiar…a night of fruitless fishing, Jesus on the shore instructing them to try again. A catch so big that it threatened to capsize their boat.

Children? Yes, “paidia”, little children, little ones, by implication immature young boys.

Was this meant to be an insult or an honest evaluation of who these men really were? Why would Jesus view them as immature young boys? Their very attitude betrayed their mindset. They had returned to fishing, their old life, as though the years of interlude when they walked with Jesus, was just that…an interlude, forgetting that He had called and trained them for their life’s mission.

Did their failure disqualify them? Would Jesus need to start all over again, find other men and train them to carry on His mission? No, that’s not how He works.

How important that these immature young boys learn to think as Jesus thought! Nothing disqualified them from fulfilling His will except unbelief. They had to learn that He takes fallible humans, forgives and cleanses them from all unrighteousness, fills them with His Spirit, and sends them out equipped to do His work.

Jesus does not expect perfection. He looks for faithfulness and perseverance. Peter, always the ringleader, was tested and restored, not to perfection, but to the love of his Master that would motivate and steady him through every trial.

John 21:15 NIV
[15] “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Three times the denial! Three times the question, “Simon (not Peter, the stone, but Simon, the one who hears…but not necessarily listens), do you love me?” In this cryptic question lay the heart of his calling, not to success or fame but to love. Why love? Why not trust, or obedience, or some other qualification? Love is a motive so powerful that, when every other motive fails, love holds steady.

The same Peter, who ran away from a servant girl, would later stand before the Sanhedrin and fearlessly declare, knowing well the possible consequences…

Acts 4:8-12, 18-20 NIV
[8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [11] Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ [12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”…
[18] Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. [19] But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! [20] As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

What if Jesus had blotted out every detail of Peter’s future by disqualifying him from discipleship? What if He had demoted him to fisherman for the rest of his life? What if He had sent all seven, and the other four not with them, back to their humdrum old lives?

Let this be a lesson for all who read God’s Word…that He is God, not man, that His grace takes care of every failure, all imperfection, all weakness… that His light shines through cracked vessels. No one is disqualified, despite the worst of our sin except the refusal to repent.

Like Judas Iscariot, remorse does not heal the breach, but repentance returns us to the place where the parting of ways happened. Let this closing story in John’s Gospel prepare us, too, to trust in the Jesus who forgives, restores, and heals the breach, and let us go on, despite our failures, to loving and faithful service of the Master who gave His life for us.