Sunday, April 30, 2017

MARK 8
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
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.1st century historical writing
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.Song of Moses
.Sign of Jonah
.We don’t have a bread problem!
.Jesus frustrated?
.They remembered the leftovers- but that was all
.What was the seed of the church?
.Don’t lose your soul
.You only have one life to give

NEW- [past posts- verses below]

Once again the multitude have been drawn to the ministry of Jesus- and yes- the crowds were so big- they had a food problem- like before [chapter 6]-

Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,

Mark 8:2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
But this time Jesus brings up the question himself-
Mark 8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
I think this must have been a test- I mean if you saw Jesus feeding the multitudes before- then your answer should be ‘Just do another miracle Jesus’.

But no- they respond-
Mark 8:4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
I think Jesus was ready to rebuke them right here- but he doesn’t, he simply resolves the problem-
Mark 8:5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Mark 8:6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
Mark 8:7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
Mark 8:8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Mark 8:9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
Then the Pharisees ask a sign from him-
Mark 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
He rebukes them-
Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
Jesus and his men enter a ship-
Mark 8:13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 
And he warns them about the ‘bread' of the Pharisees and Herod-
Mark 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
Mark 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Ok- at this point- you would hope the last thing on the minds of the disciples was ‘we have a bread problem’.

I mean Jesus already showed them- there is no ‘bread’ problem when your on his ministry team.
But no- they figured it was because they took no bread-
Mark 8:16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
Now he gives the earned rebuke-
Mark 8:17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
Mark 8:18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
Mark 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mark 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
Mark 8:21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
You sense the frustration here- even though he uses the same rebuke [quoting Isaiah] when he confronts the pharisees on other occasions- yet here- it comes from frustration.
 Jesus is preparing his men- for his own departure.
These are the core group who he will ‘pass the baton’ too- when he is gone.
And there still not ‘ready’ for the baton.
We also read of the great confession of Peter in this chapter-
Mark 8:27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
Mark 8:28 And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
Mark 8:29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
And the famous rebuke of Jesus-
Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
One note as we end the chapter- After the rebuke- Jesus tells his men that if they want to follow him- they have to bear the Cross-
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

They must not seek ‘self- preservation’ -
Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
The reason Peter got the strong rebuke- was because Jesus spoke of going to get crucified.
He also told him he would rise again- but they never grasped the last part- until he did rise-

16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. Jn.

44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.
Lk. 9


So in essence- Peter was seeking self preservation for not only himself but for Jesus as well.

They did see themselves as part of a movement -some thought it would overthrow Rome in the end [it did do that- but not the way the disciples initially thought].

So Peter got into trouble- with the ‘bad confession' because he tried to dissuade Jesus from his true purpose.

Ok- Then Jesus says those who try and save their lives will lose it [self preservation mentality].
But those who lose their lives- save it.

Then another famous quote-
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Ok- most of us read this as saying ‘what good is it if you become a millionaire- and die and go to hell’.
True enough- not a good thing.

But when we read it like that- we are still reading if from the perspective of
‘self preservation’.

Because that reading says Í must make sure at all costs I don’t ‘lose my soul and go to hell’.

But remember Jesus was going to the Cross- to be forsaken of God on our behalf, in essence he was heading ‘to hell’ -
1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Now he would be raised again for sure- but I think we miss the deeper meaning here.
Jesus purpose was indeed to come and Redeem man.

He had a choice in the matter.

And if he never went to the Cross- he would have never experienced separation from God as he bore our sins.

So the ‘self preservation’ [I must make sure I make it to heaven at all costs] thing- was not the main point.

If you- or I- don’t fulfill our God given purpose in life- then we blew it- we ‘lost our soul' in a way- and maybe gained the pleasures of the world- but what good is that?

Yes- Jesus was heading to the Cross- that was his purpose.

And if anyone tried to stop him- he perceived that as a real threat- the real danger.
We will read of his agony in the garden- his struggle with the reality of bearing the sins of the world.

His temptation from satan himself.

But this day- the temptation came from one of his closest men-

One who had to learn the lesson to overcome the fear of death himself-

Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Which fear caused him to deny the Lord- and in a way- he ‘lost his soul’- at least on that cold day-

55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
PAST TEACHING-
Below are my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- MARK 8- [Verses below]
MARK-

(944)1ST CORINTHIANS 1:18-31 Paul declares the actual preaching of the Cross to be the power of God. The Jews sought for a sign [remember the sign of Jonas?] and the Greeks prided themselves in wisdom. Paul declares that Jesus IS the wisdom and power of God. In Christ is contained all the wisdom and power [signs] in the universe! Paul says God destroyed the wisdom of unregenerate man and that Gods foolishness is wiser than men’s greatest achievements apart from God. Wow, what an indictment on enlightenment philosophy. Man goes thru stages of learning and knowledge [renaissance, enlightenment. Industrial, scientific revolution] these are not bad achievements in and of themselves. Many of the greatest scientists and scientific discoveries were made by men of faith [Newton, Pascal, Faraday, etc] the problem arises when men think that sheer humanistic reasoning, apart from God, is the answer. Right now there is a movement [11-08] going on where some atheists bought ad space on the sides of buses that say ‘why believe in a god? Do good for goodness sake’. So they had both sides [Christian /Atheist] debate it. The simple fact is, sheer humanism cannot even define ‘what good is’. ‘Good’ becomes a matter of what serves me best at the time of my decision. Without God and special revelation [scripture-10 commandments] good can be defined by Hitler’s regime as exterminating one class of society for the benefit of the whole. Only Christian [or Deist, Jewish, Muslim] beliefs place special value and dignity on human life. It is a common misconception to think that all the enlightenment philosophers were atheists; this was not the case at all. Locke, Hume and others simply believed that thru human logic and reason people could arrive at a sort of naturalistic belief in God. This would form the basis of Deism, the system of belief in God but a rejection of classic Christian theology. Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers of our country were influenced by this style of belief. Now, getting back to the Greeks. Paul says ‘God destroyed the wisdom of this world’. What wisdom is Paul talking about? The enlightenment  philosophers of the 18th century had nothing on the Greek philosophers going all the way back to a few centuries B.C. Plato, the Greek wrestler turned philosopher, had one of the most famous schools of Greek philosophy. At the entrance of the school the words were written ‘let non but geometers enter here’. Kind of strange. Geometry simply meant ‘form’ in this use. Most of the great theoretical physicists were also great mathematicians [Einstein]. The Greek philosophers were seeking a sort of ‘unified theory’ that would explain all other theories and bring all learning together under one intellectual ‘roof’. Sort of like Einstein's last great obsession. The Greeks actually referred to this great unknown future ‘unifier’ as ‘the Logos’. Now, some atheists will use this truth to undercut the New Testament. They will take the common use of these words ‘The Logos’ and say that Johns writings [Gospel, letters] were simply stolen ideas from Greek philosophy. This is why believers need to have a better understanding of the inspiration of scripture. John’s writings were no doubt inspired, he of course calls Jesus the ‘Logos’ [word] of God. But he was simply saying to the Greek/Gnostic mind ‘look, you guys have been waiting for centuries for the one special ‘Word/Logos’ that would be the answer to all learning, I declare unto you that Jesus is this Logos’! So eventually you would have ‘the wisdom of the world’ [both Greek and enlightenment and all other types] falling short of the ultimate answer. They could only go so far in their journey for truth, and ultimately they either wind up at the foot of the Cross [the wisdom of God] or the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’. God said this ‘tree’ [sources of wisdom and knowledge apart from God] would ultimately lead to death if not submitted to ‘the tree of life’ [the Cross]. You would have some of the enlightenment philosophers eat from this tree all the way to the ‘death of God’ movement. Man in his wisdom would come to the conclusion that ‘God is dead’. If this is true, then the slaughter of millions of Jews is no moral dilemma. If God is dead then man is not created in his image, he is just this piece of flesh that you can dispose of at will. To all you intellectual types, it’s Okay to have a mind, but you must love God with it. If all your doing is feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die.

[parts]
VERSES-

Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,

Mark 8:2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
Mark 8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
Mark 8:4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
Mark 8:5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Mark 8:6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
Mark 8:7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
Mark 8:8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Mark 8:9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
Mark 8:10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
Mark 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
Mark 8:13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
Mark 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
Mark 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Mark 8:16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
Mark 8:17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
Mark 8:18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
Mark 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mark 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
Mark 8:21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
Mark 8:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
Mark 8:23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mark 8:24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
Mark 8:25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Mark 8:26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Mark 8:27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
Mark 8:28 And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
Mark 8:29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
Mark 8:30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mark 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of thePharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
John 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Matt. 16
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born ofGod: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.


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