READ MARK
11:20-25
On Tuesday
morning as the disciples and Jesus are once again on their way to the temple
for the second day in a row, they pass by the fig tree that Jesus had stopped
at the day before to find a bit of fruit to satisfy his hunger and found none.
Upon finding no fruit, Jesus cursed the tree saying, that it would “Never bear
fruit”.
As they walk
past the fig tree, they see that the tree is actually shriveled and dead, thus
the disciples realized that Jesus still had power of creation, but also showed
how significant the symbolic prophecy that Jesus had given about the tree played
a part in the future of Israel.
The prophesy or
curse we might say, was representative of Israel in that Israel was not bearing
fruit for the glory of God, and because of that, they never would! The “plant”/”nation”
would shrivel up and die because of its decision to reject God, and we know
that in 70 A.D. the nation of Israel and city of Jerusalem were literally
struck to the ground…and it has only been in the last century that Israel has
been raised from the rubble in the form of a new nation, and yet still has
chosen to reject its Messiah who came for them.
During the
afternoon of this particular day Tuesday, Jesus and the disciples are in the
temple being “Quizzed” one might say.
READ MARK
11:27-12:44
It is here in
this temple that the Pharisees and Herodians try to trip Jesus us in his words
to be able to call him a blasphemer, and the questions of, “Should we pay
Caesar tribute?” who’s wife would she be if she was married to seven brothers
in the afterlife?” , and then came the
greatest question of all.
“What is the
greatest commandment?” Expecting an answer from the ‘Top Ten’ as some call them
or the Ten Commandments, they plan to trip Jesus in his words, because all ten
are highly regarded, but instead, Jesus says, “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God
is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment.”
The greatest
part of this conversation comes right on the heels of his response, because
before anyone else can say anything Jesus continues by saying, “And the second
is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none
other commandment greater than these.”
Do we love the
Lord God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?
I’m so very
grateful that Christ did, because had Christ not loved the Lord God with all of
his being, then most likely he never would have been obedient to the Father, and
endured the cross and shame.
READ
PHILIPPIANS 2
What about us?
Would we be willing to die for the Master?
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