July 16, 2024: Tuesday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 11:27-33
Good morning my dear friends and students of Scripture!
I was taken up with two 18-year-olds getting registered at Pima Community College earlier this morning. I am back to my computer now. Here are a couple of reminders for you about special opportunities at American Lutheran. This Saturday we will view a newly released movie at 2PM. We are planning to watch it in the air-conditioned office space. Snacks and water will be provided, and you can certainly bring your personal favorite too. On Sunday, we will celebrate Christmas in July. We will sing many of your favorite Christmas Carols. After church we will celebrate with each of your shared dozen homemade cookies. Melody and I have decided that we will make a batch of Loretta Olsen's oatmeal butter Christmas cookies. They almost melt in your mouth. For this event we will be in the narthex of the worship space. Water and coffee will be available. On the 26th of July, our Foodies of Faith group will gather at the Cheesecake Factory at 11:30AM. Please sign up at church so that we know to expect your attendance. It's a pretty busy couple of weeks coming up, and at the beginning of August we have the start of school for many of our children in the parish.
In out reading for today, we find Jesus revisiting the Temple. This is evidently at least a few days after he drove the buyers and the sellers out of the Court of the Gentiles. It is a little difficult for us to understand what an extraordinary experience this must have been for Him, and for those present who were there to listen to the conversations, teachings, and questions which many well respected rabbis shared while strolling on the East side of the Temple Gentile Court. There you would find 35 massive Corinthian columns, and they might also be walking on the West side of the Gentile Court. On that side of the court, you would find 162 marble columns that were 8 feet in diameter. It must have been quite a sight. It was here that Jesus did what the other scholars were doing. When posed with a question of whose power He did all of these things by. In the typical style of the learned scholars who walked there, Jesus posed a question to them about John the Baptist. Did his power in baptizing come from people, or from God. It was a question which really caught them off guard. To say that John's authority rested in human power would make many who believed in John coming from God would get fired up and reject the Temple wholesale. If John's power in Baptism was from God, then they would have to admit the flaws in their thinking. The Truth never finds itself standing in silence, but lies and deceits, when revealed, literally have nothing to say. Any answer they would provide would reveal who they really were.
It is always the reality that those who are caught in the kind of lies that were used against God's only begotten Son, survive only in the darkness, but the Light of Christ's Truth, uncovered the killing hearts of those leaders. revealing in His resurrection Christ's victory over darkness and death. The hatred of people's hearts creates dangerous and troubling lives for all who find themselves trapped in the dangers of revenge, destruction, and selfishness. Christ has come to break the bonds of sin and brokenness that all too often fill our lives, and cause harm for those we are called to love.
Today's study is a little short, but Monday we will move into chapter 12 where Jesus will speak to those life-darkened teachers and leaders via the means of parables. They cannot understand through this teaching style either.
God bless your day, and I hope that you will be with me on Thursday.
With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim
Comments