©1996 "Yes Lord" Ministries
Section 1
In this lesson we are going to study Chapters 7 & 8 as Mark tells us even more about Jesus -- What He did and what He taught as He ministered here on earth as the Servant of God.
Let´s, as always, begin our time of study with Prayer. Pray with me:
Father, again it is with joy and excitement that I open your word! Teach me the truths you want me to know. Help me to understand and love Jesus and You better as a result of this time of study and fellowship.
I ask this i0n Jesus Name, Amen.
OK! Let´s begin. Your first assignment is to read Mark Chapters 7 and 8 and verse 1 of Chapter 9. Do not rush. Read slowly and thoughtfully. As you read, underline or highlight in RED the words that Jesus spoke. Also, as always, locate on your map (if possible) where each event occurred. And, keep a piece of paper handy to jot down any important (key) words you discover as you read.
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Wow! Jesus sure had a lot to say in those 2 chapters, didn´t He ? ! And, I know that at first you were wondering why I asked you to read 9:1 also. But, I guess now you see that the chapter break probably really should have been at the end of 9:1. Look back in Chapter 8 and see where the thought began that concludes in 9:1 and then write in the space below where it began and your reasons for choosing that particular location.
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Great! Now it is time to mark any of the words that you noticed were important. So, your next assignment is to reread Chapters 7-9:1 and mark the words that you selected.
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Great! I assume that among the words that you marked were Pharisees, Teachers of the Law, elders, and the pronouns and synonyms used in place of these words. If you did not mark these, stop now and go back and mark them. I marked them by drawing a little person in a robe with an initial on the robe indicating who they were. You can use any color you like-- purple, black, whatever. I chose brown.
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Wow, that was certainly fun and informative. In fact it was so informative, let´s go all the way back to the beginning of Mark and read from 1:1 up to where we are right now, and as you read, mark every occurrence of these words or their pronouns or synonyms. Be sure to put the initial on the little robes so we ll know who they are. And, if you have time, you can go on and finish reading the rest of the Book of Mark marking these words and initialing the robes. But, if you do not have time to do the entire book of Mark, stop when you get back to Chapter 7 and then just remember to mark these words as we continue through the remainder of this course in the coming weeks. OK? OK. So, start reading and marking and when you have finished, you will be through for this section.
Section 2
Hmmm, the Pharisees, Teachers of the law, elders, and others surely did give Jesus a hard time, didn´t they?! And now we are going to begin our study by looking at another of the many instances when the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law confronted Jesus. Read Mark 7:1-23, and, as you read, observe the following:
? Where did the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law come from? (7:1)
? What did they observe and criticize concerning Jesus disciples? (7:2,5)
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? Why was this eating with unwashed hands a problem to the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law? (7:6-13) Before you answer this, A. T. Robertson has some interesting information for you.
"The Tradition of the elders ...was the oral law, handed down by the elders of the past in ex cathedra fashion and later codified in the Mishna. Hand washing before meals is not a requirement of the Old Testament. It is, we know a good thing for sanitary reasons, but the rabbis made it a mark of righteousness for others at any rate. This item was magnified at great length in the oral teaching. The washing ...of the hands called for minute regulations. It was commanded to wash the hands before meals, it was one´s duty to do it after eating. The more rigorous did it between the courses. The hands must be immersed. Then the water itself must be clean and the cups or pots used must be ceremonially clean. Vessels were kept full of clean water ready for use... so it went on ad infinitum. Thus a real issue is raised between Jesus and the rabbis. It was far more than a point of etiquette or of hygienics. The rabbis held it to be a mortal sin. The incident may have happened in a Pharisee s house."
Ok, now you know some interesting and important background information so it s time to answer the question--Why was eating with unwashed hands a problem to the P´s (Phariesees) and TOTLs (Teachers Of The Law)?
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? How did Jesus answer the Ps (Pharisees) and TOTLs (Teachers of the Law)? (Summarize what Jesus said or write the actual words as recorded in Mark 7:6-13 in the space below:
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In Mark 7:8, Jesus said: You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the Traditions of men. Let´s see if we can figure out what Jesus meant when He said this. In fact, Mark 7:6-13 will make a lot more sense to you if you understand Jewish traditions in general and, in this instance, especially the Jewish tradition of Corban (Korban) which Jesus talked about in 7:11. I have told you about the tradition of Hand washing. Now it is your turn. Stop now and look up the definition of Corban (Korban) in a Bible Dictionary or whatever resource you desire and write a brief summary of what you learn.
The Tradition of CORBAN (KORBAN)
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Ok, Great! Now that we know what the Tradition of men was concerning the offerings and religious view of Corban, (ie. that if a person said something was for a 'religious purpose' they did not have to use it to support their parents or whatever and could keep it and use it themselves.),let us now see what God´s commandments were concerning a person´s responsibility to / for parents. Read the following scriptures (I ll leave space in case you want to write the verses for future reference)
Exodus 20:12
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Deuteronomy 5:16
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Exodus 21:17
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Leviticus 20:9
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Now let us look at an Old Testament Scripture which the Ps and the TOTLs had used and abused to develop their (man´s) Tradition of Corban (Korban) and which they used to bypass or override God´s commands. Read Numbers 30:1-2 and write those 2 verses in the space below:
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In Mark 7:6-7, Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13. Write that verse in Isaiah, from which He quoted, in the space below:
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Now, based on what you ve read and written, answer the following questions:
? What had the Ps, TOTLs, and the elders done to the direct commands of God when they developed their Tradition of Korban?
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? What was the heart intent of the Tradition of Korban ? (ie., what were the Ps, TOTLs, and Elders trying to do by having this teaching?)
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Now, based again on what you have read and studied and observed, summarize and explain specifically why Jesus disapproved of Korban and did not require His disciples to observe the traditions of the elders concerning ceremonial washing, allowed plucking of grain on the Sabbath, etc. Specifically explain, in your answer, what was wrong with the Traditions of men and why. Include in your answer not just the fact of what was wrong but also the principle or heart problem to which Jesus was objecting.
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In Mark 7:15-23, Jesus continues in His answer to the Ps and TOTLs concerning why His disciples were eating with unclean hands. Building on what Jesus just explained concerning the Traditions of the Elders and the Commands of God, Jesus makes a specific and precise statement concerning what does makes a man unclean and what does not. Write that direct quote from Jesus in the space below: (7:15)
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In verses 7:18-20, while later explaining this parable to His disciples, Jesus said: (write what he said here:)
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Then, in 7:21-22, Jesus lists things which come from inside a man which are unclean. List those things here:
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So then, which is of more concern to Jesus? Circle your answer from the 5 choices in the list below, or write the answer in your own words:
1. Germs / pollution from eating contaminated food.
2. Germs / pollution from eating with unwashed hands.
3. Germs/ pollution from eating the forbidden foods listed in God s Old Testament laws.
4. The uncleanness / defilement that comes from not adhering to the (Levitical) traditions of men (such as ceremonial washing, Korban (Corban), etc.) .. Ie. The violation of the man made rules of tradition.
5. The moral uncleanness / defilement that comes from an impure heart and which is manifested by the sins listed in Mark 7:21-22.
6. (Your own words)
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In the light of what you now understand concerning the Traditions of the elders as contrasted with the Commands of God , explain what Jesus meant in Mark 7:14-23 concerning what is really unclean and why.
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Now, as an optional assignment and for your final assignment for this section: If you have the time or desire to know more or want to check your conclusions, feel free to check your sources and see what they have to say concerning Jesus´ responses to the questions of the Ps and TOTLs. On a separate piece of paper, take any pertinent notes that you find helpful and then we will be through.
But, whether you check your commentaries and other reference sources or not, let me leave you with a closing thought to reflect upon. How about your life? Are you satisfying the letter of the law or the traditions of your church or denomination but missing the meaning of the Commands of God as a whole? Are you steadfastly adhering obediently to any specific command in the Bible and thereby nullifying another by your actions, as the Ps and TOTLs did, for example, regarding the law of Korban? Do you look good on the outside but inside your heart harbors evil thoughts, greed, .... etc.... you know the list. You also know your heart. Do you need to talk to God about your life? If so, do that now!
Section 3
In Section 3 we are going to mainly look at several more miracles of Jesus as reported by Mark. So, get out your Miracles, Events ... etc CHART and, as your read Mark 7:24-8:26, fill in the information concerning the 4 miracles related in these verses.
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Great ! That was pretty straight forward and for the most part self-explanatory. But, before we move on, we need to delve in a little more detail into 2 or 3 more areas in these verses.
First, we need to look at what you wrote on your chart concerning The Miracle of Jesus feeding the 4000 as reported in Mark 8:1-21. You may or may not be aware that some scholars and experts believer that this is the SAME miracle that was reported in Mark 6:30-45. Hmmm, you say, that seems odd. The same event? Well, let´s look at them both and decide for ourselves. Are the experts correct and if so, why? OR are the experts wrong and, if so, why? That is what we are going to try to determine now. So, do not give your answer yet. First, let´s examine these two events and then we will draw our conclusions.
You have already studied about the feeding of the 5000 in Mark 6:30-45. Read those verses again and then look at the event as you summarized it on your chart. If you want to read the parallel accounts for these events, feel free to do so. You will recall that the parallel accounts of the feeding of the 5000 as reported by Mark in Chapter 6 are Matthew 14:13-21, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-13. And, the parallel account of the feeding of the 4000 as reported by Mark in Chapter 8 is Matthew 15:31-16:12.
Based on what you ve read in the scriptures, fill in the information requested in the chart below:
Miracle of feeding of 5000...........................Miracle of feeding of 4000
Location in
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Number fed
Location of
miracle
how long had the
people been with
Jesus
how many loaves
how many fish
how many
baskets left over
the Greek word
used for basket
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(optional, if you have the resources, look up the Greek word used for basket in these two accounts and note the VERY interesting definitions.)
? So, based on what you have read and recorded, does it seem likely to you, as the experts say, that Jesus only performed one miracle of feeding a large group of people and it was recorded in these different ways?
................Circle your answer ..............YES ................NO
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Explain your answer. (ie. Answer the critics . Tell them what you believe and why.)
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Great! Good reasoning and thinking. And, as long as you have your thinking cap on, let´s think and reason some more. Remember the Ps (Pharisees) asked Jesus in Mark 8:10-13 for a sign from heaven. Why did they ask that?
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And, what was Jesus answer? Write it here: (8:12)
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Then Jesus and His disciples got into a boat and crossed to the other side of _______________ and while crossing the Sea of Galilee (yes, you got it correct!), Jesus began to speak to them about the yeast of the Ps and of Herod. Read those verses again in Mark 8:14-21.
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What specifically did Jesus say in Mark 8:15 about the Yeast of the Ps and Herod? Write it here.
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What did the disciples think Jesus meant and why?
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What did yeast symbolize? (Before you answer this, read the following scripture references which will give you insight into what Jesus meant when He used the term yeast / leaven .
Matthew 16:6
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Matthew 16:11-12
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Luke 12:1.
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I Corinthians 5:6-8
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Galatians 5:9
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Luke 23:8-12 (re. Herod Antipas)
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Ok. Now, when Jesus said to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod , what did He mean?
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Yes, you are correct! And as a confirmation , let me quote from A Layman´s Harmony of the Gospels.
"the emphasis in this metaphor about leaven was on the corrupting effect it was supposed to have upon that of which it is made a part ... the leaven of the Pharisees is named in Luke 12:1 as hypocrisy. The leaven of the Sadducees might well be named as rationalism or skepticism in religion and willingness to compromise one s scruples to obtain political or economic favors. The leaven of Herod must have been a cunning and utter disregard for the principles of right and wrong in order to advance one´s personal ends. ..."
Well, as we draw Section 3 to a close, let us end with another application question to meditate upon and ponder.
? What is the yeast today that Jesus would warn us about if He were speaking to us today -- Now? And He IS speaking now! He is still warning us! Perhaps you and I are not being influenced today by the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees or of Herod Antipas, but we are still surrounded by other yeast / leaven of the same types! On a separate piece of paper, as an FMEO ( for my eyes only , meaning of course, your eyes only), write what Jesus would say to you today. What specific yeast is He warning you to watch out for -- and -- are you going to heed His warning? Think on these things. We ll continue our study tomorrow.
Section 4
You will recall that in Lesson 5, we studied the watershed question, Why did Jesus nip in the bud their (the crowd of people at the feeding of the 5000) plans to make Him (Jesus) King right then and there. And, you will also recall that I said this was one of the 2 most important questions in this entire course. In fact, these are two of the most important questions you will ever confront in your entire life because the answers to both of these questions are greatly involved in determining your eternal destiny! These questions are even more important than the often asked questions of Who am I? , Why am I here? , and What is the purpose of life?
In Lesson 5, then, we studied the first of the 2 key questions of this course, and hopefully you have already determined the answer to the first question. But, if you haven t, keep on thinking. You will discover it before this course is completed. So, you know the first question and are working on it. Now, let us see if you can identify for yourself the second question.
This second question, which we will study today, is really the more important question of the two, but both are so interlinked that they flow together in importance and significance. Also, understanding the question we will study today and arriving at the correct answer to it will enhance your understanding of why the question you studied last week was so key and so essential.
Now, of course, I could tell you what this, the second question is, but, it will be more instructive if you first locate it for yourself. Then, after you have found it, we will study it in some detail. So, your assignment now is to locate THE question. When you ve found it, write it and the verse (s) where you found it in the space below. The only hint that I ll give you is that it is in Chapter 7 or 8 of Mark.
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The 2nd REALLY important Question is:
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Great! I assume you found the question(s) in Mark 8:29. Actually the entire paragraph of Mark 8:27-30 is very important but pulling out THE key question, you surely correctly said:
But what about you? He (Jesus) asked. Who do you say I am?
This Question was asked by ____________ to __________________. It came at the end of a series of questions that Jesus was asking His disciples as He talked with them while they were walking from one village to another in the region of Caesarea Philippi (you did locate that are on the map, didn t you? !) Anyway, picture yourself again, as the silent observer. You are walking along a road with Jesus and His disciples. You hear Jesus ask them as a group: Who do people say that I am? You see the disciples begin to rattle off answers. For after all, they ve been mingling with the crowds who have surrounded Jesus and have observed His miracles, healing, casting out of demons, etc. So the disciples begin to tell Jesus what they have heard the people say. So they told Jesus: Some say you are ________________________, other say ____________________, and still others ___________________________. Then Jesus asked them (pleural) THE Question: But what about you (pleural) ? Who do you (pleural) say that I am? That question was answered by Peter, but, you can imagine all the others nodding their heads in agreement. They knew Jesus had asked them all this question. (And in the Greek Text, the verb used by Jesus was used in the PLEURAL form. So Jesus was not just asking Peter. He was asking them ALL. Each had to decide for himself.)
And Jesus continues to ask that question today to everyone who will listen. The answer to this question is one of the most important that you or anyone will ever answer, because the answer ultimately is a key in determining the eternal destiny of the one who answers.
We know what Peter answered. He said: ____________________________________.
By the way, FYI, the word,....The Christ = Greek for the Anointed One and
..............................................The Messiah = Hebrew for the Anointed One
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So, Peter, a Jew, as were all of the disciples, understood that Christ and Messiah were interchangeable words which both meant, the Anointed One. Thus, Peter and the other disciples knew and were affirming by this answer, even using the Greek form of the word, that Jesus was God!, the Anointed One! , that the nation Israel had long awaited -- the Anointed one who would one day come and be their King. They were acknowledging that He had indeed come at last!
How did the disciples and the Jewish nation know to expect the Messiah / the Christ / The Anointed One? Well, they had their Jewish Scriptures -- The Torah, The books of the Prophets, the Psalms of David -- in fact they had ALL of what we today call the Old Testament and were familiar with the prophecies in these scriptures which pointed to a future coming Messiah who is also known as The Christ or The Anointed One.
What were these predictions, you ask? Well, there are a lot, too many to go into in this brief course. But let´s look at just a few of the many which the disciples knew and had calculated into their conclusion which was verbalized for all of them by Peter when he said to Jesus, You are the Christ.
Read the following passages and, as you read, On a separate piece of paper, make a chart and title it:WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT TEACHES / PREDICTS ABOUT JESUS. The chart should have 3 columns. In the first column, you will give the scripture reference. In the second column, give the prediction, and in the third column note whether the EMPHASIS of the prediction concerning the coming Messiah / Christ / Anointed One is speaking about:
1. Jesus birth and or His time on earth to redeem men from sin by paying their sin penalty with His life.
2. Jesus coming to Judge and bring punishment to the wicked who had not accepted His gift of salvation and to avenge the sins and wrongs of mankind.
3. Jesus coming with great power and authority to rule the Jews and the entire world forever as King.
4. A combination of Savior, Judge, and King
5. Can´t tell.
Your chart should look something like this:
WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT TEACHES / PREDICTS ABOUT JESUS.
Scripture Reference..............the Prediction..............................The Emphasis of the Prediction
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It is very important that you take the time to note and record the emphasis of each prophecy because we are going to evaluate those distinctions in a future assignment. Determining the different emphasis will help us understand a very important concept, so be sure to identify and record each.
Ok, You have your assignment. Make your chart. The Scriptures for you to read, ponder, and categorize as to emphasis are:
............Genesis 3:15.......Genesis 22:18.........Genesis 49:10..........Deut. 18:15
.............Psalm 2...............Psalm 16:10............Psalm 45:2..............Psalm 68:18
.............Psalm 69:21........Psalm 110:1.............Psalm 118:22..........Psalm 132:11
.............Isaiah 9:2, 6-7.....Isaiah 7:14...............Isaiah 11:10............Isaiah 28:16
.............Isaiah 42:1...........Isaiah 53..................Isaiah 59:16............Isaiah 61:1-3
.............Isaiah 63:1-6........Jeremiah 23:5-6.......Daniel 7:14.............Micah 5:2
.............Haggai 2:7............Zechariah 3:8...........Zechariah 9:9..........Zechariah 11:12-13
.............Zechariah 12:10....Zechariah 13:7
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------- Pause while you do this assignment ------
Great! I see you have finished. That was quite an awesome experience, wasn´t it! Wow! Christ s coming to earth was NO surprise. It was being anticipated by the Jewish people. However, by categorizing these predictions of the coming of the Anointed One of God (aka The Messiah / The Christ), you can see that obviously more than one coming had been prophesied. This is much easier for us to understand today because we have that famous scientific instrument, the RETROSPECTOSCOPE with which we can look back at events and happenings in the light of what we now know that was not known then and, therefore, can come to much more accurate conclusions and interpretations of those past events. Unfortunately the disciples of Jesus and the people of that time did not have a retrospectoscope , so all of the predictions in the Old Testament just kinda ran together. They really did not know or understand that more than one coming was being predicted. Put yourselves in their shoes (guess we better make that sandals ) for a minute and , look at these prophecies through their eyes and understanding. As you look at those scriptures you just read, viewing it through their eyes, then, and without the advantage of having the retrospectoscope , ask yourself:
? What kind of Messiah / Anointed One / Christ would you be looking for, based on the predictions in those scriptures? Write your answer here:
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Yes, you would be looking for a Royal King who would come and make things right , who would punish the enemies of the Jews, would be crowned King of Israel, would rule over the whole world, who would do all kinds of great things to good people (like feed them miraculously with loaves and fishes, heal the sick, etc.), and who would punish evil people by destroying their nations, etc. In fact, you can now better understand why the people all wanted to make Jesus their King when He miraculously fed them during the feeding of the 5000. Can you see how this seemed to be exactly what they had been looking for based on these Old Testament Prophecies IF there is no distinction of the fact that more than one coming of Jesus was being prophesied and each coming was for a different purpose? Yes! So, let us look at that.
? How many comings were prophesied? (You may use your retrospectoscope to answer this). Circle the correct answer.............ONE..........................TWO
Now, briefly summarize what happens during each coming. ie. What is the main purpose for:
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Coming # 1
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Coming # 2
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Great! With the retrospectoscope , you saw that the O.T. Prophets and inspired writers of the O.T. were telling of not one but of two separate comings of the Anointed One of God (The Messiah / the Christ / the Son of God / God / the Creator of the Universe) to earth. The first Coming was to be for the purpose of sacrificing His life to pay and satisfy the death penalty for sin and, therefore, to redeem mankind from the spiritual death which sin had produced and to provide man an opportunity to escape hell and to be restored to fellowship with God, the fellowship which had been broken by sin.
The Second coming was the time when Jesus would actually come to take back Sovereign control and rulership of the entire world, to establish His justice and peace and to rule everyone -- Jews and non-Jews, all who had accepted His offer of forgiveness and salvation which He had made available by His actions during the First coming. The purpose of the second coming was to destroy the wicked and judge the unsaved and unrepentant (ie. Those who had refused His offer of salvation)
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? So, we can clearly see that 2 separate and distinct comings with 2 separate and distinct goals and purposes were prophesied. But, how many comings did the people of Jesus´ day expect?
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Circle your answer: .................ONE.......................TWO
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Correct! They only expected or anticipated one coming which had the emphasis on what we now understand, thanks to our retrospectoscope, will not occur until Christ´s second coming. In other words, they saw the Kingship and Ruling part of Jesus coming. But they did not see or understand about the sacrificial aspect of Jesus´ coming to atone for and to pay the penalty for their sins. Even with the Feasts and the Passover and the Sacrifices and the many other symbolic aspects of their Tradition which clearly pointed to the Sacrificial aspect of Christ´s ministry, they just failed to see the connection.
So, they were looking forward to the Kingly Rule of Jesus at His coming, instead of being aware that His first coming was intended to fulfill the requirements of the law and to end the animal sacrifices, etc. Do you see now why Christ had to nip in the bud their plans to make Him their King during His first coming? Do you see why He did not want word to spread which would cause this to happen? Can you see why He kept saying things like Don´t tell anyone yet , it is not time, yet , etc? In fact, even here in this passage where Peter acknowledges Jesus to be the Christ, what does Jesus immediately say? Read Jesus´ response as given in Mark 8:30-31 and write it in the space below:
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Hmmmm. Very interesting! Jesus warns them not to tell (yet) and immediately begins to explain the purpose of this, His first coming. Even though the disciples do know who Jesus is, they, like the others of their day did not yet fully understand that there would be 2 separate and distinct comings of Jesus. This was the first and was for the purpose of providing (by His sacrificial death and resurrection) the way to be a part of Jesus´ (now invisible) Kingdom which would finally be established in its visible fullness during His second coming.
Can you see now why these 2 questions : the 1. Watershed question concerning why Jesus nipped in the bud the desire of the people to make Him King right then! And 2. The Who do you believe that I am? question are interlinked and intertwined and inseparable? Yes? Explain.
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Now, Explain why Jesus had to nip in the bud their desire to make His 1st coming be the 2nd coming and make Him king without dying and being raised again. (Give careful thought before you answer. This is the watershed question again. Remember, repetition is good.)
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We will end this section as you think on these thoughts and as I leave you with one final question. Who do YOU think Jesus Is? Is He really God?, the Savior of mankind who died to pay the penalty for YOUR sin and Who rose again to allow YOU to have eternal life with Him? Have you or will you accept His offer of forgiveness, His Sacrificial atoning death which He paid to redeem you? Will you let Him be your King from this point on and let Him rule over EVERY aspect of your life? In other words - and this is the Question: Who do YOU think Jesus is and, if you believe He is the Anointed One / the Christ / The Messiah, are you going to confess your sins to Him, repent from them, and let Him be the Lord / Ruler / Savior / King of your life forever!
As I said before, the answer you give to this question WILL determine your eternal destiny -- in heaven or in Hell. Think Carefully, Choose wisely ! And... Yes there IS a hell !!!!
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Section 5
Well, this has been a heavy but wonderful Lesson. Now, in Section 5 of this lesson, we briefly want to look at the final verses of Mark 8 and verse 1 of Mark 9. So stop now and read those verses (Mark 8:31-9:1)
------- Pause while you do this assignment -------
? When were these words spoken? (Ie. What had Jesus just been talking to His disciples about?)
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Yes, He d been asking them what others said about Him and Who they, the disciples, thought He was. And the disciples said that the others thought He was __________________, _________________________, or _________________ .
And Peter, speaking for the disciples, said that Jesus was ____________________________.
But, we know from our study, that the people of that day and the disciples did not understand the actual purpose of Christ´s first coming to earth. In fact, most, if not all, probably were not aware that there were to be 2 different comings of Christ with 2 distinctly different purposes. So Christ begins now to explain in more detail WHY He has come and WHAT the purpose is. In section 4, we looked at Old Testament predictions concerning Christ. Now, Christ is giving specific predictions concerning Himself and what is going to happen to Him.
The disciples, like the people, think that He has come to be KING NOW. So, Christ must dispel that illusion by telling them that He, as the _________________, must ______________ many things and be ___________________________ by the _____________________________, ______________________________, and _______________________________ and that He must be ________________ and after ________________________________________.
What an awesome prediction! This is NOT what they had in mind. They were expecting Him to establish His Kingship. What´s all this about being killed and rising again, they wonder. No this is not at all what they had in mind. So, showing their lack of understanding of the 2 comings and the 2 different purposes of the 2 comings and not understanding about the need for Jesus´ death and resurrection, Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Jesus about this.
Read again 8:32-33 and see what Peter said and Jesus´ answer.
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? What was Peter saying that Jesus should do?
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? When Jesus turned and spoke to all the disciples while answering Peter´s rebuke and said, Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men, what did He mean? (Specifically, what did the reference to Satan mean? And what is the difference in this situation, between the things of God and the things of men ?)
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Jesus then, still in the same frame of reference, turned to the nearby crowd and in verses 8:34-9:1 spoke to the crowd and explained to them what following Him would mean. Obviously, Jesus was building upon the teaching and information which He had just explained to His disciples, ie. That He had come to die and to be resurrected and not to at this time be their King.
Understanding the verses from this perspective, if you were a person in that crowd, what would you have thought and how would you have responded (be truthful).
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What did the people who had been at the feeding of the 5000 do when Jesus had told them, in different words, but the same general idea, that He had not come to be their king at this time but to be their sacrifice for sins?
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How do you think the disciples responded ? What did they think?
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I know that as you read 9:1, you wondered about the Kingdom of God and what Jesus meant by this verse. We will look at that in more detail in a later lesson. For now, ponder it in your heart, we will hopefully have time to return to it later.
But, one more thing we need to do and then we will be finished. You noticed in Mark 8:31 that Jesus made a very significant and easily confirmable (if it happens) prediction about Himself. In fact, this is but one of many predictions which He and others made concerning His death and resurrection and concerning the purpose of His time here on earth. We ve already seen some earlier in the Book / Gospel of Mark and there are still more to come. So , in order to keep a continuing record of these, let´s make another chart and record this and other predictions by Christ concerning Himself and others. (I hope you don t mind all these charts, but for me, personally, they are a great way to organize information.)
Get out another piece of paper for the chart and title this chart:
Predictions by and about Jesus in the Gospel of Mark .
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Make 5 columns.
The first column is for the scripture references in Mark.
Title Column 2 : About Jesus BY others.
Title Column 3 : By Jesus about Himself.
Title Column 4: By Jesus about other people or things.
Title Column 5: Was this fulfilled? If so, give scripture and summary of the fulfillment.
Your chart should look something like this:
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...................Predictions by and about Jesus in the Gospel of Mark...............
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column 1...........................2..........................3...........................4..............................5
MARK
1:7-8.
1:8
1:15
1:17,19
2:20
3:29
3:35
4:24-25
7:6-8
8:31-32
8:38
8:38
9:1
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of course you fill in the title of the column instead of the number. I just wanted you to see that the columns go ACROSS the page instead of down.
------- Pause while you make the chart -----
You will notice that I already have some scriptures listed for you on the chart, for this is not the first time that Jesus had told His disciples about what is coming. (And it won´t be the last time; that is why we are making this chart.) He has told them before and has alluded to the purpose of His time here with them and has made references to His future sacrificial atoning substitutionary death and resurrection. And, Jesus will, in future discussions with them, give them increasingly more information and insight as to His coming death and resurrection and why He must die and rise again.
Ok, now let´s record what He has already told them in Mark and what He just told them. Then keep this chart handy and whenever you discover another prediction, fill it in. Again, this will be an ongoing assignment. Whether I tell you to do this or not in the future (I may forget, you know), do add to this chart every time you find another reference or prediction of Christ or By Christ about His death and or resurrection and or the purpose of His First Coming. Fill in the columns as requested for each prediction. When you have finished, you will be through for this section and for this lesson!
Whew!
Reference Sources cited in Lesson 6
A.T. Robertson Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol 1 Matthew, p. 121. Op cit.
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Carter, John Franklin: A Layman s Harmony of the Gospels. 1961. Broadman Press. Nashville, Tn. Page 165
© 1996 "Yes Lord" Ministries
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