“And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: for they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them,
‘Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.’
And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” Mark 6:45-52
Christian Living
Even the Wind and the Sea Obey Him
“And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them,
‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish?’ And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
‘Peace, be still.’
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them,
‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’ ” Mark 4:35-41
One Mightier
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets,
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying,
‘There cometh One mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.’ ” Mark 1:1-8
There Shall Be A Shaking
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” [Jesus Christ] Matthew 24:29-31
Jesus Questioned on Marriage and Divorce
“The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?’ And He answered and said unto them,
‘Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?’
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.’
They say unto Him, ‘Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?’ He saith unto them,
‘Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.’ ” Matthew 19:3-9
On the The Third Day
And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them,
‘The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again.’
And they were exceeding sorry.” Matthew 17:22-23
To Fulfill The Scriptures
In looking at the life of Jesus Christ one cannot help but notice that the life of Jesus is completely submitted to the will of His Father. He is about fulfilling God’s will for His life as a human being on earth. Now, if we want a good example then, Jesus is the one to follow. He is however, much more than an example to follow. He is, in fact, the very only begotten Son of God (John 1:1-5, 14; 3:16). Part of His submission to the Father as man is His heart and will to fulfill Scriptures and we see that in the following verses,
“Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him,
‘Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes,
‘Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me.’
But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.” Matthew 26:50-56
In this short passage we see the statement twice, “But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled…?” and then, “But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled”, and all this was at the time of His betrayal and arrest.
Though the name of the sword wielder is not given, we know from the testimony of the apostle John (John 18:10-11) that it is Peter who was overly protective of His Lord. If we think Peter only meant to cut off that man’s ear, we would be gravely mistaken. Peter was not a highly trained soldier in handling a sword; but his intent was to divide that man’s head.
The intent and purpose of Jesus was to fulfill Scripture and glorify His Father. In that act He would also make a way for those who will believe to have fellowship with God the Father. By way of the cross Scripture, all of Scripture would be fulfilled, the sin debt would be paid, God would be honored, and glorified; and there is a way of salvation from the condemnation of sin.
The event of the above Scriptures follow a time of great trial in our Lord’s life. It was a time of the “press”. In a place where the olives were pressed for the oil, the very fragrance of Heaven was being pressed in doing the will of Heaven. Jesus was about doing the will of God. His mind, His heart, His soul, and His strength was going to see that all Scripture would be fulfilled.
In the press, by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, we can be about fulfilling the will and word of God in our lives. Be strong in faith, believe God, trust every word He has said; that He will fulfill every word that, even now, has yet to be fulfilled. Believe it will be; and live accordingly. No matter what trial or tribulation may come; economic failure, employment fails, health fails, earthquake or flood, or fire. God’s Word – all of Scripture will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
The Power of Faith
“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it,
‘No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.’
And His disciples heard it. And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them,
‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?’ But ye have made it a den of thieves.’
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him: for they feared Him, because all the people was astonished at His doctrine. And when even was come, He went out of the city. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, ‘Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ ” Mark 11:12-26 (KJV)
IN THE FIG TREE JESUS SHOWS US THE FRUITLESSNESS OF A DEAD RELIGION AND CONFRONTS IT.
As Jesus and the disciples were leaving Bethany, back toward Jerusalem, Jesus spots a fig tree with leaves on it – advertising that it had fruit. When Jesus arrives there they discover it has no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree. To some this may seem unnecessary for Jesus to have done, but it seems to me that there is a message we must hear and heed.
- “There was a voice in it for the JEWISH CHURCH. Rich in the leaves of a formal religion, but barren of all fruits of the Spirit, that Church was in fearful danger, at the very time when this withering took place. Well would it have been for the Jewish Church if it had had eyes to see its peril!”
- “There was a voice in the fig tree for all the branches of Christ’s VISIBLE CHURCH in every age, and every part of the world. There was a warning against an empty profession of Christianity unaccompanied by sound doctrine and holy living, which some of those branches would have done well to lay to heart.” From J. C. Ryle commentary on Mark’s Gospel.
Dead religion offers nothing but leaves, and like the “fig leaves” which Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with were inadequate, so are the “fig leaves” of a dead religion. In Scriptures the “Fig tree” often represents the nation of Israel and/or its religion (See Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12; Zechariah 3:10). It is somewhat intrigueing that we have Jesus’ strong words to this fig tree just before He enters the Temple compound and finds them “Buying and selling”. You will also notice that when Jesus and the disciples pass by the fig tree again that it is dead.
Why did Jesus “curse” the fig tree. First of all “it was not the season for figs” according to the text, but it had leaves, and most usually the leaves and the figs grew together. Secondly, by having leaves but no figs it was “advertising” it had fruit when it did not.
There are many people who do not believe that Jesus ever became angry. Those who think that must have never read of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. He cleansed the temple once when He had just began His ministry three years prior to this, and then He does it again here. You can read about the first “Cleansing” in John chapter two, verses thirteen through seventeen.
Here is what was going on in the Temple compound. It was expected that the animals brought to the Temple for sacrifice would be inspected by the priest, but it had became a practice to find fault when there was no fault. It may have been something like this – A priest would say an animal was at fault then sell the owner of the “faulty” offering an “approved” offering, and then, he would sell this man’s animal as “approved” to someone else. Some people who travelled great distances may expect to buy a Temple approved offering at the Temple. It was nothing more than theft, and dishonesty that was taking place in the name of God. There was no holiness, righteousness, or godliness in the place. The “House of prayer” had been turned into a “Den of thieves”, and Jesus would not tolerate it.
The money changers would charge great fees for exchanging Greek and Roman monies for the Temple money. They made a great deal of profit by this deed, and took advantage of many poor people by the selling of doves for an extravagant profit.
The Church of the Lord Jesus this day needs to pay careful attention to this. The things of God are not for the making of profit. Using the name of God to attach a price on things is theft, and dishonors the name of the Lord. There are business men today who attend church so as to maintain a base for their business, and to keep a good name in the community they are in. Some will even try to conduct a little business in the church. There are some who think the church should be conducted like a business, when it is not a business, nor should it be conducted as such. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and is to be conducted by His guidelines and for His purposes, and glory.
In looking at the fig tree this is how we could define “Dead religion” – 1. It offers much but delivers little; 2. It is cold and formal; 3. It seems alive by its much activity [its buying and selling], but God is not there; 4. Its leaves cover its fruitlessness, but not to God’s eyes.
In verses 20 through 26 Jesus gives us a lesson in faith. The fig tree He “cursed” the day before has already withered – it is dead. It was so dead that even its roots were dried up. “Have faith in God” is the statement Jesus issues to the disciples. It is faith in God that makes all things possible. Someone has said, “Where God guides, He provides”. Is that true. Yes! it is.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see, touch, smell, taste, or hear in the physical realm. You can see evidences of faith in God, for instance; the rising of the sun, and its setting; the order of the universe; the intricacies of the human body, and the bodies of animals as well; the singing of the birds; and all the other details of life. Faith believes in God, even when there is no possible way of something happening. Jesus’ words on prayer are strong, and is telling us to ask as if we have already received it
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24(KJV).
That is genuinely the prayer of faith. Believing you have received it before you do.
Notice the importance Jesus places on “Forgiveness”. Without forgiveness we cannot expect answer to our prayers. God is so good to forgive us, we ought also to forgive those whom we believe responsible for offending us.
Remember this, NO FORGIVENESS, NO ANSWER TO PRAYER. KNOW FORGIVENESS, KNOW ANSWER TO PRAYER.
Teaching and Yeast
The Pharisees and Sadducees were a constant heartache to our Lord. As they were supposed to be the religious leaders of Israel during this time they were filled with doubts, unbelief, jealousy, and condemnation of any and all; including our Lord; who were not “letter for letter” correct to their own understanding. Many of these men hated Jesus, very few loved Him.
After dealing with the Pharisees concerning signs (vv. 1-4) Jesus will deal with the disciples concerning their faith, give them warning concerning evil doctrine, and hypocrisy.
“And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them,
‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.’
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘It is because we have taken no bread.’ Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them,
‘O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Matthew 16:5-12
The disciples must have had their attention diverted by physical need concerning Jesus’s caveat concerning the “leaven of the Pharisees”. It had not been so long ago that they had witnessed the power of the Lord when He took 5 loaves of bread and two small fish, and fed a multitude of 5000 men, plus women and children (14:13-21), then later fed 4000 men, plus women and children with seven loaves a “a few little fishes” (15:32-38). They had forgotten to bring food with them, except for one loaf (Mark 8:14), and they assume that Jesus is speaking of bread.
He speaks of “Leaven”. Of course, leaven is used in bread. It is, however, used to puff up, fluff up, and stuff up. It gives baked goods a fuller appearance than they would have without it. It is my belief that every time there is mention of “leaven” in Scripture, it is as a symbol of hindrance, sin, or evil. Hindrance because when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt they were commanded to prepare bread without leaven (Exodus 12:15-20). They were going to be leaving Egypt very quickly, therefore no time could be taken to allow bread to rise, thus they would have been in rebellion to even have it in their homes. Leaven also represents false doctrine, and hypocrisy (clouds without rain in a time of drought).
There are many professing Christians in our day who do not believe we need to be concerned about doctrine; whether it be right or wrong; just believe something. Anything is okay as long as you sincerely believe something; even if it is that your dog is the reincarnation of Geronimo. Jesus, however, gives an earnest warning to His disciples to “Take heed and beware of the leaven [doctrine] of the Pharisees. It is also a warning of hypocrisy. There is glaring hypocrisy in the Pharisees; requiring things of the people they lead, and give themselves loopholes around their own laws. False doctrine, and hypocrisy seem to go together.
Jesus’s warning is for all Christians of all ages, because we fall into a gross pit of oozing manure when we fall into false teaching and hypocrisy. Very often a pit that is very hard to get out of, or be rescued from.
It is not all about bread. It is not all about physical needs; Jesus meets those needs daily. It is a warning of being sure the doctrine is right and they life is right with God. This means much of the responsibility for remaining correct in what we believe and how we live lays on our own shoulders, and the Spirit of God within us. We can do this by staying true to the Lord in the reading, study, and meditation upon His Word; spending time with Him in prayer – walking with Him daily; faithful attendance to our local church as often as the door is open; and to faithfully serve the Lord by loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves by giving of ourselves in serving others when possible, and sometimes when it gets in our way.
Know That You Have Eternal Life
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” 1 John 5:11-15
Behold My Hands
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said unto them, ‘Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
‘Peace be unto you.’
Then saith He to Thomas,
‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.’
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Jesus saith unto him,
‘Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” John 20:24-31
Abide in Me
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:1-7
That They Might Understand The Scriptures
“Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them,
‘Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’ ” Luke 24:45-49
Yet There Is Room
“And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, ‘Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.’ Then said He unto him,
‘A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, ‘Come; for all things are now ready.’ And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.’ And the lord said unto the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.’ ” Luke 14:15-24
Jesus is The Greatest
“And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say,
‘This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation.
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.’ ” Luke 11:29-32
…But to save
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him. And they did not receive Him, because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?’ But He turned, and rebuked them, and said,
‘Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save.’
And they went to another village.” Luke 9:51-56
Arise
“And it came to pass the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and much people.
Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her,
‘Weep not.’
And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And He said,
‘Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.’
And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, ‘That a great prophet is risen up among us;’ and, ‘That God hath visited His people.’ ” Luke 7:11-16
The Power and The Going
“Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. And He said unto them,
‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” Mark 16:14-19
When They All Ran
“And they laid their hands on Him, and took Him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them,
‘Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take Me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took Me not: but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’
And they all forsook Him, and fled. And there followed Him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” Mark 14:46-52
A Lesson on Faith
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, ‘Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ ” Mark 11:20-26
Know the Signs; No Signs
“And straightway He entered into a ship with His disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him. 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.’
And He left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.” Mark 8:10-13
Only One Sin In Which There Is No Forgiveness
“And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils. And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables,
‘How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:’
because they said, ‘He hath an unclean spirit.’ ” Mark 3:22-30
Hated Word – Desolate House
“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ “ Matthew 23:34-39
Doing Repentance
“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work to day in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not:’ but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir:’ and went not.
Whether of them twain did the will of his father?’
They say unto Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus saith unto them,
‘Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” Matthew 21:28-32
A Hook, A Fish and Money
“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, ‘Doth not your Master pay tribute?’ He saith, ‘Yes.’ And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying,
‘What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of strangers?’
Peter saith unto Him, ‘Of strangers.’ Jesus saith unto him,
‘Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for Me and thee.’ ” Matthew 17:24-27
