A cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
Mark 12
1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.
2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.
5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
7 "But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven't you read this passage of Scripture:
" 'The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes' ?"
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
And they were amazed at him.
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
24 Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet." '
37 David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
38 As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Hello Wonderful, How was Your Day?
A beautiful vineyard reduced to squabbles and violence. Then grim Justice prevailed. A work of God. God is marvelous. To behold.
Then Politics, vengeance and hypocrisy. Stirred up fear, and the hypocrites slunk away.
A tax question and an answer with the finesse of God. A debate about marriage, answered by the Word of God. Wise. Wonderful. Tender and filled with hope.
This joy is not far from the Kingdom of God.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Being right about God. God's own Son. His Joy to see others love God.
Watch out for the presumed and posturing. The fringe of His Robe wouldn't even fill these places. God is so far above man's ideas of "Religion" to His Very GLORY.
Like Jacob going to Egypt, the widow put her all into her offering. With the pleasure of Jesus.
Jesus' day in Mark 12 had enough stress to go home and move with the Jewish Dispersion to wonderful Crete. And yet, Jesus has found Joy in this day. As much as Jesus has brought awe, Jesus has found heart warming appeal in those discussing His Father. Enduring. Thriving.
Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God.
Jesus tells us Life is Joy. The fire Jesus is speaking is the Holy Spirit will always win.
The Goodness of God will Triumph. The Father is Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
Jesus said, don't just look to the obvious and well-ordered paths of life. Jesus sometimes observes from the opposite measures. The Christ of God sees greater worth in the more worthy aspects of life.
If we see Jesus teaching us to find Joy in Life, we have to be contrarian in some aspects, to strive to live where Life is rich with meaning and purpose of heart.
All I need is a Tall Ship
and
The Lord to Guide me.
Abba, Father,
Jesus Son of God - Bless, Heal, Sustain, Comfort, Guide
God Bless Us!
We long for Your Love and help, Father God, to have Your Kingdom,
Power and Glory upon Your Throne.
The Fringe of Your Robe
placed upon all of Your Good Creation.
The Balm of Gilead - Jesus - rubbed just where we hurt.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts.
We pray more of Your Good Will filling the whole earth with Your Glory.
We will
Remember our answered Prayers.
And live this Day. Looking in expectation
You will strengthen us,
And the ones we Love.
We will Seek You first and find Your Kingdom.
Covering us with the Name and Power of Jesus,
Brave people. Holding up Life for one another.
We are People with the Help of Jesus,
we can make
Redemption
Strength.
Praying the Victory!
And Virus Recovery recovered
Knowing God is going to bring
us past the storms into
His Plan of desired Haven
Abba, Delta is the mathematical symbol of Change,
we pray to end all storms for us. We pray for Florida.
Houston knows the trauma. God Bless and Help Florida.
Dwell in us, in those we Love.
Help us to see You first.
And we will finish well.
Amen in Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, tender and
compassionate
♔ LORD JESUS SAVES †
Yay JesusLord
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