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Mark 12
And He began to speak to them in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
They said to him, “Caesar's.”
17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
And they marveled at him.
18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?
25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall 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: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in 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. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
For Everything, there is a Time and a Season.
The Word of God stands forever.
Jesus fills every dot and iota of the Scripture.
No explanation of God's Word will ever reach His Full Plan
and Potential. His Steadfast Love endures forever.
Consider Jesus begins the 12th Chapter of The Gospel of Mark discussing Jesus spoke in Parables. And, Bam, Jesus tells exactly one parable in the 12th Chapter of Mark's Gospel.
What happened? The next is Wisdom and God's Insight to make the learned listen. In the Old Testament they would probably wander into the wilderness and build an alter with un-hewn stones. Jesus is calling out the heart within mankind.
Jesus then calls for Hope in the darkness, to find us digging within the Light of Jesus to bring Joy and Hope in our prayers.
Jesus displays the Heart of God and the Heart of the Gospels.
Jesus displays Himself in countless ways to be Messiah. While standing in the Temple.
Jesus find's the Spirit of God in mankind in the Temple.
However, only one Parable. Where are the Parables?
If we look at the Heart of Scriptures, to the Gospels, we find Matthew begins with Family and Birth and the Heralding of so many signs, no one will forget. A personal God, acting in Love for a family and their personal faith.
Mark ~ begins with the Wilderness of maybe even an unknowing nod to the continuation of Matthew's Gospel. The Wilderness of God acting all over the face of His earth. The Wilderness of the Journey of Life. The Wilderness of the Soul. The Wilderness of not knowing Life, not knowing the Path, not knowing Father God. Plenty of Parables.
Luke ~ begins teaching us to understand how many witnesses were part of God's Annunciation. We have to understand how many concrete pieces are part of God's Amazing Foretold Son's Birth. We have to understand even Mary and Joseph, who are too basic in mankind, to have made this Prophetic Work of God happen.
John ~ who was so Faithful and unrelenting in his promise to Jesus not to discuss the Transfiguration begins with trying to explain all of Jesus in the most warming ways to his heart. Giving us the immediate understanding Jesus caused immediate reactions.
And John closes explaining the flaws in trying to explain even a day in Jesus' life. He says too much is going around all of Jesus to possibly explain.
John 21:25
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.
Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that
the world itself could not contain the books that
would be written.
And... we have found our, "Jesus began to speak to them in many Parables."
So many parables, we can explain even verses of Jesus, in incredibly different ways. Why? God has an impossible Job. Unless He is God. God wants to save the entire world in Jesus Christ. God is going to constantly speak to us of God. To our heart. To our lives. In our fullness, in our emptiness. In plenty. During the Hope of Haggai believing find the Joy today and more Joy will be complete and follow with the Promises of more of God's Joy.
Parable.
Cathedrals have so much art, texture, history, culture, faith, determination, longevity, beauty, Character, Individuality and Endurance. Cathedrals reflect the layers of our faith and for the times and seasons in our life. Cathedrals are Important.
We worked out the beginnings of the Gospels.
Let's see Jesus put the Beginning of the Gospels and their Parables into Mark 12.
God is reaching out to the world. All times and all seasons and all generations.
1. Jesus is sought by "they" to arrest Him to control and hush Jesus. Possibly ruin Jesus.
2. They marvel at Him. Jesus has caused Wonder and Awe.
3. They are told all The Word of God is alive in God. Not histories of the dead and the details of dust.
4. Love has no greater Commandment.
5. They are told they are wrong. Not humored and pampered.
6. Mankind is told Love brings us so very close to touching Heaven. No one dared question Jesus further. Jesus has reached them.
7. The Wonder of God and His delicate works bring Joy to the Light inside us. They heard Jesus gladly.
8. They will receive the greater condemnation. Pride, deliberate put downs.
9. The Best and Greatest Effort can only be measured by God. Within the Temple. Our body houses our soul and is The Temple of God.
Jesus tells us all mankind is fallen. The Word 'they' is used so many times without clarity.
This is a Parable!
Revelation includes 7 Churches. And today, we don't build many Cathedrals. In fact, Cathedral worship is too solemn. Requires too much. Isn't an in thing. Doesn't warm us up.
The Word of God employs so many ways to help the Heart know God's Love. And we will always find more ways to discover God's Steadfast Love.
The Word of God is a Work of God and has as many layers as a Cathedral. Are you less of a Christian if you don't love a Cathedral? Are you kidding. God wants to save the entire World in God's Sacrificial and Steadfast Love.
Let us consider Paul. Forgiven for so many things.
Romans 12:6
So in Christ, we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. We have different gifts according to the Grace given us. If one's gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach.
The Lord lets us have different gifts, different opinions, different cultures. And the Lord asks us to find His way, truth and Life ours. How can God encompass so many?
1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,
as good stewarts of God's varied grace.
Abba, Father God,
May Your Son, Jesus, Bless us
and Keep us
in Your Dwelling within our Heart.
Dwell in those we Love.
Dwell in this Nation, Jesus Christ.
Dwell in the world, Your Good Creation, the whole earth has the fullness of God the Father.
We will see more Heaven on earth.
Make Your Face to Shine
upon us All
as the days are tough and
we believe You will put Your Willing Blessings upon us again.
Father, please be Gracious to us.
Help us find You First.
We will be Heaven on earth.
Jesus in Your Righteousness, graciously keep us.
May our Father God lift us His Countenance upon us All
and Smile.
Bless us to be filled with Jesus Christ in us and surrounding us
and we are Blessed.
Let us bless God for His Blessings
of President Donald Trump and his Family and Administration,
we have seen hope for the Virus to leave.
And Joy in Peace time.
We pray God's Blessing on the Future You will bring us.
In Jesus Christ, all Your Willing Blessings, Father.
Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †