Day 50: NT Mark C15-16 END; Horror, then God’s Divine Inspiration

The last two chapters of Mark: Horror, then God’s Divine Inspiration.

With Christ dying on the cross, the chief priests with the scribes said in mockery with one another, “He saved others, himself he cannot save!”

How often is it that we cannot save ourselves, control ourselves or do the right thing in our own best interest?

Why did God do this to Jesus, His only son?

Jesus was divine yet human and had emotions and feelings and experienced the pain and suffering while on earth the same as you or I would have.

Why didn’t He ride a big old white horse into Jerusalem a week earlier and take over the Kingdom of the World?

My thought is to teach us that we can’t continue to win, that we can’t continue to dominate, that winning isn’t everything and that we can lose our self, our heart, our soul in selfish, self-centered pursuits.

If whatever you are doing benefits another, a friend, your family or a stranger and doesn’t harm you to any long lasting great extent then it’s okay to pursue winning.

Jesus wants us to develop our hearts, our character, and our humanness.

With 7.5 billion people on Planet Home and a limited time here, to try to dominate others without fully developing yourself is an insane mission in life.

Save yourself so you can save others!

“My God. My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, and expired.

But on entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

“Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see him, as he told you.”

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

After this he was manifested in another form to two of them (disciples), as they were walking on their way into the country.

At length he appeared to the Eleven as they were at table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and hardness of heart, in that they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen.

“Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs shall attend those who believe in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak in new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands upon the sick and they shall get well.”

So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the preaching by the signs that followed. Amen.

He who believes and is baptized shall be saved

The horror is over, God’s Divine Inspiration is ahead!

Day 50: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The Last Two Chapters of Mark: One is Horrific, the other God’s Divine Inspiration.

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Mark Chapters 15-16.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Saint Mark, a convert of Saint Peter, was the son of a certain Mary, whose house in Jerusalem was a gathering place for Christians.

His Gospel, based on Saint Peter’s preaching, aims to prove to the Gentiles the divinity of Christ, be recounting His numerous miracles and examples of His power over devils.

 

Matthew Chapter 15:  Jesus before Pilate; Crowd prefers Barabbas to Christ; The scourging and crowning; The way of the cross; The crucifixion; Two thieves; The death of Jesus; Effects of His death; The burial.

And they bound Jesus and led him away, and delivered him to Pilate

Art thou the king of the Jews?

“Thou sayest it”

But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered.

Now there was a man called Barabbas imprisoned with some rioters, one who in the riot had committed murder.

Do you wish that I release to you the king of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up out of envy.

Crucify him!

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified.

Hail King of the Jews

And they forced a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country… to take up his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which translated, is the Place of the Skull.

Now it was the third hour and they crucified him. And the inscription bearing the charge against him was, “The King of the Jews.”

And he was reckoned among the wicked.

The chief priests with the scribes said in mockery with one another, “He saved others, himself he cannot save!”

“My God. My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Behold he is calling Elias.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, and expired.

Truly this was the Son of God

And some women were also there, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph, and Salome. These used to accompany him and minister to him when he was in Galilee—besides many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem.

There came Joseph of Arimathea, a councillor of high rank, who was himself looking for the kingdom of God. And he went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Then he rolled a stone to the entrance of the tomb. But Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were looking on and saw where he was laid.

Matthew Chapter 16:  The women at the grave; Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene; Jesus appears to two disciples; Commission of the Apostles; The Ascension.

And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, that they might go and anoint him.

But on entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

“Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see him, as he told you.”

For trembling and fear had seized them

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

And they (the disciples), hearing that he was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe it.

After this he was manifested in another form to two of them (disciples), as they were walking on their way into the country. And they went and brought word to the rest, and even then they did not believe.

At length he appeared to the Eleven as they were at table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and hardness of heart, in that they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen.

“Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs shall attend those who believe in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak in new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands upon the sick and they shall get well.”

So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the preaching by the signs that followed. Amen.

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