To Jerusalem

By David Maas
{ON THE WAY}
[Click on the title to open an article]
  1. Following Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow him on the very same path)
  2. His Transfiguration - {PDF Copy} - (The Transfiguration was the confirmation of his status as the Messiah, and of the necessity for Jesus to suffer before receiving glory)
  3. Stumped by Unbelief - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 9:14-29 - Unbelief hindered the ability of Jesus to heal and deliver, not any lack of fasting or other ritualistic practices)
  4. The Meaning of Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be the Messiah meant suffering and death for others. To be his disciple means self-sacrificial service to the weak and insignificant)
  5. Faithful and Saltless Disciples - {PDF Copy} - (Faithful disciples will receive great rewards, but those who harm their weaker brethren run the risk of being cast into Gehenna)
  6. Questions About Divorce - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:1-16 - Opponents questioned Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he used the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom)
  7. The Young Rich Man - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:17-31 - To follow Jesus is to surrender one’s entire life and walk wherever he leads - no questions asked)
  8. His Impending Death - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:32-34 - Jesus was “on the way” to Jerusalem to suffer arrest, trial, and execution)
  9. Servant of the King - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are called to lives of self-sacrificial service for others, just as Jesus gave his life a ransom for many)
  10. Blind Bar-Timaeus Saved - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:46-52 - Jesus restored the sight of a blind beggar while “on the way” to Jerusalem)
  11. His Triumphal Arrival - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 11:1-11 - At the end of his journey, the destination of Jesus was the Temple in Jerusalem)
{IN JERUSALEM}
  1. Fruitless Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:28-29 - The barren fig tree symbolized the fruitlessness of the Temple)
  2. Desolate Temple - {PDF Copy} - (When he left the Temple for the last time, Jesus pronounced its coming desolation to his opponents)
  3. In the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 12:41-13:4 - Jesus gave his ‘Olivet Discourse’ after his final departure from the Temple)
  4. The Geographic Scope of the Discourse - {PDF Copy} - (The ‘Olivet Discourse’ presents two key events linked to different geographic contexts – Regional and Global)
  5. Deceivers and Rumors - {PDF Copy} - (The Olivet Discourse opens with warnings about deceivers who will propagate false expectations about the end)
  6. Abomination of Desolation - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:14-21 - When disciples saw the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not, they must flee Jerusalem ASAP)
  7. The Sign of the End - {PDF Copy} - (The end will not come until this gospel of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all nations)
  8. Repeated Warnings - {PDF Copy} - (Three specific warnings were repeated by Jesus in his Olivet Discourse to help his disciples avoid deception)
  9. Knowing Times and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus did not command his disciples to know and calculate the “times and seasons” of his return in glory - Acts 1:6-8)
  10. Coming on the Clouds - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:21-27 - The whole earth will witness the Son of Man arriving on the clouds to gather his elect to himself)
  11. The Budding Fig Tree - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:28-29 - The parable of the budding fig tree pointed to the destruction of the Temple predicted by Jesus)
  12. "This Generation" - {PDF Copy} - (The generation contemporary with Jesus would see all the events leading up to the destruction of the Temple – Mark 13:30-31)
Jerusalem - Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
Jerusalem - Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

POPULAR POSTS

Kingdom Parables

By David Maas
Image
Jesus taught several parables about the kingdom of God, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world - Mark 4:21-34 .  The gospel of Mark provides only a few examples of the many parables taught by Jesus, his primary method of teaching (“ Apart from a parable he did not speak to the crowds ”). The dominant theme in them is the kingdom, the reign of God that commenced in Christ’s ministry and has continued since as the gospel is proclaimed - [ Hay harvest p hoto  by Luca on Unsplash ].
Read more

Responding to Persecutors

By David Maas
Image
When Christians react in kind to hostility, whether from government, society, or individuals, Satan wins .  The reality of persecution raises serious questions. How should we react to our persecutors, especially when we are targeted by governing authorities? Should disciples respond with indignation, civil disobedience, and public protests, or should they follow his example, as well as that of the early church?  [ Photo by Manuel Rheinschmidt on Unsplash ].
Read more