Mark 12:1-9 - October 15, 2010

Mark 12:1-9 “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.”

Mark 12:1-9 is a powerful picture of a neglected and abused stewardship.  Jesus has just finished with a very direct confrontation with the religious leaders of Jerusalem and through this parable He shifts to an entirely different dimension of confrontation. After having silenced the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders, Jesus now uses this parable to speak to their sinful and hypocritical condition. He is not content to simply deflect their attempt to discredit Him. This parable is Christ going on the offensive. This parable is Christ exposing the reality of who these men are before God. They are the neglectful and abusive stewards!

There is very little that is significantly veiled within this parable. The focus of its revelation is the vineyard that the Lord has carefully established and the stewards who have been entrusted with its care. The clear message is that the problems that exist are not because of the vineyard owner but because of the corruption of the stewards. This parable is a distinctly prophetic parable as it reflects that which was, is and is to come. The parable presents the beginning state of the Lord’s vineyard; that it was good and well provided for. However, the story progresses to identify that when the Lord of the vineyard began to look for the return that was due on the investment He had entrusted to His stewards they abused the master’s servants repeatedly and sent them away empty handed even killing some of the master’s servants as they sought to keep for their own benefit those things that rightfully belonged to the master.

In this parable Jesus continues on to make a powerful and revealing reference to Himself in one of His more direct. After describing the mistreatment of the master’s servants, Jesus continues on to speak of the master’s son.  The inferences to Himself are clear as He describes the son. This son is the owner’s one and only son. This son is his well-beloved. This son is the heir of all that belonged to the master. Each of these references is taken up elsewhere in the scriptures in such a way that is clearly pointing towards the Messiah, and in many cases also towards Jesus Himself. Through this parable Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the Son of God for those who have an ear to hear.

As Jesus points the people listening to the knowledge of their condition and who it is that is before them this prophetic parable then predicts both the coming death that He will suffer at their hands and the judgment that awaits those who are guilty of this betrayal. Many parables that the Lord told throughout His ministry convey rich and valuable truths but this particular parable enters into a realm of prophetic declaration unlike most of the others. It is an unveiling of who He is, the mistreatment that He will face at the hands of the people and the judgment that awaits.

Mark 11:27 - October 14, 2010

Mark 11:27 “They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?" 29 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John's baptism-was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!" 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'From men' . . . ." (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."



When the kingdom of God is in you even your presence can stir up trouble!!! Jesus has just arrived in Jerusalem and is simply walking through the temple courts when the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to Him. He wasn’t preaching or performing a miracle but the very reality of His presence was sufficient to stir up the harassment of those who were not submitted to the kingdom of God! These men come to the Lord with probing questions concerning the source of His authority. It seems as if their real implication is, “you didn’t receive your authority from us, so what gives you the right to do what you do!”


Jesus was a consistent source of anxiety for the religious rulers of the day. He came with power they did not possess, wisdom that could not refute, authority that could not comprehend and a message that exposed many of their fallacies and as a result His ministry placed them in a context of tension that led them to consistently try to invalidate Him for the sake of their own position and power. Theirs was not a heart in search of the truth of God, but rather focused on defending what they possessed.


As Jesus walked into this setting on this particular day immediately the leaders begin to seek ways to reduce Him and elevate themselves. Jesus demonstrates such a confident wisdom in His response to them. He is not provoked or anxious as He turns to respond to them. Many people would be so threatened by this public inquiry that their insecurity would hinder a clear and composed response. However, the Lord is composed and His reply thoughtful as He is not drawn into their argument but simply answers their question with another question that exposes the reality that they are not actually searching for an answer, but rather seeking for ways to attack Him.


The wisdom of Jesus in the midst of this public confrontation is truly amazing. In the midst of the crowd gathered not only the words of Jesus but His attitude and emotions were on display for all to see. Had He demonstrated defensiveness, insecurity or fear, great damage would have been done to the people’s respect for Him. He was not drawn into the trap that was set for Him. Instead Jesus turns the confrontation around in one strategic sentence and instead of allowing the religious leaders to place Him on the defensive in front of all these people His one thoughtful question now places them on the defensive.


Verse 31 reveals the tension that Jesus has created for these men because they know the opinion of all of the people that John the Baptist was a prophet of God. Jesus has now turned their trap back upon them because if they acknowledge John then they are condemned for rejecting Him and if they deny him they fear the response of the multitudes who did believe in John. The wisdom of Jesus’ response effectively paralyzes these men and they can only respond with an answer that allows Jesus a very quick and public vindication. Oh that the church would walk in this same wisdom!

Mark 11:25 - October 13, 2010

Mark 11:25 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." 

Mark 11:25 reflects one of the key elements of effective prayer. Simply put it is important for every person who will stand before God in petition and intercession to be careful how you come! This passage in verse 25 communicates an essential principle for effective prayer. When we retain unforgiveness, division, and other unhealthy conditions within our hearts we are bringing forth an unclean offering to the Lord.

In First Corinthians Paul presents the consequences of bringing an unclean heart before the Lord within the context of communion. In this passage he sternly warns the Corinthians 1 Cor 11:27-32 “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” NKJV To come before the Lord without having truly examined the condition of our heart in relationship to others leaves a us in a position where at the very least we lose the benefits of our prayers and at its worst our hypocrisy opens the door for the Lord’s chastising judgment to be poured out upon us.

Peter talks about the impact of damaged relationship upon our prayers within the context of a marriage relationship when he says in 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” KJV Consider this reality: If we husbands have not honored our wives then our prayer lives are hindered! Forgiveness, self-examination, and honor in relationships are foundational necessities of an effective life of prayer. 

Mark 11:24 - October 12, 2010

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11: 24 is one of the primary keys that Jesus gave His church for the work of prayer, “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it!” Belief is the starting place of prayer! Is seeing believing or is believing seeing? Jesus makes it clear in this passage that the birthplace of experience is faith. When we believe the heavens open. When we believe there is a supernatural reaction to our faith!

In the preceding verses Jesus has invested a short teaching into the disciples concerning the authority that is theirs through faith within the context of the authoritative command. The contrast between these verses is an important part of our understanding. One of the clear principles separating our understanding of these two sections is that there is clearly a time to speak and a time to ask! There is a time for the bold declaration of faith that moves mountains and that is rooted in the delegated authority that we have been given. It is a declaration that is rooted in the knowledge of the power given to us. The contrasting expression of this principle is that there are times when we are to turn our eyes confidently towards the Father asking boldly for that which flows out of His throne and will rather than as an expression of the authority that has already been given.

Jesus spoke to the sick and saw them healed and yet at other times He prayed to the Father. In the case of Lazarus He first prayed to the Father, though He confessed that the primary motivation for that prayer was for the sake of His audience making the right theological connections concerning His actions, and then He turned to Lazarus and commanded Him to “come forth.” This model is replicated in Acts 9:40 where Peter first kneels in the corner and prays to the Father and then afterwards turns to the dead woman and commands her to “get up.” (An interesting side light is that in both of these two resurrections where the power of command was applied the one speaking addressed the dead person by name! Perhaps if a general command was issued too many people might have risen up!!)

Jesus commanded waves to be still. He spoke to blind eyes, lame feet and dead bodies. He spoke to the fig tree and it withered. And yet on other occasions the word tells us that He asked the Father to heal and at still other times He healed with a touch and no reference to a word being spoken at all is given. There is a simple principle in this concept, walk in the spirit! Jesus gave us the key to His extensive impact when He said in John 5:19 "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” NIV The power is not in a method but rather in a relationship. Jesus transfers this same key to our lives in John 15:5-8 where He calls us to an abiding place of intimacy by saying, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” KJV Fruitful and effective prayer flows out of an abiding relationship with Christ! 

Mark 11:19-23 - October 11, 2010

Mark 11:19-23 “When evening came, they went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Mark 11:19-25 rejoins us to the Lord’s proclamation over the fig tree from the night before. Just the day before the Lord cursed the unproductive fig tree and over the course of the time since then the word has had a chance to work. There was no instant miracle causing the tree to immediately deteriorate but there was a progressive withering that set in of sufficient speed that by next morning the tree had withered completely from the roots. 

This passage demonstrates a significant power principle of the word of God. It is at work whether we see it or not. From the moment the word of the Lord goes forth it is at work whether man can see it or not.  The very nature of the kingdom of God is that the process is not frequently noticed only the fruit of it. Jesus told His disciples Luke 17:20-21 "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation.” Change will be discernable but process frequently goes unnoticed. What can be sure is that when the word of God is spoken forth, it is at work and will accomplish its purpose. Isaiah declared this principle in Isa 55:11 where he prophesied “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

The disciples marveled when as they walked along they passed by the fig tree that the Lord had spoken to only to discover that it had withered completely from the roots. The amazement of the disciples presented another teachable moment for the Lord as He spoke to their surprise. “Have faith in God,” Jesus speaks to them. Layered within these words is the implication “what did you expect?”

Jesus uses this example as an opportunity to enlarge the disciple’s understanding of the authority that comes with faith. The message is simple, speak with faith in your heart, casting aside doubt and your words will come to pass! There is power in this principle. This is the power of the prophetic. This is the principle that is at work in healing and miracles. This is the principle of God! God spoke and the worlds were created. God is still speaking today! In fact Heb 1:3 says “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power,” NASU. Faith in the Word of God is the foundational principle of successful prayer. When we build our prayers and our speaking upon the word of God there is power. Believe therefore, and speak the word!