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Showing posts from July, 2017

“We Don’t Know”

Mark 11:27–33 27  And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28  and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29  Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30  Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31  And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32  But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33  So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Jesus is spending His final week of ministry teaching in the synagogue, extending the Kingdom of God. This convers...

With God I Shall Do Valiantly

Psalm 108 A Song. A Psalm of David. 1 My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! 2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! 7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 9 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our ar...

Money-Changers and Figs

Mark 11:12–25 12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13  And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14  And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15  And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16  And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17  And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18  And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crow...

Hosanna in the Highest

Mark 11:1–11 1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2  and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3  If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4  And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5  And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6  And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7  And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8  And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9  And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “H...