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May 3 - December 27, 2024
11Whatever community does not welcome you or receive your message, leave it behind. And as you go, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”h
50When they all saw him walking on the waves, they thought he was a ghost and screamed out in terror. But he said to them at once, “Don’t yield to fear. Have courage. It’s really me—I Am!”x
h6:11 The Aramaic and some Greek manuscripts add a sentence: “Truly, I tell you that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
r6:40 There are two Greek words used for groups in this context. In v. 39 it is the Greek word symposion, which is used most frequently for drinking parties (rows of guests). The word prasai found in v. 40 can also mean “garden plots” or “flower beds.”
12With a deep sigh from his spirit, he said, “What drives this generation to clamor for a sign? Listen to the truth: there will absolutely be no sign given to this generation!”g 13Then he turned and left them, got back into the boat, and crossed over to the opposite shore.
g8:12 The Greek word for “generation” can also mean “a tribe or nation.”
32But the disciples didn’t have a clue what he meant and were too embarrassed to ask him to explain it.
42But if anyone abusesu one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulderv tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than to face the punishment he deserves!w
48This is where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out!aa
u9:42 Or “entraps,” “holds in bondage,” “enslaves,” “engages in child trafficking.” The Aramaic is “confuses” or “misleads.”
aa9:48 The Aramaic can be translated “where their revenge never dies and their hatred does not subside.”
25It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needleq than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom.”r
42Jesus gathered them all together and said to them, “Those recognized as rulers of the people and those who are in top leadership positions rule oppressively over their subjects, but this is not the example you are to follow. 43You are to lead by a different model. If you want to be the greatest, then live as one called to serve others.
q10:25 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “to stuff a camel through the eye of a needle.” The Aramaic word for “rope” and for “camel” is the homonym gamla. This could be an instance of the Aramaic text being misread by the Greek translators as “camel” instead of “rope.” Regardless, this becomes a metaphor for something impossible. It would be like saying, “It’s as hard as making pigs fly!” r10:25 To enter into God’s kingdom realm means more than salvation. It implies a participation in its principles and an experience of its power to change our hearts. The principles of God’s kingdom
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8Many people carpeted the road in front of him with their cloaks and prayer shawls,f while others gathered palm branches and spread them before him.
25And whenever you stand praying,s if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive himt so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults. 26But if you will not release forgiveness, don’t expect your Father in heaven to release you from your misdeeds.”u
m11:15 The Aramaic reads “the tables that had the firstborn ransom payments.”
t11:25 The Greek word for forgiveness is apehiemi and means “to send away,” “to take away,” “to release,” “to let flow” (away).
17Jesus said, “Precisely. The coin bears the image of the emperor Caesar, so you should pay the emperor his portion. But because you bear the image of God,m you must give to God all that belongs to him.” And they were utterly stunned by Jesus’ words.
40For appearance’s sake, they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows for an offering, cheating them out of their very livelihood.aa Beware of them all, for they will one day be stripped of honor, and the judgment they receive will be severe.” The Widow’s Offering 41Then he sat down near the offering box, watching all the people dropping in their coins. Many of the rich would put in very large sums, 42but a destitute widow walked up and dropped in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. 43Jesus called his disciples to gather around and then said to them, “I tell you
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aa12:40 Translated from the Aramaic, which is literally “They eat of the household with the ladle of their tender prayers.”
30I assure you, this familyx will not pass away until all I have spoken comes to pass.
x13:30 As translated from the Aramaic, which employs a homonym that can be translated either “this generation will not pass away,” or “this family will not pass away.” The generation in which Jesus lived on earth has indeed passed away, but the Christian “family” of believers remains and endures. Arguably one of the most difficult verses in the Gospels to interpret, “this generation” could also refer to the Jewish people (race).
51There was a young manag there following Jesus, wearing only a linen sheet wrapped around him.ah 52They tried to arrest him also, but he slipped from their grasp and ran off naked,ai leaving his linen cloth in their hands.
ah14:51 This linen sheet is from the Greek word sindon and occurs in the Synoptic Gospels to describe the linen sheet used for burial cloth. Sindon is also used for the young man (neaniskos) dressed in linen who announced to the women at the tomb that Jesus was alive (Mark 16:5–7). This event can be seen as a foreshadowing of the resurrection, with the symbolism of the burial cloth and the escape from their clutches (in the next verse). Some believe that this young man wrapped in a burial cloth could have been resurrected in the nearby graveyard when Jesus spoke the words “I Am.”
40–41Watching from a distance, away from the crowds, were many of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and had cared for him.aa Among them were Mary Magdalene,ab Mary the mother of Jacob the youngerac and Joseph,ad and Salome. Many other women who had followed him to Jerusalem were there too.ae
47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Josephak were there and saw exactly where they laid the body of Jesus.
c15:7 The name Bar-Abbas is Aramaic and means “son of a father” or “son who is like his father.” He becomes a picture of every son of Adam, our father. The true Son of the Father was crucified that day. One man wanted a political revolution, the other a revolution of love filling the hearts of all men.
p15:28 See Isa. 53:12. Although this verse is not found in some of the early and reliable Greek manuscripts, the majority of manuscripts do include it, and it is also found in the Aramaic.
v15:34 See Pss. 22:1; 42:9. The Aramaic can be translated “For this purpose you have spared me.”
7Run and tell his disciples, even Peter, that he is risen. He has gone ahead of you into Galilee and you will see him there, just like he told you.” 8They staggered out of the tomb, awestruck,b with their minds swirling. They ran to tell the disciples, but they were so afraid and amazed, they said nothing to anyone.c
15And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race!
c16:8 Some early manuscripts of Mark do not include vv. 9–20. They are found in the Aramaic. A shorter ending to Mark found in a few manuscripts reads, “They reported briefly to those around Peter all that they had been commanded. After these things, Jesus himself commissioned them to take the message from the east to the west—the holy and imperishable preaching of eternal salvation. Amen.”
The other three gospels give us the history of Christ, but John writes to unveil the mystery of Christ.
Love unlocks mysteries.
John gives us the fourth Gospel, which corresponds to the fourth living creature mentioned in the book of Revelation—the flying eagle. This eagle brings before our hearts Christ as the One who came from heaven and reveals heaven’s reality to those who love him.
The word believe is found nearly one hundred times in John. It is the Gospel of believing!
There is an interesting possibility that both Jacob (James) and John (sons of Zebedee) were actually cousins of Jesus. By comparing Matt. 27:56 to Mark 15:40–41, we learn that Zebedee’s wife was Salome. And Salome was believed to be the younger sister of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, which would make her sons, Jacob and John, cousins of Jesus.
The word faith is found about forty times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not once in John. Instead John uses “believe,” a verb.
1In the beginninga the Living Expressionb was already there. And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God.c 2They were together—face-to-face,d in the very beginning.e 3And through his creative inspiration this Living Expression made all things,f for nothing has existence apart from him!
4A fountain of life was in him,g for his life is light for all humanity.h 5And this Light never fails to shine through darkness— Light that darkness could not overcome!i
8John was not that Light but he came to show who is. For he was merely a messenger to speak the truth about the Light. 9For the perfect Light of Truthk was coming into the world and shine upon everyone.l 10He entered into the world he created, yet the world was unaware.m
14And so the Living Expression became a mans and lived among us!t We gazed upon his glory,u the glory of the One and Onlyv who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercyw and truth!
23John answered them, “I am an urgent, thunderous voice crying out in the desert—clear the way and prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh!”
The Greek is logos, which has a rich and varied background in both Greek philosophy and Judaism. The Greeks equated logos with the highest principle of cosmic order. God’s logos in the Old Testament conveys his powerful self-expression in creation, revelation, and redemption. In the New Testament we have this new unique view of God given to us by John, which signifies the presence of God himself in the flesh. Some have translated this rich term as “Word.” Though the Greek term logos may be rendered “word,” it would be wrong to think it indicates primarily a lexical unit in a sentence. Logos is
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The Aramaic reads “In him were lives” (plural)—not only multiple human lives, but also spiritual life, eternal life, and life in every form. John used the word life (zoe) thirty-seven times in his gospel.
14 The Aramaic word, taybootha, means “loving kindness or goodness.” The Greek word is charis, which can also be translated, “grace, favor, sweetness, pleasure or delight.” This translation has combined all those concepts in the words tender mercy. Truly, Jesus Christ is full of everything that our hearts crave.
14As he went into the temple courtyard, he noticed it was filled with merchants selling oxen, lambs, and doves for exorbitant prices, while others were overcharging as they exchanged currencyn behind their counters. 15So Jesus found some cords and made them into a whip. Then he drove out every one of them and their animals from the courtyard of the temple, and he kicked over their tables filled with money, scattering it everywhere!o 16And he told the merchants,p “Get these things out of here! Don’t you dare commercialize my Father’s house!”
24But Jesus did not yet entrust himself to them, because he knew how fickle human hearts can be. 25He needed no one to tell him about human nature, for he fully understood what man was capable of doing.
This was a Tuesday as counted by the Hebrew week beginning on Sunday. The “third day” was chosen as the wedding day in ancient Judaism because it is only on the third day of creation that God said “It was good” twice (see Gen. 1:10, 12). Thus, the Jews considered the day twice blessed. Tuesdays were ideal for Jewish weddings, for that gave the guests time to get there after the Sabbath and remain for the multiple days of the wedding feast. The third day is also a picture of the day of resurrection glory, the day Jesus rose from the dead. This miracle is a revelation of moving from death to
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