Bible in One Year Day 161 (Mark 15-16, Psalm 22)

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Day 161: The Crucifixion of Christ

Agape Bible Study 
Mark 15 - 16 

Chapter 15

Mark 15:1-15 ~ Jesus' Trial by the Roman Governor

Jesus was condemned die by the Sanhedrin at dawn. In the Temple the first Tamid lamb was led out to the altar at dawn where it was inspected by the High Priest or his representative, declared "without fault" and condemned to die in the morning worship service that was also a Sacred Assembly for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:17-18). Both the Tamid lamb and Jesus were selected by the religious hierarchy to die for the sake of the people (Jn 11:49-50).

The Sanhedrin did not have the power to condemn Jesus to death. In the Roman provinces, only the Roman government had the power over life and death (Jn 18:31). Therefore, they took Jesus to Pontius Pilate who had come to Jerusalem from the governor's residence in Caesarea Maritima on the coast. 

Jesus is Crowned with Thorns (Maarten van Heemskerck)  

Mark 15:16-20 ~ Christ the King is Crowned with Thorns

Wherever the Roman governor had his residence was considered the seat of the Roman government. Pilate was either staying in the Antonia Fortress adjacent to the northeast corner of the Temple area or in the palace of Herod near the Jaffa Gate. Most Biblical scholars favor the palace of Herod since Jesus was passed back and forth between Pilate and Herod Antipas in Luke 23:6-11.

Jesus' silence before Pilate and Herod (Lk 23:9) and the ridicule Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers fulfills Isaiah's prophecies of Yahweh's Suffering Servant:

• I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting (Is 50:6). Spitting was an act of contempt in the ancient world (Dt 25:9; Job 30:10).
• Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? (Is 53:7-8).

Mark 15:21-32 ~ The Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion

A pilgrim to the feast, Simon of Cyrene, is forces to carry Jesus' cross when Jesus becomes too weak (Mt 27:32-33; Lk 23:26; Jn 19:17). That Mark names the sons of Simon suggests that they were known within the Christian community. The place of execution was called "Place of the Skull," Golgotha in Hebrew/Aramaic, not because the hill looked like a skull but because it was a burial site; it was located outside the city walls according to the Law since nothing "unclean" like a dead body could remain with the holy city of Jerusalem (Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Jn 19:20).

Mark 15:33-41 ~ The Death of Jesus

All the different classes of the blood sacrifices of the Old Covenant were fulfilled in the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God. However, the Passover blood sacrifice of the thousands of unblemished male lambs and goat-kids, the Tamid sacrifice of the unblemished male lamb offered for the expiation and sanctification of the covenant people in a liturgical worship service every morning and afternoon, and the sacrifice of an unblemished male lamb on the day of the Feast of Firstfruits were sacrifices that were uniquely fulfilled in Christ's Passion and Resurrection:

1. The sacrifice of the Passover was fulfilled in the Last Supper when Jesus began His walk to the altar of the Cross.
2. The sacrifice of the unblemished Tamid lamb, a single sacrifice offered in a morning and afternoon liturgical service, was fulfilled in Jesus' Passion and sacrificial death on the altar of the Cross in offering up both His humanity and divinity.
3. The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated on the day after the Sabbath during the Holy Week of Unleavened Bread and the required sacrifice was a single, unblemished, male lamb (Lev 23:10-12). Resurrection Sunday was the Feast of Firstfruits in which Jesus is the "firstfruits" of the resurrected dead (1 Cor 15:20-23).

34 And at three o'clock [the ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus makes seven statements from the altar of the Cross:

Jesus' Last Seven Statements from the Cross	Scripture
1. "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."	Lk 23:34
2. "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."	Lk 23:42
3. "Woman, behold, your son"... "Behold, your mother."	Jn 19:26-27
4. "Eli, Eli lema sabachthani," "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ~ Hebrew	Mt 27:46 (*Ps 22:1a quoted in Hebrew)
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" ~ Aramaic*	Mk 15:34 (Jesus quoted from Ps 22:1/2a in Aramaic)
5. "I thirst."	Jn 19:28
6. "It is fulfilled."+	Jn 19:30
7. "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit."+	Lk 23:46 (Ps 31:5/6 quoted)
Michal E. Hunt © copyright 2012

As Jesus prepares to enter into His divine Kingdom, the wine He drinks is also symbolic of the 4^th Cup of the sacred Passover meal that He could not offer at the meal. When the last cup is offered, the host of the meal says "It is finished" (can also be translated "It is fulfilled"), announcing that the obligation is finished for another year and the people are again consecrated to the covenant with Yahweh. What is "finished/fulfilled" that Jesus announces is the Old Covenant (see Mt 5:18; Heb 8:6, 13). There is now a new Passover sacrifice whose blood has been offered for the purification of sins (Heb 9:22, 27-28) and a new sacred meal that will mark the continuation of a New Covenant in the blood of Christ.

38 The veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
Question: What is the significance of the tearing of the curtain from top to bottom that covered the entrance to the Temple's most sacred space where God dwelled in the midst of His people, the Holy of Holies? Josephus writes that the thickness of the curtain was the width of a man's hand. Also see CCC 536 and 1026.
Answer: It was not a natural event. The ripping open of the curtain signifies that the way into God's Divine Presence in the heavenly Sanctuary that had been closed since the Fall of our original parents is now opened and ready to receive the souls of the just. God the Father has accepted His Son's atoning sacrifice.

39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
The Roman officer is the first to proclaim Jesus the Son of God after the Crucifixion. It is a foreshadowing of the coming of the Gentiles into the New Covenant Kingdom.

Mark 15:42-47 ~ The Burial of Jesus

The Jewish "evening" is our afternoon since the next day began at sundown. Mark 15:42 establishes that Jesus was crucified on Friday, which is called "preparation day" for the Saturday Sabbath. Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died because it was not uncommon for a crucifixion victim to last for three days.

The tomb was a new tomb (not previously used) that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea who was one of Jesus' disciples (Mt 27:57-60). The Gospel accounts do not mention Jesus' body being washed in the usually way of a person who died naturally because the blood of a person who died a violent death had to remain with the body.⁽²⁾ That the shroud was made of linen means it was very expensive. The women disciples watched. Salome is believed to be the name of James and John Zebedee's mother.

Mark 16:1-8 ~ The Resurrection of Jesus

Firstfruits and Weeks/Pentecost were the only two annual feasts in the Old Covenant liturgical calendar that did not have a specific date. The dates were to be determined by the day after the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread for Firstfruits and then fifty days later for Pentecost. These were the only annual feasts that were designated perpetual feasts for all generations (Lev 23:14b, 21b) as they continue to be in the liturgical calendar of the Church where they are celebrated as Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday.

Mark 16:9-12 ~ The Resurrected Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene

Nowhere in the New Testament is Mary Magdalene described as a prostitute. Only St. Mark identifies her former affliction as demon possession. She was rewarded for her faithfulness by being the first disciple to see the Resurrected Jesus.

Mark 16:12-13 ~ The Resurrected Christ Appears to Two Disciples

This resurrection appearance is told in detail in Luke 24:13-35.

Mark 16:14-18 ~ Jesus' Commissions the Eleven Apostles
Jesus' resurrection appearance to the Apostles is recorded in detail in Luke 24:36-49 where Jesus opens their minds to understanding the Scriptures and in John 20:19-23 where Jesus breaths the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and gives them the power to "bind and loose" sins as they govern the Church, His Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He will appear privately to St. Peter and to also St. James His kinsman who becomes the first Christian bishop of Jerusalem, and to more than 500 disciples at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7). In verse 15 Jesus gives His disciples the commission to carry the Gospels to the ends of the earth and to work miracles in His name. Each of the "signs" of power that He gives the Apostles are recorded in Acts including St. Paul experience with a snake (28:3-6).

Mark 14:19-20 ~ The Ascension of the Christ

The Ascension of the Christ is given in greater detail in Acts chapter 1.

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A Daily Defense 

DAY 161 The Number and Nature of the Sacraments

CHALLENGE: “The Catholic Church is wrong to say there are seven sacraments. It’s even inconsistent with its own history. Historically, some Catholic authorities have listed as many as thirty sacraments.”

DEFENSE: How many sacraments there are depends on how you use the term. 

The Latin term sacramentum comes from sacrare, which means “to make sacred” or “to consecrate.” At one point, sacramentum referred to a sacred oath, but it came to refer to sacred rites in any religion.

St. Augustine wrote: “There can be no religious society, whether the religion be true or false, without some sacrament or visible symbol to serve as a bond of union” (Reply to Faustus 19:11).

Thus Catholic authors have historically referred to Jewish rites such as the Passover lamb and various blessings as “sacraments of the Old Law” (ST III:60:2 reply to obj. 2, 6; reply to obj. 3, III:61:3, 4).

In the Christian context, “sacrament” came to refer to many Christian rituals. Thus Hugh of St. Victor (1096–1141) listed thirty sacraments (On the Sacraments of the Christian Faith). Other authors in the Middle Ages gave different numbers (frequently between five and twelve), showing there was no fixed definition at the time. The term was flexible.

Eventually, a standard definition came into use. This definition recognized sacraments as rites instituted by Christ to impart grace. The Catechism states: “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131).

When this definition is applied, the number of sacraments becomes clearer. Some rites—like baptism—were established by Christ to efficaciously convey grace or divine life (Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 3:21), and so they count as sacraments. Other rites—like foot washing—may have been established by Christ (John 13:1–17), but they don’t convey grace and so are not sacraments. Still others were instituted after the time of Christ and so are not sacraments. Many in the last category have come to be called “sacramentals” (CCC 1667–79).

The Church thus came to recognize that there are seven sacraments according to this definition: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony (CCC 1113).

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

Bible in One Year Day 160 (Mark 13-14, Psalm 68)

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Day 160:  Jesus Warns the People 

Agape Bible Study 
Mark 13 - 14 

Chapter 13

Jesus Foretells the Destruction of the Temple and His Discourse on the Great Tribulation

The Jerusalem Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10^th century BC and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BC. A modest Temple was rebuilt seventy years later by the returning Judean exiles in 517/16 BC. When Herod was appointed King of the Jews by the Romans, he began a rebuilding project to turn the modest Temple into one of the most beautiful buildings in antiquity in an attempt to win over the affections of the Jews. The project began in c. 20 BC and was completed only about seven years before it was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

Mark 13:1-4 ~ Introduction to Jesus' Discourse

After a day of teaching in the Temple, Jesus leaves the city of Jerusalem and crosses the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. Sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the Temple Mount, Jesus responds to the His disciples' admiration of the Jerusalem Temple and shocks them by prophesying its total destruction. The key to understanding this discourse is in reading it in light of Jesus' allusions to the books of the prophets, especially the Book of Daniel in which the prophet writes about visions associated with the end of Temple worship and the death of God's anointed (Dan 9:26-27; 12:8-13). Jesus intertwines these images with the end of His life and the end of human history. It seems confusing to us when prophecy weaves the threads of time from past, present and future, but in heaven there is no time.

Mark 13:5-13 ~ The Coming Persecution

The primary source for the historical event of the destruction of Jerusalem in the late 1^st century AD is the Jewish priest/historian, Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100), who was an eyewitness to the siege and capture of Jerusalem by the Roman legions in AD 70. The Jerusalem Temple was one of the most beautiful buildings in antiquity. Josephus wrote that whatever was not overlaid with gold was purest white (The Jewish Wars, 5.5.6).

Mark 13:14-23 ~ The Great Tribulation of Jerusalem

The "sign" is the presence of the "desolating abomination" (verse 14) that is the same sign that was prophesied in the Book of Daniel 9:27 when the Syrian Greeks set up a statue of Zeus within the Temple in 167-165 BC (1 Mac 1:11ff). This sign was repeated when Roman general Titus entered the Holy of Holies and the pagan insignias of the Roman legions were brought into the Temple: "And now, since Caesar was no way able to restrain the enthusiastic fury of the soldiers, and the fire proceeded on more and more, he went into the Holy Place of the Temple with his commanders" ... "And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the Temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifice to them" (Josephus, The Jewish Wars, 6.4.7; 6.61).

False Messiahs have continually come forward since the Ascension of the Christ. Some include Mohammed the founder of Islam in the 7^th century AD, Joseph Smith who founded Mormonism in the early 19^th century, and Mary Baker Eddy who founded the Christian Science religion in the early 20^th century. All these claimed to be either God's supreme prophet with His authority over all other prophets including Jesus or to have the true interpretation of Scripture instead of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

This period of tribulation is not the "last days" when Christ will return after His Ascension but it will take place within the lifetime of the disciples. 

Therefore, this part of Jesus' discourse has to be a prophecy of the destruction of Judea and Jerusalem by the Romans to suppress the Jewish Revolt that began in AD 66. The death and destruction during that time was literally the end of the world they had known for the Jews. 

Mark 13:24-27 ~ The Coming of the Son of Man
Now Jesus moves from the time of the future tribulation in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple to "after that tribulation" (verse 24) and another event in which time itself will be altered: the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. In the traditional language of the prophets, Jesus uses the symbolism of cosmic events to describe the powerful intervention of God in mankind's history. The sun moon and stars were used to record the passing of the seasons and the reckoning of time. In this passage, Jesus may be referring to the event of His Second Coming when the Christ will return in glory to collect "his elect" in the Resurrection of the Just and to act as mankind's divine Judge in the Last/Final Judgment. 

Mark 13:28-31 ~ The Lesson of the Fig Tree

Jesus uses the symbolism of the fig tree once again but in this case it is the sign of what is coming. In the same way that leaves on a fig tree appear in the spring as a sign that the summer season is coming, when these things He has mentioned begin to happen, they will know that the judgment He prophesied is near.

Mark 13:32-37 ~ Be Watchful and Alert.

In this passage Jesus appears to be referring to His return in glory. He tells a short parable in which He is the man who leaves and places his servants (the Apostles and disciples and those of future generations) in charge of His "house" the Church. The "gatekeeper" on the watch refers to the chief steward of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, St. Peter and his successors. The periods of time Jesus mentions are the names of the four night watches that were observed during the period of the Roman occupation: evening watch, midnight watch, cockcrow watch and morning/dawn watch.
The Four Night Watches:
#1: Evening Watch from sundown (c. 6 PM) to 9 PM
#2: Midnight Watch from 9 PM to midnight
#3: Cockcrow Watch from midnight to 3 AM (the trumpet that signaled the end of the watch at 3 AM was called the "cockcrow")
#4: Dawn Watch from 3 AM to dawn (c. 6 AM)

Chapter 14

Mark 14:1-2 ~ The Conspiracy to Against Jesus

The religious leadership has decided that Jesus must die (Jn 11:47-50), but they know they cannot arrest him when the crowds of pilgrims are present without causing a riot. Mark sets the countdown to the day of the Passover sacrifice. It is two days away (also see agreement in Mt 226:1-5). The Gospel of John identifies the day of Jesus' crucifixion as the day before the Sabbath (Jn 19:31), and the Passover sacrifice was the day before His arrest.

Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary (Tintoretto)

Mark 14:3-9 ~ Dinner at Bethany and Jesus' Third Anointing

The dinner on Saturday was at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. The dinner on Wednesday, Jesus' last day teaching in Jerusalem, is at the home of a man named Simon, a former leper. Simon was probably a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. Lepers could not keep company with healthy people and had to remain isolated from the population (Lev 13:45-46). The guests "reclined" at table, indicating that this was a formal banquet. Reclining at a banquet table was a sign of the privilege of free men. Slaves stood to eat. At this banquet honoring Jesus, He is anointed for a third time by an unnamed woman.

Mark 14:10-11 ~ Jesus is Betrayed

Judas has walked away from the "Light" that is Christ into the darkness of sin. He loved money more than he loved Jesus. He followed Jesus but he did not believe in Him. There is no way to defend his actions. He stands in contrast to the faith and purity of soul of the other Apostles and serves as a reminder that in the Church there will be wolves among the sheep.
Question: What do we know about Judas? See Jn 8:44; 12:6
Answer: Judas is described as a thief and a murderer; we are told that he was the treasurer of the group but that he stole from the money collected for the poor.

Mark 14:12-16 ~ The Preparations for the Sacred Meal of the Passover Sacrifice

St. Mark identifies the day: On the first day of the Unleavened Bread, when they kill the Passover, his disciples said to him, "Where do you desire that going we may prepare that you may eat the Passover?" (Mk 14:12; literal translation IBGE, vol. IV, page 140). The Passover and the week-long celebration of Unleavened Bread are listed as two separate feasts in the Old Testament (i.e. Ex 12 -13; Lev 23:4-8; Num 28:16-25) and only Unleavened Bread is listed as the pilgrim feast (Ex 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Dt 16:5-17; 2 Chr 8:13). However, in Jesus time (30 AD) the names of the two feasts were used interchangeably to refer to the entire 8 holy days. Josephus (37-100 AD) records that in his time the term "Passover" came to mean the celebration of both feasts as one festival event.

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A Daily Defense 

DAY 160 Salvation and Predestination

CHALLENGE: “Scripture indicates that God has predestined certain people to go to heaven (Rom. 8:28–30), so I’m either one of them or I’m not. Either way, I don’t need to do anything with respect to my salvation. I can simply await my fate.”

DEFENSE: This misunderstands the nature of predestination and the role of free will.

First, predestination involves both the end and the means by which the end is accomplished. Heaven may be the end—the destination—but the means of getting there is accepting God’s offer of salvation. God doesn’t predestine people to go to heaven regardless of what they do. Heaven may be where they are going, but God has also ordained that they arrive there because they respond to his grace.

Therefore, if you are predestined to go to heaven, you will respond to God’s grace. At some point before death, you will accept his offer of salvation, and so you cannot just await your fate. Whether you go to heaven or hell is dependent on your response to God’s initiative of grace. Your actions do count.

Second, predestination includes free will. From his vantage point in eternity, outside of time, God is aware of all the free-will decisions that are made by creatures in time. Consequently, he is aware whether you will freely choose to accept or reject his offer of salvation, and he includes this in establishing predestination.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of ‘predestination,’ he includes in it each person’s free response to his grace” (CCC 600).

Because your free choice determines whether you go to heaven or hell, we can therefore say: “God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end” (CCC 1037).

Predestination thus does not involve a denial of free will. Neither does it provide an excuse to sit back and neglect our salvation. On the contrary, man’s freedom is included within the scope of God’s plan of predestination, and if we wish to be with him in eternity, we must respond to his initiative of grace and accept his offer of salvation.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

Bible in One Year Day 159 (Mark 11-12, Psalm 67)

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Day 159:  Bearing Fruit 

Agape Bible Study 
Mark 11 -12 

Chapter 11: The Supreme Prophet Performs Three Prophetic Acts

Prophetic Act #1: The Davidic King Comes to Jerusalem

The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage. He tethers his donkey to the vine, his purebred ass to the choicest stem. In wine he washes his garments, his robe in the blood of grapes.
Genesis 49:10-11

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.
Zechariah 9:9

This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad. We beg you Yahweh, save us [Hosanna]! Yahweh, give us victory! Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming. We bless you from the house of Yahweh. Yahweh is God, he give us light. Link your processions, branches in hand, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I thank you, all praise to you, my God. I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Savior.
Psalm 118:24-28 NJB

All these Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in the early spring of 30 AD.

Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem (Pietro lorenzetti)

Mark 11:1-10 ~ The Messiah's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
St. John's Gospel gives the countdown to the Passover sacrifice on Jesus' last week in Jerusalem: 12:1 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him .... 12:12 On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel." 14 Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written: 15 "Fear no more, O daughter Zion; see, your king comes, seated upon an ass's colt" (Jn 12:1-2, 12-15; underlining added for emphasis and quotation from Zech 9:9 LXX).

On the day before Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, He had dinner at the home of His dear friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Six days later was the Passover sacrifice on the prescribed day of the 14^th of Nisan, as the ancients counted without the concept of a zero place-value (Ex 12:1-6; Lev 23:5; Num 28:16).⁽¹⁾
Question: If Passover was six days from the dinner at Bethany and if the day of His entry into Jerusalem was on the day the Church celebrates as Palm Sunday, what day of the week was the dinner at Bethany and the Passover sacrifice six days later on the 14^th of Nisan? Remember to count the days like the ancients with the first day in the cycle starting as day #1. The month was originally called Abib (Ex 13:4; 23:15; 34:18) but the name was changed to Nisan during the Babylonian captivity (Neh 2:1; Est 3:7).
Answer:

Day #1 Saturday, Nisan 9^th: Jesus ate the Sabbath dinner with His friends in Bethany
Day #2 Sunday, Nisan 10^th: Jesus made His triumphal ride into the city of Jerusalem
Day #3 Monday, Nisan 11^th
Day #4 Tuesday, Nisan 12^th
Day #5 Wednesday Nisan 13^th
Day #6 Thursday, Nisan 14^th: The day of the Passover sacrifice

All the Gospels and two thousand years of Christian tradition agree that the Passover sacrifice was on a Thursday, the day before Jesus' crucifixion on Friday which was "Preparation Day" for the Jewish Sabbath (Jn 19:31).

A prophetic act performed by a prophet was called in Hebrew an ot. Between Sunday and Monday, Jesus will perform three prophetic acts in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets:

1. The manner of His entrance into Jerusalem (Mk 11:1-10)
2. The cursing of the fruitless fig tree (11:12-14)
3. The cleansing of the Temple (11:15-17)

The village of Bethany is located at the foot of the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives about two miles (literally 15 Roman strades) from Jerusalem (Jn 11:18). The Mount of Olives is mentioned as the site where the elderly King David wept as he took flight from Jerusalem after his sovereignty was rejected by the Israelites (2 Sam 15:30), and it is also mentioned by the 6^th century BC prophet Zechariah where it is associated with the eschatological manifestation of God's kingship, His judgment against Jerusalem, and His military triumph over the nations of the earth (Zec 9:9-11; 14:1-21).

The next village toward Jerusalem is Bethpage, whose name means "place/house of figs." It is at this village that the two disciples are to find a colt of an ass that has never been ridden. When questioned, they are to say it is "the Lord" who has asked for it. In the Greek the word kyrios can mean a ruler, but it is also the word that replaced the Divine Name in the Septuagint and this is the way Jesus means the use of the word to be understood. It is the only time in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus will explicitly refer to Himself as "Lord," pointing to His divine identity (although Mark refers to Jesus as "Lord" in 1:3 and 16:19-20, and Jesus does so implicitly in 2:28; 5:19-20; 12:35-37 and 13:35).

Question: Why is it significant that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a tethered colt of an ass that no one had ridden previously? See Gen 49:10-11; Num 19:2; Dt 21:3; 1 Sam 6:7; Zec 9:9; Ps 24:7-10.
Answer:

1. The "tethered" colt of an ass invokes the prophecy of Jacob-Israel concerning the kingship of one who comes from the tribe of Judah, which is Jesus' tribe.
2. That no one has previously used it recalls the stipulations of the Law that an animal devoted to a sacred purpose must be one that has not been used in any profane or ordinary way.
3. It fulfills the mount of the Redeemer-Messiah in Zechariah's prophecy and the humility of the rider.

7 So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!"

Question: What prophecy from the prophet Zechariah in the sixth century BC is fulfilled in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in 30 AD? See Zec 9:9 and Ps 118:25-27.
Answer: Jesus enacts Zechariah's the prophecy of the Davidic king riding humbly into Jerusalem on "a colt, the foal of an ass," as the people proclaim Him the Davidic Messiah.

Jesus' ride into Jerusalem takes on the aspect of a royal coronation. See 1 Kng 2:38-40; Ps 24:7-10; 118:27.
Question: Compare Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with David's heir Solomon who rode into the city of Jerusalem on his coronation day in c. 970 BC (1 Kng 2:38-40). Who is the king in Psalm 24:10?
Answer: Like Solomon, the son and heir of the King, Jesus, the divine Son and heir of God the great King was riding into the city of Jerusalem to the acclaim of the crowds. Unlike Solomon, Jesus was riding on the humble animal of the poor, an ass, while Solomon rode the royal mount for a king's son, a mule. And also, unlike Solomon who was the human son of the king, Jesus is both the Davidic heir and the "King of Glory." However, even though Jesus is the "King of Glory" riding into the holy city of Jerusalem He has not come as a conquering king like His ancestor David; He has come as a humble servant of God the Father.

Question: What does it mean that the crowd was placing leafy branches before the donkey and that they shouted verses from the Messianic Psalm 118:22-27? Note especially Psalm 118:27b.
Answer: The leafy branches the crowd spread before Jesus' mount and their shouting of verses 24-26a from Psalm 118 shows that they were acknowledging Jesus as the Davidic Messiah.

The crowd was not only thinking of Zechariah's prophecy of the coming of the Redeemer-Messiah (Zec 9:9-10) and the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 118, but also the deathbed prophecy of Jacob-Israel that kingship would never depart from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10-11). This prophecy was reinforced by God's eternal covenant with David's descendants that promised David's throne would endure forever (2 Sam 7:12-16; 23:5; 1 Kng 2:4; 2 Chr 13:5; Sir 45:25). All these prophecies were now converging on the rabbi from Nazareth. The Gospel of John even adds that in calling out Psalm 118:26b the crowd said: "Hosanna [Save us]! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel" (Jn 12:13; underlined phrase added by the crowd).

Question: Why is it significant that it was the 10^th of Nisan that Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem? See Ex 12:3.
Answer: It was the day on which the victims for the Passover sacrifice were chosen in the first Passover event in Egypt that led to the freeing of the children of Israel from slavery. Jesus is the final, unblemished victim of the final Passover in which mankind will be freed from slavery to sin and death.

Mark 11:11 ~ Jesus goes into the Temple

The Temple that was rebuilt in the late 6^th century BC after the Babylonian exile by the returning covenant people of Judah was located on the height of Mount Moriah. It was built on the same location as Solomon's Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BC. The Temple of Jesus' time was rebuilt by King Herod the Great into one of the most beautiful buildings of its time and was later destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. It was never rebuilt.

Jesus and the Apostles will spend every night on the Mount of Olives or in the village of Bethany (Mt 21:17; Mk 11:11; Lk 21:37). Bethany was the home of Jesus' friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead (Jn 11:17-44). During His last week He will eat two meals with His Apostles and His friends in Bethany; the first was the Sabbath meal at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and the second at the home of Simon the (former) Leper (Jn 12:1; Mt 26:6; Mk 14:3).

Prophetic Act #2: The Judgment against the Barren Fig Tree

I will gather them all in, says the LORD [YHWH]: no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig trees, foliage withered! Why do we remain here? Let us form ranks and enter the walled cities, to perish there; for the LORD has wrought our destruction, he has given us poison to drink
Jeremiah 7:13-14

Alas! I am as when the fruit is gathered, as when the vines have been gleaned; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave. The faithful are gone from the earth, among men the upright are no more!
Micah 7:1-2a

Mark 11:12-14 ~ Jesus Curses the Barren Fig Tree

In Mark 11:12-18 Jesus will perform two more prophetic acts in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets. It is significant that Mark "sandwiches" Jesus' Temple cleansing between the continuing narratives of the cursed fig tree, thereby linking the two symbolic events (11:12-14 and 11:20-25/26).

Question: What day of the week is it?
Answer: It is the day after Palm Sunday, therefore it is Monday.

Only Matthew and Mark record the cursing of the fig tree (see Mt 21:18-19), and both Gospels agree that this event happened the day after Palm Sunday, on Monday of Passion Week. As Jesus is walking with his disciples from Bethany on the Mt. of Olives toward the Eastern Gate of the city of Jerusalem, they pass a fig tree growing beside the road.

St. Mark tells us in 11:13 that when Jesus cursed the fig tree it was not even the season that a fig tree bore fruit! No excuse is acceptable for the covenant people in not being able to bear the fruit of righteousness in good deeds that exemplify that they are a holy people who belong to a holy God.

Question: What is the first time a fig tree is mentioned in Scripture? See Gen 3:7.
Answer: It was leaves from the fig tree that Adam and Eve used to cover their nakedness. Their nakedness is a symbol for the consequences of their sin of rebellion against God's divine authority and being no longer "clothed" in God's divine grace but being "dis-graced."

The use the leaves of the fig tree to cover their nakedness may suggest that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a fig. Jesus' prophetic act in cursing the fig tree will become clear after His third prophetic act and in what Jesus tells the disciples in Mark 11:20-26.

Prophetic Act #3: The Messiah Purifies God's House

And suddenly there will come to the Temple the LORD [YHWH = Yahweh] whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of Hosts [Yahweh Sabaoth]. But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He will sit refining and purifying and he will purity the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD [YHWH]. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD [YHW] as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Malachi 3:1b-4

On that day there shall no longer be any merchant in the house of the LORD of hosts [Yahweh Sabaoth]."
Zechariah 14:21b

Mark 11:15-19 ~ Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Question: Is the prophecy of Malachi 3:1b-5 fulfilled in this prophetic act?
Answer: The prophecy of Malachi concerning the Messiah is fulfilled: He has come to the Temple in judgment to purify the Temple and the sons of Levi; the priests and Levites who are responsible for the Temple and for right liturgical worship.

Question: This was not Jesus' first Temple cleansing. When was the first Temple cleansing and during what festival season of the year did it take place? See Jn 2:13-25.
Answer: The first Temple cleansing was His first public act that took place after the miracle at the wedding at Cana. It occurred during the Passover festival, the same time of the year as this event.

The first Temple cleansing was to prepare the people for the beginning of His teaching ministry and proclamation of the Kingdom. Now He cleanses God's house of worship a second (Mt 21:12-17) and finally a third time, when He found the abuse was continuing. He does this in preparation for His final week of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the new, restored Israel. The merchants in the Temple area were selling doves and pigeons that were the sacrifices of the poor, for ritual purification of a woman, and for lepers (Lev 12:6-8; 14:21-22; 15:14, 29) as well the as sheep goats and bull calves that the priests had approved as other "unblemished" sacrifices according to the Law. The chief priests made money under this arrangement from the "cut" they took from the vendors. The vendors were also exchanging coins that bore pagan images or the images of the Roman emperor that were not acceptable for the purchase of sacrifices or for Temple donations. These could be exchanged for Tyrian coins that bore no forbidden images (Ex 30:11-16). Notice that He did not overturn the tables of the dove sellers, an action that could have injured the delicate birds. Jesus' actions also fulfill the prophecy of the 6^th century BC prophet Zechariah that in the era of the Messiah ...there shall no longer be any merchant in the house of the LORD of hosts (Zec 14:21b).

Mark 11:20-26 ~ The Withered Fig Tree

Notice how Mark has purposely structure the narrative of the Temple cleansing between the narrative of the cursed fig tree so the reader does not miss the connection between the two prophetic acts.

Question: What day is it?
Answer: It is Tuesday, Nisan the 12^th.

The next day, Tuesday, as Jesus and His disciples walk toward Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, they passed the cursed fig tree and the disciples saw that it had withered to the roots and died.  Jesus says to them: "Have faith in God. 23 Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Jesus connects the two prophetic acts of the cursed fig tree and the Temple cleansing by referring to Mount Moriah where the Temple was located.  He probably gestured toward Mount Moriah and the Temple that could be seen from the Mount of Olives. His actions and His teaching connect the subjects of bareness, faith, and the Temple.

His cleansing of the Temple was a judgment on those who ministered in the Temple.  The Temple was supposed to be God's "house of prayer" where all people could come to worship and be instructed in holiness through the sound teaching for the Gentiles and for the Jews in the obligations and rituals of liturgical worship.  The Temple was the means by which this holiness would "bear fruit" in the lives of the covenant people, thereby allowing the works of God to work through the covenant people, providing a blessing and a witness to the other nations of the earth who were invited to learn about the true God in the Court of the Gentiles.  But, in judging the Temple, Jesus found that like the fig tree it had not produced "good fruit."  The absence of faith and right worship that Jesus found in the Temple is signified by the fruitless fig tree's completely withered state which is emphasis by Mark in the second half of the fig tree narrative. At the time of the visitation of their Redeemer-Messiah, the Temple and its hierarchy are devoid of the spiritual fruit that God desires in a faithful covenant people, and Jesus' pronouncement, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again!" is a prophetic signal that Israel's Temple worship and sacrifices are drawing to an end.

Mark 11:27-33 ~ The Religious Hierarchy Questions Jesus' Authority

The chief priests and scribes, who have been insulted by Jesus' accusations against them in quoting from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 during His Temple cleansings two days in a row, confront Jesus on the question of His authority to act as He does. They want to know if Jesus believes He is acting on God's authority or on His own authority. Jesus challenges their question with a question about St. John the Baptist, asking them if St. John's prophetic mission was from God.

Chapter 12: Jesus Continues to Confront the Religious Authorities and to Teach Daily in the Temple Complex

Thus says the Lord GOD: I swear I am coming against these shepherds. I will claim my sheep from them and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep so that they may no longer pasture themselves. I will save my sheep that they may no longer be food for their mouths.
Ezekiel 34:10

Jesus' judgment of the actions of the Temple hierarchy in allowing the Temple to become profane recalls the prophecy of Ezekiel 34:1-10 in which the priesthood of the Old Covenant is warned that God has judged them and will come against them (see the quotation above). If Jesus has indeed cleansed the Temple two days in a row, you can imagine how enraged the Temple authorities have become concerning Jesus' actions. No wonder they decided there was no way to control Him and the only answer is to eliminate Jesus and His influence completely: The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death ... (Lk 19:47b). Knowing their enmity, Jesus boldly tells a parable that is directed at them.

The Meaning of the Three Prophetic Acts

The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Isaiah 5:7

Mark 12:1-12 ~ The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

This parable is told to the crowd of people standing in the Temple's outer courts, but the teaching is a warning to the religious leadership concerning their rejection of both St. John the Baptist and Jesus, thereby rejecting God's divine plan for mankind. The parable should be studied within the context of Jesus' warning in Luke 19:41-44 where He prophesied the destruction of the city of Jerusalem when He said: "They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."
Question: What is the time of their "visitation" that is also the "proper time" in verse 2 of the parable?
Answer: Jesus' presence within the holy city is the time of "visitation" and now is the "proper time" (Mk 12:2)

The situation in the parable would have been familiar to first century AD Jews. Landholders often rented out their property to tenant farmers who had to share a percentage of the profits from the harvest with the owner of the land. Jesus uses the parable as an allegory predicting His death at the hands of the Jewish religious authorities, their eventual loss of authority as God's representatives to His people, and the destruction of the "vineyard" that is Old Covenant Israel. In the New Covenant Church, the Church Militant is the tenant working the land of which God is owner. This connects to all of our covenant obligations, obedience and tithing. We have been studying the vineyard/fig tree as one of the reoccurring images of the Old Testament prophets depicting God's relationship with His covenant people throughout this lesson. 

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A Daily Defense
DAY 159 The Year Jesus Was Born

CHALLENGE: “Our calendars are mistaken. Jesus wasn’t born in 1 B.C. but around 7–6 B.C.”

DEFENSE: The year of the calendar is not a matter of faith. 

The Anno Domini (Latin, “Year of the Lord”) system of reckoning was created in A.D. 525 by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis “the Short” or “the Humble”). It later came into international use. Made centuries after Christ, this calculation is in no way essential to the Faith.

The Church does not teach Christ was born in any particular year, and it is universally recognized that Dionysius’s calculations are probably slightly off (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 3: The Infancy Narratives, 61–62).

The estimate that Christ was born in 7–6 B.C. is based on the view that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. Matthew records that, attempting to kill Jesus, Herod slaughtered the male infants two years old and under in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16). This suggests that Jesus’ birth took place two or more years before Herod’s death, leading many to propose a date of 7 or 6 B.C. 

The view that Herod died in 4 B.C. has been popular for some time, but recent studies indicate that this view is probably wrong and that the traditional date of Herod’s death, 1 B.C., is correct.

This would put the birth of Jesus in the 3–2 B.C. time frame, which is when the Church Fathers say it was. A large majority of early Christian sources place Jesus’ birth at this time (see Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology, 2nd ed, 291). 

Confirmation is found in the Gospel of Luke. It records that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, or A.D. 29 (Luke 3:1). Shortly afterward, Jesus began his own ministry and Luke reports that he was about thirty years old at the time (Luke 3:23).

Deducting thirty years from A.D. 29, and taking into account the fact that there is no “Year 0” (instead, there is a jump from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1), that would indicate Jesus was born around 3–2 B.C, when the Church Fathers say he was. Thus Dionysius Exiguus was probably only a year off.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

Bible in One Year Day 158 (Mark 9-10, Psalm 29)

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Day 158:  The Reality of Sin 

Agape Bible Study 
Mark 9 - 10 

Chapter 9:2-8 ~ Christ Revealed in His Glory

Mark 9:2-8 ~ The Transfiguration of the Christ

This experience with the divine is the revelation of the Kingdom for three of the Apostles. The same experience is recorded in Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36. The disciples and Apostles must have been frightened and discouraged after Jesus' prediction of His death. To give them a vision to grasp in their darkest hour when the prediction of His death is fulfilled, Jesus took three Apostles, Peter, James and John Zebedee, up a "high mountain" to let them witness a manifestation of His glory that confirms He is the Son of God and that He will come in glory when all has been fulfilled.

This is not a demonstration of favoritism. God does not have "favorites." It is instead a demonstration of hierarchy in the future administration of Christ's kingdom.

As the new Moses, Jesus ascends the mountain; He does this not to find a revelation of God but to give a revelation of God the Son to His three Apostles. 

Transfiguration (Raphael)

Chapter 9:9-48 ~ The End of the Galilean Ministry

Mark's favorite word, euthus, is found in Mark 9:15, 20, 24 and 10:52.

Mark 9:9-13 ~ The Coming of Elijah
Coming down from the mountain after the Transfiguration experience, Jesus commands the three Apostles not to make known what they have discovered about Jesus' true identity (9:9). Notice he does not tell them to never tell about the experience. He only asks them to remain silent until His death and resurrection.

It is a reasonable question. Did "rising from the dead" mean to have life returned so one could go one living a normal life as in the case of the little girl who was the daughter of the Synagogue official in Mark 5:38-43, or did it mean something else? Thinking about his question may have led them to consider the case of Elijah who was spared physical death and was then taken up into heaven (2 Kng 2:6-12).

The Transfiguration of the Christ presents the Apostles and the reader with the full mystery of Jesus' true identity. The miraculous transformation of the human Jesus into the glorified divine Son puts the coming Passion and death of Jesus into perspective by giving the Apostles the assurance that Jesus' suffering and death will end in the triumph of His glorious Resurrection on the third day. This is what He has tried to tell them (Mk 8:31-33) and which He will repeat two more times (Mk 9:30-32 and 10:32-34). In the continuing revelation of the "mystery," the hearts of His Apostles are being restored in preparation for the New Covenant Gospel that they will carry to the ends of the earth (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:19-20; Lk 24:46). 

Mark 9:14-29 ~ The Mute and Deaf Epileptic Demoniac
When Jesus and the three Apostles rejoin the nine Apostles and the disciples, they are greeted by a large crowd involved in a dispute that seems to center on the disciples. That they are "amazed" at the site of Jesus may suggest that Jesus' appearance still retained some vestiges of the Transfiguration experience like Moses' glowing face after being in the divine Presence (Ex 34:29-30). The same Greek verb is used for the women's amazement at seeing the angel who announces Jesus' resurrection (Mk 16:5). They are immediately drawn to Jesus and run up to greet Him.

Jesus inquires about the nature of the dispute and discovers that His disciples have been unsuccessful in casting a demon out of a boy, a power Jesus gave them when He sent them on their missionary journey (Mk 6:7; Lk 9:1). Unlike other demons this one is mute and tortures the boy with fits that threaten his life.

While Jesus, Peter, James and John were on the mountain, the other nine Apostles were continuing their mission to heal, cast out demons, and preach the coming of the kingdom. Jesus tells them that their failure to cast out a demon on this occasion is because of their lack of faith (also see Mt 17:19-20; Lk 9:41). It is a failure which reflects badly on their credibility as Jesus' ministers. Perhaps they were intimidated by the power of the demon.

Mark 9:30-32 ~ The Second Prediction of the Passion

As the time for His Passion is drawing closer, Jesus focuses His attention on preparing His disciples for the traumatic events and test of faith that they will experience. He is also equipping them for taking up their mission as His emissaries in carrying the Gospel of salvation to the world.

Mark 9:33-37 ~ The Greatest in the Kingdom

"On the way" will become a repeated refrain in this section of Mark's Gospel, but may not be translated literally in the English translation (8:37; 9:33, 34; 10:17, 32, 52 twice). Jesus and the Apostles travel to Peter's house in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee (verse 33). Perhaps the separation of the three from the other Apostles and their privilege of witnessing Jesus in His glory in the Transfiguration experience has made the others uneasy about where they stand in the Kingdom of the Messiah. Jesus knows what they were arguing about, but He wants them to admit to Him the nature of their dispute so He can provide a teaching moment for them. They probably do not answer because they are embarrassed, and they know He will not approve.

Mark 9:38-41 ~ Using the Name of Jesus

John Zebedee, the "least" of the Apostles if Bible scholars are correct in identifying him as the youngest, has apparently not learned from the previous teaching. An unnamed man's success has evidently sparked the jealousy of the Apostles who were unsuccessful in casting the demon out of the boy earlier.

As Baptized Christians charged with continuing the good works of Jesus through the Kingdom of His Church, we must reject exclusivism in the apostolate—the idea that "good is not good unless I am the one doing it." The principal value and merit of good works lie in the demonstration of the love of God by which our good deeds are carried out. Saint Jose Maria Escriva wrote, "a little act, done for love, is worth so much" ("The Way," 814). And, Saint Francis de Sales wrote: "Do you see that glass of water or that piece of bread which a holy soul gives to a poor person for God's sake; it is a small matter, God knows, and in human judgment hardly worthy of consideration. God notwithstanding, recompenses it, and forthwith gives for it some increase of charity" ("Treatise on the Love of God," book 2, chap. 2).

God regards as worthy any act of services to others, however small, as a holy act of love in His name. 

Mark 9:42-50 ~ Temptations to Sin and the Salt Parable

Still holding the little child on His lap, Jesus pronounces a divine judgment against anyone who seeks to lead "a child" who believes in Him into sin. In this passage the Greek verb skandalizo refers to what causes one to stumble into sin. These are Greek words from which we get our words "scandalize" and "scandal."

This passage has three references (verses 43b, 44, 46 and 48) to Isaiah's image of divine judgment and Hell's unbearable torment in Isaiah 66:24 ~ They shall go out and see the corpses of men who rebelled against me; their worm shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished; and they shall be abhorrent to all mankind. The imagery is of God's enemies who are dead outside the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem; just as in the past the corpses and filth lay in the Valley of Gehenna outside the city of the earthly Jerusalem where huge fires were continually burning.

Many people, even Christians, find the Hell of eternal separation from God a difficult subject. Yet, the teachings of Scripture and the Church affirm the existence of Hell and its eternal dimension. The chief punishment of Hell is eternal separation from God where the unrepentant person, whose soul is lost in mortal sin, suffers the penalty of eternal fire. The Catholic Church teaches that God does not predestine anyone to Hell (CCC 1037) and the choice of eternal life or eternal damnation is the personal choice of every individual based on the choices they make in life (see Mt 25:31-46 and CCC 1033-36). In fact, the destiny God has planned for every human being is eternal life and He is not willing that anyone should perish; the choice of our ultimate destiny is our own (2 Pt 3:9; 1 Tim 2:3-4).

Question: What three sayings does Jesus give about salt?
Answer:

1. Everyone will be salted with fire.
2. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?
3. Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.

That "everyone will be salted with fire" may refer to the fiery love of God that will test our works when we face divine judgment (Wis 3:1-7; Lk 16:23-24; 1 Cor 3:13-15; Purgatory in CCC 1030-32). In Scripture salt represented purity and preservation. It therefore became a symbol of the perpetual nature of the covenant (Lev 2:13; Num 18:19 literal translation; 2 Chr 13:5). As a symbol of the covenant, salt was sprinkled on all sacrifices that were placed on the altar fire (Lev 2:13; Ez 43:23-24), and babies born into the covenant were rubbed with salt after birth (Ez 16:14). Methodius, bishop of Olympus (d. 311) wrote: "According to Levitical law, every gift, unless it be seasoned with salt, is forbidden to be offered as an oblation to the Lord God. Now the whole spiritual meditation of the Scriptures is given to you as salt which stings in order to benefit. Without this disinfection, it is impossible for a soul, by means of reason, to be brought to the Almighty" (The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, 1.1).

In this little parable, Jesus is using salt as a metaphor for the Christian's positive influence. In Jesus' time salt was used to favor and to preserve food, and it was used as a disinfectant. But salt that had a high mineral content, like salt from the Dead Sea, could lose its flavor over time and become useless. As Jesus' disciples, we are to be "salt of the earth" (Mt 5:13) in that we must live according to Jesus' teachings in order to be a good influence in the world. Christians who lose their commitment to Christ are not able to be a force for good in sharing the Gospel of salvation. Jesus commands His disciples to keep the "salt" of their commitment alive so that they might have the unity that promotes peace.

Chapter 10: The Beginning of the Final Journey

In Chapter 10, Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem which will reach its climax in the fulfillment of the three prophecies of His Passion. Along the way, He continues to encourage the faith and heal the blindness of His disciples and the covenant people to the truth of His identity. He also offers His teachings on moral law, on service and leadership, gives the third prediction of His Passion, and heals a blind man whose faith has saved him. The last is a symbolic act to visually illustrate His continuing admonition for the disciples to see and hear and understand as in the healing of the deaf man in the Decapolis in Mark 7:31-37 and the blind man of Bethsaida in the Galilee in Mark 8:22-26.

Mark 10:1-12 ~ Jesus Teaches on Marriage and Divorce

Leaving the Galilee, Jesus and His disciples cross the Jordan River to the east bank and journey south toward Jerusalem. This was a favored route of most Jewish pilgrims traveling from Asia Minor and Mesopotamia for the pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem because it allowed them to avoid the dangerous, robber infested territory of the Samaritans on the west side of the river. 

The Pharisees approach Jesus again to "test" him, as Satan tested Jesus. As in the other times they have tested Jesus, the purpose is not to learn His true identity but to show their superiority and to discredit Him with the people (Mt 12:13; 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:52-53). It is ironic that it is their attempt to "test" Jesus and to reveal to the people that His true identity is not the Messiah that they reveal their true identity as "children of Satan" who stand in opposition to God's plan for man's salvation.

Question: How is their question not only a test but a trap?
Answer: They are hoping they can maneuver Jesus to say something they can use against him. If He rejects divorce for any reason they can perhaps put Him in the same position as John the Baptist who was condemned to death for his criticism of Herod Antipas and Herodias' divorces and their unlawful marriage. Or, if he approves of divorce without restrictions, they can accuse him of being like the heathen Gentiles.

Question: The Pharisees interpret Moses' decree in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as a commandment, but how does Jesus correct their interpretation of that passage?

Answer: Jesus tells them that it was not so much a command but a concession because of the hard hearts of the Israelite men.

Question: How does Jesus turn their "test" against them?

Answer: Jesus turned their test against them by quoting from Sacred Scripture, asking them if they did not know the passages from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. He asks them if they are willing to dispute what God has commanded in those passages and interprets the passages to mean there can be no division/divorce when God has joined a couple in marriage.

In His declaration "what God has joined together, no human being [man] must separate," Jesus unequivocally affirms the sacred nature and the indissolubility of the marriage covenant between one man and one woman. He also affirms God as both the Creator of man and woman and the author of the institution of marriage. See CCC 1614-16.
Question: In Jesus' definition of marriage, what other forms of unions are rejected as not of God? See CCC 1645, 2357-59, 2387-88, 2390-91, 2400.
Answer: Polygamy, homosexual unions, incest and free unions cannot be defined as marriage and are offenses against the dignity of marriage.

In the Christian Church's first council in Acts chapter 15, the Apostles instructed faith communities in their Apostolic decree to avoid unlawful marriage (Acts 15:19-20) referring to marriages that were deemed incestuous. However, in the Church's power to "bind and loose," Jesus has given the Church the authority to make decisions in such matters as the annulment of marriages that never should have taken place because of fraud, deceit, or indecency. See CCC 1603, 1610.

Mark 10:13-16 ~ Jesus and the Children

It is fitting that Jesus' pronouncement on children should follow immediately after His teaching on marriage. This is the second time Jesus has used a little child as an example of faith, trust, and vulnerability. In Mark 9:36-37, He used a little child in Peter's household as a symbol of faith and trust and in instructing the disciples on their role of service to the lowly. People were bringing their children to Jesus for Him to lay His hands upon them to give them His blessing. In trying to protect Jesus, perhaps so He can have the time to heal the seriously afflicted, the disciples are turning away parents who have brought their healthy children to Jesus. Instead of protecting Jesus, they have deeply offended Him. This is the only time in the Gospels that it is said that Jesus was "indignant," in the Greek, aganakteo; it is a term indicating "outraged at an offense," "moved with indignation" (IBGE, vol. IV, page 125; Thayer's Greek Lexicon, page 3). The tender affection Jesus shows the children illustrates what an extrodinarly loving man Jesus was during his earthly ministry.

Mark 10:17-22 ~ The Rich Young Man

This story is found in all three Synoptic Gospels with only slight variations. The man in the encounter with Christ is described as a "young man" (neaniskos), in Matthew 19:20. He has been listening to Jesus' teachings and is concerned about his eternal salvation (it is not until verse 22 that we are told he is wealthy). He has everything he needs to enjoy this earthly life, but he understands that his wealth cannot buy his place in eternity.

Question: What three actions does he take and what is his question?
Answer:

1. He runs up to Jesus
2. He kneels before Jesus in humble submission
3. He calls Jesus "good teacher"
4. He asks Jesus what "good" he must do to attain eternal life.

Question: What does Jesus mean by His first response to the young man, answering his question with a question and then stating that no one is truly "good" except God. What is ironic about Jesus' exchange with the young man?
Answer: He asks the young man "Why do you call me good?" Then Jesus tells the young man that "no one is good except God alone," in other words that every man is a sinner. In His question, Jesus is subtly asking the young man if he has discerned Jesus' true identity as the only One who is good because He is without sin. The irony is that the young man is in fact addressing God.

Next Jesus answers the young man's question by reminding him that he knows the commandments, meaning the Ten Commandments and the other commands and prohibitions of the Law. Keep in mind that the young man is Jewish and the Old Covenant is still in effect and will continue to be in effect until Jesus' death and Resurrection.

Question: What is the pathway to salvation under the law of the Sinai Covenant? See Dt 30:16, 20; Ps 119:155, 166-68.
Answer: Under the Old Covenant, obedience to the commandments of God was the pathway to life; however, obedience could not promise eternal salvation.

Jesus then lists six commandments in verse 19 that are found in the Ten Commandments and in the extended teaching on the Law (to defraud was considered theft). These are not all the Ten Commandments but only those commandments dealing with love of neighbor, a command that is part of the Law of the covenant in Leviticus 19:18.

Question: Significantly what part of the Ten Commandments has Jesus not included?
Answer: Jesus has not included the first three commandments concerning love of God.

20 He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
The young man responds that he has lived in accordance with those commandments that Jesus listed. In Matthew 19:20 the young man asks what is lacking in his life (verse 20), suggesting that he understood there was more than mere obedience to the Law to please God. His answer must have been sincere because St. Mark tells us Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking one thing ... (Mk 10:21). This is an earnest young man and Jesus sees spiritual potential for him in service to the Kingdom.

21b Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
Question: What does Jesus tell the young man he must do if he wants to have a greater share in the Kingdom and what is the invitation Jesus is alluding to? Jesus spoke of this in Mark 8:34.
Answer: He tells the young man if he wants to be "perfect" to give up every material possession to the poor and to follow Jesus as a disciple and then he will have "treasure in heaven" as opposed to earthly rewards. Jesus is making a distinction between obedience to the commandments that show the path to salvation and earthly blessings under the Old Law and the call to discipleship that gives an even greater eternal reward. He is also asking the young man to put love of God above earthly comfort and ambition.

Question: Where in the Gospels has Jesus asked for a standard of "perfection" before? Under the law of the Old Covenant people were commanded to be live by a standard of perfection in being "holy as God is holy" (Lev 11:44-45; 20:26; 21:8). See Mt 5:48.
Answer: It is a standard of perfection Jesus asked the faithful to strive for in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:48 when He said: "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

In Matthew 5:48 the Greek word "perfect" (tam) refers to the "wholeness" of God and His love for all people. This word only appears in Matthew 5:48 and in Matthew 19:21 in the Gospels. As you may recall in that passage in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus was concerned with the definition of love of one's neighbor. He urged the disciples to love even their enemies and used the example of God's loving care for all His creatures to challenge the disciples to avoid restricting their love only to those who love in return or who can benefit them. To be "perfect" is not possible on a human level; such perfection/wholeness can only come from God when we love as God loves.

The young man will still have the path of life in living in obedience to God's commandments, but like all the Jews of Jesus' generation he will have to make the choice to receive an even greater portion of blessing only offered through faith in Jesus Christ. We do not know what will happen to the young man in whom Jesus saw the potential for holiness, but perhaps, later, he had the courage to give up what was temporal for a greater eternal reward.

Jesus invitation to the young man does not mean that He expects all who profess faith in Him to give up all their worldly possessions, but we must all be willing to make the sacrifice and we cannot treasure our earthly possessions more than we treasure our eternal salvation. St. Francis of Assisi was the "rich young man" who said "yes" and gave up all his worldly wealth to follow Christ.

Mark 10:23-27 ~ A Teaching on the Danger of Riches
The Greek word for "camel" is kamelon while the word for "rope" is kamilon. The huge ropes to which the anchors of ships were tied were made of camel hair. This may be a play on words suggesting that it is easier not for the animal to pass through a needle than a rich man to enter the gates of heaven but Jesus may be using hyperbole to say that it is easier for the rope called a "camel" to pass through a needle used to make the fishing nets than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven. It is a comparison that would have appealed to the Apostles, many of whom were fishermen from the Galilee and familiar with ships and their equipment. St. Cyril of Alexandria suggests this is the comparison Jesus was making: By "camel" here he means not the living thing, the beast of burden, but the thick rope to which sailors tie their anchors. He shows this comparison to be not entirely pointless (as a camel would be), but he makes it an exceedingly difficult matter; in fact, next to impossible (Fragment from the Gospel of Matthew, 219).⁽³⁾

Question: Why is it hard for the rich to enter the gates of heaven? See Ez 7:19; Prov 30:8-9; Sir 31:5-7 and Mt 5:3.
Answer: The problem isn't the wealth but it is the self-sufficiency wealth gives a person. The wealthy often do not feel they need God because they believe their wealth affords them the power to handle any crisis they may face.

Mark 10:28-31 ~ The Reward of Personal Sacrifice
Comparing the Apostles and disciples with the rich young man, Peter points out that he and the others have given up everything to follow Jesus. Notice that Peter acts as the spokesman of the group. According to the teachings of the Sinai Covenant having material blessings meant one was blessed by God (Lev 26:3-13; Dt 28:1-14). The Apostles and disciples understand that they have answered to a higher calling and want to know what their sacrifice will mean.

Mark 10:32-34 ~ The Third Prediction of the Passion

Each of the predictions of Jesus' Passion has had more details than the last.
Question: Why are the disciples both "amazed" and "afraid"?
Answer: They are amazed because of His determination to go to Jerusalem where He knows He will suffer and die. And they are afraid because they do not know what it will mean for them.

This prediction includes the information that the chief priests and the Roman authorities will be involved in His death. For the third time Jesus identifies Himself with the prophecy of Isaiah's suffering servant (Is 52:13-53:12). In verse 32, St. Mark reminds us that Jesus and His disciples are still on their journey to Jerusalem.

Mark 10:35-40 ~ The Ambition of the Sons of Zebedee

Jesus' teaching on humility seems to have had very little impact on the Zebedee brothers (see 10:15, 28-31). They apparently heard the part about heavenly "rewards" but not the teaching on having the humility of a little child or the part in which Jesus said: 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. The brothers request the places of highest honor at the Messianic Banquet: "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

38 Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 They said to him, "We can."
James and John did not know what commitment they were making when they expressed their willingness to "drink" from Jesus' "cup." The brothers were probably thinking of the Old Testament prophets and their prediction of drinking from the cup of God's glory in the eschatological banquet and so they have asked for places on either side of the Master (see Is 25:6-9).
Mark 10:41-43 ~ The Anger of the Ten Apostles

Unfortunately, the Apostles are acting more "childish" than "childlike."

The question of rank among the Apostles began in with their argument concerning "who was greatest" in Mark 9:34. After the disciples experience their "dark night of the soul" in the crisis of Jesus Passion and crucifixion, the issue is never raised again. Through their suffering, they will all learn humility and obedience.

Their authority in His kingdom will not be like rank and authority in the Gentile kingdoms where the people are "slaves" to the rulers. They are to be the servants of the children of God. An ancient title for the Vicar of Christ is "servant of the servants of Christ."

In this verse Jesus again identifies Himself as the prophesied "suffering servant." The ransom Jesus pays with His life will bring about the liberation of many and recalls the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12 ~ Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses. His service will be His sacrificial death (also see 1 Tim 2:6 and 1 Pt 2:23-24).

Mark 10:46-52 ~ The Healing of the Blind Man from Jericho

Jesus and His disciples have traveled southward down the length of the Jordan on the east side of the river and have come to the ford of the river across from the city of Jericho.
46b And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.

Mark explains to his Greco-Roman audience the Aramaic meaning of the patronymic by which he identifies the poor, blind beggar: bar means "son" in Aramaic (in Hebrew the word for "son" is ben). Mark does not give the man's personal name but he is the only Gospel writer who identifies the blind man from Jericho by any name, even a surname. Bartimaeus is the only person to receive a healing by Jesus that Mark names in his Gospel and some Bible scholars have suggested he was still alive and known in the Church at the time Mark's Gospel was written.

47 On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
Question: What is significant about the way Bartimaeus addresses Jesus? See Ez 34:23-24; 37:21-24.
Answer: He addresses Jesus as the Davidic Messiah promised by the Ezekiel to restore and heal the nation of Israel.

You might ask how this man from Jericho knows enough about Jesus to believe that He is the Davidic Messiah. St. Mark concentrates about two-thirds of his Gospel narrative on Jesus' mission in the northern region of what was once ancient Israel, but we know from St. John's Gospel that Jesus attended the God ordained pilgrim feasts and so He must have made those three trips to Jerusalem each of the three years of His ministry for Passover/Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (see Jn 2:13; 7:2, 10, 14; 12:1). In addition, St. John records that Jesus attended the national feast of Dedicated (Hanukkah) in John 10:22-23, which was not a feast that required national attendance. Therefore, it is possible that Jesus, the perfect Jew, attended all seven annual feasts every year in additional to the national feasts of Dedication/Hanukkah and Purim. If this is the case, the people of Judah had many opportunities to hear Jesus preach.

50 He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
The blind man threw off his cloak; it is probably the one item of value he owns, but nothing will hinder him from immediate access to Jesus the Messiah, unlike the rich young man in 10:17-22. Jesus asks him what he wants; the response is in itself a profession of his faith in Jesus Christ who tells him: "Go your way; your faith has saved you."

52b Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
Once again Mark's favorite word instills a sense of urgency.
Question: Where is it that Bartimaeus is following Jesus "on the way"?
Answer: He is following Jesus "on the way" to discipleship and to Jerusalem and to witness Jesus' Passion, death, and Resurrection.

In the story of Bartimaeus, Mark has continued with his subtheme of "hearing and seeing" in the deaf to whom Jesus restores hearing and the blind to whom He restores sight in fulfillment of what the prophets foretold about the Messiah (i.e., Mk 4:9, 12, 18, 20, 23, 24, 33; 7:16, 37; 8:18, 35, 22, 25) . Yet, many continue to be both deaf and blind to His true identity and what it means, which is also a fulfillment the prophecy of Isaiah in 6:9-10.

Those who are truly blind and remain as "outsiders" are those people who witnessed Jesus' miracles and prophetic acts and still did not acknowledge His true identity. In this healing of blind Bartimaeus, not only were his physical eyes "opened" but he also had the opportunity to have his spiritual vision confirmed in recognizing the Messiah. The same kind of spiritual blindness that afflicted the people who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the promised Messiah in the first century AD is still present today in twenty-first century men and women who persist in rejecting Jesus' gift of love and salvation and ignore Jesus' invitation to "follow me."

We are all called, like Jesus' disciples and Bartimaeus, to "follow Him on the way": to take Him as our pattern, receive nourishment from His grace and let Him be the ransom for our sins. In the sacrifice of the Mass, we take part in His sacrifice and His Resurrection. Time is suspended and we are present at the Last Supper when Jesus began His walk to the Cross as He feeds the faithful the bread that became His Body and the wine that became His Blood. As we move forward to the altar, we receive the Body and Blood of the glorified, resurrected Christ and we proclaim to the world that we live with Him and for Him in the new life He gave us when we first experienced the Sacrament of Christian baptism.

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A Daily Defense 
DAY 158 Consciousness after Death Established

CHALLENGE: “Perhaps it doesn’t disprove consciousness after death, but Scripture does not provide a basis for believing it, either.”

DEFENSE:There are Bible verses that demonstrate consciousness after death.

The prophet Samuel is conscious when summoned by the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28; note the text does not challenge the idea that it is Samuel who is summoned). This is an exceptional incident since a medium is involved (Deut. 18:11–12), but it indicates the possibility of and belief in consciousness after death.

1 Peter 3:19–20 refers to Christ preaching, after death, to spirits who disobeyed in the time of Noah. They were conscious, though some have questioned whether they are human or angelic spirits.

In the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah are shown interacting with Jesus (Matt. 17:1–9). However, Elijah never died (2 Kings 2:1–12), and although Moses did die (Deut. 34:5), Jude refers to an angelic dispute over his body (Jude 9). According to early Christian writings, this was a reference to an event in The Assumption of Moses, whose ending is now lost. Because of ambiguity about what happened to Moses after death (was he assumed? raised from the dead?) and because of the exceptional nature of the Transfiguration, this text is of limited value.

In the account of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31), Jesus describes Lazarus, the rich man, and Abraham as conscious in the intermediate state (i.e., between death and resurrection). It has been objected that this is a parable. However, Jesus’ parables are informed by real things (kings, fathers, sons, banquets, vineyards, and so on). If this is a parable, it suggests conscious individuals in the afterlife are also real.

More definitely, Paul expects to be conscious in the intermediate state when he says he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8; cf. Phil. 1:21–24). The clearest passages indicating consciousness in the intermediate state are in Revelation, where the souls of the martyred are depicted praying and worshipping God (Rev. 6 :9–11, 7:13–15). These are decisive since they are not exceptional and refer to the souls of many unnamed Christians continuing to be conscious.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist