So you’re married and happily reading your bible and you come across this passage where Jesus seems to say, ‘Once we get to the new heaven and the new earth, no-one is going to be married any more or even getting married.’ Oh. How do you explain that one?
Well join me as I walk through Mark 12. 18-27 where I very clearly don’t:
[For the next passage which deals with what this Christianity is kinda all about, click here]
Continuing my slow plodding walk through the book of Mark [which i would love for you to join me on, by the way – would love to hear different comments and responses to the passages i tackle than just my own so feel free to share yours below] i am now starting with chapter 12 and we have some very fun passages ahead, starting with this one which perhaps challenges our modern day attitudes of tolerance-for-all and everyone-makes-it…
Here i go with Mark 12.1-11
Continuing on with the book of Mark this time looking at 11.27-33 and some lessons we can learn from watching how Jesus responded to questions aimed to trap Him, especially in the age of social network arguments where people try to have ‘deep theological arguments’ on Twitter or dive into attacks on Facebook walls and so on… and also the idea of how us living the life well will do so much in terms of speaking into the lives of those around us. Take a listen:
[To continue to the next passage and see The Vineyard owner’s response, click here]
With regards to the fig tree, my friend Niven had this to say which makes a lot of sense:
Check out the significance of the fig tree by how it relates to the religious system the Pharisees were running. Much of what Jesus does is largely counter-intuitive so the real story is often just beneath the surface. The fig tree was representative of the system. The end of the old oppressive regime. Jesus goes to the temple just before Passover and turns one of the most important sacrificial feasts upside down. He is announcing a new way by rendering the old as obsolete. The fig tree was also used as a place of prayer for young Rabbis in training then off course there’s the fig leaves used in the garden of Eden we can throw back to employing the principle of first mention. Just some thoughts around it.
Let’s look at the second part of that story im Mark 11.20-26 and the whole idea of praying for mountains to move… and the urgency of forgiveness.
Once again Jesus does not stick with convention as He illustrates the kingdom through a metaphor that would have seemed pretty crazy to all those looking on.
Join us as we take a look at Mark 11 from 1-11 and witness the Creator of the Universe and King of this World riding into town on a lowly colt…
[For the next passage looking at Jesus gone Wild? click here]
Irresistibly Fish 