Character in Context

Ever hear about “any cause” divorce? Jewish men in the first-century were committing a terrible crime against the wives of their youth and had come to see it as a right—as though marriage existed solely for their benefit and could be ended at their whim. She burns a meal? You can divorce her. Find someone prettier? You can divorce her. As they believed a man could not be guilty of adultery against His wife, and that adultery was only a crime against another man, Yeshua’s condemnation of their divorce entitlement mindset is particularly damning.

In honor of the Passover this week, I am going to leapfrog over the next two accounts in Mark to tackle the third Passion Prediction in light of the first two, which we have already covered. It is important to explore them as a unit in order to learn how Yeshua was revealing, step by step, the fate that awaited Him in Jerusalem.

The disciples aren’t too thrilled with someone honing in on what they mistakenly believe to be “their territory.” What Yeshua/Jesus has to say to them for getting in the way of another person’s good works should cause us all to pause and reflect on our own priorities and issues.

This week we look at the second Passion Prediction and the disciples’ misplaced sense of ambition. What Yeshua/Jesus tells them about what kind of humility He expects from them would have been revolting in the extreme for any ancient man.

This is an incredibly heart-wrenching account of a father and son locked in an ongoing and deadly battle with a malicious demon—a battle they have been losing. When they go to the disciples for help, they are no help at all! What is the lesson here and what about the controversy over “this kind can’t go out except through prayer and fasting?”

Yeshua/Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a mountain for different sort of proclamation—but this time the proclamation comes from the ultimate source. And what does this say about Yeshua’s mission and who we are ultimately called to listen to?

Just because I Enoch isn’t Scripture or written by Enoch doesn’t mean it isn’t a vital window into the first century beliefs about Genesis 6 and the introduction of evil practices into the world. What did Mt Hermon mean to first-century Jews and why did Yeshua/Jesus make sure that the big announcement about His identity happened in Caesarea Philippi, on the southern slope of this infamous mountain?

As far north as Yeshua/Jesus will ever travel again during His natural lifetime, it’s time for the secrets to be revealed and His mission laid out. Peter doesn’t like it and gets called Satan for his concerns. But is there more here than meets the eye? It’s our first Messianic reality check and no one liked it.

This is a good example of what is called an acted-out parable. The two-stage healing of blindness is the only episode in the Gospels where someone isn’t healed right away. What is this meant to tell us about our own spiritual state and why is it important to understand before the disciples head to Caesarea Philippi?

Things are heating up and Yeshua/Jesus tries to teach the disciples an important lesson—but they miss it entirely because they have their mind on temporal concerns. What exactly is the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of the Herodians and what does it mean in our own lives?