Character in Context

This teaching marks the climax of the first part of the Gospel of Mark (there are three sections to this Gospel) as the twelve disciples have been trained, equipped, and are now being sent out in twos throughout the Galilee. We're going to look into why they went out by two's (nothing to do with Noah's Ark!), why they had such specific instructions as what to and what not to bring. And we really need to talk about why people shouldn't be "knocking the dust from their feet" lightly. And we need to talk about the disciples anointing the sick with oil and what that was and was not about.The blog I mentioned about the two witnesses can be accessed here: http://theancientbridge.com/2020/08/who-are-the-two-witnesses-of-revelation-apocalypse-in-context/

After four incidents of bringing people from four different kinds of death into life and restoration, we would think that Yeshua would be treated to a hero's welcome upon His return to Nazareth. But--not so much. What can we learn from the way He did and didn't handle things?

This teaching, of course, is an extension of last week's account of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood so we will find a lot of parallels. We are going to delve into a very excellent resource in order to learn about ancient Near Eastern mourning rituals that were still relatively unchanged in the first century, as well as look at what the Talmud has to say.

Another death to life story--like the Gerasene demoniac, this woman has experienced a community death and cannot experience normal life among her people. In fact, she is never identified as having anyone at all--no husband, father, mother, siblings, or children. What do her actions teach us not only about faith but about the beliefs of the Hellenistic first-century Jewish world? What do Yeshua's actions teach us about His desire to restore the marginalized?Lots of extra-biblical material today as we are going to look at the shockingly awful treatments that women were subjected to by Jewish physicians who were trying to treat this sort of bleeding, as well as the debates over when a man could and could not forcibly divorce his wife for being sick.

This amazing account is one of the most famous in all of the Bible--when Yeshua/Jesus and His disciples travel to Gentile territory only to be confronted by a legion of unclean spirits who embark upon an interesting attempt to negotiate their fate. What does the fate of the pigs tell us not only about the difference between humans and animals in God's eyes but also their difference in general? And what did it tell the gathered pagans about the identity of the man responsible for the death of their gods' sacrifices?

What kind of a Father is God, anyway?This has been a very trying year but there are also miracles and victories all around us. Trials and tribulations never come without deliverances and salvations. Last week our beloved 19-year-old son Andrew's cranial shunt failed unexpectedly, leading to emergency neurosurgery four hours from home, in an entirely different state, during the COVID crisis. How God moved in the midst of the confusion, obstacles and many misdirections is a beautiful picture of His love and compassion. I share the story plus lessons I learned about God's character in the midst of my own worry and fear and share a few reality checks gained after He cornered me into the position of needing to "break" not only the Sabbath but also the first High Sabbath of Sukkot.

For the next four weeks, we will be going back to the theme of the Yahweh Warrior of the prophets. These next four miracles are called "self-manifesting" as they represent Yeshua's true identity--even if everyone is still too blinded to see it now. These four signposts will make His identity obvious only after His resurrection, but that's how acts of predictive prophecy are supposed to function. They aren't obvious until all of a sudden, in retrospect, they are!So what does the calming of the storm at sea reveal to us about who Yeshua is? Tune in and find out.

Yom Kippur, of course, is when we as the worldwide people of God come corporately before him, humbling ourselves and repenting of our sins as a whole. I like to use the Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount when I look at the "State of the Body" year after year in terms of image-bearing and how we are either growing or backsliding away from what I call the "Kingdom norms" that set us apart from the "Kingdom of the Beast." Last week, I talked very frankly about pornography and how I believe it is one of the invisible Marks that sets us aside as being allied with the oppression and perversion of the Beast Kingdom. This week we are going to talk about how we are doing with the Kingdom commandments in general. Are we all that and a bag of chips or are we representing the wrong kingdom entirely?

As we are heading into Yom Kippur, I want to talk about something I have been very vocal about for many years--namely, pornography use and the fake repentance that keeps believers from just saying no. I pull no punches here. This is not for kids unless you listen first and decide to expose them to this. According to Barna Group, 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.article here: https://conquerseries.com/15-mind-blowing-statistics-about-pornography-and-the-churchThis puts users firmly in the camp of the Beast, as we not only neglect the least of these, but oppress and victimize them further. This is going to be an ugly broadcast to listen to but then it is an ugly reality that all too often leads into serious forms of marital and child abuse.

This week we have two more growth parables about Kingdom growth which I am going to supplement with one of my favorite teachings--the very uncomfortable "Galatians sandwich." This is our second to last week in Mark chapter four and it only took us twenty-one weeks to get here!