And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater…

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your…

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one…

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is…

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of…

Introduction 1. Jesus Cursed the Fig Tree a. It was a prophetic object lesson about where hypocrisy leads. b. It was a symbol for Israel, they appeared healthy, but they were fruitless. 2. Mark's Sandwich a. Mark wrapped the two episodes of the cursing of the fig tree and the discovery of the withered…

Introduction 1. Mark Sandwich Again a. The beginning and the end help us to understand the middle. b. In this case the fig tree story helps us to understand what Jesus is doing clearing the Temple. On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in…

Introduction 1. Last month we just celebrated a season of advent leading us up to Christmas. Advent is the season in which we celebrate the coming of Jesus to this world as a baby, born to be a King. 2. This is why the coming of this baby created such a stir in the heavens, a King was being born who…

Israel's Reaction to Change and Challenges As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in…