Jeff Shelnutt Sermons

Of all the things Jesus did and said, and of all the interactions He had with people during His earthly ministry, it was the action of the woman in this passage that Jesus said would be spoken of wherever the Gospel is preached. Her pouring out the very expensive perfume upon His head was an act of worship. Its impact was the aroma of worship. And the cost of her worship gave insight into the cost of the sacrifice Jesus will shortly make.

With a parable, Jesus once more reminds His four disciples that a sign will precede the destruction the temple, a judgment on its system that came to pass in 70 AD. Jesus also speaks of the unknowability of His own return--only that it will be sudden and unexpected. To be found ready is to be found faithful.

Jesus now turns to answering the question, "What will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" In mentioning the "abomination of desolation," Jesus refers to an event that has occurred in the past, something that will occur in the near future, and a situation that will also unfold at His second coming.

Mark 13 is a notoriously difficult chapter to interpret. Is Jesus talking about the destruction of the temple, or about His second coming.? The answer is both. Though we still must distinguish between the two as we make our way through the chapter. In this first section, Jesus is answering the question: "When will these things be?" He give three false signs, followed by a true sign--the sign of persecution.

This is Jesus' last recorded teaching by Mark in the temple courts. He first denounces certain scribes for bringing glory to themselves. He then contrasts this with a certain widow who brings glory to God by what she offers. Our giving is both a window into our hearts and a means of reorienting our hearts toward God.

King David suffered severe consequences for the sin he committed and covered up. Yet, when his son died according to divine decree, David did not grow bitter. Instead, he worshiped. David's reaction reveals the reality of an afterlife. His words point us to the Descendent of David who alone brings us into the presence of God.

After answering four questions in the temple courts, it is now Jesus' turn to ask a question. He actually asks two, both about how the son of David can also be the promised Messiah. What may sound strange and irrelevant to our modern ears is actually a category-bursting revelation to Jesus' hearers. Because Jesus is both a Davidic King and the Messiah, the enemies He came to defeat are not physical, but spiritual.

After three hostile questions, Jesus receives a question from what appears to be a genuine seeker. His query about the foremost commandment is not a new one. Jesus sums up the whole Law of Moses in two commands. Because Jesus was consumed by love for God and love for His neighbor, we too can be consumed by the love of God.

To reject a belief in resurrection is to deny God's power and to misread the Scriptures, so Jesus tells the Sadducees who confront Him in the temple courts. But even those who believe in resurrection often confuse and conflate this life with the reality of the next. We need a functional belief in resurrection, as well as new categories for conceiving it. In only a few short days, Jesus would rise from the dead, proving that resurrection really is coming for all.

On Monday of Jesus' final week, He curses the fig tree on His way into Jerusalem. In a dramatic illustration of what's to come for the temple and its system, Jesus offers insight into how He is the true Temple and the only way to the Father. Nothing is impossible for God. Our prayers are not hindered by God's ability but by our lack of faith.