Mark 16:14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
Commentary:
One often closes a story or book with a summary of the key points and issues. Christ in his final contact with His disciples prepares to give them the Great Commission. In Mark 16:10, Mary Magdalene tells the Disciples of seeing the risen Christ. “She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.” Christ admonishes them not for their misunderstandings, denials or other sinful responses but for two things:
- their lack of faith; and
- their stubborn refusal to believe an eye witness.
This is how Christ holds each person responsible; their individual profession of faith; and how they respond to the Christian witness. Each of us is only asked to present the Gospel’s message of salvation and how Christ changed our own lives. Those who hear our witness will be held accountable for their individual acceptance (faith) and how they respond to hearing our message (eye witness).
Matthew 6:1 Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Commentary:
Doing good for our fellow man is good. It pleases God and is consistent with the Gospel’s message. However, we are cautioned by Christ that our good works are like a coupon, we can redeem them in this world or save them up for the next.
Luke 18:29-30 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers of parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
Commentary:
In Christ’s own words, we are told that sacrifice for Him brings us two things:
- rewards in this world; and
- rewards in the eternal world to come.
Genesis 3:6-8 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of the skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Commentary:
This is a very famous story about the fall of mankind. But read between the lines. After Eve and then Adam sinned, they hid from God. In the story of Genesis, God calls out to them, “Where are you?” Our God knows to be separated from Him is dangerous. God’s response is the very first recorded sacrifice in Scripture. God takes from His creations, skins (from animals) and covers Adam and Eve. So what was the purpose of this first sacrifice? To bring mankind back into fellowship with our Lord. God does not need our money or our hands to accomplish His will but yet he wants them. The reasons are that sacrifice is for our benefit. Don’t give because the Church needs it (although it does), don’t give because your community needs it (although it does), don’t give because the world needs it (although it needs it very badly), give because you need it (fellowship with your God).
Jeremiah 17:5:9 Cursed is the one who trusts man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Commentary:
There are many men and women who believe that our internal energy, if tapped and channeled correctly, is sufficient to succeed. If you limit the definition of success to this world, to money, to a title, then these people are probably correct. However, in God’s eyes, the measure of success is how well each person accepts their role in life. While many of those successful “worldly” people are filled with doubt, stress, loneliness and other emotional problems, God provides His faithful peace and purpose. Our lives are not a play in need of production but a play in need of viewing. Those without God continue the fruitless battle to define their world and each event in it. God only asks us to sit back, in trust, and watch each daily act go by. Therefore, let us accept God as He is not as we wish He was.
1 Samuel 30:24 The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.
Commentary:
The writer in 1 Samuel is recounting the way the bounty will be shared after a battle. God is not necessarily impressed with the specific job we are assigned, just how we do it. When we work with others, each of us should consider this same method.
Leviticus 5:17 If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.
Commentary:
We are not given to much latitude here. A sin is a sin. God is not impressed when we try to re-write His rules. What we should each take from this verse is that it should be our responsibility to know the rules.
Hebrews 12:16-17 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change in mind, though he sought the blessings with tears.
Commentary:
In Genesis 25:29-34, there is the story of Esau who had little respect for the value of his birth rights as the oldest son. In Old Testament times, this was considered contemptible and sinful. This story is given to us to illustrate that when sins are harbored for long, the time may come when a person seeks forgiveness and restoration. However, the time may be too late because they may not be able to sincerely repent. To repent means to change one’s ways. A well practiced habit is always harder to break than a new habit. The faster we come to Christ for forgiveness and change our ways, the less likely we are to become hardened to the patterns of sin as was Esau.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God work all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Commentary:
Notice two things about the Apostle Paul’s review of spiritual gifts: (a) they are given to all men; and (b) their use is for the common good of man. One can conclude then that each of us has some special gift. That gift was not given to us so that we could be rich and famous. Our gift or gifts are to be used so that those around us are the beneficiaries. No one has an excuse to sit back and do nothing. Every one has something that they can to further God’s plan here in this world.
Exodus 4:10 Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
Commentary:
God responded (Exodus 4:11) “Who gave man his mouth?” We are to take great joy in that God will provide whatever strength or skills we need to accomplish His glory provided that we trust in Him to do so.