8-24-19 Today in the Word

Servant Discipleship: The Gospel of Mark
REJECTING JESUS
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | Mark 11:27-12:12

A cornerstone, also called a foundation stone, is important because it is the very first stone laid in a building. Structurally it is the stone on which the rest of the building is constructed. Jesus is described as the Chief Cornerstone of the church (Eph. 2:20).
The tenants in Jesus’ parable had stewardship of the landowner’s land. Instead of sharing the fruit of the land with the owner, however, they rejected his authority by disrespecting and then killing each messenger he sent to collect rent. Scripture said the landowner sent “many” messengers, “some of them they beat, others they killed” (v. 5). Finally, the landowner sent his son, “whom he loved” (v. 6). Instead of paying what was due, the tenants first acknowledged that this was indeed the son, and then, decided to kill him. These farmers had a relationship with the landowner. He was allowing them to work his land.
He reached out to them repeatedly, patiently. Finally, he even sent his own son, and the workers not only rejected his efforts, they killed his son. Ultimately the farmers received just punishment for their actions (v. 9).
While some of Jesus’ parables were difficult to understand, this one was not. Verse 12 says the meaning of the parable was understood by the religious leaders. They knew Jesus was speaking to them directly. The religious teachers had continued to question Jesus’ source of authority. In chapter 11, verses 27–33, they had directly confronted Jesus about His teaching and actions. “Who gave you authority?” they asked (11:28). This occurs four times in just these few verses (vv. 28, 29, 32).
It’s potentially possible to run a church without the authority of Christ and His Word. It’s possible for a church to turn away from the gospel. We should take seriously the warning in this parable.
APPLY THE WORD
The picture of the landowner killing the tenants is gruesome and sobering. The Lord will hold accountable those who reject His authority through His Son, as well as those who do not follow God’s Word—those who reject the authority of the Son of God. Encourage your church to respect and follow the Word of the Lord.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-18-23 Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022

Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022 – By Hal Lindsey - https://harbingersdaily.com/rage-against-jesus-and-his-people-the-ominous-trend-of-2022/ By the end of 2022, eight billion people lived on the earth. They were besieged by a series of plagues, droughts, false prophets, war, the threat of greater war, hatred, rage, theft, and violence. The eight billion were fragmented in a variety of ways — according to their nations, level of income, race, gender, various understandings of gender and human sexuality, along with religion or the lack thereof. Change became overwhelming to most of the eight billion. For those over 40, it was almost unfathomable that by the end of 2022, not even half the students at Cambridge University identified as heterosexual. In 2022, deception ruled the day. Trust in government, educational institutions, and the news media had been largely obliterated. Trust in health officials and doctors had become severely damaged. In suc...
Read more

9-17-23 Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2

Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles, Wilfred Hahn Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Reviewing the “facts” that we cited in Part 1, we noted the hyperbole and downright dishonesty in some instances to support global warming claims. Why is there such bias? Money Precedes Truth Global warming has become big business. Armies of global consultants are peddling false information because it is profitable to do so. Many claimed urgencies are exaggerated by factors of 10X … indeed, 200X in some instances and more. Governments are particularly susceptible to this hype, promising infrastructure programs estimated to cost upwards of trillions of dollars. According to a new report,1 an estimated $3.4 trillion will be invested in renewable energy during the next decade, including $2.72 trillion in wind and solar. By 2030, 54.1% of installed capacity will be renewable (including hydropo...
Read more