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Mark 13 Jesus finished His final days of public ministry in the temple, His Father ’ s house. He gave His people, the nation of Israel, one last chance to accept Him as their Messiah. How heavy His heart must have been as He walked away! Matthew gives us a detail that Mark omits. As Jesus walked out of the temple for the last time, He said: Matthew 23:37–39 (NKJV) 37 “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Even after suffering their rejection, Jesus expressed God ’ s love for the nation of Israel and mourned their coming hardships. As He went out of the temple, His disciples observed how majestic the temple was. Impressive stones and buildings c

Mark 12:38 and following (Also Luke 21:1 and following.) Mark 11:27 says as Jesus was walking in the temple, the Chief Priests, the Scribes, and the Elders came to Him and began to question Him.  These were the nation ’ s leaders and had the authority to take away people ’ s rights to enter the temple. Because of this authority, people feared these leaders. In John 9:22, we see people that were afraid to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah because the leaders had determined to expel anyone who dared to say Jesus was the Messiah. However, Jesus was not intimidated. Mark chapter 12 gives the account of the confrontation between these leaders and Jesus. Although they were the most clever men in Israel, they could not overcome Jesus through argument or trickery. So, while keeping an eye on Him, they did not try to ask Jesus any more questions. This brings us to Mark 12:41, where Jesus sits down opposite the treasury. At the beginning of the confrontation, Jesus was walking in the templ

  Mark 12:1-40 What is a “ vinedresser?” Vinedressers are farmers who take care of grapevines. Their job requires constant, daily attention to the vines. They must ensure that the grape plants receive enough water and are protected from pests, and do not develop disease. In Mark 12, Jesus speaks of vinedressers, and the profession continues to be practiced to this present day. Without careful, attentive vinedressers, the world would not enjoy a supply of grapes, grape juice, and, of course, wine. One critical task of the vinedresser is pruning. Pruning is where the name “ vinedresser” comes from. As the vinedresser cuts away dead or unnecessary branches, and excess, diseased or stunted fruit, he or she makes room for new growth and a healthier, more abundant harvest. In Mark 12:1-12, Jesus tells a story about a man who planted a vineyard. The man put a lot of time and money into making the vineyard just right. He built a wall, a wine press, a lookout tower and then leased the

Mark 11,  ( Behold the Lord shall come suddenly into His temple. Malachi 3:1 ) We are living in unprecedented, difficult times. Riots, unrest, and divisions plague our nation and our world like never before. Each generation has said pretty much the same thing, and each generation has been right, in a sense. With each generation, the end draws closer and closer. In 1 Timothy 4:1 and following, the Holy Spirit warns us that there will be an increasing turning from the truth in the Church as the end draws near. And 2 Timothy 3:1 and following tells us that evil will increase in the world. We need to be aware of the times we live in and how they relate to God ’ s plan for the world. The people of Jesus’ day were misled and thus missed the day of their visitation. Jesus and the Apostles tell us to watch and be sober. (Parable of the virgins and 1 Thessalonians 4) There are two things that must concern us. One concern is that we are prepared for His return, and the other is that we ar