Read:  Mark 13:28-37

Suppose you and I decide to have lunch together at a local restaurant.  We agree to meet at Rudy’s Bar B Q to share a meal and talk about an item of common interest.  We agree on the reason to meet, the location of our meeting, and who will be there . . . but we never set a time.  If we did this, we might never meet for lunch, because I might show up on a Tuesday and you on a Thursday.  In order for us not to miss the meeting, we would need to agree upon a time.  Over the past few days we have seen Jesus describe many things about His second coming at the end of the age . . . but when will that be?  After all, if we do not know when Jesus will return, might we miss it?  Jesus answers that question in two ways:  1)  As far as the exact timing of His return, He tells us we will not know . . . BUT, we will be able to recognize the season in which He returns.  All Bible prophecy that speaks of the second coming of Jesus helps us to recognize the season, but not the exact timing of His return.  2)  The events of Jesus return will be so dynamic, no one will miss it.  So, instead of worrying about the timing, we should perpetually be ready for the return of Christ.

Question of the Day: What do you think it means to be “ready” for the return of Jesus?

Read: Mark 13:24-27

People do not get pregnant to stay pregnant.  Over time, the fun of carrying a child in the womb gives way to pain and discomfort.  At some point, the mom longs to give birth to end the pain of child bearing and meet the glorious gift of their son or daughter.  The pain of delivery is tolerable because of the child who is coming.  Over the past couple of days, we have seen the challenges that await the earth before the end of the age.  In today’s verses, though, we see that the culminating act of the end times will be the return of Jesus Christ (the Son of Man) to the earth.  When He comes, He will gather together the faithful (who will be found scattered over the entire earth).  If we know Jesus, we have this to look forward to one day!  The earth today is going through “labor pains” awaiting the arrival of the Son of Man.  The pain of today is tolerable because it reminds us of the Son who is coming.

Question of the Day: Have you ever thought about what it will be like when Jesus returns to the earth? 

Read: Mark 13:14-23

I have watched a lot of sporting events in my life.  One thing I love about sports is the closure it brings.  With only a few exceptions, almost every sporting event ends with a winner and a loser.  I like that kind of short term closure.  In most team sports, you can always tell when the game is about to end because of a few signs.  In baseball, the ninth inning, lets you know the end is near.  In basketball and football, when the fourth quarter rolls around, you know the clock is winding down.  In golf, the 18th hole is the finish line.  In Mark 13, Jesus lets us in on how we will be able to tell that the earth’s “fourth quarter” is upon us.  The 18th hole of this present age will tee off with something called the “abomination of desolation.”  For first century Jewish leaders, they would recognize this as a defilement of the Temple area by a pagan god.  In this context, it appears that Jesus is referring to the “Anti-Christ” who would appear in Jerusalem in the end times sending the faithful running to the hills.  Though God will cut the time of the Anti-Christ short, the abomination’s influence will be severe.  Jesus tells this story to help His followers understand when this present age of the world will be heading for closure.

Question of the Day: What about the “end times” is particularly scary for you?  What do you notice about God’s attitude toward the faithful during the end times (from today’s verses)?

Read:  Mark 13:3-13

About ten years ago I was taking a group of college students on a retreat to a remote cabin in Southeast Oklahoma.  How remote?  The directions included the following statement, “When you turn off the paved road, you will drive along the gravel road for about an hour.  Call us when you turn on the gravel road so we will know to come look for you if you do not arrive on schedule!”  These directions seemed dramatic to me in my office, but proved valuable to me on our journey.  Had they not told me about the hour long drive on the gravel road, I would have surely turned around before arriving at the cabin, certain I was headed in the wrong direction.  In a similar way, Jesus here warns the disciples about the difficulties they will face in life.  Jesus’ words here probably seemed dramatic in the shadow of the Temple, but they would prove valuable to His followers as they lived out their lives.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John would all be persecuted for their faith in Christ, and Jesus did not want them to “turn around” believing they had gone in the “wrong direction.” 

Question of the Day: Have you ever experienced hardship in your life for following Jesus Christ?

Read:  Mark 13:1-2

What is the most impressive building you have ever seen?  Maybe it is one of the monuments in Washington D.C., or a skyscraper in the downtown of a city, or a hotel in the mountains or on the beach.  In the first century in Israel, the most impressive building that anyone had seen was the Temple in Jerusalem.  King Herod the Great had worked to expand upon the Temple over a number of years and make it a regional wonder.  Fancy stones, large structures, and gold coating all made the Jewish Temple a sight to behold.  In fact, the Temple even sat up on top of a giant manmade platform (called the Temple Mount) to make it even more impressive.  The Temple area would have been a source of great national and religious pride for Jewish people in Jesus’ day.  However, Jesus knew that this building was short lived.  In Mark 13:1-2, Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be torn down . . . something that would happen less than 40 years later when the Romans would destroy the Temple area under the direction of General Titus.  As Jesus spoke of the Temple building, He wanted to point His disciples eyes away from human pride (that would be torn down and fade) and toward the spiritual Temple God was going to build through Jesus that would never fall. 

Question of the Day: What are some things in this world that we want to trust in (our strength, our intellect, our money, our job, etc.)?  Do you see evidence that (like the physical Temple in Jerusalem) these things might one day be “torn down”?

Read:  Mark 12:41-44

How much does someone have to give in order to be generous?  $50?  $100?  $1,000?  $100,000?  Or is it a percentage of overall income . . . 5%?  10%?  15%?  25%?  Jesus helps us grasp an important principle about generosity as He comments on those who made a financial offering in Mark 12.  Some were giving “large sums” (12:41), while a widow gave one cent (12:42).  Jesus tells His disciples that this widow gave more than ALL.  How can one cent be greater than a “large sum”?  Jesus tells us . . . because she gave all she had out of her poverty, while others gave out of their wealth.  Jesus’ teaching here demonstrates that in God’s economy, generosity is relative.  Rather than setting the generosity bar at a number . . . or even a percentage . . . Jesus lets us know that generous hearts know no conventions or bounds.  The generous heart does not ask “how much do I have to give before I can keep the rest?”  Instead the generous heart freely gives as the Lord leads . . . even if (in some cases) it is all we have.  Systematic percentage giving is a great rule of thumb for beginning the process of generosity but sometimes God will surprise us with a prompt to give even more than would be culturally expected.

Question of the Day: What does having a generous heart look like in your life?

Read: Mark 12:38-40

Jesus saved His harshest criticism NOT for the “non-churched” people that society already deemed as sinners, but for the religious leaders who lived hypocritical lives.  In many cultures (and especially in Israel during the first century), religious leaders can gain cultural power and influence.  They can use that influence to point people toward God . . . or they can use that influence to accumulate privileges for themselves.  Apparently the Scribes of the first century were using their religious leadership to gain public accolade, fancy clothes, seats of honor, and fine foods . . . all while exploiting the weak and the vulnerable.  Even their prayers were more of a show for others than a sincere conversation with God. 

Question of the Day: How can you use the blessings and opportunities you have to serve others and point them to Jesus this week?

Read:  Mark 12:35-37

Jesus did a lot of teaching while He was on the earth.  Can you imagine what it must have been like to hear the Son of God teach the Word of God to people?  When Jesus taught, He taught with authority . .  . even on passages of Scripture that were hard to understand.  In today’s verses, we see Jesus teaching from Psalm 110 about King David’s (who wrote the Psalm) Lord, who was also known to be his son.  Jesus taught this lesson as a descendant of King David, who also happened to be the Lord of Lords Himself!  Jesus was teaching on a tough question some people in the first century were probably asking.  How could Jesus from Nazareth (of all places) be King David’s Lord?  The answer, of course, is that Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, but has existed eternally as the Son of God.  Before David ever lived, Jesus already existed in heaven as a member of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  Jesus’ earthly life was temporary, but His existence is eternal.

Question of the Day: What do you think it would have been like to see/hear Jesus preach in the first century?

Read: Mark 12:28-34

Over the past two days, we have seen the Herodians, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees all try to stump Jesus with their questions.  Today, one final group comes forward to ask Jesus a hard question.  This was the Scribes.  A Scribe asks Jesus for an opinion about which Old Testament Law is the greatest.  Jesus answered with what we know of as the “Great Commandment” . . . and what the Jewish people know of as the “Shema.”  The commandment talks about loving the one true God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  A second commandment that helps support the first commandment is that we will love our neighbors as ourselves.  The idea is that in order to love God who we cannot see, we must certainly also love people created in His image that we can see!

Question of the Day: What are some ways you can show your love for God by loving others in your life this week?

Read: Mark 12:18-27

Yesterday we saw the Herodians and the Pharisees try to trick Jesus with a coin.  Today we see the Sadducees try to stump Jesus with a hypothetical question.  The Sadducees were a group of people who did not believe in life after death, so their question to Jesus (posing a hypothetical about life after death) is suspect from the start.  In Jesus’ response, however, He does two things:  1) He challenges their inaccurate views of God and the Scriptures because of their finite limitations they were placing on an infinite God.  2) Jesus affirms that there is INDEED life after death . . . it is just different than life on this earth.   

Question of the Day: Do you believe that there is life after death?  Why or why not?  What do you think that life is like?