Daily Inspirations

 Good morning. Mark starts out almost right away with John being taken into custody. Other Gospels tell of things happening before that. Then Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of God. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. As we have said before about other things – it was the right time for this to happen. Jesus sees Peter and his brother fishing, and tells them to follow Him, and He will make them become fishers of men. He then sees James and John. He goes into a synagogue, and begins to teach. People were amazed because He was teaching as one having authority, and not as the scribes. The scribes were only giving their opinions or the opinions of people before them. Jesus was giving them the truth about the word of God. There was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit, and the spirit cried out “what business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy O...

  Good morning. We are now looking at the Gospel of Mark. Mark starts out with: the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He quotes the passage that says that God will send His messenger to prepare His way. John the Baptist was in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As you know, John wore the latest fashion – camel’s hair 🐪 with a leather belt. He was also a member of the weight loss program that ate Locusts and wild honey 🍯 . He knew from the beginning that he was not the number one guy. After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus came and was baptized by John. When He came up out of the water, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit like a dove descended upon Jesus. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.” So here we have the whole ...

 Good morning. While the women were on their way to the disciples, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that happened. They gave the soldiers a lot of money and told them to say that Jesus’ disciples came by night and stole Him away while they were asleep. They promised to keep the soldiers out of trouble. But the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. Matthew is the only gospel that does not have the disciples and Jesus in the upper room (Though Mark does have it, it is just a one line statement. It is in the part that is under dispute - that looks like it was added later.). If the apostle Matthew actually wrote this gospel completely by himself, I don't see how he could have left out the upper room. This plus the fact that the gospel of Matthew called the Last Supper the Passover makes me suspicious that someone else actually wrote it. I don't see how someone who was physically present could've ...

  Good morning. Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, the two Marys came to look at the grave. The different Gospels give different accounts of who was there. A severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards were afraid of him, and became like dead men. He said to the women, “do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him.” Mark also has the angel telling the women that Jesus was going before the disciples into Galilee. In fact there are several places where Matthew and Mark are almost Word for Word. The women run to tell the disciples about this. Jesus meets them and tells them to ta...

  Good morning. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “ truly this was the Son of God!” Roman soldiers were from different countries, many having various gods; so this was not necessarily a profession of faith. He could have been simply saying that with all of the signs going on that this certainly was the son of a god. There were many women there looking on from a distance. When it was evening, Joseph of Arimathea, who had become a disciple of Jesus went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He put it in his own new tomb hewn out in the rock and rolled a large stone against the entrance. The two Marys were sitting opposite the grave. Now on the next day, which is the one after the preparation: generally this meant preparation for the Sabbath (Saturday). In other words, it was the day before the Sabbath (Saturday). So Matthew was saying the day a...

  Good morning. From about noon until 3 PM it became dark. There is no explanation of how it happened. Recently when they had the eclipse, it became dark for only a few minutes. Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” This of course is what was said in Psalm 22, which referred to the Christ. Some people thought He was calling for Elijah to help Him. Someone got a sponge and filled it with sour wine, and gave Him a drink. I always thought that it was wine that had been sitting around for a long time and had gone sour. I read though that it was cheap wine that was given to the soldiers – that is why it was sour. Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the ...

  Good morning – I pray it really is good for you. The soldiers took Jesus and put the crown of thorns on His head. They mocked Him, and then took Him out to be crucified. They found Simon to bear His cross. They gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. This was like a sedative so He would not feel as much pain; but He would have none of that. When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots. When we think of Jesus being crucified, we think of the entire long process – not just the nailing Him to the cross, and raising it into the air. They put up a sign – this is Jesus the king of the Jews. In another gospel, it has the religious leaders telling the governor that he should change it to Jesus said He was the king of the Jews. Two robbers were crucified with Him. The people standing by watching mocked Him, “ if You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” “He is the king of Israel; let Him now...

  Good morning. When Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. What was Judas expecting/hoping for when he betrayed Jesus; wasn't it this? “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They answered, “what is that to us? See to that yourself!” He threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and went away and hanged himself. The chief priests did not know what to do with the money. It was not lawful to put it into the treasury since it was the price of blood. They bought the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. Now we go to Jesus being questioned by Pilate. “Are You the King of the Jews?” Of course that was a ridiculous concept. Standing before him was someone who was obviously a commoner. Possibly he said it with a touch of sarcasm. Jesus, “It is as You say.” Of course there was no crime in thinking that – it might mean that you are insane, but not a criminal. The chief priests and elde...

  Good morning. While Jesus was being grilled, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came up to him and said, “you too were with Jesus the Galilean.” He denied it – “I do not know what you're talking about.” Later a second one said to those that were there, “this man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it with an oath. Later a bystander said, “surely you too are one of them (don't call me Shirley); for the way you talk gives you away.” Was this because of Peter’s southern drawl 😊 like everyone thinks; or was it because he did not use foul language like everyone else - He began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” Immediately a cock crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said and went out and wept bitterly. Thankfully we have not been in a situation where we had to make a decision like that, though it is quite possible we will be in the future. Now it is morning, and all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus ...

 Good morning. They take Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter follows Him at a distance. He goes into the courtyard of the high priest and sits down. The chief priest and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death. There was no agreement among the witnesses until two of them said that Jesus said He was able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. They needed the agreement of two or three witnesses in order to convict Jesus. On its own that statement would be ridiculous today. Today He would more likely be thrown into the loony bin instead of being killed. No sane person would think that he could destroy the temple, much less rebuild it in only three days. The high priest tried to get Jesus to answer the charges against Him. He wanted Jesus to say something he could use against Him. Finally the high priest said “I adjure You by the living God that You tell us whether You are the Christ, ...

  Good morning. Back to the garden: He found them sleeping. So, you could not keep watch with Me for one hour? They did not realize what was about to happen. He had told them, but it still had not sunk in. If it had, perhaps their adrenaline would have kicked in, and they would still be awake. Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He did the same thing a second and a third time. Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. The one who betrays Me is at hand! Judas came with a great multitude from the chief priests and elders. He had given them a sign – the one I kiss is He. Judas again calls Him rabbi – not Lord. Friend, do what you have come for. They lay hands on Jesus. One of them (Peter) draws a sword and cuts off the ear of the slave of the high priest. We've seen so many movies about the days of King Arthur, tha...

 Good morning. Jesus said “you will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee (we will come back to this statement at the end of Matthew)." Peter of course says he will not fall away no matter what everybody else does. Truly I say to you that this very night, before a cock crows (One gospel says twice), you shall deny Me three times. Peter gets really upset. Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You. People put Peter down for saying that, but all the disciples said the same thing too. They however did not publicly deny Him three times. Then they went to the garden of Gethsemane. He takes Peter, James, and John with Him to a separate place in the garden. My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me. He goes a little bit farther “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pas...

  Good morning. Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus and wanted to know where He wanted them to prepare to eat the Passover. They were to go to a certain man and to tell him that the teacher said the time is at hand; He was to eat the Passover at his house. They prepared the Passover. I personally do not believe that it was the Passover. There are many reasons why I believe that, but it would take too long to go into. I will point out some of them when we get to John. If it were the Passover, then Jesus, our Passover lamb, was sacrificed 24 hours after the other Passover lambs. While they were eating, Jesus said to them, “truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples’ feelings were hurt. “ surely not I, Lord?” (don't call me Shirley 😇 ) The one who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl, is the one who will betray Me. The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It w...

  Good morning. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper (in John it says that Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus), a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at the table. The disciples were upset and said that it was a waste. It could've been sold for a high price, and the money given to the poor. In another place it says that Judas was upset because he had the money box and used to steal from it. Why are you upset? She did a good deed for Me. You have the poor with you always, but you don't always have Me. When she poured this perfume upon My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she did shall be spoken of in memory of her. I may have mentioned this before. Think about it – she just poured very expensive perfume all over His head. They did not have showers, and probably did not take a full bath w...

  Good morning. But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right come, you are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. He then lists some things they did for Him. When did we do those things for you? To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Then He says to those on His left, you did not help Me when I needed it. When did we not help You? To the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Of course we can't do anything to actually help Jesus, but we can do things to help our ...

  Good morning. So Jesus just got through telling about the Son of Man coming when they were not expecting Him to come. Then – after what He just said the last time – the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to 10 virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five foolish – no oil; five wise – brought oil with them. Because the bridegroom delayed, they went to sleep and their lamps went out. Remember that we are supposed to be alert. The bridegroom comes and the foolish want the wise to give them some of their oil. The wise said that then there won't be enough for us either – go buy some. While they are gone, the groom comes, shuts the door, and won't let them in. He says that he does not know them. Be on the alert then, for you do not know the hour nor the day. Jesus then tells the parable of the talents. There is a variety among the gospels as to how many talents each one has. The first two double their money. The third one hid the money. The master is ...

  Good morning. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. They were carrying on like usual until the day Noah enter the ark. That's because they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. Can you blame them? There had never been anything like that before. If they saw the ark, I'm sure they made fun of Noah. I don't know how far away the nearest water was. Even if it were close by and they had built boats before, the boats would not have been anywhere nearly as big as the ark was. So shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Why wouldn't it be the same? It is absurd to think anything like what is described about the tribulation will happen. Why should they change their way of living? Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. For the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Of course there have been various groups that believed they knew which day Jesus was returning. Je...

  Good morning. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. First of all, the word “not” in Greek is a double negative. In English, that would mean that it would be a positive statement. In Greek that means that for certain it will not happen. There have been various attempts to explain what it means by “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place”. That's because the generation alive when Jesus said it did pass away before all of those things happened, and we had a double negative that guaranteed they would not pass away. So some have said that the word generation refers to the Jewish people. The Greek verb used for the statement “take place" normally refers to the simple past tense. I read that it can mean inception; that is, begin to happen. They are the same Greek words that the angel used to tell Zachariah that he would not speak until all these things happened concerning his son John the Baptist that ...

  Good morning. Back to Matthew 24. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not get its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Notice that it says after, not before the tribulation. Of course it wasn't really stars that were falling from heaven. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. The people of the ancient world conceived of the expanded sky as an arch or vault, the outmost edge of which touched the extreme limits of the earth. Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near....

  Good morning. Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. Of course there is only one place that can be called the holy place in Jerusalem. Right now there is a mosque sitting on top of it. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. Of course that would mean that there had to be some of the elect here on earth during the tribulation; otherwise, what would they care whether the tribulation was short or long. Then Jesus talks about the false Christs and false prophets arising and showing great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Many people will believe them - The believers should not. If they say t...

  Good morning. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. (it's getting that way now.) And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. Sadly this is happening too much already. People are running after this prophet and that prophet. They are looking for the “latest word from God”. They are so desperate that they become easily fooled. They think that everything that that person says is straight from the mouth of God, when in fact it could be that person's opinion. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. That reminds us of the church in Ephesus in the book of Revelation when Jesus said “I have this against you – that you have left your first love”. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. That is something that can be very hard to do, especially when ...

  Good morning. Jesus leaves the temple, and His disciples point out all of the temple buildings to Him. He tells them that not one stone will be left upon another – they will all be torn down. That of course really shocks them. It took over 40 years to build everything. They ask Him a three-part question. Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? Now it is possible that all three things could happen at the same time, or they could be three separate times. It takes many verses for Jesus to answer the questions. Sometimes it's not clear which event He is talking about. See to it that no one misleads you. That warning is not just for the disciples. We have to be careful today that no one misleads us. You think that it is not possible – that we are too smart 😋 . He says that many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars – can anyone say Ukraine? See tha...

  Good morning. Woe to the scribes and Pharisees for a bunch of different things. They are careful about obeying the tiniest bit of the law, or at least what they have interpreted to be part of the law; and yet they miss the more important aspects of the law. Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs. They look good on the outside, but inside they are yucky. They appear to be doing all the right things - but with all the wrong motives. Jesus unleashes on them. I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city. They will not listen to reason from anyone. Why is this going to happen – that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah. All these things shall come upon this generation. Then Jesus laments the actions of Jerusalem: Who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to...

  Good morning. So the Pharisees have been asking Jesus a bunch of questions; now He asks them one. “What do you think about the Christ, who son is He?” They answered, "the son of David.” “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying “the Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet?” If David then calls Him Lord, how is He his son? They had no answer to His question. From then on they no longer asked Him questions. Do what I say, not what I do. That's what Jesus said about the Pharisees. Do what they tell you to do, but don't do what they do. They say one thing and do another. They liked to make up rules and regulations for everyone to follow; but don't you dare ask them to help you with it. They did everything to be noticed by others. They always wanted to be first. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exhausted - I meant...

  Good morning. Some Sadducees came to Jesus to question Him. They did not believe in the resurrection – that's why they were so sad, you see - 😇 . You remember the story about the seven brothers and one wife. At some point you've got to be suspicious about this woman. If I were one of the seven beyond the first couple, I believe I would refuse to marry her. In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? Jesus said, “you guys don't have a clue.” You do not understand the Scriptures, or the power of God. In the resurrection they don't marry, but are like angels in heaven. God said “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” He did not say I was, but rather I am. He is not the God of the dead but rather the living. A lawyer of the Pharisees asked Jesus “which is the great commandment in the law?” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is like it – you shall love your neighbor as yours...

  Good morning. Another parable about the kingdom of heaven: it may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent his slaves to tell everyone it was time to come. They were unwilling. Some even mistreated and killed his slaves. Those people the king destroyed. He sends his slaves out to the highways to invite as many as they find to the wedding feast. There are both good and evil people at the feast. There is a man who is not dressed in wedding clothes. The king wanted to know how did he come in there without wedding clothes. The king had him cast into the outer darkness. Many are cold and a few are frozen. I meant many are called but few are chosen 😇 . You and I would think why is the king upset? After all he just pulled this guy off the street; why in the world would he have wedding clothes on? Generally a rich person like a king would have the wedding clothes himself for the guests to put on. This parable was again emphasizing that the scribes and Pharisee...

  Good morning. Another parable: A man planted a vineyard, rented it out, and went on a journey. At harvest time, he sent some slaves to receive his produce. They beat and killed them. He sent others - same thing. He then sent his son thinking that they would respect him. They said “this is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.” In those days when the owner died, his son would come to claim the inheritance. If no one came to claim the inheritance, then it went to whoever was possessing the land. They figured that the only reason the son was coming was because his father was dead. If they killed him, they could claim that no one came, and hence the land belonged to them. This of course was referencing that God sent His Son Jesus to claim His inheritance. The religious leaders were about to kill Him because they wanted the inheritance. Jesus asked the chief priests what would the landowner do to those who killed his son. They said that those people would get the...

  Good morning. After the fig tree, Jesus returns to Jerusalem and enters the temple. The chief priests and elders are mad at Him because of His casting out those selling things in the temple. By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority? So Jesus tells them that He’s going to ask them one question, and if they answer it He will tell them by what authority He does these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men? He's got them there. If they say from heaven, He will ask why they did not believe John. If they say from men, they will be afraid the multitudes will stone them because the people believed that John was a prophet, and the chief priests and elders did not. That left them with one response – we don't know. So Jesus tells them that He is not going to tell them by what authority He does these things. Then Jesus tells them about the two brothers (no it's not the prodigal son). He tells both to go do someth...

  Good morning. Jesus sends two of His disciples into the village and tells them they will find a donkey with her colt. They bring them and put their garments on them. The multitudes put their garments and branches from trees in the roadway. They enter Jerusalem with the multitude proclaiming His majesty. Jesus enters the temple and puts out those who are buying and selling and overturns the tables of the moneychangers. God said His house shall be called a house of prayer, but they were making it a robber’s den. He healed many people. Of course the chief priests were delighted – not! The people were saying Hosanna to the Son of David. They were saying that He was the Messiah. That did not sit well with the chief priests. He left and went to Bethany – that's where Lazarus lived. Coming back to the city in the morning, He sees a fig tree and goes to see if there are any figs on it. There are only leaves, so He curses it. It is not the season for figs, but on the mount of olives somet...

  Good morning. A few verses before, it said that they were getting ready to go up to Jerusalem. Now it says as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. This was probably when they were going to see Lazarus in the tomb. Two blind men were sitting by the road and heard that Jesus was passing by. Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! Everybody told them to be quiet, but they got even louder. Jesus asked them what they wanted from Him. They wanted their eyes to be opened. Jesus touched their eyes, and they regained their sight. Referring to John: had Jesus not delayed two days before going to see Lazarus, they probably would not have regained their sight. This incident in Mark has just one blind beggar instead of two, by the name of Bartimaeus. Another very important thing probably would not have happened if Jesus had not delayed two days, but we will talk about that when we get to Luke. Now they are approaching Jerusalem on the mount of olives to the town of ...