Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalms 45:1-17, Proverbs 10:22
Today is the 2nd day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy and a privilege and an honor to be here with you today as we continue our journey and take the next step forward. We have been reading from the Amplified Bible this week, which is what we’ll do for the rest of the week. And the next step forward that picks up right where we left off yesterday, Leviticus chapter 25 verse 47 through 27 verse 13.
Commentary:
Okay. So, it’s an interesting chain of events that happen in the gospel of Mark as Jesus is making His way towards Jerusalem. And let’s remember, He’s not going for a visit. He’s going to His execution and He knows He’s going to die, that He’s going to be handed over and mistreated and be killed. And, so, He’s beginning to tell the disciples this and as we read from the Scriptures today everybody’s who’s kind of following along, they don’t want…this is not the message they want to hear. Like this is an alarming message. In fact, the scriptures say they were alarmed and afraid at this message. So…and even perplexed. So, they don’t want to hear this message about Jesus dying even though He’s telling them He will be raised from the dead because that’s kinda going over their head. But can you imagine the weight on Jesus shoulders moving toward Jerusalem knowing, like knowing that every footstep is a footstep closer to your violent death, that every minute you spend on that path is a minute you have less to live before this happens? Like it’s profoundly unsettling to even consider that and to consider that Jesus is going through that. And…and…and everybody who’s around Him is alarmed by it. So, He brings His disciples, the 12, aside and He’s teaching them a little more intimately and been very clear that when they get to Jerusalem’s like a chain of things are going to happen quickly and it’s going to lead to His death and He’s preparing them that He’s gonna be taken away from them. And as the story is told in the gospel of Mark, James and John the two sons of Zebedee, in other Gospels their mom is there too, but they come to Him after this, right? So, after He’s pouring His heart out, revealing what is on its way, like what the next days are going to look like and what He’s carrying, James, and John, it…His two disciples, two of His disciples come to Him and they want a favor. Like it’s almost as if they want this last request or whatever. And He says what do you want me to do for you and what they want is that one will sit on the right hand and one will sit on the left hand of Jesus when He comes into his glory. And, so, we can begin to understand that even though Jesus is telling them that He’s going to be killed, this is still lost on them. They still have expectations of their Messiah, that He will take over, that He will overthrow the ruling government, that He will overthrow the Romans. James and John want that ground floor opportunity. They want to be on the right and left, like the immediate power as Jesus comes in this kingdom and He begins to reign. Like, this is their expectation. This is ultimately somehow what’s going to happen when Jesus reveals Himself. We could pause there and contemplate because we find ourselves kinda making these same types of mistakes. We want Jesus to beat up the bad guys in our lives or in the world looking for Him to come and kind of take over things and then we can rule and reign with Him forever. It’s remarkably similar. The irony is that the kingdom they were expecting and looking for and even looking to Jesus to create and provide for them is not the kingdom Jesus was announcing. They were sort of expecting an ironfisted rule under the…the master Jesus. He’ll set everything right and we will be bestowed with power from Him to go and do His bidding and rule and reign. Jesus corrected them though. And…and He describes how things really are, how things really…like we may be looking for Jesus to ride in on a white horse and beat up the bad guys and destroy all the evil in the world, and that’s eventually going to happen. Like, that’s where this whole thing is going. But then as now, we have to understand how this kingdom that we are looking to be revealing and the kingdom that we want to be revealed, how it works. They want to be on the right and left hand of Jesus. They want to be in the seats of power. And I quote, “calling them to Himself Jesus said to them, you know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them then their powerful men exercise authority over them by tearing rising them.” He’s speaking to what they understand. They simply want to switch places. They want to be in the position of power. But I go on quoting Jesus, “but this is not how it is among you. Instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” So, Jesus is telling His disciples what’s gonna happen. They still don’t get that He’s actually going to die. They still believe that He’s the Messiah and they have all the stereotypes of what that supposed to look like and it’s going to…it’s going to involve an overthrow of the ruling government. And they think this is gonna happen. And, so, they want to be in on it in His power on His right and His left and He tells them. this is not what’s gonna happen. “If you want to be the greatest in the kingdom be the servant.” I don’t know what else to say other than we should give that some thought because so often we are following as disciples and wanting the same thing that they did, and that’s not what’s going on here. Jesus is inviting us to participate in revealing a kingdom that is as it was supposed to be, a kingdom that is known by the love, a kingdom in which no one is lording over anyone else because there is only one lord and master.
Prayer:
Father help us…help us Lord to even see it. Help us to…because we need to see it before we can begin living in that direction. It is so counter to the world that we live in, but yet You’ve told us that if we want to be Your disciples, we’ve gotta take up our cross and follow You and that if that the only way the world will know we are Your disciples is through our love for one another. We have failed at this. Historically we have failed at this. We need to get this right and needs to begin in our own hearts. Come Holy Spirit as we contemplate this today. Show us changes that we need to make, the directions that we need to head into and the directions that we need to head away from. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi, my name is Caitlin, and this is my first time sending something in but I just wanted to say that I came out of 2020, one of the hardest years of my life. I was…I had an unexpected pregnancy which was a blessing with our fourth child but then I fell into extremely severe postpartum depression and anxiety and just really felt no joy no hope and I was turned on to Daily Audio Bible and I started in January and I just want to lift up praise to our God who…He gives us this living word. And I’ve been following Christ for almost all of my life but listening to this every day just has renewed my…my faith and seeing Him work every day, this living word that He gives us, and I meditate on it day and night I just get to see Him moving and I train my eyes to find Him. And, yeah, He’s just been he’s just been working miracles in my mental health and…and getting back to my normal life and He’s just such a good and faithful God. And, so, I just wanted to share that and to share that praise, that He won’t abandon us, and He doesn’t forget us, and He gives us this Bible to meditate on because…because it applies to us now and He loves us, and He wants us to know Him through it. So, yeah, that’s just my praise.
Good morning DAB family this is John Allen from Orlando FL. I just want to pray for everyone who have called for the month of February. I have listened to everyone’s prayer. My heart is touched that so many people need the Lord. Father God I’ve only got 2 minutes and I want to just praise You and honor You and glorify You lift You up. Father God I pray for every single soul that have called You for this month of February. I want to lift them up to You Lord, people with heart disease, mental disease, depression, who’s lost family the gentleman that called in for his family Father God, that he’s the only one seeking the Lord, Hallelujah Lord. Thank You, Jesus for Your grace Lord. Thank You, Father God because You are the Lord who speaks, and You live. God You are the God of Gods, You are the Lord of Lords, You are the God who stops the sun at noon day. Hallelujah. You are the God that parts oceans Father God to set Your…Your people free. Father God I pray for the DAB family right now, the ones that are not able to call that don’t have access. Father God I lift them up to You Father God in Philippians 4:6 it says do not be anxious about anything but in everything in prayer and petition. We pray Father God for them to be healed. We pray that You set Your captives free Hallelujah. Your word in Matthew 11:28, it says come to me all who are weary, and burden and I will give You rest. Lord we need Your rest, we need Your peace. We surrender it to You and for all who are sick Father God. In Jeremiah 30:17 it says but I will restore You to health and heal Your wounds. Hallelujah Jesus. God let everybody who hears my voice receive Your praise, Your blessings, Your goodness Father God, the blessing that make it rich and not so no sorrow in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
Hi this is Gary from Stockton CA. I’m calling about a dear friend…dear friend his name is Randy he has pancreatic cancer, and he has just been put in the hospital for that along with blood clots and a heart problem. This man has been…and his family…have been missionaries for most of their lives and they have spent their lives giving to God. And now I’m asking for prayer for this man. I’ve recently experienced a death in my family when my wife passed away last September and something that God is showing me is that healing can come in many different ways including the person dying and be taken…being taken to God, that that was the best thing for the person and everything that was wrong. So, I pray that you pray and help me pray for the man and his family and that whatever they have to go through, whatever God chooses from them they will understand, and the Holy Spirit will give them comfort and understanding. Thank you to all who pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Family this is Biola from Maryland I hope you’re all doing well. Brian and Jill God bless you. God bless your ministry. Hey, while we are eagerly awaiting China’s baby, I pray that God will continue to keep her and let her have a safe delivery in Jesus’ name. You know, I want to give a big shout out to one of the great great grandmas that we have in DAB, Dorothy G from Texas. Happy birthday mom and I want to say that your legacy is absolutely mind blowing. And I pray that God will continue to keep you and hold you strong in the name of Jesus, that God will continue to let your legacy be strong, that you will continue to be used mightily of Him, you know, even as you grow older. In the name of Jesus. God bless you Dorothy. And Missy I heard your prayer request regarding marshmallow your kitten. I pray that God will wrap His arms around you, God will just touch your heart. Know that guilt is not of God. It is…that is condemnation, and it is from the devil. So, I’m praying sister that God would just wrap His arms around you, He will comfort you and so that you can…as you grieve the passing of your kitten that God will touch you in Jesus’ name. Doctor John I heard your prayer request. I prayed for you that you are grateful to God for preserving your life and I pray that your hand, I think is what you said, will be healed completely in the name of Jesus. Brother White as Snow, what a testimony. Yeah, the word of God says that those who are led by God are the sons of God. So, those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. Lastly, I want to pray from Micah. Micah I’m praying that you get your workman’s comp it will come speedily in the name of Jesus. Family I want to put my own brother, my older brother, I have a prayer request. He had an accident and he’s going to be having surgery next week. Pray for him.
Hi this is Natasha A from Brooklyn I just finished listening to the Daily Audio Bible February 26th reading and I wanted to make a comment on Brian’s style and the way that he breaks it down, the way he breaks down the word in not only a biblical way but also in a geographical way explaining what went on in Philippi at that time and the importance of Jesus going there and how it relates to…to the word. It was really awesome. This ministry has been such a blessing to me. And Brian and I thank you for making God’s word more clear to the ones of us that don’t really understand it thoroughly. Your ministry has been a real blessing. May the Lord continue to bless you your family and the DAB continuously because what you’re doing is so powerful and so needed, it’s so necessary. And I…I just felt compelled to call in and say that. Thank you, Brian. Thank you for what you do, bringing the Lords word to us every day with such clarity and…and consistency and…and…and I am grateful for it. Thank you. Have a blessed day everyone.
Hello, my wonderful DAB family this is Sinner and Saint from Edmonton AB Canada. I’ve listened to DAB since January 1st of last year and this is my first call. My ailing and Christian dad turned 86 in October. Since then, he was hospitalized five times and we knew his life was coming to an end. I was able to travel to spend time with him at the hospital just before Christmas. We had some very special moments that I will cherish forever. I also saw his suffering when his pain medication wore off and before the next medication could kick in. He was transferred to a Hospice and we felt each day and even each hour that would…that would be his last. On December 31st I took a long walk in a place on that clear and sunny winter day and listened to the last DAB for the year. Brian read the end of Revelation and that described the new heaven and the crystal-clear River of life flowing from the throne of God and the trees of life and how wonderful it all was and then the last of the psalms with great praises to God for all He is. About 10 minutes after I got into the house, I got the phone call that dad had passed, and I realized it could have happened exactly as I was hearing about heaven. And one hour later my daughter who had been told the previous December 31st that she likely had lymphoma and who had chemo and radiation treatments that year got a call from her oncologist saying her most recent scan was completely clear. These events together have such a reminder that God makes all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28. Thank you DAB family. I love you.