Disciples Global Network

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul outlines the events that will occur at or shortly before the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus on the “ Day of Christ .” ‘ Parousia ’ is one of several Greek terms applied by the Apostle to the future coming of the Lord. Regardless of which term is used, he always refers to one “ coming ,”  “ appearance , ”  “ revelation ,” or “ appearance ” of Jesus at the end of the age, never two (or more).

In the opening thanksgiving of his  Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes:  Going on to perfection in Jesus . The promised bodily resurrection is necessary for the consummation of this process - It is an integral part of the future salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” What God began in the Philippians at their conversion He will continue to perform until that day, “ the Day of Christ .”

Paul declares that there is “ now no condemnation ” for anyone who is “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death .” Moreover, he links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of the creation itself. Adam’s transgression condemned the entire universe to bondage and death, not just humanity. However, “ much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus, abound to the many .”

In Chapter 3 of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he issues a prayer that concludes the first half of the Letter. In it, he reiterates two requests stated previously. First, for the opportunity to return to Thessalonica to continue ministering to the congregation. Second, for God to increase the Assembly’s love for him and others. The fulfillment of both requests will make the faith of the Thessalonians complete on the day when Jesus “arrives” from Heaven.

The  Letter to the Hebrews  is built on a series of comparisons that demonstrate the superiority of the word that God has “ spoken in ” His “ Son ” over every past revelation “ spoken in the prophets .” The former prophetic “ words ” were true but partial and preparatory. But now, “ upon the last of these days ,” God has unveiled His definitive “ word ” in one who is a “ Son .” That “ word ” is complete and superior to all others since Jesus alone “ achieved the purification of sins ” that is so vital to His people.

At the end of his journey, his destination was the Temple in the center of the city.  The next several stories prepare the reader for his final days, A full third of Mark’s gospel account concerns the events of that week that culminate in his death and resurrection. All that preceded his arrival in the city was moving inexorably forward to his arrest, trial, and execution in the city of David and the prophets.

SYNOPSIS - The touch of Jesus cleanses a leper - The forbidden contact does not render him “unclean” – Mark 1:40-45 .  The touch of Jesus cleansed a leper from ritual impurity, and it restored him physically AND religiously. What sets the story apart is that Jesus touched the man  BEFORE  he was cleansed of his  ritual impurity . Any concern over contracting uncleanness did not stop the messianic “ Son of Man ” from touching a son of Israel to make him whole.

Jesus restored the sight of a blind beggar while he was “on the way” to his death in the city of Jerusalem - Mark 10:46-52 .  This is the last recorded healing miracle in Mark’s account. And here, Jesus is called the “ Nazarene .” Previously, he was only so identified when he exorcised demons, thereby delivering someone from demonic oppression. And in the Gospel of Mark , the name “ Nazarene ” frames his first and last healing miracles.

In the  Gospel of Mark , we see Jesus “ on the way ” to Jerusalem and his death. This theme occurs se veral times in Mark's account, beginning with the Baptist who was sent to “ prepare THE WAY before the Lord .” The Nazarene would complete his mission as the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ portrayed centuries earlier in  Isaiah . He would be tried by the priestly leaders from the Temp le, and face death outside the walls of the City of David at the hands of Rome.

To follow Jesus means surrendering one’s entire life and following wherever he leads, and no questions asked  – Mark 10:17-31.  One day, a young rich man approached Jesus to ask what he should do to inherit everlasting life. Here, the reader is confronted with the cost of discipleship. In the story’s version found in  Matthew , this man is labeled “ young .” In  Luke , he is a “ ruler ,” presumably, of the local synagogue. And his haste to ask his question points to his sincerity.

The Book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates visually and symbolically . Must prophecy be interpreted only or primarily in the most “literal” fashion possible unless a passage specifically indicates otherwise? Often in our minds, there is an unstated assumption that literal language is more reliable than nonliteral language, an idea that becomes especially problematic when interpreting the visions of  Revelation .

The inhabitants of the earth willingly venerate the Beast and take its mark, although believers are not immune from its allurements . And discussions about the “ Mark of the Beast ” invariably focus on questions about what it is - a medical implant, a barcode, or a tattoo – as well as the significance of its “ number ,” ‘ 666 .’ As important as these questions are, far more critical is the issue of how the believer can avoid taking the Beast’s mark or its “ number .”

Opponents question Jesus about divorce to trap him, but he uses the issue to teach the higher ways of the Kingdom of God .  In  Mark  and  Matthew , Jesus is confronted by opponents with questions about divorce. However, this is intended to trap him with his own words. They are not soliciting an all-encompassing ruling on divorce from him. In  Mark , the incident is another in a series of confrontations between Jesus and the religious establishment linked to the Temple.

Unbelief hindered the ability of Jesus to heal some afflicted persons, not the lack of fasting or other ritualistic practices - Mark 9:14-29 .  When Peter, James, and John saw the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mount, the rest of the disciples were ministering nearby. But whenever they ministered when Jesus was absent, they quickly found themselves in trouble. And this time, as soon as the crowd saw him returning from the mountain, they flocked to him for healing and deliverance.

The Transfiguration confirms his status as the Messiah and the necessity for Jesus to suffer before receiving glory  - Mark 9:2-13.  In  Mark , the Transfiguration begins with the clause “ after six days ,” a link to the  preceding story  where Peter acknowledges Jesus is the Messiah. In response, Christ explains the true meaning of discipleship. To follow him, a man must “ deny himself and take up his cross ” just as the “ Son of Man ” did.

The eighth chapter of  Hebrews  highlights the incomparable benefits believers now receive under the New Covenant inaugurated by the death of Jesus. If the fulfillment of the promises of God arrived in him, especially in his death and resurrection, to return now to the incomplete revelations of the past “ spoken in the prophets ” would mean embracing the glimpses and “ shadows ” of the “ coming good things ” rather than the substance and abiding reality provided by the Son of God.

In responding to claims that Gentiles must be circumcised, Paul appeals to the common experience of the Spirit received by the Galatians. Did they receive the gift due to a “ hearing of faith ” or “ from the works of the Law? ” Having begun in the Spirit, why do they now seek “ completion ” based on “ flesh ” by submitting to circumcision?

A brief introduction to, and outline of, the gospel of Mark, its history, contents, and literary structure .  The New Testament includes four gospel accounts, the gospels of  Matthew ,  Mark ,  Luke , and  John . The first three are categorized as ‘synoptic’ gospels, meaning “to see together.” The term is a compound of the Greek preposition  sun  (“together”) and  optikos  (“to see”), hence - “ to see together .”

The feeding of 5,000 men was a spectacular witness to Israel, yet most Jews continued to reject Jesus as Israel’s Messiah  -  Mark 6:31-56 .  The  feeding of the five thousand  is the only miracle story recorded in all four gospel accounts, which demonstrates its importance to the early church. In John’s gospel, it occurred near the Passover season. In  Luke , only the twelve disciples participated in the distribution of bread and fish.  Mark  places the story after the account of the execution of John the Baptist.

Jesus healed two women, restoring both to a state of ritual purity – Mark 5:21-43 .  Mark presents two stories about women in need of healing. The theme that links the two accounts is that of a woman in need of physical healing and restoration to a state of ritual purity. Both were “unclean” due to their physical condition; the first was because of a flow of blood, and the second due to her recent death.

Jesus compared the final years before his return to the days leading up to the Great Flood. “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be ” when the “ Son of Man ” returns. Some commentators take this as a prediction of the return of the same conditions existing in Noah’s day, the repetition of the moral anarchy and violence that prompted God to send the floodwaters.

Jesus declared, “ The Spirit makes alive. The flesh profits nothing. The words which I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life .” His statement echoes the principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked. The “ flesh ” is not inherently evil, but it has no lasting life apart from the Holy Spirit. This principle was demonstrated at the original creation, and now the same Spirit is essential for the bodily resurrection of believers and everlasting life in the age to come.