Josh1Eight

Scripture: Mark 11:15-18 "15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching." Observations: After seeing all the corruption going on in the Temple that had gone unaddress and therefore understood as publicly endorsed by the religious leaders, Jesus decided to confront a very financially prosperous system that was obstructing true worship. While some understood Jesus' actions as the ...

Scripture: Numbers 6:2-3, 5-6, 13-14 “If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, 3 they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks.5 They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow,for they are holy and set apart to the Lord...6 And they must not go near a dead body...13 they must each go to the entrance of the Tabernacle 14 and offer their sacrifices to the Lord." Observations: Early on in His relationship with the Israelites, God instructed them regarding how they were to handle themselves in view of His holiness so that they could worship Him and so that His presence would live among them. For the most part, God's instructions primarily applied only to the priests, who were the primary mediators of Israel's covenant relationship with God. In that sense, they enjoyed a special relationship with God that most people were not permitted to experience simply by virtue...

Scripture: Mark 10:23-27 "23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! 26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” Observations: After watching a wealthy young man walk away with his possessions intact but his soul at a loss Jesus uttered the words recorded here. The fact that the rich man in the story seemingly walked away from Jesus' invitation to follow Him was not what "amazed" the disciples (vs. 26); instead it was the idea proposed by Jesus that the Kingdom of God was virtually inaccessible to those, who lik...

Scripture: Numbers 3:6-7, 21-22, 26-27, 32-33, 37 “6Call forward the tribe of Levi, and present them to Aaron the priest to serve as his assistants. 7 They will serve Aaron and the whole community, performing their sacred duties in and around the Tabernacle...21 The descendants of Gershon...[family] clans were responsible to care for the Tabernacle, including the sacred tent with its layers of coverings, the curtain at its entrance, 26 the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the ropes, and all the equipment related to their use...The descendants of Kohath [family]...clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use. 32 Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary...The descend...

Scripture: Mark 8:17-18, 31-33 Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? 18 ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’... 31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. 33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Observations: As Jesus continued to intentionally reveal His true identity to His disciples He often asked them very direct questions that challenged their understanding and forced them to engage spiritual realities; however, most of the time they were too "dull...