He’s not the God of the Dead but of the Living

‭Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children. The second married her and died without having children. So did the third. None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died. When the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? When the dead come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven.  Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ He’s not the God of the dead but of the living. You’re badly mistaken!”

Mark 12:18-27 GW‬

Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?

‭Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple courtyard, the chief priests, the experts in Moses’ Teachings, and the leaders came to him. They asked him, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?” Jesus said to them, “I’ll ask you a question. Answer me, and then I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans? Answer me!” They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from humans,’ ⌞then what will happen⌟?” They were afraid of the people. All the people thought of John as a true prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.”

Mark 11:27-33 GW‬

The Fig Tree and Faith

‭While Jesus and his disciples were walking early in the morning, they saw that the fig tree had dried up. Peter remembered ⌞what Jesus had said⌟, so he said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up.” Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours. Whenever you pray, forgive anything you have against anyone. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your failures.” 

Mark 11:20-25 GW‬

Solomon Becomes King

‭Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him. Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. “What do you want?” the king asked. “Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to the Lord your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne. But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don’t ⌞even⌟ know anything about it, Your Majesty. He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army ⌞to his feast⌟. But he hasn’t invited your servant Solomon. All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne. Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors.” While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. The servants told the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him.  Nathan said, “Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne, because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the army’s commanders, and the priest Abiathar ⌞to his feast⌟. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ But he didn’t invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada’s son, or your servant Solomon. Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?” Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba in here.” So she stood in front of him, and he swore an oath. He said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has saved my life from all trouble lives, I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.” Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. “May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!” she said. King David said, “Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” So they came to the king, and he said, “Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon. Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ Follow him ⌞back⌟ here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.” “So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “The Lord your God says so too. As the Lord has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David.”  Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.  The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

1 Kings 1:15-40 GW‬

Blessed is the One Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

When they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. If anyone asks you what you are doing, say that the Lord needs it. That person will send it here at once.” The disciples found the young donkey in the street. It was tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, some men standing there asked them, “Why are you untying that donkey?” The disciples answered them as Jesus had told them. So the men let them go. They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and he sat on it. Many spread their coats on the road. Others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them on the road. Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is our ancestor David’s kingdom that is coming! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus came into Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard, where he looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the twelve apostles to Bethany.

Mark 11:1-11 GW‬

Jesus Came to Serve and to Give His Life as a Ransom

‭James and John, sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus. They said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do us a favor.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them. They said to him, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus said, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive?” “We can,” they told him. Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I’m going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive. But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.” When the other ten apostles heard about it, they were irritated with James and John. Jesus called the apostles and said, “You know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Mark 10:35-45 GW‬