60IN60 Day 32 - Thurs Dec 5

It is Day 32 and we're in Mark 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 21 - Jesus doesn't challenge him because he wants to see him fail.  He loves him and his heart for God, but wants him to give all he has.

Help:
- Verse 18 - It's not that Jesus isn't good.  The man is not speaking to Jesus presuming He is God, so Jesus is telling him that only God is truly good.  No human teacher is on his own.
- Verses 23-24 - The presumption was that riches were a blessing from God and a sign of God's favor, so it shocks the disciples to hear Jesus say that the rich would have great trouble entering the Kingdom.
- Verses 25-27 - This is not saying that it's impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom, only that it is very difficult.
- Verse 30 - This is not a get-rich-quick scheme.  The "hundred-fold" we receive is not usually financial, but things that are deeper and more meaningful.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "Please comment on verses 49 & 50 of Mark 9." - I wish I could tell you I can confidently share certain interpretations of these two verses, but they are obscure and stump most commentators, who at best offer guesses. I will give you my best effort. On v. 49, it may be that He is referring back to the previous verses (vv. 42-48) where He talks about the need for urgency in doing whatever it takes to avoid hell. He then concludes with the statement in v. 49. It is possible that He is basically saying, "Everyone will in one way or the other be touched by the fire of judgment. The question is how you respond - whether it drives you to God or makes you walk away from Him." That is, "everyone will be salted with fire" is saying "everyone will be impacted in one way or the other by the reality of final judgment, whether it's to change their life or become numb to that reality. Then looking at v. 50, we continue that line of thought. Having this kind of "salty" influence in your life is a good thing. It may not be comfortable to think about judgment and the implications that has for your life, but doing so will definitely "season" (i.e. like salt) your life. That's better (to live a life where you are aware and concerned about the implications of final judgment) than living a life where you've lost that "salt" and therefore you're living as though there is no final judgment. Once that happens, it's nearly impossible to get back ("how can you make it salty again?"). Therefore we as the church should "have salt among yourselves" - that is, live as a group of people aware of and influenced by final judgment. That will lead us to be "at peace with each other" as we see the larger, important goal we are all trying to pursue together of following God.