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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom
of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For
all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to
accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.
"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
Matthew 11:12-26
"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
Matthew 11:12-26
Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’”
“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor
drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Luke 7:31-35
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
If Jesus were to return today, what would He say about this generation?
It’s a question we should always think about.
Why?
Because if we would consistently think about it, we would continuously be reminded of how much we need to proactively carry out Jesus’ Great Commission. For He has called us all to be dedicated to the number one task He has given. Passivity is not an option and our scripture today affirms that.
For as Jesus continues to preach and teach in the towns of Galilee, we see Him speak about those who boldly went forth as spokespeople for the Lord saying:
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
If Jesus were to return today, what would He say about this generation?
It’s a question we should always think about.
Why?
Because if we would consistently think about it, we would continuously be reminded of how much we need to proactively carry out Jesus’ Great Commission. For He has called us all to be dedicated to the number one task He has given. Passivity is not an option and our scripture today affirms that.
For as Jesus continues to preach and teach in the towns of Galilee, we see Him speak about those who boldly went forth as spokespeople for the Lord saying:
“From the days of
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully
advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law
prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah
who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Through the ages, God had sent special messengers to share His word and will with others. The prophets (which included Elijah) prophesied until John the Baptist and then John carried on their work until Jesus arrived, the long awaited Messiah bursting onto the scene, the “kingdom of heaven” now having come to earth and “forcefully advancing” so that “forceful men could lay a hold of it.”
So how well are we doing today in the way of laboring for Jesus and the gospel? Would Jesus see us as forceful men and women who are ensuring His message of salvation is forcefully advancing where ever He leads us to be?
Again, what might Jesus say about our generation?
One thing’s for sure.
Through the ages, God had sent special messengers to share His word and will with others. The prophets (which included Elijah) prophesied until John the Baptist and then John carried on their work until Jesus arrived, the long awaited Messiah bursting onto the scene, the “kingdom of heaven” now having come to earth and “forcefully advancing” so that “forceful men could lay a hold of it.”
So how well are we doing today in the way of laboring for Jesus and the gospel? Would Jesus see us as forceful men and women who are ensuring His message of salvation is forcefully advancing where ever He leads us to be?
Again, what might Jesus say about our generation?
One thing’s for sure.
He didn’t think too favorably about the One He was trying
so hard to teach in His day and time.
We know this because of His words as we return to the
scriptures where Jesus said this:
"To what can
I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces
and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
We know John first had come to announce the pending arrival of Jesus, the One who would “baptize…with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11b). But the Jews for the most part, especially the religious leaders, chose to not believe and respond. They thought John was crazy.
But then Jesus did come, just as John and the prophets before Him had prophesied. Yet, even after He had come and despite Him consistently displaying His holy power through miraculous works of healing, exorcism, and resurrection, the Jews for the most part rejected Him too, just as they had done John, eventually wrongfully accusing Him of blasphemy and seeing that He was executed.
Indeed, Jesus was not happy with that generation which existed when He entered the world.
Need further proof of that?
Just read on in this passage. For Jesus “began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent”. Specifically, He said:
"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
Obviously, the people had made the wrong choice in rejecting Jesus it was equally evident He wasn’t very happy about it. Not one bit.
We know John first had come to announce the pending arrival of Jesus, the One who would “baptize…with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11b). But the Jews for the most part, especially the religious leaders, chose to not believe and respond. They thought John was crazy.
But then Jesus did come, just as John and the prophets before Him had prophesied. Yet, even after He had come and despite Him consistently displaying His holy power through miraculous works of healing, exorcism, and resurrection, the Jews for the most part rejected Him too, just as they had done John, eventually wrongfully accusing Him of blasphemy and seeing that He was executed.
Indeed, Jesus was not happy with that generation which existed when He entered the world.
Need further proof of that?
Just read on in this passage. For Jesus “began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent”. Specifically, He said:
"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
Obviously, the people had made the wrong choice in rejecting Jesus it was equally evident He wasn’t very happy about it. Not one bit.
Think about it? How would you feel about a promised
judgment that would be less bearable that the one that befell Sodom? I mean,
wasn’t Sodom completely destroyed along with its populace?
Is this where nations of the world today are heading?
Perhaps the answer comes in how Jesus sees our generation today. What would He say about our countries? Our cities or towns? Our communities? Our neighborhoods?
Friends, if Jesus is going to say positive things about our generation, if we want to find ourselves in His favor and receiving His blessings, then we had better see ourselves as we are, helpless like little children without Him and dependent on Him in every way. For it is the Father’s good pleasure, and also His Son’s, to reveal to the humble spiritual truths that disclose their will and way, a will and way that leads us to places where we serve them and others in the right and expected ways.
My prayer today is that we reexamine and reflect on where we stand in our kingdom work in the name of Jesus, and jump start our efforts for the cause of the Gospel where needed. It will be the right first step toward ensuring Jesus speaks well of our generation while preventing us from repeating the mistakes of the past.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Perhaps the answer comes in how Jesus sees our generation today. What would He say about our countries? Our cities or towns? Our communities? Our neighborhoods?
Friends, if Jesus is going to say positive things about our generation, if we want to find ourselves in His favor and receiving His blessings, then we had better see ourselves as we are, helpless like little children without Him and dependent on Him in every way. For it is the Father’s good pleasure, and also His Son’s, to reveal to the humble spiritual truths that disclose their will and way, a will and way that leads us to places where we serve them and others in the right and expected ways.
My prayer today is that we reexamine and reflect on where we stand in our kingdom work in the name of Jesus, and jump start our efforts for the cause of the Gospel where needed. It will be the right first step toward ensuring Jesus speaks well of our generation while preventing us from repeating the mistakes of the past.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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