Mark 4:31

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 4:31 

“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,” Mark 4:31

We now come to the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus starts with the following. “And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?” Mark 4:30. I believe this was a rhetorical question, for I find it had to believe He did not have an answer to it. It was probably said for the benefit of His disciples.

Then He lays out the parable which He presented to the crowd. “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:31-32. This Parable is a short one. In essence it refers to the Kingdom of God, which He says is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. The Jews recognized that even from this small seed a large plant, large enough to give shade to a man, could grow.

In this parable, Jesus tells the crowd of amazing growth of the kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed is quite small, but it grows into a large shrub, up to ten feet in height, and Jesus says this is a picture of kingdom growth. The point of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is that something big and blessed, the kingdom of God, had humble beginnings. How significant could the short ministry of Christ be? He had but a handful of followers, He was a man of no rank and without means, and He lived in what everyone considered a unimportant region of the world. The life and death of Christ did not catch the world’s attention any more than a mustard seed would lying on the ground by the road. But this was a work of God. What seemed inconsequential at first grew into a movement of worldwide influence, and no one could stop it. Even Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, understood this. “And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39. The influence of the kingdom in this world would be such that everyone associated with it would find a benefit, pictured as the birds perched on the branches of the mature mustard plant.

The history of the church has shown Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed to be true. The church has experienced an explosive rate of growth through the centuries. It is found worldwide and is a source of sustenance and shelter for all who seek its blessing. In spite of persecution and repeated attempts to stamp it out, the church has flourished. And it’s only a small picture of the ultimate manifestation of the kingdom of God, when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign from Zion.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Mark 4:9

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 4:9 

“And He was saying, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Mark 4:9 

As was His purpose, Jesus began teaching again to the people. “And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,” Mark 4:1-2. He begins teaching those on the shore from the boat. And He is using the tool of parables to present the truth. And he starts off with “Listen to this!” Mark 4:3a. And then He ends with the same idea. He wants those who are there to use their sight and hearing in order to understand what He is saying. It is also an admonition to listen thoughtfully, which shows that the meaning of parables is not necessarily self-evident.

Here is the parable. “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. And other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:3b-8. The parable presents an accurate picture of what is known about ancient Palestinian agriculture. Unlike our modern approach, the seed was sown first and then plowed under. The sower held it in an apron with one hand and tossed it with the other. It was not unusual that some would fall upon the hardened path through the field, some where the soil was too shallow, and some among thorns as well as on good ground. Therefore, this was something His audience would understand. And then He ends this with the phrase, ”He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9.

When Jesus was finished and He was alone with His followers, they asked Him about the parables, and He answered by saying, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.” Mark 4:11-12. His disciples have been given the ‘mystery of the kingdom’ because they left everything to follow Him, thus showing their desire to fully understand what Christ is declaring. Those in the crowds are not given this knowledge immediately, but if they truly desire to know and seek it with everything they have, then they are able to obtain this understanding. We can see this based on what Peter wrote in his second letter. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. God desires that all come to repentance, but the only way they can receive it is if they desire to understand what the truth really is and seek it with all their hearts.

So, what does this parable mean? The disciples appeared not to understand. “And He said to them, Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?” Mark 4:13. And because they were not understanding, He told them the meaning. He starts by telling them what is meant by the seeds. “The sower sows the word.” Mark 4:14. The Word of God is illustrated by seeds. And Jesus then follows with four different results, using the picture of seeds being sown, to show the results of giving the Word to four different groups. First, we read “And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” Mark 4:15. When these people hear the Word, they hear it, but they didn’t take firm hold of it and Satan, in whatever manner he chooses, took it from them causing them not to accept it. Next, “And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.” Mark 4:16-17. When these people hear the Word, they immediately accept it, however when trials and persecution comes they immediately give up and fall away. Next we see, “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-19. Here, the Word of God is sown, but not accepted because the riches and worldly desires take precedence and choke out the truth of His Word. And last, but far from least, “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:20. These are those who hear the word, accept it in their heart and do not give it away. They accepted it and lived by it. But not all are as fruitful in the work as others. And as for the thirty, sixty and one hundred-fold, not everyone is going to be as fruitful as everyone else. We will be as fruitful as God gifts us. Notice He does not state those of thirty-fold are looked at as inferior to the sixty or hundred-fold,

There are various ways that God’s Word is received. Some ignore it, some place things at a higher level, and some refuse to be persecuted and decide accepting His Word is not worth it. However, we must go out to these in order to find those who will hear it, accept it, and live it. It is worth it even if only one gets saved. “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:7.  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Mark 3:35.

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 3:35 

“For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” –  Mark 3:35

While Jesus was speaking to the Scribes who came to question Jesus, His mother and His brothers came. “And His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him, and called Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Mark 3:31-32. There is no question about who His mother was, Mary the wife of Joseph. However, not much is mentioned regarding His brothers. However, we do find them named in the Matthew’s gospel. “And coming to His hometown He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Matthew 13:54-56.

And when they arrived, they called out for Jesus, and Jesus responded. “And answering them, He said, who are My mother and My brothers? This was a rhetorical question which forced attention on a deeper issue, that being an authentic relationship with Him. He was not denying they were family, in the physical sense, but He was looking deeper. So He continues with, “And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, Behold, My mother and My brothers!” Mark 3:34. Now, Jesus was not minimizing their relationship. Mary was His mother, and he did have half-brothers and half-sisters with Mary as the mother and Joseph as the father. What He was speaking of was a spiritual family, and not the physical family. Again, He was not minimizing the relationship with His physical family, but He was introducing the idea of a spiritual family. And our focus verse lays out who His spiritual family was. “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35. In other words, in a spiritual sense, whoever does the will of God is now a part of the family of God. The Apostle Paul lays out this though beautifully. “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:4-7.

God must come first in all areas. We must please Him before anything else. We must do His will ahead of everything else. And those who do will be a member of the family of God, and everyone who does this will be family: brothers and sisters in Christ. “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26. This does not do away with our earthly family, however, it must take precedence and will ultimately last forever.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, for their

Mark 2:27

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 2:27 

“And He was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27  

Now Jesus and His disciples were passing through a field planted with grain. “And it came about that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.” Mark 2:23. As they were walking through the field, the disciples were hungry, and so were picking heads of grain from the plants. This was not illegal according to Jewish law. “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket. When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.” Deuteronomy 23:24-25. When someone entered their neighbor’s vineyard, they were allowed to eat grapes until they were full. But they could not carry any away. In regard to grain, they could not use a sickle but they could pick by hand and eat.

However, what the Pharisees had an issue with was the day this was done.. “And the Pharisees were saying to Him, See here, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” Mark 2:24. Now the Sabbath was started after the creation of man. “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3. Note what it says, “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

The Sabbath was not intended to be a bunch or rules, but a time of rest.  It was supposed to help people, not burden them. In contrast to the grueling daily work they did as slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were commanded to take a full day of rest each week under the Mosaic Law. The Pharisees had changed the Sabbath into a burden by adding restrictions well beyond what God’s law said. The act of picking a head of grain and munching on it as one walked along a field should not be considered harvesting, as the Pharisees said. The disciples had not broken God’s law; they had only violated the Pharisees’ strict interpretation of the law.

Jesus then reminded the Pharisees of the original intent of the Sabbath rest. “And He said to them, Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and his companions: how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?” Mark 2:25-26. The men who were with David were starving and needed food. There was no food other than the bread consecrated to God. Therefore, the priest gave Him the bread. “So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.” 1 Samuel 21:6. The holy bread had served a practical need of David, God’s anointed, and his followers. Just as in Jesus’ day when the grain served a practical need for Jesus, God’s anointed,  and His followers.

And then our focus verse, “And He was saying to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28. Looking at the big picture, the Sabbath was not made for man to follow and obey, it was made for man to rest. The Sabbath was not intended to burden people but to ease their burden. For someone to forbid acts of mercy and goodness on God’s day of rest is contrary to all that is right. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, did what was right and allowed the disciples to pick the grain to have something to eat. We must be careful that we do not place burdens on ourselves or others for the sake of the Sabbath or rules. As believers, set free in Christ, we are not judged by whether or not we keep the Sabbath day. “Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17. Christ is not calling us to follow a bunch of hard rules, but to rest. “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:27-30.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Mark 2:17

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 2:17 

“And hearing this, Jesus said to them, it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 

Jesus again went out to the Sea of Galilee. “And He went out again by the seashore; and all the multitude were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.” Mark 2:13. In this, Jesus was fulfilling the purpose of His coming. “And He said to them, Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for.” Mark 1:38. God the Father sent Jesus here to show the world the truth. “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10. Therefore, when there were people interested in hearing what He had to say, He spent time with them, Note the end of the above verse. “and all the multitude were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.”

Now, as He was walking He sees Levi, also known as Matthew. “And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, Follow Me! And he rose and followed Him.” Mark 2:14. This was no doubt where the first toll station would have been found for those coming from across the sea. This particular station was probably set up to gather taxes to be given to the Roman leader Herod Antipas. Levi was an official of the Jewish client-king Herod and was not a Roman tax collector. However, they were probably hated as much as those of the Romans, and for the same reasons. Their dishonesty was well known, using intimidation as well as force to collect them. Furthermore the Herodian rulers were at best semi-Jews and were hated as much as the Roman governors. And when Jesus calls him to follow Him, there was no hesitation. He immediately left and followed Him.

Now after the above, Jesus had a meal with Levi at his home. “And it came about that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax-gatherers and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.” Mark 2:15. Because of Levi’s conversion,  he prepared a meal in which Jesus was invited, along with many other tax collectors along with those who were seen as sinners by the Jews. Now, needless to say this was not taken well by the scribes and Pharisees. “And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they began saying to His disciples, Why is He eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?” Mark 2:16. Today, we do not understand just how outrageous it was for Jesus to associate with outcasts. In ancient Jewish society, fellowshipping at a table was one of the most intimate expressions of friendship. This was why the religious leaders could not understand how Jesus, whom they considered a religious person, would share a meal with such awful people. In fact, they were offended and disgusted that Jesus would not just speak to them but dine with them.

Now the Pharisees were speaking to Jesus’ disciples, and Jesus overheard their words. “And hearing this, Jesus said to them, it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17. What He is saying is that He did not come to minister to the healthy but the sick. And He is referring to their sinful ways. He came here for those who know they are sinners and desire to be forgiven and made whole. But those who believe they are righteous because they do the works they believe make them righteous believe they do not need what Christ offers. The Jewish leadership: Pharisees and Sadducees, and the Scribes believed they were righteous because they believed they followed the Law as God desired. What they did not understand is that man is ‘sick’ if they sin but once. And this applied to all people.

There are many in this world who need to accept the truth of the gospel. And these are the ones who need to hear the message of Christ. We are called to go out to the sick and lost to declare the truth. “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16. Those who are called the ‘sick’ are the ones who are unsaved. And they can only be healed if they recognize their situation and give themselves to Christ. There are many who believe they are healed but have never accepted Christ. But also, we must be willing to go out and present this truth to all who are willing to hear it. For as the Apostle Paul said, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15. Let’s go out to the sinners and unsaved, no matter who they are, and help them be healed of their sinful life via the blood of Christ.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, for their

Mark 1:28

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 1:28 

“And immediately the news about Him went out everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.” Mark 1:28 

After the four disciples began following Jesus, He left with them and went to Capernaum. “And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.” Mark 1:21. There must be a period of time between verse 20 and 21 because what is in verses 16–20 could not have taken place on a Sabbath. As soon as He arrived at the city, He entered the synagogue where He began to teach.  It was a common practice for visiting teachers to be invited to read the Scripture and/or speak, a custom from which Paul as well as Jesus benefited. That Jesus was invited to speak indicates he had already established a reputation as a teacher and that this was not one of the first events in his ministry. Jesus was recognized as a teacher even by his opponents, although there is no evidence that he had received any formal training. And we see this in chapter 12 where the Sadducees referred to Him as teacher. “And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.” Mark 12:18-19.

Then we read in the next verse, “And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:22. The people that were in the synagogue where amazed at His teaching. The reason for the astonishment was that Jesus taught on the basis of his own authority and not by citing previous scholars as did the other teachers of that day. Mark used several different Greek words to indicate that Jesus made a profound impression by his teaching. Certainly he was not a typical rabbi. The scribes derive their authority from the ‘tradition of the elders’, the fathers of Judaism, we might say; whereas Jesus receives his authority directly from the Father in heaven as we see in a previous verse. “and a voice came out of the heavens: Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.” Mark 1:11,

Then an event occurs in the synagogue that showed His authority was greater than anyone there, including the teachers in the synagogue. “And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, what do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God! And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet, and come out of him! And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him.” Mark 1:23-26. The questions the demon asked sought to put Jesus on the defensive and force him to justify his action. The demon knew who He was, for it declared several times who He was. ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and ‘the Holy One of God’. They also asked Him, ‘what do we have to do with you?’ They wanted nothing to do with Christ as a Savior; they had no interest in him, nor in his redemption. But he had something to do with them, to show his power over them and to deliver men out of their hands. And this He does, casting them out of him. These demons knew His authority, and now the people and the teachers knew also. “And they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him. And immediately the news about Him went out everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.” Mark 1:27-28. I cannot say this with total assurance, but I believe God did this for the purpose of showing Jesus’ authority to those in the synagogue, as well as the Jewish leadership.

Miracles obviously play an important role in this Gospel. Mark recorded seventeen individual miracles of Jesus and summarized others. In doing so he devoted more space in proportion to total length than any other Gospel. Nevertheless he did not attempt to employ them as compelling proof of the deity or authority of Jesus. They become proof only when accompanied by faith. They are signs of the advent of the kingdom of God. Especially do the exorcisms denote the breaking down of the reign of Satan and the establishing of the reign of God. And the Scribes, Pharisees and the Sadducees saw this as a potential lessoning of their authority, and this was one of the reasons they did not accept the authority of Christ, not because He did not have it, but that it minimized theirs.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, 

Mark 1:20

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 1:20 

“And immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow Him.” Mark 1:20.  

In this section of Mark, we see Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee where He calls four of His twelve disciples. First, we see the account of the calling of Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother. “And as He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:16-17. Jesus saw these two casting a net into the sea. Jesus calls out to them saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17. Now this was similar to the  Jewish practice of pupils toward their teacher. According Rabbinic literature, ‘a pupil sometimes goes after his teacher, i.e. joins him on his journey and maintains a respectful distance behind him; the following thus displays the pupil’s deference for his teacher, his personal commitment to him, and his desire to learn from the way in which the teacher handles the concrete problems of his journey through life.’ Sounds like what Jesus’ disciples were to do. So, how did Peter and Andrew respond? “And they immediately left the nets and followed Him.” Mark 1:18.

Next, we see a similar story regarding James and John. “And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. And immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow Him.” Mark 1:19-20. Again, we see James and John are in a boat, but instead of casting their nets to catch fish, they were repairing their nets in preparation for casting them. It was a common practice to repair their nets rather than buying new ones if possible. And notice what happens. They also left immediately and followed Him.

Now, I want to point out a few important ideas here. First, these were not people with fancy credentials. These were common men, and Jesus met them as they labored as common men. Jesus chose these disciples not for who they were, but for what Jesus could do through them. Theologian Warren Wiersbe has this thought, “Surely the good qualities of successful fishermen would make for success in the difficult ministry of winning lost souls: courage, the ability to work together, patience, energy, stamina, faith, and tenacity. Professional fishermen simply could not afford to be quitters or complainers!” And with this invitation, Jesus demonstrated what Christianity is actually about. At it’s core Christianity is not about theological systems, rules, or even helping people, it is about following Jesus. Now, Jesus used His followers to accomplish His desires. It was essential that they understand there is nothing wrong with these deeds, and they needed to be open to doing them.

And today we, who are true followers of Christ, must do the same for we are His disciples today. And what did Jesus say to the Jews who believed? “Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32. And this is what He is saying to us today. It is not enough to receive God’s truth. We must retain and walk in it. And it is only when we receive the truth, love it, keep it, and walk in it, that we are genuine disciples of Christ. We must devote our lives to Christ and His ways, and not replace some of them with what we desire.

When Jesus called these four to be fishers of men, He called them to do what He did. He was the greatest fisher of men ever. But He wanted others to do the work He did; first these four, then the twelve, then hundreds, then thousands and thousands upon thousands through the centuries; which ultimately refers to us. He wants to use us in doing the work He started, which was making disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. And He is not saying we are to do this alone. Note the last part of verse 20. ‘and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ This is our calling, to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples for Christ. Let us go out there and reach out to everyone, declaring the truth and helping them learn how to do the same.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, 

Mark 14:36

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 14:36   

“And He was saying, Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” – Mark 14:36   

This verse is found in the set of verses regarding Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane.  “And they came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, Sit here until I have prayed. And He took with Him Peter and James and John and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch. And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.” Mark 14:32-35. First, this comes just after Peter had mentioned several times that even though he may have to die with Him, he would not deny Him.  And the others were saying the same thing. “But Peter kept saying insistently, even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And they all were saying the same thing, too.” Mark 14:31.  So, as we can see, Jesus took His disciples to Gethsemane and asked them to sit there until He came back from praying. However, He took Peter, James, and John with Him as well. And due to what He knew was coming He was deeply troubled.

In those days, Jews most often prayed standing and with uplifted hands. Prostration was the gesture of extreme urgency. Jesus, being fully human as well as fully God, was struggling with what He knew was coming. Because of this, He was praying that if it were possible, that this hour would pass Him by.  ‘This Hour’ refers to the time of His arrest and eventual death which would accomplish the purpose for which The Father sent Him here. This prayer was an expression of the real humanity of Jesus, which is as necessary a part of his nature as his deity.

Then we come to our focus verse. “And He was saying, Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” Mark 14:36. “Abba” is an Aramaic word, as Mark no doubt hastened to add for the benefit of his Greek-speaking readers and hearers, meaning father or daddy. The word was used primarily by little children within the family circle. There is no evidence that Jews used the word in addressing God. Such familiarity, they thought, would be irreverent. By using the word, Jesus affirmed his intimate relationship with God.

This verse particularly shows the ‘human’ side of Jesus.  He was approaching a very difficult time in which He will not just be killed but tortured by the Jews. In essence, we see both sides of Jesus. The phrase “All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me.” is definitely His human side. While “yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt” shows His deity. As we see here, He still showed His human side, but did not allow it to take precedent over what the Father wanted.  As difficult as it was, He knew this was the only way to allow the plan of God the Father to be completed. And this plan was for all people, those that loved Him, and also those who did not.

And as hard as this may sound, we should also be willing to follow this example. We must never allow our desires to prevail over what God desires. He wants us to go out and preach the gospel to all, not just to those we desire to be around. He wants us to encourage all Christians to be a light in the darkness, not just those we feel comfortable around. We are called to love everyone, not just those who show us love in ways that please us. And if in our work for God, we must die in order to accomplish His plan, then we must die and thus glorify Him. What we want must always be secondary to His plans. Jesus is an example of this. So, let us go back to what Jesus prayed. “Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” He was not crazy about what was coming, but He went through it because God The Father wanted Him to. And we should do the same.  What does it matter what we want when God has the perfect plan for us all?

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Mark 12:41

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 12:41

“And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.” – Mark 12:41  

This verse of the day will be focused on what is important in regard to giving.  I call this, as others do, the widow’s offering.  This begins with Jesus observing the giving of many.  “And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.” Mark 12:41.  Now the treasury might have been located in the court of women and consisted of thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles for both the temple tax and money given voluntarily for various purposes. This is not fully understood however it is seen by many in this way.  Because of this difficulty, many usually interpret this as a reference to one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped offering boxes that stood in the Women’s Court, six of which were designated for freewill offerings. Many people came to give their offerings, and many of the rich were giving large amounts. 

And while He was watching, “a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.“ Mark 12:42.  The two very small copper coins mentioned here were two lepta in the Greek. The lepton was the smallest coin in circulation in Palestine and was worth 1/64 of a denarius, which was a day’s wages for a common laborer.  Needless to say, it was a coin of very little value. Now as was their way, the rich probably made a show in giving their offering, both in how they did it, and in ensuring that people heard the coins as they were put in the receptacle.  But for this poor woman, she no doubt quietly placed them in the receptacle. And because the coins were so small and had little weight, and therefore were probably not heard, especially with all the noise of the other contributors.  

Now, Jesus calls His disciples to Himself and says, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44. Jesus let the disciples know that the thing of most importance is not how much is given but the extent to which the gift is a sacrificial one. Or to put it another way, the most significant thing is not how much is given but how much is left for one’s personal use afterwards. A major element of Jesus’ teaching is that attitude is more important than action. The widow’s total giving demonstrates an attitude of absolute trust in God.

There are several things this story of the widow’s offering teaches us. First, God sees what man overlooks. The big gifts in the temple were surely noticed by people, and this was probably their purpose, and also what the disciples were watching. But Jesus saw something they did not. He saw the humble gift of a poor lady. This was the gift Jesus found worthy of comment, and this was the gift He wanted His disciples to see. Other gifts given that day made a lot of noise as they jingled into the receptacles, but the widow’s gift may not have may not have been by those there, but it was still heard by God.

Second, God’s evaluation is different than ours. The widow’s gift added up to a penny, according to man’s estimation. But Jesus said that she had given more than anyone else that day. How could this be? The difference is one of proportion. The rich gave much but they still retained their fortunes; the widow gave everything, all she had to live on. Hers was a true sacrifice; the rich had not begun to give to the level of her sacrifice.

And lastly, God commends giving in faith. Here was a woman in need of receiving charity, yet she had a heart to give. Even though the amount was negligible, what could her offering buy. But she gave it in faith that God could use it. The widow’s faith is also evident in the fact that she gave the last of her money. Like the widow of Zarephath, who gave her last meal to Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:7–16), the widow in the temple gave away her last means of self-support. Does this mean the widow left the temple completely destitute, went home, and died of starvation? No. The Bible teaches that God provides for our needs. (See Matthew 6:25-34). We don’t know the details of this particular widow’s future, but we can be certain that she was provided for due to our loving God. As Paul said so well, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

It is interesting that just before Jesus commented on the widow’s gift, He commented on the scribes who devour widows’ houses. ”And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market-places,  and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40. The religious officials of the day, instead of helping the widows in need, were perfectly content to rob them of their livelihood and inheritance. The system was corrupt, and the darkness of the scribes’ greed makes the widow’s sacrifice shine even more brightly. “Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7. And He is faithful to take care of His own.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Mark 10:44

Verse of the Day Devotion Mark 10:44 

“And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” – Mark 10:44 

These words of Jesus were spoken due to a question asked by James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  “Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left.” Mark 10:37. Jesus then responds with a question of His own. “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Mark 10:38.  In the scriptures, to drink of a cup is figurative o being filled with either good or of ill things.  Here, Jesus is referring to a cup of suffering.  The object of this question seems to have been to see how far those two men were capable of the dignity to which they aspired and this on the principle that he who is able to suffer most for His sake will be the nearest to Him in His kingdom. They responded by saying, “We are able.” Mark 10:38a.  Then Jesus responds by telling them they will suffer. “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.” Mark 10:39. And then He adds, “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:40.  It was not His choice, but it is for those who they were prepared for.

Now the disciples other ten were indignant with their request.  But Jesus calls them together and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.” Mark 10:42.  The leaders in that time period did not lead the people but ruled over the people.  But this is not what Jesus wanted of His disciples.  “But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44.  And then He makes it clear that they should follow His way regarding this.  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.

At no place do the ethics of the Kingdom of God clash more vigorously with the ethics of the world than in the matters of power and service. The ideas that Jesus presents regarding rule and service are combined in a way that finds no obvious precedent in either the Old Testament or Jewish tradition. In a decisive reversal of values, Jesus speaks of greatness in service rather than greatness of power, prestige, and authority: whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  Theologian James R. Edwards wrote, “The preeminent virtue of God’s kingdom is not power, not even freedom, but service.  Ironically, greatness belongs to the one who is not great, but the diakonos, the ordinary Greek word for waiting on tables. The preeminence of service in the kingdom of God grows out of Jesus’ teaching on love for one’s neighbor, for service is love made tangible.”

Another interesting point here is where He tells the disciples in our focus verse, “and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all”. Mark 10:44.  The pronouncement is, of course, an oxymoron, for a slave, who was inferior even to a servant, was in ancient society the last and least of all. The idea of a slave being first is as absurdly paradoxical as a camel going through the eye of a needle (see Mark 10:25) and it probably induced smiles and shaking heads from Jesus’ audience.  But this must be our way.  Too many leaders today believe that people should serve them rather than serving the people.  We see this in our governments, places of employment, and many churches as well.  Now I am not saying all regarding these three categories,  but speaking regarding churches, I have seen this more often than I imagined.  The desire for power and dominance focuses attention on self and this kills love, for love by nature is focused on others. The Christian fellowship does not exist for their sake, but others. Neither is the apostle or Christian leader above the congregation, but part of it. The congregation does not belong to him; rather, he belongs to the congregation and the Church itself belongs to Christ.

In closing, what Jesus teaches about service and self-sacrifice is not simply a principle of the kingdom of God but a pattern of his own life that is authoritative for and transferable to disciples. The ‘for’ at the beginning of verse 45 has a strong and important purpose: disciples should adopt the posture of servants and slaves not on the basis of ethical reasoning but because it is the way of the Son of Man. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. The life to which the gospel calls believers is not an ethical system but the way of the Lord, of which Jesus is the pattern and incarnation. This model of ministry cannot come from the secular order, but only from the unique way of Jesus, which defies the logic of this world and its fascination with dominance, control, yields, results, and outcomes. The key to the model commanded by Jesus is in the verbs ‘to serve’ and ‘to give.’ The reason why a servant is the most preeminent position in the kingdom of God is that the sole function of a servant is, through love, to give, and giving is the essence of God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.