Tuesday, May 13 – Mark 10, Luke 18

1. What does it mean to receive the Kingdom of God as a little child? Mark 10:15

2. Why was the rich young ruler sad at the word of Jesus? Mark 10:22

3. What does it mean to pray like the widow? Luke 18:6, 7

Do you have a favorite Scripture? Mine changes periodically, but of late, it is John 20:31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John is saying that his whole book was written so that you and I can believe that Jesus is the Christ and that we can have life in His name by believing. Perhaps that is the purpose of the whole Bible. This is the theme I would like to explore as we look at the two chapters for our study today.

There are nine different topics or subheadings presented in these two chapters. As you read through these two chapters, which topics intrigued or caught your attention the most? What topic was the most difficult for you?

Here are the nine subjects.

Marriage and Divorce. And isn’t it interesting that it wasn’t just the Pharisees asking the question, but the disciples wanted to know, too? Why? Remember, women could not issue a divorce, although some did. Jesus said that the law about divorce was made because of the hardness of their hearts. Could that be why so many don’t believe and find life in His name?

Jesus Blesses Little Children. He stated that one requirement for entrance into His Kingdom is to receive it as a little child, believing like a child, trusting and obeying like a child.

Jesus counsels the rich young ruler. Here, He shows that to be His disciple and have life in His name means believing in Him with all your heart. It can’t be halfway like the rich young ruler.

With God, All Things Are Possible. The grace of God, given as a gift, enables us to believe and accept life in His name, and that is for the rich and poor. The idea that the “eye of a needle” was a smaller gate cut out of a larger gate originated centuries after the New Testament was written. When Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, He meant a needle. He talked about impossibilities only possible through God’s gift of grace. And here He answered Peter’s question and assured us all that by believing and following Him, we will have eternal life in His name.

Jesus, a Third Time, Predicts His Death and Resurrection. When Jesus told his disciples about this, they could not grasp the importance of His explanation. We are blessed to know and understand His death and His resurrection and to know that when He died on the cross, He could no longer predict His resurrection because He was dying the eternal death from which there is no resurrection. It is only because He was sinless that He could be resurrected. We are so blessed to understand something of the second death that he endured for us. This truly is the essence of the gospel and gives all the more reason to believe in His name.

Greatness In Serving. Jesus was totally unlike kings. They want to be served, but He came to serve, and when we accept Him and believe in His name, His command to love one another and serve becomes part of us, “for even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus. The one thing that gave Bartimaeus his sight was believing in Jesus’ name. He received life in His name and became a follower of Jesus.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow. The question is, will Jesus really find faith in the earth when He comes? And the answer is yes, for He says, “Will not God avenge His own elect who cry unto Him day and night, though He bear long with them? Yes, God has people who believe they have life in His name.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. How often have we thought about this tax collector and cried out to God, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” The closer we come to Christ, the more unworthy we know ourselves to be, and the Holy Spirit uses that to drive us into a deeper relationship with God. We believe more fervently and know we have life in His name.

So there you have it, nine stories, one theme, Life in His Name. All these stories were written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that you may have life in His name.