Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of May 6, 2012
Day 105:
Mark 11: 1-11
2 Cor 4
Psalm 99
1 Sam 11-13
Day 106:
Mark 11: 12-26
2 Cor 5
Psalm 100
1 Sam 14
Day 107:
Mark 11: 27-33
2 Cor 6
Psalm 101
1 Sam 15,16
Day 108:
Mark 12: 1-12
2 Cor 7
Psalm 102
1 Sam 17,18
Day 109:
Mark 12:13-27
2 Cor 8
Psalm 103
1 Sam 19,20
Day 110:
Mark 12:28-34
2 Cor 9
Psalm 104
1 sam 21-23
Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of April 22, 2012
Day 94:
Mark 7: 24-37
1 Cor 12:14-31
Psalm 89: 1-18
Judges 16
Day 95:
Mark 8:1-13
1 Cor 13 (The LoveChapter)
Psalm 89:19-52
Judges 17, 18
Day 96:
Mark 8: 14-21
1 Cor 14:1-25
Psalm 90
Judges 19
Day 97:
Mark 8:22-30
1 Cor 14: 26-40
Psalm 91 ( My favorite psalm)
Judges 20,21
Day 98:
Mark 8:31-38
1 Cor 15:1-28
Psalm 92
Ruth 1
Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of April 10, 2012
Day 82:
mark 2: 18-28
1 Cor 6: 1-11
Psalm 78:1-39
Joshua 15-17
Day 83:
Mark 3:1-19
1 Cor 6:12-20
Psalm 78: 40-72
Joshua 18, 19
Day 84
Mark 3:20-35
1 Cor 7:1-16
Psalm 79
Joshua 20,21
Day 85:
Mark 4: 21-41
1 Cor 7: 17-40
Psalm 80
Joshua 22,23
Day 86:
Mark 4:21-41
1 Cor 8
Psalm 81
Joshua 24
Day 87:
Mark 5: 1-20
1 Cor 9:1-12
Psalm 82
Judges 1-3
Lets jump to Thursday now when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper. This I s found in Mark 14:22-25 but the backgroud leading up to this is found in Mark 14:12-16 and Mark 14:17-21. Lets look at Pass Over first, that is what Jesus and the disciples were preparing to celebrate was actually Passover. Passover was the first of all the annual feasts and the most important. (see Lev 23:4-8) It celebrated on the 14th of Nisan the first month of the religious year. This would fall sometime in our March or April. Passover commerates the deliverance of the Jews from Eygpt and the establishment of Israel as a nation by God‘s redemptive act. The Feast of Unleavend Bread began in the day after Passover and lasted seven days.
New Living Translation (NLT)
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples.[a] 18 As they were at the table[b] eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man[c] must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
Footnotes:
Here Mark is speaking of the events of Thursday. Apparently Jesus had already made arrangements for a place to eat- He announced the location in a very inconspicuos manner. Now, it would have been highly unuasual for a man to be carrying a picther of water, this was nornally a woman’s task. It is thought that this man may have been a servant. It is thought that the owner of this house may have been Mark’s father. Tradition has it this is the same “upper room” of Acts1:13 whereover 100 believers met on Pentecost.
There were actually two memorial meals observed here- one was the Passover meal during which Jesus predicted that one of the disciples would betray Him. After Judas left Jesus then observed the Last Supper which was in anticipation of the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood. The phrase “one of you who eats with Me will betray is reminscent of the messianinc prophecy found in Psam 41:9
New Living Translation (NLT)
9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
Matthew and John both identify Judas as the betrayer though Mark never mentions it.
I want to pause here and say a few words about this Memorial Meal that we have come to call – The Lords Supper, the Eucahrist, The Lords Table, Holy Communion, or just Communion. No matter what name we call this meal by- that consists of the wine of Juice ( some leeway here- both are from the fruit of the vine) It was most likley wine that was served at this meal as there was no way to refrigirate in biblical times thus no way to keep the juice from fermenting and becoming wine. And the Bread or the Loaf. No matter what your view is – whether this is actually the blood and body of Christ or are symbolic emblems- they are HOLY and this meal is a special time for all who observe it. It is a HOLY time – the loaf is to be unleavend bread. That is what was served to the disciples in that upper room after the Passover meal had been observed. Jesus instituted this as a Remembrance of Him and of the sacrifice that He was about to make. This Meal has been abused over the centuries and actually did not take that long for it to be abused by the Corinthian Church- they were making a party out of it! And in doing so some that could not afford to bring a meal were left without. The called it a “Love Feast” The time of Holy Communion is to be appraoched with high reverence and Paul even mentions that one who partakes in an unworthy manner is dooming themselves to damanation. This time is a time to commune with God and to let Him commune with you, this is a time of self examination, this is a time to look back to the cross, and remember the suffering servant taking the full wrath of God’s anger on Himself to spare us all from that horrible wrath. This is a time to remember the Resurrection and know that we share in that victory over sin and death. This is a time to look forward to His return to once and for all defeat evil and set up His Kingdom and reign forever. Again, this time of observing Holy Communion is a time reverence , a time joy, a time of anitcipation and a time to speak to God and a time to just sit quitely and listen for that small whisper in the whirlwind, a time of self examination and come to God in true repentance with a broken and contrite heart- confessing your times of falling short to Him. In short – it is the most significant portion of any worship service and should not be treated casually.
The Fig Tree
12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
This is also told in Matt 21:18-22) This is on Monday morning as they were walking from Bethany, where they had spent the night, over the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem About a two mile hike. Passover always happens inMarch or April and fig season is not until May or June. Fig trees normally produce a number of buds in March, leaves in April, and ripe fruit later on. Jesus was looking for the edible buds, the lack of which indicated that the tree would be fruitless later on The tree was alive but it was not going to bear any fruit. Jesus cursing the tree was a powerful parable- a picture of what He found when He turned His attention to the temple, the appearamce of life but no spirtual fruit.
New Living Translation (NLT)
12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.[a] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[b]
18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.
Footnotes:
This was on Monday, Jesus had done the same thing three years earlier, at the beginning of His public ministry. The profits from the market stalls inside the temple area went in part to enrich the family of the High Priest. Jesus burned with righteouss indignation at this perversion of the uses of God’s House.
New Living Translation (NLT)
19That evening Jesus and the disciples left[a] the city.
20The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.[b]”
Footnotes:
Verse 20 inidcate that this is now Tuesday morning, The fact that the tree was not only cursed but now withered emphasizes the power of true faith. It has been suggested that the fig tree represented Israel, which bore no fruit and would soon face the judgement of God. We come now to vss 22,23: The picture of casting a mountain into the sea is an extreme example of the absolutley impossible and that is the point
point. Having faith in God can accomplish the impossible.
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.[a] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[b]
18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.
Footnotes:
Next time we will take a look at the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus cleansing the temple (again!)
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