Daily Lesson for Thursday 4th of July 2024

Mark summarizes here the simple and direct message of Jesus. Its three parts are illustrated in the following table:

The time prophecy to which Jesus refers is the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. This prophecy finds fulfillment in the baptism of Jesus, where He is anointed with the Holy Spirit and begins His ministry (Acts 10:38). The amazing 70-week prophecy is illustrated in the following chart:

In this prophecy, one day stands for one year (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6). The prophecy began in 457 B.C. with the decree issued by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, completing the work of restoring Jerusalem (see Ezra 7:1-28).

Sixty-nine prophetic weeks would extend to A.D. 27, the time when Jesus was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit at the commencement of His ministry.

His crucifixion would take place three and a half years later.

Finally, the completion of the seventieth week would occur in A.D. 34 when Stephen was stoned and the gospel message started going to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-01-the-gospel-according-to-jesus/

oin It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dr. Thomas R. Shepherd, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson, “The Beginning of the Gospel.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-the-beginning-of-the-gospel-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

View an in-depth discussion of The Triumph of God’s Love in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.  
Click on the image below to view the video:

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-the-beginning-of-the-gospel-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 3rd of July 2024

John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River. As Jesus comes up out of the water, He sees the heavens being torn open and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. He hears the voice of God from heaven, “ ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’ ” (Mark 1:11, ESV).

Image © Stefan pavel at Goodsalt.com

These events point to the importance of Jesus’ baptism. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present, together affirming the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The importance of this event will find its echo at the scene of the cross in Mark 15:1-47. Many of the same elements of the story will recur in that scene.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. The word “drove” is from the Greek word ekballō, the common word used in the Gospel of Mark for driving out demons. The Spirit’s presence here illustrates the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life. The Lord is already starting the journey of His ministry, and He immediately confronts Satan. The sense of the struggle in the scene is displayed by the reference to 40 days of temptation, the presence of wild animals, and the angels ministering to Jesus.

An unusual characteristic of the opening scene of the Gospel of Mark is that Jesus is presented as a character with both divinity and humanity. On the side of divinity: He is the Christ, the Messiah (Mark 1:1), the Lord announced by a messenger (Mark 1:2-3), mightier than John (Mark 1:7), the beloved Son on whom the Spirit descends (Mark 1:10-11). But on the side of humanity, we see the following: He is baptized by John (not the other way around, Mark 1:9), He is driven by the Spirit (Mark 1:12), tempted by Satan (Mark 1:13), with wild animals (Mark 1:13), and ministered to by angels (Mark 1:13).

Why these contrasts? This points to the amazing reality of Christ, our Lord and Savior, our God, and yet also a human being, our brother and our example. How do we fully wrap our minds around this idea? We can’t. But we accept it on faith and marvel at what this truth reveals to us about God’s love for humanity.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-01-jesus-baptism/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 2nd of July 2024

These verses have three main characters: Jesus Christ, referred to in Mark 1:1; God the Father, implied in the words of Mark 1:2; and John the Baptist, the messenger and preacher who is the main subject of the last section of this passage.

Mark 1:2-3 contains a quotation from the Old Testament that Mark presents to describe what will happen in the story. What Mark quotes is a blending of phrases from three passages: Exodus 23:20, Isaiah 40:3, and Malachi 3:1.

Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com

Exodus 23:20 refers to an angel that God will send before Israel to bring them to Canaan. Isaiah 40:3 speaks of God appearing in the wilderness with a highway prepared before Him. Malachi 3:1 speaks of a messenger going before the Lord to prepare His way. All three of these passages speak of a journey.

The text in Isaiah has many ties with the ministry of John the Baptist and also focuses on the Way of the Lord. In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus is on a journey. The fast-moving narrative enhances the sense of this journey, a journey that will lead to the cross and to His sacrificial death for us.

But much must happen before He reaches the cross. The journey is just beginning, and Mark will tell us all about it.

In keeping with the quotation from the Old Testament in Mark 1:2-3, John the Baptist calls for repentance, a turning away from sin, and a turning back to God (Mark 1:4). Clothed like the ancient prophet Elijah (compare with 2 Kings 1:8), he speaks in Mark 1:7-8 about the One coming after him who is mightier than he. His statement that he is not worthy to loosen a strap of the Coming One’s sandals shows the exalted view he has of Jesus.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-01-the-messenger/