Ablaze Church Sermon Podcast (Audio‪)‬ Ablaze Church

Beginning with Chapter 14 of Mark we learn about how desperate the Jewish leaders were to find a way to execute Jesus quickly and quietly before He gained full support for His mission. Yet, God is at work even in these events using the opposition of His enemies for the fulfillment of His plan of salvation for mankind. The Lord is likewise at work in the events of our lives today bringing about good even amid suffering. We must trust that He has a plan for all that happens in our lives.

Rather than being an external regimented, dry list of rules, Jesus describes the commandments as being centered on loving God and our neighbor. We are told that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our being; that is, with all our heart, soul, and mind. This Jesus calls the most important commandment. Then Jesus shares what is the second most important commandment, which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. These two commandments Jesus sees and explains as the heart of the Old Testament, revealed by the law and the prophets.

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is the place He openly accepted messianic titles and at the same time fulfilled many Old Testament messianic prophecies. The disciples and the crowds expected Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom. The express purpose of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem was to usher in God’s plan of salvation for mankind. Jesus entered Jerusalem in humility to fulfill the plan of salvation by laying down His life for sinners.

The transfiguration was an event where Jesus showed the light of His heavenly divinity. Jesus was metamorphosized before three of the disciples to display His divine glory and to prepareHis disciples for His death and resurrection. At this historical event, two Old Testament figuresappeared, Moses and Elijah, to verify who Jesus was and what was to happen to Him.The glory of Jesus reminds us that He freely chose death and resurrection for our sakes. Thisshould make us all the more want to listen to Him.

The Pharisees were that Jewish sect or part which laid utmost stress on the strictest outward observances of the law, including the traditions of man. In fact, many Pharisees and Scribes held traditional law over and above God’s law. Jesus exposes their self-righteousness as arrant hypocrites. The Pharisees and Scribes expected the disciples and Jesus to follow their ritual practices. Jesus quotes Isaiah to rebuke their hypocrisy and then gives them a concrete example of their false piety. He describes how they fail to follow the fourth commandment, “to honor your father and mother” so they can follow man-made observances.

John the Baptist was beheaded by King Herod Antipas. According to the New Testament, Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee under the Roman Empire. He had imprisoned John because he had publicly reproved Herod for divorcing his first wife and unlawfully taking his sister-in-law as his second wife. Her name was Herodias. She had a grudge against John for speaking against the marriage.