April 29: Believing His Salvation.
HIS SUFFERING.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.--Mark 8:31
A pivot is a shaft or a pin on which something turns, but the word may also refer to a person, a thing, or a factor having a major or central role, function, or effect.* Thus, we speak of pivotal moments, events, words, and decisions that change the course of our lives. Today's devotional text represents a pivotal disclosure in the Gospel of Mark and in the history of redemption.
The first half of this Gospel highlights the authority of Jesus. Everyone is asking: "Who is this?" And the obvious answer, in light of His mighty works, is that Jesus is the authoritative Son of God, who has power over everything, including nature, demons, disease, and death. From Mark 1:1 to 8:30 everyone is in awe of Jesus, because He is the awaited Christ who has come with power and might! But then comes the pivotal verse that changes everything. For the first time, Jesus discloses to His disciples the prophecy of His sufferings: He will rise again after three days (see Mark 8:31). This is the first of three predictions of His death, which we call the passion predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33). This was the purpose for which He had come, and there it was, exposed for the world to see clearly for the first time. This was the shocking news, the truth beyond logical comprehension: Jesus had come to die--not just to show love or power--but to suffer to the point of death. He had come to be our Savior, and His death on our behalf becomes the pivotal event that changes the course of our lives as well. He was the "Suffering Servant," prophesied in Isaiah 53. Please place your name in the blank spaces. "Surely he took up ------'s pain and bore ------'s suffering ....... But he was pierced for ------'s transgressions, he was crushed for ------'s iniquities; the punishment that brought ------ peace was on him, and by his wounds ------ is healed" (Isaiah 53:4, 5; NIV, author's paraphrase). Yes! You are loved that much!
My Response:_____________________________________________________________
HIS SUFFERING.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.--Mark 8:31
A pivot is a shaft or a pin on which something turns, but the word may also refer to a person, a thing, or a factor having a major or central role, function, or effect.* Thus, we speak of pivotal moments, events, words, and decisions that change the course of our lives. Today's devotional text represents a pivotal disclosure in the Gospel of Mark and in the history of redemption.
The first half of this Gospel highlights the authority of Jesus. Everyone is asking: "Who is this?" And the obvious answer, in light of His mighty works, is that Jesus is the authoritative Son of God, who has power over everything, including nature, demons, disease, and death. From Mark 1:1 to 8:30 everyone is in awe of Jesus, because He is the awaited Christ who has come with power and might! But then comes the pivotal verse that changes everything. For the first time, Jesus discloses to His disciples the prophecy of His sufferings: He will rise again after three days (see Mark 8:31). This is the first of three predictions of His death, which we call the passion predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33). This was the purpose for which He had come, and there it was, exposed for the world to see clearly for the first time. This was the shocking news, the truth beyond logical comprehension: Jesus had come to die--not just to show love or power--but to suffer to the point of death. He had come to be our Savior, and His death on our behalf becomes the pivotal event that changes the course of our lives as well. He was the "Suffering Servant," prophesied in Isaiah 53. Please place your name in the blank spaces. "Surely he took up ------'s pain and bore ------'s suffering ....... But he was pierced for ------'s transgressions, he was crushed for ------'s iniquities; the punishment that brought ------ peace was on him, and by his wounds ------ is healed" (Isaiah 53:4, 5; NIV, author's paraphrase). Yes! You are loved that much!
My Response:_____________________________________________________________
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