Mark 13: Jesus’s Word Will Not Pass Away

Today’s reading is Mark 13.

In Mark 13:30, Jesus explained He was talking about a judgment which would come in the lifetime of the generation listening to Him. But then He makes an interesting statement:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
–Mark 13:31, ESV

Heaven and earth did not pass away within that generation. Does that mean Jesus lied? Does that mean Jesus was mistaken?

No.

Jesus was not saying before that generation passed away heaven and earth would pass away. He was saying His Word is more stable than even heaven and earth. He was essentially saying heaven and earth will pass away before His words pass away. In fact, in this passage, He doesn’t even actually mean heaven and earth will pass away (though other passages do say that will happen at some point, see 2 Peter 3:10-13). He means as solid and stable as the heavens and earth are, His Word is more solid and stable. We can count on His words still being true tomorrow more than we can count on the heavens and the earth still being here tomorrow. We can trust His words more than we can trust the ground beneath our feet.

Of course, Jesus made this statement in a particular context. His point was judgment would come on Jerusalem and Judea. That word would take place. Of course, it did. In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in it for a second time. However, we can apply the point about Jesus’s words to everything He said.

Jesus’s words never pass away. All His teaching is true. Everything He says about how to live and how to have eternal life are all true. They won’t change. His teaching about a life worthy of His calling and salvation from sin, will always be valid. If Jesus said it, we can bank on it. When Jesus said Jerusalem would be judged and destroyed, it was going to happen. When He said the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom, we know it will happen. When He said if we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness God will supply our needs, we can take it to the bank. When He says if we don’t repent, we will all likewise perish, we know it will happen.

Jesus’s words will not pass away. We will. But if we have based our lives on His stable and steadfast word, even when we pass away, we will live.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Mark 13.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Mark 13 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 78: Jesus Passed the Tests

Today’s reading is Psalm 78.

Matthew saw Jesus in Psalm 78. In Matthew 13:35, he quotes Psalm 78:2 to explain why Jesus spoke in parables. In John 6:31-32, Jesus seems to quote Psalm 78:24 to explain the true bread from heaven–Himself.

However, there is a much more significant presentation of Jesus in this psalm. In Psalm 78, Israel tested God three times: vss. 18, 41, 56. They tested God, but perhaps they were actually tested by God. They failed. But notice something about the tests.

Test #1-Psalm 78:18-31: Israel was hungry in the wilderness and they tested God, demanding food. They got water from a rock–not quite the same as turning a stone to bread, but how close to we have to get to see a similarity? This parallels the temptation Jesus faced in Matthew 4:3-4. Satan tried to get Jesus to act like Israel. He tried to get Jesus to demand God feed Him. Use the rock. Turn it to bread. But Jesus passed the test declaring “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Test #2-Psalm 78:41-55: Here, they tested God again forgetting the work He had done for them in Egypt. Note specifically how God delivered Israel according to Psalm 78:49. God sent “a company of destroying angels.” Now that sounds a good bit like Satan’s second temptation, doesn’t it? In Matthew 4:6-7, Satan tried to get Jesus to jump off the temple pinnacle because surely God would send angels to protect Him. Jesus simply refused to test God. He recalled God will lead Him out of the wilderness just as He had done for Israel. He knew He simply should not test God.

Test #3-Psalm 78:56-66: Israel tested God again. How? With high places and idols. How did Satan test Jesus in Matthew 4:8-10? He offered Jesus the world if He would just worship Satan–just once. But Jesus declared, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”

Remember what we learned yesterday. This entire psalm was written to explain why Israel/Ephraim was rejected and why Judah, Zion, and David were chosen. Ephraim tested God and, in so doing, failed God’s tests of them. They were rejected. David was chosen. But then what do we see in Matthew 4? Jesus refused to test God three times and passed the testing Satan threw at Him. What does that tell us about Jesus? He is David’s heir. He is the Shepherd of God’s people. He has been chosen by God to shepherd His flock with a skilled hand. The point is not that Psalm 78 predicts Jesus. The point is when we read the story of Jesus’s temptation in Matthew 4, we should recall Psalm 78 and see the Son of David in both places.

Jesus is the Messiah. He passed all the tests. Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Psalm 79.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 78?