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Hey, Bible nerds.
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This is Dr. Manny Arango and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast powered by Arma. This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the.
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Entire Bible in a year.
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You can head to the show notes or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan and join the Journey family. We are really at the halfway of our trek through the Gospel of Mark. It's going pretty fast, if I'm going to be completely honest. So let's jump into some context clues. Hey, today we're reading Mark, chapter 9, 10, 11 and 12. We split the gospel into four chapters a day because it's 16 chapters, so we'll get through it in four days. We've already done two days. We got two days to go. It's. If you haven't done the reading yet, this is a good place to pause. Stop. Put the recording away. Stop the video. Stop the audio. Go do the reading. Go read Mark, chapter 9, 10, 11 and 12. I'll be right here to break it down for you when you are done with the reading. Here we go. Let's start with context clues. One of the context clues, it's a really small one, but I wanna point it out. In this section of chapters nine through 12 is right here in Mark, chapter nine, verse 42. Obviously, this is not Jesus context, but it is Mark's context. So when you deal with the context of the Gospels, they have a dual context, right? There's Jesus's context, which is his audience. So Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests, teach the law, right? Herodians. There's Jesus's audience, his direct audience, the people that would have been alive in his lifetime that he actually engaged with. And then there's the audience of the author. Okay? So for Mark, Mark has a Roman audience. And that Roman audience is very, very, very familiar with pederasty. Now you may be asking, what's pederasty? It's a fancy word for pedophilia. Okay? And it's layered pedophilia. In the Roman world, it was very, very common for a Roman man to be a mentor for a younger Roman boy and to anally penetrate that boy. Okay? This is widespread in the Roman world. Also the Romans, the Greeks and the Romans think thought about sexuality very, very differently than we think about sexuality. First of all, the act of penetrating is what made you masculine. You weren't considered gay or homosexual unless you were being penetrated. Okay? So those who were gay or homosexual received sex in the same way that a woman received sex, but men gave sex and it didn't matter if they were giving it to a man, a woman, a child. You were still masculine and fully not. Not gay. Okay, so pederasty, very common in the ancient world, very common in the Greco Roman world for an older, wealthy, established wise man to kind of be teaching or mentoring a young man, showing him the ways of the world. And that would involve sexual penetration. Okay, so I want us to read Mark, chapter 9, verse 42, in that context. I think this is from Mark's audience. I don't think this is for Jesus's audience because it just kind of seems like it's in the middle. Like, it comes out of left field in terms of, like, what's before it and what's after. It says this. If anyone causes one of these little ones, okay, one of these children, those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. Take that for, like, hippie communist Jesus. All right. That is savage. That is savage. Grown man, drink black coffee, Lumberjack Jesus, right there. That is. That is. Hey, it'd be better to drown you in the sea than molest a kid. Or to. To be a pedophile. Like, that's just absolutely. I can rock with this, Jesus. Okay, I'm a fan. I'm with you, Jesus. Okay. All right, so that's context. A little bit more context. Mark, chapter nine opens with the transfiguration. Okay, but I want to give you context because Peter is actually going to talk about the transfiguration in the book of Second Peter. So let's actually go to Second Peter, and here's what it says. Second Peter, chapter one, verse 16 says this. For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the majestic glory saying, this is my son in whom I love with him, I'm well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. Okay, so the moment of the transfiguration stuck with Peter, and Peter talks about it in the book of Second Peter. Okay, so if we go back to Mark, Mark, chapter nine. Another story where our guy Peter just is not doing too hot, okay? After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they Were all alone there. He was transfigured before him. Before them, his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them the Law and the prophets, Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. Then a cloud appeared and covered them. And a voice came from the cloud. This is my son, whom I love. Listen to him. Suddenly they looked around and no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. And they came down the mountain. And they're ordered not to say anything to anybody. And they kept this to themselves, discussing what rising from the dead might mean. Like, these dudes are so confused, okay? They are absolutely, utterly confused. And so we're going to see a theme of them being super, super confused. So I want you to, like, just hold that one in your mind for a second, you know, Read this. I mean, like, listen to this. Chapter 9, verse 10. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what rising from the dead meant. What do you mean discussing what it meant? It means what it means. It means rising from the dead. Like, but they are just utterly. They have no shelf to put this on. They have no category to place this in. They are completely just. They're confused. They're totally confused. Actually, want to go to chapter 10? Actually, we're going to go to chapter 9, verse 30. Here's another moment, okay, where the disciples just. They don't. They have no idea what Jesus is talking about. Chapter 9, verse 30 says they left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days, he will rise. But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. Bro, like, yo, these disciples are hilarious. Okay, one more. Chapter 10, verse 32. This is like moment number three, okay? They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way. And the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid again. He took the 12 aside and told them what was going to happen. Verse 33. We are going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man, key, key word right there, Son of man, will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him. Flog him and kill him. Three days later, he will rise, which then gets into a whole conversation, which proves they don't understand what Jesus is talking about. I mean, I wanted to point out those three moments, they. Jesus is transfigured. It doesn't matter what happened. Like, they just don't understand. Which means, like, it really does take the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, like the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to really give them a spirit of knowledge and understanding to perceive the mystery or the foolishness of God. You know, that's better than any human wisdom that Jesus would die. This is just this. They have no shelf to put a suffering, dead Messiah, a Messiah that's gonna die on a Roman cross naked, like, full of shame. Like, that is just that. It makes sense to us because we have the privilege of hindsight, but it makes absolutely no sense to anyone with foresight. Okay, so they're confused three times. Just wanted to give you that context. Now, chapter 11 is now going to mark a shift. You can. Like. I mean, just in terms of, like, the content. It says this. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Beth, Beth Phage and Bethany, the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples. So they're now in Jerusalem. So now, like, from 11 to the end of the Book, they're gonna now be in Jerusalem. This is now. We're entering the Passion Week. All right, let's give a nerdy nugget. Okay, we're gonna give a nerdy nugget from Mark. Chapter 10, verse 35 says this. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. Teacher, they said, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. Okay, what do you want me to do for you? They replied, let one of us sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory. You don't know what you're asking. Jesus said, can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with? So he gives two metaphors. They, of course, answer the affirmative in the affirmative. We can. Jesus said, well, still don't matter. You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with. But to sit at my right and my left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared. So we have to now ask a question. Who have they been prepared for? Okay, who, like, they've been prepared. What? What. What's going on? Okay, Mark chapter 15. And we're going to actually see who is going to be at the right and the left of Jesus. And we're going to go to verse 27. It says this in verse 27, they crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults, shaking their heads and saying, so you who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross, save yourself. Where does Jesus see his throne? His throne is as he's nailed to a cross for your sins and for my sins, that's a throne for him and his crown is a crown of thorns. And everything about Jesus is upside down and completely servant oriented and servant driven. And yeah, James and John, they think that they are asking for positions of power and authority, but really what they're asking for is to be crucified with Jesus. And they are. Jesus says, you, you will drink this cup. You will be baptized with this baptism. But not, not later this week. Those places have already been reserved. And it's. And it's two rebels who are going to get crucified along with me. So that's the nerdy nugget that Mark chapter 10, verse 35 and 40 is fulfilled in Mark chapter 15, verse 27.
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What if I told you that what you're learning in this video was just the tip of the iceberg? The Bible department is actually powered by arma. What is arma?
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I'm so glad you asked.
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ARMA is an online subscription based platform that we designed to help people, everyday people, learn the Bible for themselves. We started ARMA so that anybody, anywhere could have access to trustworthy and entertaining.
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Bible and theology content.
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In addition to this podcast, we have over 60 courses on individual books of the Bible, on theology topics, and on some hot topics like homosexuality, tithing and women in ministry. But really, ARMA is a community. A community of people that I've gotten to know. A community where thousands of people are currently finding family, asking questions and nerding out on the Bible together. If you want a community to read the Bible Bible with you this year, or if you want to dive into some deeper theological content, or if you want more exclusive access to me and the entire armor team, how about you go to thebibledepartment.com I'll be sure to post the link in the description of this video. Let's make this your year to become a Bible nerd.
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We're gonna go back up to mark chapter 10 and Jesus is actually going to go on once he hears James and John's request. He's going to go on to give a lesson about leadership that I would say the world needs today. Says this. When the 10 heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, you know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles, lord it over them and their officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Verse 44. And whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Number one, that's actually the key verse for the whole book. Okay? That's the thesis statement for this entire book, that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Our timeless truth is that for the Christian, leadership is not influence. Leadership isn't how many followers you have. Leadership isn't how much money you make or how much you can grow an organization. Leadership is found in serving, serving people. Too many leaders want to be served. Not enough leaders are just serving people. That's convicting. That's challenging to me. That's our Thomas truth for the day. Hope that it's convicting and challenging to you. If you want to be the greatest, if you want to be great in God's eyes, then you better start getting to work serving not him, but the people who are around you so that you can show him or prove to him that you are worthy of leadership in the upside down kingdom of God. That's our timeless truth Today and tomorrow we wrap up the Book of Mark. I think tomorrow is going to be our best day yet. In the Gospel of Mark, we're going to talk about the crucifixion of Jesus. All right, I'll see you right here tomorrow. Love you guys. So proud of you. So, so, so proud of you for moving from the 94% into the 6%. Love you guys. See you tomorrow. Peace. Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department podcast. You can find us online and learn more about the show at thebibledepartment.com and on Instagram hebibledepartment. If you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.