ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Don’t Be Afraid of Tomatoes! Today, Pastor Michael discusses the importance of not fearing as a believer. He draws a parallel from history, when people in the past, many centuries ago, were afraid of tomatoes because they were called ‘poison apples.’ They believed tomatoes were lethal, but in reality, the acid in tomatoes was reacting with lead from pewter plates used in those days. Just as a prepared soul has no fear of the end, we, too, should not fear the unknown. Remember, this message is not just about tomatoes; it’s about our faith and how we face the unknown. It’s Wednesday evening, and the apostles are leaving the temple, having spent three days there. They are commenting on how impressive the buildings were there. By this time, the sun is going down in the west, silhouetting the temple and making quite the impression. Jesus told the apostles that not a stone would be left of these buildings, and this made the apostles question the reasoning of that statement, asking Him privately when that would happen. They mistakenly equated the end of the buildings with the end of the world. Jesus replied, in His longest teaching on the end times, describing events and conditions that are the beginnings of sorrows. The early indicator that something major is coming. Getting back to our theme, don’t be afraid; the problem is not the end times, the problem is the fear in us. If you are a follower of Jesus, you do NOT have to be afraid! (CSB Notes) Jesus prophesied (announced, not merely predicted) the destruction of the great buildings. Symbolically in the withering of the fig tree (11:12-14,20-21) Jesus had already prophesied their end. Some question the accuracy of not one stone will be left upon another because some stones remain today in the Western Wall, but this was not part of the temple itself but the foundation that supported the platform on which the temple stood. Verses can be found in Mark 13: 1 - 8. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

You Can’t Outgive God. Today, Pastor Michael is expanding upon where Jesus cleaned the temple out of all the folks doing business inside, instead of worshipping. He runs them out and comes back on Tuesday and the religious leaders come out to meet Him, wanting to know what on earth He was doing back at the temple. The next day, Wednesday, they try tripping Him up again. So now, we’re at the point where Jesus is betrayed and arrested. Jesus knows this. All of it. So He just sits down on one of the low benches, around the Temple. There were a bunch of offering boxes around and He saw many people coming and going. He watched quietly until one special woman, a widow, approached the boxes. She reaches out and deposits two tiny little coins, and Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “She is giving more than anyone else.” His disciples marveled at that assessment, wondering where it came from. Jesus taught them that she gave all she had; others simply give out of a surplus. The core idea of this message is: You Can’t Outgive God! (CSB Bible Notes): Stewardship is measured by the sacrifice we make, not by the amount we give. The widow’s willingness to give all she had represented better stewardship than the large gift of the rich who retained abundant resources. The amount left after the gift is a more significant figure than the amount of the gift. Christian stewardship involves sacrificial giving that counts the need rather than the availability of resources for personal use. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 41-44. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Toxic Leadership. Today, Pastor Michael talks about something we universally seem to run into: Toxic Leadership. Everyone seems to have a story or know someone affected by Toxic Leadership. But it hits closer to home than we think. The biggest group of people who should answer to their role in leadership are YOU and I. While we may not have the “title” of “Leader,” leadership is really and truly about power and influence. Today’s core theme, knowing that, is: Truly leadership seeks to serve, not to be served. In today’s lesson, we’re with Jesus about 48 hours before he will be crucified. He is talking to His disciples about toxic leadership; those leaders (the ‘scribes’ in those days) were more concerned about being served than serving others. Their love of recognition is what Jesus is calling them out for. All pride is ugly, but spiritual pride is extra ugly. So what can you do? Lead. But be a leader like Jesus, all about serving OTHERS. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 38-40. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Offense of the Cross. Today, Pastor Michael is talking about Easter, the biggest day in Christianity! And bluegrass music in Peru, but that’s another story. The cross is a symbol found everywhere. The cross of Christ is everywhere but misunderstood, and Michael wants us to see it in a new way. A writer, the Apostle Paul, said the cross was offensive. He was writing to a group near Galatia, and they were treating Christianity as ‘just another religion.’ If a person feels good works can you into heaven, a cross is an offense. The cross is not a symbol of self-will but of a willingness to give up self. The cross is also offensive to human pride. The cross is offensive to human reason. The offense of the cross paid the cost! Verses can be found in Galatians 5: 11, Philippians 2: 8, and Colossians 2: 13-14. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Refuge at The Lord’s Table. Today, Pastor Michael is talking about so many things: regrets, sins, finances (or lack of them!), relationships, and how the world can turn all of that into a rough place. We need a refuge, a shelter from all of that. We need a place to go when we are hurting, stressed and confused. Is there a refuge like that? Yes, God has made that place and welcomes you into it. The core idea today is this: “Chaos in my situation, contentment in my soul.” (CSB Bible Notes) 23:5 The image shifts from shepherd to friend. The identification of the Lord with a shepherd emphasizes his care and protection, but he is much more than that for a person who is in close fellowship with him. While protection from enemies is still implied, it is intensified with the image of a banquet (table) that is served while the enemies look on. In Jewish society oil was a symbol for rejoicing (104:15) and was also used in the welcoming of guests. Verses can be found in Psalm 23. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Chosen One. Today, Pastor Michael will tell us a story about a “Chosen One.” We seem to love stories about somebody special who shows up to save the day! The idea of the Chosen One has been around so long that it’s almost become a cliche, but there are historical roots. God gave us paradise, and we messed it up by violating His one and only rule. But God sent His Chosen One to fix what is broken in US. The brokenness, bitterness, jealousy, anger, pride, and all the secrets that tear apart relationships take your peace and separate you from God. The point is that when we try to fix ourselves, we might get some things fixed for a while, but then something else gets broken. So, we do need a hero; we need a Chosen One. Good news: God sent one! The Chosen One has chosen YOU. Will you choose HIM? (CSB Bible Notes) The scribes identified Messiah as David’s son (vv. 35-36), but David identified Messiah as his Lord. Therefore, Messiah was not just a descendant of David. He was David’s Lord. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 35 - 37. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The REsource and THE Source. Today, Pastor Michael is kicking off on “Scarcity Mentality”, a mindset that forces one to focus on only the lack of resources. The heart of the message is, “Use the resource, trust the source.” The source, Jesus, will never run out! Jesus is on His last trip to Jerusalem, coming from Galilee, knowing He will be crucified, rise from the grave, and defeat death and the devil. He is coming down from Samaria with ten men, lepers, who are calling out for mercy. These men had a true scarcity mentality, as lepers of those days had almost no resources available and were shunned by society. Jesus told the men to go and show themselves to the priests, and they were healed. One, a Samaritan, came back to Jesus and gave thanks. Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed?” as ten were who cried out and Jesus told the ten to go to the priests. Yet, only one, a Samaritan, a foreigner, came to give thanks for the healing. Jesus told the man that his faith had made him well. The other nine used the resource but did not trust the source…the Samaritan trusted THE source: Jesus. (CSB Bible Notes) It is striking that the only one of the ten men who had healed and returned and thanked Jesus was a Samaritan . . . a foreigner. This is in keeping with Luke’s theme of the universal outreach of the gospel. Jesus’s statement your faith has saved you implies that the Samaritan was healed physically and spiritually. Verses can be found in Luke 17: 11-17. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Greatest Commandment Today, Pastor Michael is talking about why we obey God. Why God sets boundaries and how sin destroys. And why our core statement today is, “Love God, Love People”. We’re in Jesus’ story in the last week of His life. Plans are afoot to capture Him and kill Him. He is less than 48 hours from being crucified. A group of Pharisees had gotten together and were comparing notes on their plan to entrap Jesus, but it failed misably ot this point. One of them, at this point, a scribe asks, “Which command is the most important of all?”. Jesus answers, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” God’s expectations for us can be summarized in one word: Love. Michael’s Sermon Notes: What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? (CSB Bible Notes) The scribe asked Jesus for one commandment, but Jesus gave him two. Love for neighbors is rooted in love for God, the first commandment. No one before Jesus had combined these commandments, but it became standard for his followers. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 28-34. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

God’s Logic Today, Pastor Michael is turning the reigns over to the ever-popular Billy Huneycutt. Billy starts off talking about worldly and appliance logic, rolling into religious logic. The latter isn’t always right, so Billy is expounding upon “God’s Logic.” Billy will be using the Samaritan woman as an example in his story. Also ever present are the Pharisees, who have gotten wind that Jesus and His disciples are getting more popular with the locals. So Jesus had to go through Samaria, a place that devout Jews tried to avoid. Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink, which astonished the woman. She was trying to figure out why Jesus, a Jew, would ask for water, and Jesus explained to her that the water He could give would result in eternal life. She then tried to apply her human logic and was mentioning that the well was deep and they had no bucket. So Jesus told her to go and get her husband, and she replied that she did not have one. Which Jesus told her she had previously had five husbands, and she was now recognizing Jesus as a serious prophet. Jesus, at this point, lets the woman know that He is the Messiah, and she tells the town that He is the Messiah. His disciples wanted to play this down a bit, as it was getting too much! But this did result in many receiving His message, a large harvest, due to the Samaritan woman finally understanding “God’s Logic.” (CSB Bible Notes) As others had done (1:40-41,45), the woman brought people to Jesus so they could see for themselves. Ultimately, it was on the basis of a personal encounter with Jesus that they believed. His large harvest among the Samaritans marked the first sign of the universal scope of his saving mission (10:16). Verses can be found in John 4: 1-41. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Truth Demands Transformation. Today, Pastor Michael is covering the last of Jesus’ earthly ministry, engaged in a topic entitled “Truth Demands Transformation,” meaning if you are receiving the word of God and it doesn’t prompt you to become someone different, someone closer to God, you are missing a huge part of the banquet laid out before you. Here, the Sadducees were the rivals of the Pharisees and came from wealthy, powerful political backgrounds. Even though far fewer than the Pharisees, they wielded more power. They believed in only the first five books of the Bible and didn’t believe in anything supernatural, no heaven, no hell, no resurrection. If spiritual truth were a banquet, these guys were picking at the rolls in the baskets! The question they asked of Jesus was about a man dying and his brother remarrying his wife. And it wasn’t as simple as one of them remarrying, but many brothers remarried her, and none left offspring. So, in the Resurrection, the Sadducees asked, “Whose wife was she?”. Jesus tells them, “Are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God? “ He is calling these men out for not believing in spiritual things, for they accepted spiritual things that made them feel good, but they believed in God on their terms. Jesus affirms two truths here, neither of which the Sadducees believe in: the existence of life after death and the reality of a bodily resurrection. And this makes us realize that truth demands transformation, something the Sadducees never embraced. (CSB Notes) The Sadducees approached Jesus with a situation based on the books of Moses. Specifically, the case involved the levirate (or brother-in-law) marriage law (Dt 25:5-6). This law obligated a male sibling to marry his deceased brother’s widow in order to preserve the family name and inheritance. Based on this, the Sadducees presented a scenario designed to make the doctrine of resurrection look absurd. Their question assumed that the future life will be like the temporal life, Jesus declared that the afterlife will be different from life on earth. In heaven, people will not marry or be given in marriage. By going to the book of Moses, specifically Ex 3 and the passage about the burning bush, Jesus used the part of the OT that the Sadducees recognized as Scripture. The point of the OT quotation is that Abraham . . . Isaac, and Jacob were long dead by the time God spoke to Moses, but God declared he was their God. Since God is not the God of the dead but of the living, they must still be alive. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 18-27. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

In the World to Win the World Today, Pastor Michael is preaching about being in the world to win the world. In this episode, Jesus will speak to the reality of our dual citizenship: heaven and earth. The timeframe of this lesson is about 48 hours before Jesus is crucified on the cross. The leaders at this point were sick of Jesus because he was a light that would take away their control. These leaders sent a group of spies to catch him in his words (trick him). “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” was the question asked of Jesus. Jesus asked for a coin and showed them the inscription and image of Caesar. “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” and they marveled at Him. The leaders were amazed; they had never heard anything like Jesus was offering. Jesus was teaching that we have to obey earthly authority as long as it does not force disobedience to God. (CSB Bible Notes) 12:15 If Jesus answered “yes,” he would be seen as pro-Roman and would alienate the crowds. If he said “no,” the Pharisees and Herodians would denounce him as a revolutionary (Lk 20:20). Jesus was not fooled. He saw their hypocrisy and realized they were testing him. Verses can be found in Mark 12: 13-17. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Honor God With Your Vineyard. Today, Pastor Michael is discussing a parable Jesus taught about workers in a vineyard. He had just had an encounter with religious elites, those who should have been the most excited about Jesus, but they did not like Jesus at all! The zealots did not recognize that the power and authority that they had was not for their own benefit; it was to help people! The temple courtyard in Jerusalem is the setting, and the time is Passover. So it’s a busy place, and among the crowd are Jesus and His disciples. So Jesus starts teaching, and a delegation of leaders comes out to challenge Him, essentially for the big table turnovers He did the day before, asking Him why he was back. Jesus answers them by telling them a story about a vineyard. A man planted a vineyard and made it a productive and good vineyard. He rented it to caretakers and said he would return in a year to see how it was doing. So, after that time came, he sent a slave to see what was up, but the farmers beat the slave up and sent him away. He sent another slave: same story. Then a third slave and, you guessed it: same story. Then the owner decided to send his only son; obviously, the slave thing wasn’t working! As it turns out, the slaves got off pretty good; the farmers killed the son and threw his body over the vineyard wall. At this point in the story, Jesus turns to the leaders and asks them, “What should the owner do?” to which they reply, “The owner should come and kill the vineyard farmers.” Jesus said the owner of the vineyard should give the farm to others! The context in which this was told is that Jesus is at the temple courtyard and was discussing this with Church leaders. What was Jesus challenging them on? Authority. What did Jesus expose about them? That they loved their authority and power they received for representing God more than they cared about God’s authority! In this parable, the landowner represents God. Everything is His. Still is, by the way :) And, in this parable, the vineyard is the Promised Land, an image of Jerusalem, especially. The tenant farmers are the people of Israel, especially the leaders. And the owner’s only son? A representation of Jesus. What God asked here, in this parable, is honoring God’s authority and obeying Him. Did the tenant farmers (or Israel) do that? Absolutely NOT! The religious leaders were just like the farmers in the story: they are rejecting the Son, sent to them. Three takeaways: Verses can be found in Mark 12: 1-12. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Embrace Your New Identity Today, Pastor Michael is continuing the study of Ephesians, a letter of instruction given to believers by Paul. Paul talks of the old person versus the new person in Christ. The challenge before you is to embrace your new identity. Paul is stating here that you will have times when the old you comes back, and it will take focus to live your life in a new way. Seek the Lord in prayer to help you in understanding this. King Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, said the world is empty, coming from a man with everything he could ever want. Indulging yourself doesn’t leave you happy, at least not in the long run. Solomon said, fear God and keep His commandments. That is where you will find joy! Something has to change inside us, which is the new you! Ephesians 4:21-24 (CSB Bible Notes) Paul pictures the truth totally in terms of the Messiah, who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). 4:22-24 The apostle often described who believers already are, while also pointing to what they should strive to become. The practical paradox is that while freedom from sin’s eternal penalty is already ours, freedom from the former way of life (a life of sin) comes only through our daily quest for obedience and purity. These are lifestyle commitments that every believer is called to make. Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 20-24 and Ecclesiastes 12: 13. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Not Who I Used to Be Today, Pastor Michael is talking about how new life in Jesus is truly new. The old person creeps in occasionally, though! The big idea for this series is that the old man has no place in the new life. In Ephesians, Paul is talking to people in Ephesus and warning them that now that they know Jesus, they can’t go back and live how they used to live. We live in tension between the new life and the old life; it’s human nature. But if you have Jesus in your life, you’re not who you used to be (CSB Bible Notes) The Ephesians passage contrasts a person’s former lifestyle and the new life in Christ. Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 19. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

New Man, New Understanding Today, Pastor Michael is doing some brain work (you’ll love his example!); the basic meaning is that to believe in Jesus is to become a new man (person). First thing, the New Testament teaches that a relationship with Jesus is the ultimate eye-opener. Some things cannot be understood until you trust and have a relationship with Jesus. Next, Paul mentions not to be ‘calloused’ like others. If you keep rejecting Jesus, eventually, you become insensitive to Him. Don’t let the old person take over the new life you have in Jesus! If you’re a believer, Paul is challenging you here to live like a new person, period. (CSB Bible Notes) This section of the letter provides the practical outworking of v. 1. Paul’s exhortations denounced the readers’ former way of life. The content of the exhortation clearly parallels early Christian baptismal practices of putting off old clothes before putting on new clothes to enter the baptismal water. Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 17-18. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

New Man, New Mind. Today, Pastor Michael is talking about the end of the year and the beginnings associated with a fresh, new year. This is the time of year folks say, “New Year, New Me,” and is this really true? Michael today is talking about “New Man, New Mind”, as Jesus develops a new mind in us as His followers, a more fitting resolution for new beginnings. The original name of our faith wasn’t Christianity; the first believers called it “The Way,” a road or a path that started with a fellowship of people following Jesus on the roads in between towns, and these followers tried to learn and imitate the teachings of Jesus. We are not people following a tradition or following a religion; we are people following Jesus! So, what are some of the ways we can be better followers of Jesus? Consider a paradigm shift of: Michael also gives us three key verses to help us remember this: Verses can be found in Ephesians 4: 17-24, plus those listed above. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Night Before the First Christmas. Today, Pastor Michael is preaching on Christmas Eve, and that’s special all by itself! So where was Jesus on Christmas Eve? In the womb of Mary! But where was Jesus before that? When did he come into existence? Was it when He was conceived? Or before? Six Truths About Jesus BEFORE Bethlehem: Jesus was pre-existant. He was there before time existed. Before Genesis 1:1. Before ANYTHING. Long before what we would call the beginning, Jesus was there. When all of this is said and done, when everything we know is gone, Jesus will be there! Merry Christmas, everyone! Verses can be found in John 1: 1-5, John 14: 20, John 17: 5, 1 John 4: 1-3 and Colossians 1: 16. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

God With Us. Today, Pastor Michael introduces us to Beverly Burton of the Peacemaker’s School of Petit-Goave, Haiti. Her message is incredibly inspiring, being in their tenth year of school in a country that is lawless and run mostly by gangs. Her message makes anyone appreciate the luxuries we enjoy in this country, but we can always do more to help folks in Haiti. Please pray for Beverly’s ministry in Haiti to allow safe passage of needed food supplies and for the safety of her teachers and the children. After Beverly’s message about her Haitian ministry, we had our children’s play but had to trim that out as the audio was pretty hard to hear. Micheal then goes right into a story of an old man living in a cellar in Persia who has very few things, but he shares what little he has with a stranger who appeared at this door and even gave his shoes to the beggar. The king of Persia at that time was actually a man who loved his people so much that he would go out in the clothes of a beggar and visit them, allowing him to understand their struggles. Of course, you’ve probably figured out that the beggar who showed up at the old man’s place was the king! However, the beggar was simply amazed that the king would actually visit him and give the greatest gift of all: the gift of himself. God visits us in the person of Jesus Christ, who took on humanity and lived amongst humans. And Jesus gave us the same greatest gift; He gave us Himself. Merry Christmas to everyone! Verses can be found in Isaiah 7: 14. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Joy to the (Messed Up) World. Today, Pastor Michael is talking about our current world where the stress and the struggle can pile on! Christmas amps it up, with all the shopping crowds and noise. If only life weren’t so full of chaos! So, we should strive for inner peace: true joy is inner contentment despite outer conflict. How can we have this? How can we get this? Jesus = Joy! If you want joy in this messed up world, you’ll have to gain inner contentment, and the only way to have that is to have Jesus in the right place in your life. Jesus is coming again to bring peace on earth, but first, He came to bring peace in us! Verses can be found in Luke 2: 8-20 and Isaiah 65: 17-25. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Jesus vs The Authorities Today, Pastor Michael is in the heart of a quiet forest with a cold stream meandering through, and two soldiers in shining armor move forward to a figure, standing in plain wool clothing and a wicker basket with large fish in it. The man is whistling as he’s swinging a bamboo pole, and he’s fishing in the ROYAL POND! He’s trespassing on the King’s land. The man, however, is not frightened at all. In fact, he encourages the soldiers to join him in fishing. Soon, one of the soldiers poked the man with a spear, and the guard just got madder and madder. The man asks the soldier, “Who do you think I am?”. This man who was fishing in the King’s stream is the King himself! Indeed, the guards did join the King and filled the basket promptly. They learned that true authority isn’t about power; it’s about compassion. In another story, with another King, folks confronted him as a trespasser. This story takes place a few days before the crucifixion. Officials questioned Jesus’ authority. The Sanhedrin were the formal spiritual and political leaders of Israel at the time (the true authorities). They questioned Jesus by what authority he was doing things. The things he did yesterday… running people out of the temple, chasing animals out….this was the Sanhedrin’s area to control, but they let thieves take over the temple. So here, the Sanhedrin questioned Jesus’ authority, and He questioned theirs! Jesus asked the Sanhedrin if the baptism of John was from heaven or from men. Jesus was asking something completely legit to the Sanhedrin; it was their role to explain all things spiritual. They reasoned amongst themselves, realizing this was a trick question, so they answered, “We do not know,” so Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” This tells us that the authorities are more concerned with keeping their power than the truth. True authority isn’t about setting yourself up (for your benefit); it’s about setting others free. Mark 11:27-33 (CSB Study Bible Notes) 11:27 The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders made up the Sanhedrin, the seventy-member governing body of the Jews. These were representatives, not the whole body. In his first death prediction, Jesus named these groups as those who would put him to death (see note at 8:31). 11:28 The questions focused on the nature (by what) of Jesus’s authority (Gk exousia) and on who gave it to him. Jesus’s authority had been at issue since the beginning (1:22,27; 2:10). These things probably refers to his temple clearing and his royal entry into the city. 11:29-30 John’s baptism encapsulates John the Baptist’s entire ministry. From heaven means “from God.” Jesus’s question turned the tables on the Pharisees. If they admitted that John was sent by God, they would have to admit the same about Jesus. 11:31-33 A genuine prophet has authority from heaven. If John was a prophet from God, Jesus was even more so. Unwilling to admit this, the authorities refused to answer Jesus. Verses can be found in Mark 11: 27-33 Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.