Willow Journey

NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT JOY FROM YOU. There's a song that says, “If you receive and you believe, testify.” I don't really like to talk about myself, but I think it's important to do so when we go through certain things in life and experience certain things, and whenever God's presence is in someone's life, it's encouraging to share with others. My name is Nives, and I grew up in Croatia. I was born in Yugoslavia, and I was a child from a mixed marriage between a Croatian and a Serb. This didn't really matter when we had Yugoslavia, but when the civil war in Croatia started in 1991, that seemed to be all that mattered. On top of being from a mixed marriage, I had the last name of a Serbian president so I couldn't hide. I belonged nowhere on either side. I'm from a town that had a lot of military presence and my town was a border town. Those were the unlucky ones in the war because for four years, there was always some kind of a fighting and shooting and bombing until the war ended in 1995. The first year was the worst. I never knew when it was going to happen. I could be playing tennis and suddenly there's an alarm. I'm running home and there are bombs flying, falling down, and planes are above my head. And I'd think, “All right, I'm almost home, maybe I'll make it, maybe not.” And that's where faith comes in, when you have no influence, no power, no control. That's when we can say, “Okay, God, come on, step in. I just can't do this on my own. If I make it through, if I survive, just show me the way. What's my purpose? Why am I doing this? Why am I the lucky one? What do I do with this experience? It can't be for nothing.” In high school, I was an okay tennis player, and I was invited to play tennis in Germany. I told my parents, “I'm 17. I want to go. I don't want to be here in the middle of the war. I'm done with this.” I was young and didn't know how hard it was going to be. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I couldn't do this. It was just too hard. I was so attached to my mom. My life goal was to get a job in the same building with her, but it just felt like a wind behind my back. Like, you've got to go do this, you've got to go do this. Have faith that it's going to be okay. It wasn't even so much that I was adventurous or brave. Not at all. It was just how the whole thing happened. Even how they invited me out of nowhere, even though they never saw me play. So I went to Germany, and played one year for them. Then I came home to finish high school and while I was preparing to finish and graduate, I got an offer to come to Chicago and play tennis for DePaul University. I was 18. I had taken a little English in school, but you can't compare that to the college level. I didn't even know what the SAT exam was. I got a book, studied for a month, and took the exam. Now that I have kids living here in the US, I realize what a process it is and how important it is. I didn't know then, which was a blessing at the time. I passed the exam by five points to get in. But that's when the real work began for me. I had to play tennis every day, travel to tournaments every weekend, along with studying and going to school as well. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about what I'm capable of doing and also just the culture here. I didn't know much about America. I did not have an American Dream. It just happened. When I came here, it was very different from what I was used to, and it took me many years to assimilate. I was very fortunate that I was always around people who were loving and supportive, who didn't care that my English was broken, that I spoke funny and was missing a lot of words. I was surrounded by student athletes and over time, I got better, and the professors understood and supported me. But of course there are people who assume that if you don't speak perfect English, that means that you are not smart because the way you speak is a reflection of your intelligence. When we went to tournaments, we were hosted by families in the towns we played in. One time, my teammate, who was also from Croatia, and I were at the dinner table with our host family. In front of us, they discussed how scholarships shouldn't be given to international students because that takes away from the American taxpayers. I understood her point of view, but to have that discussion at the dinner table, in front of us, that was too much. But there are all kinds of people, and you just have to not let that influence and impact you. You just do your thing and do the best you can. In Europe, we're surrounded by so many countries and inevitably you will travel to another country. Or if you live in a tourist country like Croatia with the coast, you will be exposed to other languages, cultures, the way they talk and even behave. And in America, even though it's a melting pot of cultures, it's still separated and shielded from the rest of the world. For people who are born and raised in small towns, they're not exposed to that. New things tend to feel scary for a lot of people, but they're not. If you look at it as exciting, you never know what you're going to find out and learn. After college, I was planning on going back to Croatia, which was always my plan. But I ended up falling in love, getting married, and staying here. I told my family, “Sorry, guys, I'm going to be living here from now on.” So I got married. I worked for Jewel-Osco for nine years as a procurement manager in the main office. Then, I got pregnant with twins. I lost one baby at 10 weeks and the other one at 30 weeks. It was a very unusual circumstance. But the interesting thing that happened is when I was 30 weeks pregnant, I had a placenta rupture and ended up in the hospital and the baby died. I ended up getting a bad pulmonary embolism. As I laid in my hospital bed, I heard a whisper and had a whole conversation. I believe this so firmly even though my husband and the nurses said that I didn't say a word. That whispered conversation was God's blessing to me, proof that I've got to keep believing, being faithful, and trusting God. This might sound like a crazy story, but like I said, if it happens, you have to testify. I heard a whisper say to me that this baby was not meant to be, but the one next year would be. That made me very angry. The whisper kept saying, “You don't need to know why. That's just how it's going to be.” But the next year, I had a baby girl. And the voice had told me it would be a girl. I don't know how to explain it, but when you live through something like that, your faith is unshakeable. I think that prepared me for when, seven years later, my husband passed away. It was very sudden and unexpected. He left for work and never came back. He was 38, and it was just a shock. I was a widow with children ages 5 and 7, with no family to help. When I look back on my life and the tragedies that happened, I think they slowly prepared me. You can't be fully prepared for this, but I always believe that things will be better. Without that belief and faith, I probably wouldn't be sitting here. It's been a long road, and there were a lot of tears and good people around me. A lot of people helped me, even helped me keep my faith. And I would always wonder, why would all these things be happening to me? I've realized that all my experiences are really just a way for me to be ready and prepared to help and serve people in my life who are going through similar things. I can reach out to others and say, “Hey, I'm here to hold your hand. I'm here to talk to you. I'm here for you.” When I was in need, others saved me. One time, I was shoveling my driveway. My neighbor was also clearing his driveway. He had a snow blower and I had an old fashioned shovel. He never said a word. The next time I had to shovel, I was so tired. I couldn't do it anymore and laid the shovel on the ground. I was done. God, Jesus, come on I need something. And as I said that, I was looking at the snow falling and how beautiful it was in the middle of my nervous breakdown, and here comes my neighbor and he says, “Hey, how about I shovel for you today?” I'm like, “Oh my God, thank you so much.” That was a small miracle. I like to think I'm strong and tough, but sometimes I'm not. I always feel that when I surrender, when I'm done controlling and doing things on my own, that's when God says, “Okay, now you can listen. Now you can hear me.” It's difficult to be happy or satisfied with everything in your life. And most of the time, if we're honest, we're not. But if you can find joy in your life, no matter what's going on around you, as powerless as you may feel, remember that you are God's beloved child, no matter what. No one can take that joy from you. There's always hope. There is God's grace and God's love. And sometimes our prayers are unanswered, but it's not because God is busy or doesn't care or doesn't love us. Sometimes we just have to be patient. We might not get the answers to why things are unanswered, but some things are blessings really. We just don't know it at the time. So always keep the faith and find people in your life who support you and love you and who can be there for you and never give up.

COMMENTARY Daniel 12 concludes the final vision and brings the book of Daniel to a stunning close. In the first half of the vision, we read about a series of kings who would “arise” to their thrones and oppress the people of God (Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 21, 31). We were told that each king would meet their just “end” similar to the way previous kings in the book were humbled because of their pride (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45). But somewhat surprisingly, we also read that some people who remained loyal to God would meet a similar fate; they would “fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered” (Daniel 11:33). The death of God's faithful in Daniel 11 stands out given that in so many previous stories and visions, God rescued and raised His people to victory. God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace and raised them to positions of power. God rescued Daniel from the lions and raised him to the second-highest throne in Persia. God rescued the Son of Man and those He represented, giving them a kingdom that would never be destroyed. But now it seems that the furnace has burned God's followers. It seems that the lions have devoured them. It seems that the enemies of the people of God have caused their demise. So what does it mean for God to be sovereign and just if this is the end for many innocent people who courageously stayed faithful to Him? Chapter 12 presents the resolution. If God's justice is to be ultimately realized in the world, the end for the faithful who have died won't be death but will be one last great work of rescue and raising. Daniel 12:2-3 says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Here we read the clearest Old Testament reference to bodily resurrection. The promise of the vision is that those who remain loyal to God will be rescued from death and raised to rule and reign with Him, filling the royal role that God gave humans from the very beginning (Genesis 1:26-28). This is what it means to say that the resurrected would “shine” like “stars.” In the Bible, shining stars are symbols of royalty as in Numbers 24:17, which says, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” To be a star is to have a position of power in God's kingdom. So as we've seen throughout the book of Daniel, tyrants may oppress others in their pursuit of power, but in the end, seats of authority in God's kingdom are reserved for the humble and faithful. This is the promise for us today if we stay faithful to God. In a society that is not so different from Babylon, Persia, and Greece, many things may tempt us to ignore, abandon, or even live in direct contradiction to our faith. Our own cultural idols and comforts may draw us away from the justice that God desires for our communities. Like Daniel, we must have the eyes to see these forces for what they are and the courage to resist them no matter the cost. God has in a sense already rescued and raised those of us who have pledged allegiance to Jesus the King. So with the power He's invested in us, our mission is to join Him in bringing the good news of the kingdom of God on earth. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 12 THE END TIMES 1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” QUESTIONS 1. Now that you've read the book of Daniel, if someone was to ask you what it is all about, how would you summarize it? 2. What is your biggest takeaway from Daniel? How have you been inspired to live differently as a result of reading this book?

COMMENTARY Yesterday, we read the introduction to the final vision of Daniel. Today's reading reveals the message of the vision, which was “written in the book of truth” (Daniel 10:21; 11:2). This message reads like a history book. It recounts the rise and fall of various kings and kingdoms in the ancient Near East. These kings are not referred to by their names but are easily identified by the activities attributed to them. For example, the “mighty king” of Greece whose kingdom is “broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven” is undoubtedly Alexander the Great, the Greek emperor whose kingdom was divided between four generals after his sudden and early death in 323 BC (Daniel 11:3-4). Likewise, the “king of the North” who abolishes daily sacrifices, installs “the abomination that causes desolation” in the temple, and murders those who remain faithful to God is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Greek-Syrian tyrant who terrorized Judeans before his death in 164 BC (Daniel 11:28, 31, 33). A good study Bible or commentary will help readers make these connections, but you don't need to know exactly who each king is in this chapter in order to understand the point. Repetitious words and themes drive home the big idea. King after king will “arise” to power (Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 21, 31). They will do whatever “pleases” them without concern for others (Daniel 11:3, 16, 36). But no matter how invincible they seem, each will meet their own “end” (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45). These repetitions emphasize the fact that human history tends to follow certain patterns. Just as Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius were all humbled in their own ways after they arrogantly afflicted Daniel and his contemporaries, many other violent kings would arise and fall. For Judeans who faced the prospect of being “burned,” “captured,” or “plundered” by these kings, this survey of history must have served as a source of hope (Daniel 11:33). God saw their suffering, and He would bring down their oppressors at His “appointed time” (Daniel 11:27, 29, 35). This message continues to be “truth” for us today (Daniel 11:2). Those with power might do what pleases them for the time being, but the seemingly unstoppable empires of the world are really just transient to God. He will bring victory to His people, in this life or the next. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 11:2–45 THE KINGS OF THE SOUTH AND THE NORTH 2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. 5 “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. 7 “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. 11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. 14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. 20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. 21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time. 25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. 29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. THE KING WHO EXALTS HIMSELF 36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. QUESTIONS 1. The situation of faithful people in Daniel 11:33-35 parallels the situations of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 1, 3, and 6. All were forced to choose between life or loyalty to God. Unfortunately, some described in Daniel 11 were not immediately rescued by God as their predecessors had been. How do we make sense of God's seemingly haphazard dealings with the world? Can we? What is the message of Daniel 11 for those who don't experience immediate earthly rescue? 2. Daniel 11:32 indicates that those “who know their God will firmly resist” evil powers like Antiochus IV Epiphanes. How were people back then supposed to show resistance? What do you suppose godly resistance looks like today?

COMMENTARY Today's reading includes an extended introduction to the final and longest vision in the book of Daniel. It begins with Daniel seeking a message from God through the practices of prayer, mourning, and fasting. As we've seen God do so many times in this book, He responds to Daniel by sending an angelic messenger. But this time, the messenger is delayed by three weeks and for a strange reason. In Daniel 10:12-13, the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” Here, the messenger reveals an important but difficult to understand part of reality. He reveals that beyond the material dimension stands a supernatural realm where spiritual beings fight on behalf of the nations they represent. The idea that spiritual beings represent different nations was common in the ancient Near East and is reflected in other parts of Scripture. For example, Deuteronomy 32:8 (MSG) says, “When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on Earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians.” In this circumstance, a spirit fought to delay Daniel's angel because the message the angel brought was about the impending fall of Persia to the Greeks (Daniel 10:20; 11:2-3). In our modern culture, we don't talk much about the spiritual realm. It's clear though that biblical authors and spiritual leaders like Daniel, Paul, and Jesus often talk about this reality. So how do we live knowing this truth? We do not live by assigning mysterious spiritual causes to every event; the Bible warns us about this. Instead, we live and pray, knowing that not everything is explainable by physical realities that we can see. This should not produce fear in us but confidence in the God we serve and the truth that Jesus has conquered the principalities and powers of the world. God's ultimate victory and supremacy in all things is already assured. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 10–11:1 DANIEL'S VISION OF A MAN 1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. 2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” 15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” 20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. CHAPTER 11 1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) QUESTIONS 1. How much thought have you given to the reality of the supernatural realm? Does it intrigue you? Does it scare you? Are you unconcerned about this dimension? Why? 2. Daniel prayed humbly, fervently, and persistently for three weeks while he waited for an answer from God. Have you abandoned any of your prayers to God? What's keeping you from humbly, fervently, and persistently sharing what's on your heart with Him?

COMMENTARY Today's reading continues the occasion of Daniel 9. We've seen Daniel praying to God after reflecting on Jeremiah's prophecy about the seventy years of captivity. Now, Daniel receives a vision from the angel Gabriel, which reveals more about the exile of the people of God. In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel says, “Seventy ‘sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” In other words, exile was not entirely over for the people of God. They would return to the land of Judah, but even there, their suffering would continue for “seventy ‘sevens'.” The phrase “seventy ‘sevens'” has been the subject of endless debate. Most scholars agree that the phrase means seventy “seven-year intervals” or 490 years. They draw this conclusion by comparison with Leviticus 25:8, which talks about how an event known as the Year of Jubilee should occur after seven “seven-year intervals” or 49 years. Beyond that, scholars have offered endless interpretations about when this 490-year period might begin and end. Verses 25-27 complicate things even more. Those verses subdivide the 490 years into periods of 49 years, 434 years, and 7 years. No matter when this 490-year period is thought to begin or end, it is virtually impossible to line up all these time frames with dates of significance in Jewish and Christian history, if that is even the correct understanding in the first place. Instead of trying to force the numbers to add up, it is probably best to interpret Daniel's seventy “sevens” as theological math, a common phenomenon in the Bible where the significance of a number is not in its numerical value, but in what it symbolically conveys. A good example of this is in Matthew 18:21-22, which uses the same numbers as Daniel 9. When Peter asks Jesus if he should forgive someone up to seven times, Jesus responds, “No, not seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22 NLT). The point isn't that Peter should forgive someone precisely 490 times and that would be enough. Given that the number seven often conveys ideas of completion or perfection in the Bible (and much more the number 490), the point is that Peter should forgive as many times as is necessary. In a similar way, Daniel 9 seems to be expressing that at the complete and perfect time, God would act on behalf of His powerless people. This is certainly how Jesus and the New Testament writers understood the mission of Jesus. As Paul writes in Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (cf. Mark 1:15; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:10). So rather than spending our time attempting to calculate exactly when certain events did or may yet take place, we should instead spend our energies creating communities that demonstrate the qualities that God has required of His people since the beginning: justice, righteousness, and self-giving love. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 9:20–27 THE SEVENTY “SEVENS” 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill—21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy ‘sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,' and sixty-two ‘sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,' the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.' In the middle of the ‘seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 9:21 indicates that Daniel received an answer to his prayer while he was still praying. Why do you suppose God was so quick to speak to Daniel? 2. Many scholars see the details of Daniel 9:26-27 as describing the events of 171-164 BC when Antiochus IV Epiphanes killed an “anointed” priest, “put an end” to Jewish worship, and installed an “abomination that causes desolation” in the Temple. If this is the case, then in Mark 13, Jesus reapplied these symbols to his first century context because many similar things were happening in His own day. He as God's anointed would be killed, and the Jerusalem Temple would be destroyed by the Romans. Why do you suppose history seems to repeat so often? What does the end of this vision (and really all the visions of Daniel) teach us about the end of each cycle of history?

COMMENTARY Daniel 9 contains another vision, but unlike the previous visions, it begins with a reflection on Scripture and a prayer. The historical and biblical background for this occasion is significant. Verses 1-2 tell us that “in the first year of Darius,” Daniel meditated on a message “given to Jeremiah the prophet,” which concerned “seventy years” of desolation for Jerusalem. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet talked about how the people of Judah would be exiled in Babylon as a result of their sins but would return to their land after seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). Now in 539 BC, nearly seventy years after Daniel's deportation to Babylon, Daniel is meditating on these passages and wondering if the return to Jerusalem is imminent. After reflecting on this passage, Daniel turns to God in prayer regarding the things on his mind. The prayer he prays follows a model outlined in 1 Kings 8:46-51. He starts by pleading with God to show love to God's people. Then, Daniel makes a confession of corporate sin: “We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws” (Daniel 9:5). What's noteworthy about this prayer is that Daniel admits his own part in the sin of his people even though he has repeatedly been vindicated as innocent by God. In the book of Daniel, there are no accounts of any wrongdoing by Daniel. He has proven to be without corruption as an individual, but he recognizes that he was a participant in a community that was guilty of wrongdoing and sin. Daniel's humble posture in prayer should challenge us as Christians in America today. In our individualistic society, we tend to think of sin as the crime of individuals, not communities. When we see evil pervading the walls of governments, workplaces, schools, or churches, we blame others, never ourselves. The truth is, sin can be committed by individuals and by communities, and we can be held at fault for both. It is the action or inaction of individuals that allows corporate sin to continue and systemic wrongs to go on. Thankfully, we have a merciful God who forgives those who confess their complicity and work to bring change. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 9:1–19 DANIEL'S PRAYER 1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. 15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” QUESTIONS 1. Why do you think it is so hard for individuals to accept blame like Daniel did for societal issues? 2. What corporate sins do you think we need to confess as a country? As a society? As a church?

I LOST MY MOTHER WHEN I WAS EIGHT, AND I'VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WRITING OBITUARIES. I think about death a lot, and that might be totally weird. It probably has something to do with the fact that I lost my mother when I was eight, and I've had a lot of experience writing obituaries. I look at pictures totally differently now because I've had to sift through them to pick for obituaries. I had to bury two of my brothers and when I look at pictures now, they mean so much more to me because you never know how they're going to be used. My name is Iris Flores, and I am kind of from everywhere. I was originally born in the Cabrini–Green housing projects.Flores is my married name. People assume that I'm Latina, which I am not. A large part of my story and who I am is because I lost my mother at the age of eight. I moved a lot. I went to twelve grammar schools and three high schools, so I'm everywhere. I went to the city schools, I went to the suburban schools, I went to school in Minnesota, whoever could take me. I went to Downers Grove South High School my freshman year, Palatine High School my sophomore year, and I graduated from Senn High School. I mostly lived in the suburbs after I graduated from high school because I prefer the suburbs, but I ended up moving back to the city because I was employed by the City of Chicago. My mother was kind of a quiet woman, and she was in excruciating pain all the time from a disease called scleroderma. I think she was heavily medicated. She didn't talk to me a whole lot, and after she died, I moved every six months to a year. I ended up moving back and forth to Cabrini-Green a couple times. The last time I lived there, it was really bad. The hallways smelled like urine. The elevators didn't usually work, so it was not abnormal to get out of school and have to walk up 13 flights of stairs. You couldn't touch the railing because people would usually spit on them. It wasn't a great place to live. On my first day of kindergarten I had a cute little matching rain jacket, boots, and hat but by the time I got home, they were all gone. I got beat up. They took my jacket, my boots, and my hat. It wasn't a good place by the time I went to kindergarten. I had my first impression of religion when Father Sebastian would come to our house on Saturdays and do whatever they did. My mom was a devout Catholic, and we went to church at St. Joseph's, but I never felt like I understood anything at church. I didn't understand the standing, kneeling, sitting down. I didn't understand the hymns. I never really felt like I got anything out of mass. When I was 16, I moved in with my dad. He lived in Palatine with his new wife. He had a one-bedroom apartment and my father was very honest and very direct. I had been living with him for two weeks. My father went and bought alcohol every day and he took me with him. My father was very personable. Everyone loved him. He could've been the mayor of Palatine. He would go into the liquor store and there was this woman there named Lisa. I don't know if this makes sense to you or not, but when you're an African-American person in a predominantly white community, when you see another black person you kind of have this, “I see you” connection. Lisa was an African-American woman. Turns out she was 14 years older than me, and we shared the same birthday. She worked at the liquor store and I started going in there just to hang out with her when I didn't have anything to do, and we became friends within the first two weeks I lived with my dad. I had a 10 pm curfew and one night when I got in the house, my dad and Catherine were not on the couch, and I knew something was wrong because that was not normal. My dad called me in the next room and I said, “Hey, what's going on?” He says, “You cannot live here any longer and I'd like to know where you want to go.” I said, “Excuse me? I don't understand.” He goes, “What are you illiterate? I said you can't live here anymore. I don't want the responsibility, so think of somewhere that you want to go.” I said, “Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it. Can I leave my things here until tomorrow?” He said, “You can stay here until tomorrow.” I said, “I'm fine. No thank you.”I left and walked over to Lisa's house. She lived in the same complex, and we were just hanging out. After a few minutes she says, “Wait a minute, you had a 10 pm curfew. What are you doing here?” I said, “My dad told me I couldn't live there anymore.” She said, “Are you serious?” And I said, “Yes.” Lisa's husband got up off the couch and put their two kids in the same bed to free a bed up, put their clothes in the combined drawers and he said, “You have a home here from now on.” I moved in with them that night, and I lived with them for about a year. Through all that, never really having a home, and not having any real connections, I just knew that God kept me safe. I had been in so many negative places. There was a time when I moved back to the city in my junior year of high school and I got hooked up with a really bad crowd. I promise you that God had His arms around me because there was death, there was addiction, there was all sorts of things that a 16-year-old should not have been exposed to. There was no parent to supervise me. I can't tell you how many nights I walked the streets of Chicago by myself at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 a.m. But then I ended up meeting some girls who took me to a typical black church. I think it was a Baptist church, and I totally freaked out because I had never had that experience before. People were having the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues, so I was totally petrified, but I remember feeling some emotion. That was the first time that I ever felt like God could've actually been a thing that people could feel and connect with. I fell in love with gospel music and sang in the choir. I felt like I made my first true connection with God through music. Eventually I really felt like I developed a personal relationship with God. There was a time when I was very involved in church. I was in the choir, the women's group, and the prayer group. I always remembered the importance of leaving a little sprinkle of Jesus if I came into contact with someone who I knew was struggling. I have some friends that are agnostic, Buddhist, and nonbelievers. I always manage to just throw it out there because I know that it's my responsibility as a Christian. I have to plant a little seed. Sometimes I think I might turn her off, and she might not call me again, but I know that it's okay because it's my duty as a Christian. I feel like God's had my back because I've been somewhat faithful to what He wants me to do. Later on, because my husband and I always worked opposite shifts, it was hard for us to go to church at the same time. I had been praying and praying and praying that God would find the right service for him to go to, and there were several different times when we tried to go at the same time, and it just never worked out. When he finally got the opportunity to go to church with me, it was the Sunday that a former gangster or mafia-type guy was the speaker, and his story was so similar to my husband's that I knew God delayed my husband coming for that particular service. I knew it 100% without a doubt. I think that was the first real experience he had where he felt a connectedness. Ironically, I eventually switched to work midnight shifts and a lot of Sunday mornings, I would get in from work at 6:30 in the morning. So, my husband started taking our girls to church by himself because he switched shifts and now was working in the afternoons. So now he was the primary church guy in the family and over the years, I've seen God work in his life. Now he volunteers at the church, and he's just completely come to understand God on a whole different level. He recently got baptized, accepted the Lord as his savior. Watching God work in his life has been another confirmation to me of how things happen in God's time, not always when we want. If nothing else, I've definitely learned that every challenge, every struggle, and every dark period was necessary for me to become who I am today. I always tell my kids that I'm just so thankful for all the struggle because it's completely molded me. It's made me who I am. I have so much to offer people because I can speak from a frame of reference. I feel like I give my kids such a strong foundation because I can pull from so many different areas and experiences, and they know that I come from a place of true knowledge. And now as a police officer in the City of Chicago, I still encounter really, really difficult things all the time. My truth might not be anyone else's truth. I can only give you what I think. I'm a woman of color, African-American, black, whatever. My husband is Hispanic. Growing up, I spent a large majority of my life in white neighborhoods. So as a Chicago police officer, I see all the sides. I am a firm believer that no one owes you anything. If you want to make your situation better, if you want to make your circumstances better, you have to put in the work. I also know everyone can use some help. Unfortunately, I think the problem is so complicated that it's not one particular thing. But the biggest problem I see in my community is broken homes. Although my father left when I was young, I still had one. My brothers were good guys, and I think it's because they had a father and a mother who taught them values. But for some people, their mother might not know their father, they both might be on drugs, and they're poor, no one's making sure they're eating balanced meals, no one's making sure they're going to school. In those situations, I think you're destined for failure. I think that it's a lot of things that are the problem. I think that the judicial system is not where it should be. And of course, systemic racism has existed forever, and it might always exist. I absolutely understand that there are some problems with some police officers, but being a black police officer, married to a man who is a non-white police officer, I can tell you that not all white police officers are racist. I think that there are more good cops than bad cops. Unfortunately, everyone can pull in an audience and tell a story if they tell it right. But every story that you hear might not be right, and you have to be so careful with what you listen to because the person that's delivering the message might have a specific agenda. There are times when I find myself listening to news commentaries, and I have to turn them off because they're so far from the truth. The average police officer doesn't wake up and say, “I'm going to shoot a black guy or woman today.” That's not the way it happens. You have to see people on an individual basis. You have to know the totality of the circumstances, and when people ask me to discuss the video and footage, I refuse to get caught up in that conversation because we've gotten to the place in society where if you don't feel exactly like the person you're speaking to, they don't want to have anything to do with you. But we don't have to see eye to eye 100% or agree 100%. We just have to have an intelligent dialogue and understand each other's opinions. My husband and I have different opinions all the time, and we talk about it and he'll convince me to see his side, and I'll convince him to see my side, and sometimes we just have to disagree and that's okay. We don't have to always feel the same. I remember driving to work one morning, listening to talk radio, and I just got so sad from all the negativity I was hearing. I just cried halfway to work because it just seems like we're in such a dark space. I told my husband, “I don't know where all these white people came from who are protesting with the black people right now, because I'm feeling the most racial tension I've ever felt in my life.” Yeah. It's such a complicated thing. Of course, with my job, I see racism, I see sexism, being who I am and where I am. Of course, we know racism exists. We can't deny that, but it hurts my heart to see all the male and female officers who show up for work every day because they genuinely think they're making a difference. It's such a complicated job. It's a super complicated job. It's never one reason why things happen. It's just so sad that it's come down to race because I think it's usually not the reason, you know? It's hard. It's a really hard time, and it's so sad because people don't see police officers as human beings who have the same flaws as everyone else. They suffer from anxiety, depression, bipolar. They suffer from the same things. They're not Superman and Superwoman, no matter what people think. We try so hard, and it's all the grace of God. I tell you, he has completely just wrapped His arms around our family. To see my husband grow to where he is today, it's truly a beautiful thing. It's just one more proof that God is real. He's shown up for me time and time again because I prayed for my husband. I mean, from the day I got him, I prayed that he would get to know God on a personal level. We've been married 22 years now. In the last 10 years, I've seen unbelievable growth and connectedness. Looking back, the biggest thing I learned from losing my mother at eight is that life is short, and we don't have a whole lot of time to waste. With my job now, I leave my family with the mindset that I might not come back. You just don't know. Don't assume I'm living to 80. Don't assume that my kids are going to bury me. Every time I deal with people, I deal with them like it might be the last time I see them. I tell all my partners at work, if anything ever happens to me, you know that I genuinely love you. You have no doubts about that. When you treat people right, you don't have to have any regrets.

COMMENTARY Daniel 8 contains another vision of beasts and horns, which represent kings and kingdoms. Unlike previous visions, this vision gives some specific interpretations for these images. The first image Daniel sees is a two-horned ram, a representation of the “kings of Media and Persia” (Daniel 8:20). Then, Daniel sees a shaggy goat with a prominent horn, a representation of “the first king” of “Greece,” Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:21). The final image Daniel sees is a small horn emerging from the goat. This horn is not explicitly identified, but most scholars agree that it represents Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a later Greek-Syrian tyrant. Scholars draw this conclusion because the proud exploits attributed to this horn are known to be true of Antiochus. For example, verse 11 says that the small horn “took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord.” This is a reference to Antiochus' decision in 167 BC to ban the worship of Yahweh and murder anyone who defied his order. Also in verse 11, it says that the horn claimed divine status when it “set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord.” Antiochus famously claimed to be God when he accepted the title “Epiphanes,” a title meaning “God manifest.” The visions of Daniel 9 and 11 will also point to the corrupt deeds of Antiochus, an indication of just how barbaric he was. Even though this vision of Antiochus was so disturbing that Daniel was “appalled,” the message of the vision was still one of hope (Daniel 8:27). Hard times would continue to fall on the people of God, but like all the arrogant kings Daniel had encountered, this oppressor would meet his “end” at God's “appointed time” (Daniel 8:19). This is the message we should take away from the vision. Sometimes it's not clear what God is doing or if He even cares. In reality, He sees the plight of those who are hurt by callous authorities. God's request is simply that we stay faithful in the waiting and trust that He will make things right at the appointed time. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 8 DANIEL'S VISION OF A RAM AND A GOAT 1 In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great. 5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 Because of rebellion, the Lord's people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord's people?” 14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.” THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION 15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. 19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. 23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. 26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” 27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. QUESTIONS 1. The vision of Daniel 8 contains a number of parallels to previous stories and visions. What parallels do you notice between the actions of kings in this vision and the actions of kings in previous stories? What do you suppose the book is trying to teach us through these patterns? 2. Daniel 8:27 says that Daniel “got up and went about the king's business” despite being “exhausted” and “appalled” by his vision. What do you suppose gave him the resolve to continue working for a king (i.e., Belshazzar [see verse 1]) who was not fundamentally different than the horn he saw in the vision? How does Daniel's example speak to you?

COMMENTARY Today's reading continues Daniel's vision of the four beasts. The vision begins with beasts emerging out of chaotic waters, a scene reminiscent of biblical and Near Eastern creation stories where creation begins in the context of a watery, dark, and monstrous chaos (e.g., Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 74:12-17). The vision now moves to a new scene where God, referred to as the “Ancient of Days,” is seated in a courtroom and is surrounded by His holy angels (Daniel 7:9). In this courtroom, another figure appears who is described as “one like a son of man” (Daniel 7:13). This figure ascends on the clouds to God and is given “authority, glory, and sovereign power.” This scene also picks up on creation themes. In Genesis 1:26-28, creation culminated with the installation of humans as God's royal image-bearers on the earth. Here, a human being (that's what the Aramaic phrase “son of man” means), is installed as king over the earth. In a sense, this vision depicts a new creation. But who is this son of man? The interpretation of the vision links the figure to the “holy people of the Most High” (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27). Just as the four beasts represent four empires, so the son of man represents the faithful followers that the beasts had crushed. After a period of suffering under a beastly king, they experience a reversal; they are rescued and raised to positions of power like we've seen so often throughout the book of Daniel (Daniel 2:48-49, 3:30, 5:29, 6:27-28). However, when we look at the New Testament, it's clear that Jesus claimed this title as His own (e.g., Mark 13:26; 14:62). Why did He make this connection? Since God's people continued to be burdened by the political, social, religious, and spiritual powers of this world, Jesus chose to stand in their place as a good king ought to. As the Son of Man, He represented them, not as a literary symbol but as a surrogate who let the beasts of this world, the principalities and powers, unleash their crushing blows on Him. What appeared to be a victory for those powers was actually their undoing. After a period of suffering, Jesus was raised to new life, launching a new creation. When He ascended on the clouds to the Father, He was set on a throne of royal authority as the preeminent image of God (cf. Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:32-36; Ephesians 1:20-22; Colossians 1:15-20). SCRIPTURE DANIEL 7:9–28 9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM 15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.' 19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. 26 “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.' 28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” QUESTIONS 1. The vision of Daniel 7 anticipates the story of Jesus, but it also looks back to the story of Daniel and the lion's den in chapter 6. How does the experience of Daniel relate to the experience of the son of man in chapter 7? 2. When Jesus and the early Christian leaders spoke about the “gospel” or “good news,” their message focused on the fact that Jesus had become King and His kingdom had come (e.g., Mark 1:14-15; Acts 5:42). Why is this good news? If this is the gospel message, how should we proclaim it in our world?

COMMENTARY Chapter 7 marks a critical juncture in the book of Daniel. It concludes the Aramaic section of the book, which runs from Daniel 2-7. It also marks the beginning of the apocalyptic section of the book, which runs from Daniel 7-12. Technically, we have already encountered some apocalyptic material in the dreams of Daniel 2 and 4. But whereas Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were a part of narrative stories, the dreams and visions we read now in the second half of the book of Daniel are just that, dreams and visions. The apocalyptic material we read in this part of Daniel can seem very challenging, but a couple tips can make this part of the book less imposing. First, it’s critical to know that an apocalypse is not necessarily a depiction of the “end of the world” as one might think from watching Hollywood Christianity. An apocalypse is simply an unveiling, a revelation, or a vision of the world through a different set of lenses. Viewing the world through this perspective can help us see reality the way God sees it. Second, the main themes, images, and ideas that we’ve encountered in the first six chapters all reappear in the final six apocalyptic chapters. The book of Daniel wasn’t haphazardly put together; a lot of creative genius went into designing this book. If we read it slowly and sensitively, we can appreciate the masterpiece that it is. The opening verses of Daniel 7 draw on a number of important themes related to the first half of the book. They describe four great “beasts” that “crush” and “devour” their victims while speaking arrogantly. This imagery is reminiscent of Daniel 6, where conspirators “falsely accused” (literally: devoured) Daniel, and where lions “crushed” their bones. It is also reminiscent of Daniel 4, which describes how Nebuchadnezzar devolved into a beast after he failed to rule with justice and humility. That alone should give us a clue about the significance of the four beasts. Finally, the appearance of four symbols in a dream should remind us of the dream in chapter 2 where four metals represented four kingdoms of this world. We will spend another day working through this critically important vision, but we can already see that Daniel 7 contains yet another prophetic critique of worldly empires. Through this apocalypse, God wants us to perceive that leaders and the structures they manage can behave like beasts, trampling upon the weakest among them. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 7:1–8 7 DANIEL’S DREAM OF FOUR BEASTS 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. 4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. 5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast— terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. QUESTIONS 1. Apocalyptic visions like what we read in Daniel 7 use vivid images to reveal an alternative perspective on reality. What makes images effective in shaping our view of reality? What feelings do you have when you envision the scene of four beasts? 2. How has God already been opening your eyes throughout the book of Daniel?

COMMENTARY Today’s reading continues the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. As we’ve seen, Darius was manipulated into making a decree that required all prayer go to him for 30 days. In humble noncompliance with the decree, Daniel offered prayers to God, just as he had always done. Now the story continues with the conspirators turning Daniel in. They say to the ruler in verse 13, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” Unlike Nebuchadnezzar’s heated reaction to the civil disobedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Darius’ reaction is remarkably benevolent. Daniel 6:14 says, “When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.” Darius may seem benevolent, at least in comparison to his erratic predecessor, but he is also characterized as incompetent. In a moment of comedy and irony, Darius desperately tries to save his only honest administrator but proves to be incapable of dissolving his own law. Admitting defeat, he says to Daniel in verse 16, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” In other words, Darius couldn’t save Daniel from his short-sighted policies but perhaps God could. This portrayal of Darius may be comedic, but like all comedy, it contains a piercing sliver of truth. Despite all the power that human leaders may hold, there will always be limitations to what they can achieve. In American society, where we put extraordinary trust in our leaders, where we believe they can save us from past wounds and hope they can chart out an idyllic future for us, the story of Daniel and Darius should teach us to place our hope elsewhere. If we need someone to rescue us, God alone can save. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 6:11–28 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. 15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! 26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. QUESTIONS 1. In Daniel 6:21, Daniel repeats a greeting we have read several other times throughout the book: “May the king live forever” (cf. Daniel 2:4, 3:9; 5:10, 6:6). How does this greeting contrast with the affirmation of Daniel 6:26: “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end” (cf. Daniel 4:3, 34; 7:14, 18, 27; 12:2, 3, 7)? What is the book trying to teach us through these contrasting veins of thought? 2. When have you set too much hope in a human leader? How were you let down, and how does that experience shape your perspective today?

COMMENTARY Daniel 6 introduces us to another ruler, and not just a new ruler, but a new empire – the Persian Empire ruled by Darius the Mede. While the leaders and their governments have changed, some of the ways they conduct business have remained the same. In fact, just as the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5 paralleled the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, the story of Daniel 6 parallels the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. In Daniel 3, three men of Judah were faced with the life or death decision of whether to bow down to a statue or remain loyal to God. Now in Daniel 6, a different man of Judah, Daniel, is faced with a similar choice: praying to an earthly king or being killed for praying to God. In this story, Daniel is set up by a group of local politicians who are jealous of his high position within the government. Hoping to see this foreigner fail, they play on pride and self-image to manipulate King Darius into making a law that says that “anyone who prays to any god or human being” except Darius should be “thrown into the lions’ den” (Daniel 6:7). Daniel’s response to the law, which pitted loyalty to the king against loyalty to God, is noteworthy. Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel’s response here is an act of both defiance and discipline. It is an act of courage and also his common practice. He immediately rebels against the decree by going to God in prayer, but his prayer is not some spurious exhibition. It is simply a continuation of what he had been doing all along. Daniel’s faithful living in the midst of his ordeal must be a model for us. His private practice produced public devotion. In our social media-driven society, we too often get those things reversed. We mistake people for their personas. We think faithfulness is primarily about what we publicly say rather than what we privately and perpetually do. That kind of faith only leads to a veneer of cultural Christianity and a private life that remains untransformed. If we want to stand firm in the face of lions, it’s the regular and unremarkable spiritual habits that will build our strength and deepen our faith. SCRIPTURE Daniel 6:1–10 Daniel in the Den of Lions 1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” 6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing. 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 6:4 tells us that Daniel was “trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent,” even as a captive working in a foreign government. Who do you know that could be described in similar terms in a difficult work environment? Why should it matter how we conduct our business? 2. What is your current prayer life like? What is keeping you from embracing a routine like Daniel?

Growing up, I walked to school, I was a crossing guard and the ice cream truck would come by; it was idyllic. We used to run around and play cops and robbers in the neighbors’ yards. It was wonderful. It really was. My name is Sarah, and I grew up in Schaumburg, IL. We were raised Catholic, and while I still really enjoy and love that tradition, I never had a relationship with God then. I always thought it was the priest who had the relationship with God. But I still loved church. I love to sing in church and growing up, I would see my dad doing his quiet time at the kitchen table. There were a lot of things that he instilled in us that, now having this relationship with God, I can see was a lot of biblical wisdom. I grew up in a house with nine people. I have four brothers and two sisters. They made me resilient, but when I left Schaumburg at 19, I was ready to go. I was out of there. My parents used to have a sign on the door, and it was hilarious. It said, “Leave now when you’re 18 and you still know everything.” So I moved in with friends, and oh my goodness. It was such a reality check, like a punch in the face. Finances were a huge shock to me, as was having to be self-sufficient. Nobody came to wake me up so that I would be on time for school. Nobody came to check and see that my homework was done. I had to do that on my own. That was definitely interesting. And I had a lot of interesting roommates; some were very difficult. Those difficulties brought out things that had been hidden parts of my life. I was 13 years old the first time someone introduced me to cocaine. At 13, I thought I was an adult because of the things that I had seen and gone through. It set me on the path of thinking, “Oh, this is normal.” It took being sober in Christ and time to look back and understand that was not normal at all. But there was abuse I had experienced and situations where I was introduced to very hard drugs, things that I just don’t think a young person should ever be subjected to, and those things began to shape my choices. Experiencing sexual abuse at a very young age was one of those things. The aftermath of that was that my idea around what sex is was completely broken. When you’re really young and those things happen to you in your formative years, it also starts to form your idea of what love is. I started to choose abusive partners because I was really trying to heal from past hurt, but that just led to more abuse. As a coping mechanism, I sought out a drug, pride, buying something, eating something, or just spacing out on whatever I could as a means to cope. It compounded and then I was just drowning. Then I would change location, my hair, my job, or my boyfriend. It would always be external things. At the time, I didn’t know that the only thing that was going to change me truly is Christ. The first time that God introduced Himself to me was actually God putting this thought into my head. God said, “I want you to be radically honest.” Unfortunately, it’s so normal to lie, and lie on top of a lie, on top of another lie. I really began to wrestle with that at the beginning of 2017, which was a really hard time in my life. I actually refer to that season as the “dark ages” because it was just so dark. But I was able to start facing those demons and facing things that I was projecting onto other people and saying, “This is their fault.” God was introducing me to who I really was and the sin in my life, which was heavy, but God did it in a beautiful way, and I was able to see what redemption looks like in the process. I had a twisted view of what love should be and of who I am. But that has changed so much with God. I remember one of the first things I did was write on my mirror in lipstick, “I am a child of God,” because every time I would look in the mirror, it would be a place of self-deprecation, hatred, judgment, or trying to find the value in my appearance. I had to remind myself, “No, God is going to stand with you here, and you’re going to find your identity in Him. You’re going to find your worth in Him.” The radical honesty was so amazing because God led me down this path of forgiveness to talk to everyone who had hurt me or I had hurt. To talk to my abuser and forgive my abuser, to talk to a girl that I made a mean comment to in seventh grade. It was amazing. I chopped off all my hair. I didn’t wear makeup. I lived in the same dress for a while. It was awesome because all of that, all of those things that I had placed so much value in, God said, “Let it go. This is who you are, and you’re beautiful just as you are.” Now I can look back on my life and see that I stopped going to church shortly after my abuse and that was when I was 13. I can connect those things now. But my dad, throughout all the time since, would ask, “Hey, do you want to come to church?” He was always inviting, never shaming, but just always inviting. So it was really cool that once I was ready, I could say, “Hey, dad, I want to go to church.” I knew who to call. A seed was planted. For all the parents reading this, the prodigal child can return. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me, “Go to church.” At that point my stepmom was having surgery on her foot, and she had asked me to pray for her. So I thought, “Okay. I’m going to put a prayer request in the prayer box at church. I don’t need to talk to anybody. I’ll just put my little prayer in.” One Sunday, the prayer box wasn’t there, so I walked up to the Welcome Center and lo and behold, it’s Grace, and she asks, “Oh, are you here to sign up for small group?” I said, “Ugh, yeah. Here’s this prayer I have too.” Oh, wow, did that change everything for me because then I found myself in this small group, and it completely changed my life. There were a lot of assumptions that I had before about Christians in general, like these people are judgmental and perfect, and I am so deeply broken that I absolutely have to pretend to be perfect in order to do this. Of course, my own shame shows up as perfectionism in my life all the time. But the group was so not like that. It was so authentic. It was so incredible. My small group still meets and there are girls in my small group who are standing up in my wedding. It’s incredible, and the group changed my life because it was this authentic place that taught me about grace. Before that, I was hiding, drowning, searching everywhere, searching in every religion. Really, like the Bible says, sort of tossed in the waves. My whole life had been fake, flighty, and anxious. I remember waking up every morning and having this pit in my stomach from all of this unresolved conflict and pain and all of the lies I had told, things I had done, and who I had betrayed. It was just this ball growing, rolling down a hill and growing. That was before Christ. After Christ, there is light, compassion, grace, a chance. Philippians 4:7 is real. It is real. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. I went back to my journals, which I’ve been keeping since I was a little kid. It was actually a way that I was able to meet myself in my abuse. I would write a lot of really dark poetry and hide my abuse there. I was able to see that it was real. That was what my life was like. I had been broken. I was lost and sad. I was just so sad. It felt like I had no one but myself. I could never depend on anyone but myself so I was going to do it myself, even if it killed me. But then God told me, “You don’t have to die. I already did that. You are my child. You matter, and your life matters, and there’s forgiveness for you and for everyone around you. It’s going to be okay.” And that revelation came through radical honesty and having the courage to look at myself and my world through new eyes. You can’t be free from something you’re hiding from or something you’re not acknowledging. Of course we don’t want to acknowledge that. Why would I want to acknowledge any of these things, especially when you have a reason to say, “But this person did this to me?” “Hurt people hurt people” is so true. God gives you this new vision. Jesus gives you eyes to see the thing beneath the anger, the mean comment, or how that person treated you in the meeting at work that derailed you. And then He shows you the hurt within you and says, “Can I just sit next to you in your suffering? Can we just sit here together in it, not try to fix one another, but just sit next to each other?” That’s what God did for me, and that’s what He does for everyone. God sits with you and holds your hand in places that you think He doesn’t exist. But that’s where He’s actually the most present. Wherever you are, you are not alone. One of the most profound moments I had in my small group was when I had relapsed with weed. With any addiction comes shame. It doesn’t matter what it is - drugs, pornography, food, TV, whatever. There’s shame, and I think the enemy wants to lock you in this little shame prison and isolate you, but I remember the Holy Spirit bringing to me the book of James and saying, “Confess to one another so they can pray for you.” I remember sitting in my friend’s house and confessing and crying. These women just held me. There was no judgment and they prayed over me. I’ll tell you what, I’ve never gone back to drugs and it’s been amazing. Even that failure was a reminder that God transforms failures too. You think you’re failing, but God is teaching you. He is guiding you. He is making you resilient so that when He’s ready to bring you into that next thing, you’re prepared. So talk to someone. It is not weird. Therapy is the coolest thing ever. It is amazing. Everybody should go to therapy. Learn to speak about God and how He’s working in your life. Learn to feel exactly how you’re feeling when you’re feeling it and not feel bad or hide it. You don’t have to be anybody but who you are. God already knows who you are, and God loves you. I’ve discovered that I don’t have to be ashamed of my story. My story is beautiful because God saved my life and He made me who I am. Your story is beautiful, and God wants to give you the vision to see that truth too.

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, the story of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall continues. As we’ve seen, the local Babylonian experts have proven ineffective yet again at interpreting an omen of truly divine origin. In fact, in each successive story, they’ve shown themselves to be increasingly incompetent. In Daniel 2, they couldn’t tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream. In Daniel 4, they couldn’t interpret a dream even after hearing it. Now in Daniel 5, they are not only unable to interpret a message, they can’t even read the message! So at the behest of the queen mother, Belshazzar invites Daniel to interpret the omen. We learn from Daniel that the inscription said, “Mene, mene, tekel, parsin” (Daniel 5:25). This succinct message lists various Babylonian monetary weights. Like the metals of the statue in Daniel 2, the value of these weights declines as the list goes on. This general decline in value might share a clue about the significance of the message: something considered great would diminish into something of little worth. However, more help would be needed to understand the writing’s full meaning, so Daniel proceeds to interpret the message. He says, “Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel discerned this interpretation by means of creative wordplay. The Aramaic terms “mene,” “tekel,” and “peres” contain the same root letters as the words above translated as “numbered,” “weighed,” “divided,” and “Persia.” The meaning of the omen was that Belshazzar and his Babylonian empire would be brought down. The proud ruler had refused to humble himself, so God was going to do it for him. God’s humbling of Belshazzar teaches about God’s concern for humility. In God’s upside-down value system, leaders are to live as though they are not fundamentally better than the people they lead. In fact, God wants leaders to embrace the posture of servants. Unfortunately, governments, corporations, and even churches frequently elevate their leaders to a godlike status. We must resist this impulse or else God will intervene. The writing is on the wall. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 5:13–31 13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means. 18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin 26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. QUESTIONS 1. The story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5 parallels the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4: both kings are humbled after exhibiting great pride. However, their final outcomes are different. What did Nebuchadnezzar do that Belshazzar didn’t, and what can that teach us today? 2. In Daniel 5:22, Daniel indicts Belshazzar not only for his pride but also for his unwillingness to respond to what he knew: “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.” Why would Belshazzar’s knowledge make him more culpable? What does this mean for us and our knowledge of God?

COMMENTARY Daniel 5 introduces us to a new ruler in Babylon named Belshazzar. The chapter begins with Belshazzar hosting a banquet. This banquet was likely the customary drinking party that ancient military commanders would host in advance of great battles. At that time (approximately 539 BC), the Persian army was approaching the city of Babylon and preparing to topple this old empire. So at his party, Belshazzar tried to encourage his people with a visible reminder of how the Babylonian gods had given them victory in the past. He called for the “goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem” so that they might drink from these trophies of war (Daniel 5:2). What Belshazzar arrogantly fails to recognize is that the God of Israel had actually allowed this Babylonian victory in the past (Daniel 1:2). So as the story unfolds, God sends His own visual reminder to Belshazzar. A floating hand appears and writes an omen on the wall. This symbol of a hand plays off a theme in Daniel, which correlates hands and power. In the book of Daniel, hands are frequently seen as possessing power (Daniel 1:2; 2:34, 38; 3:15, 17; 4:35; 5:23-24; 7:25; 9:15). In fact, many times, words that mean “hand” in Hebrew and Aramaic are translated into English as “power” (Daniel 6:27; 8:4, 7, 25; 11:16, 42; 12:7). The point that the book of Daniel in general, and this story in particular, makes is that God holds ultimate power in His hands. God may give power to others for a time, and God can also take it away. This omen may have been written for Belshazzar, but it should continue to speak to us today. In our independent and individualistic culture, we like to believe that we are in control, that power resides in our hands. The truth is that any power we have, really anything we have, comes to us by the permission of God. God may set power in our hands, but God can also take it away. With the power we have, we should walk humbly before God and work to bring justice on earth. SCRIPTURE Daniel 5:1–12 5 The Writing on the Wall 1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. 5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking. 7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. 10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” QUESTIONS 1. The message that God holds power in His hands is meant to be a message of hope for people who are oppressed: God can bring down their oppressors. But why do you suppose He ever lets callous leaders have power in the first place? 2. How does the message that God holds power in His hands speak to you in your present situation? Is it a message of comfort? A word of warning? Both?

COMMENTARY Today’s reading narrates the interpretation and fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream. As we’ve read, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a cosmic tree that was cut down and transformed into a beast. Now, Daniel reveals that Nebuchadnezzar is the tree and that he would quite literally take on animal-like qualities. Nebuchadnezzar’s degeneration into a beast plays off key ideas from the opening chapters of the Bible. Genesis 1:26-27 teaches that God created humankind in His “image.” Interestingly, that word “image” is equivalent to the word that’s used to refer to statues in Daniel 2 and 3. As God’s statue-like images, humans were given the privilege of representing God as kings and queens over the earth. This role included the responsibility of ruling over beasts. Unfortunately, as the following chapters of Genesis make clear, humans repeatedly failed to rule over beasts. They were “deceived” by crafty animals, and beast-like sin came to “rule” over them (Genesis 3:13; 4:7). In Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream in chapter 2, God told Nebuchadnezzar that the king had the same responsibility as God’s original image-bearers, the job of ruling over “beasts” (Daniel 2:38). This responsibility is symbolized in the present dream by the portrayal of Nebuchadnezzar as a tree under which “wild animals found shelter” (Daniel 4:12). However, Daniel’s interpretation of the dream makes it clear that Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and violence against the people he ruled would culminate in his own ironic downfall. Instead of ruling over the beasts, he would become one. Nebuchadnezzar’s metamorphosis into a beast highlights a theme we will continue to see throughout the book of Daniel: when we fail in our role as God’s image-bearers by lording our power over others, we become more beast-like than human (Daniel 7; 8). Now things don’t have to end this way. God promises restoration for those who “acknowledge” their mistakes (Daniel 4:25-27). But for those who continue to devour their victims, God will bring down those beasts. SCRIPTURE Daniel 4:19–37 Daniel Interprets the Dream 19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds—22 Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. 23 “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ 24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” The Dream Is Fulfilled 28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” 33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation     to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have     you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. QUESTIONS 1. In Mark 4:30-32, Jesus shares a parable that plays off themes from Daniel 4. Jesus says, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Based on Jesus’ parable and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what characteristics might distinguish the kingdom of God from the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar? 2. The closing words of this chapter highlight an important principle: “those who walk in pride [God] is able to humble.” When have you seen pride humbled? What pride might God want to humble in you?

COMMENTARY Daniel 4 records the story of another dream that comes to Nebuchadnezzar. Like the dream in chapter 2 and the story in chapter 3, this dream focuses on another large object: a tree. This was not just any large tree. The tree that Nebuchadnezzar sees has cosmic features. It is described as standing in “the middle of the land” (literally: the center of the earth), is so tall that its “top touched the sky,” and is “visible to the ends of the earth” (Daniel 4:10-11). Although Nebuchadnezzar is confused about the meaning of the dream, cosmic trees like this one were likely familiar images to the king. Cosmic trees frequently appeared in Mesopotamian iconography as symbols of imperial power. In fact, in some depictions, Mesopotamian kings are portrayed as personifications of cosmic trees. The Bible, which was written in this cultural context, uses the image of cosmic trees in several places to offer critiques of proud kings and their kingdoms. Ezekiel 31 describes the empire of Assyria as a cosmic tree that “towered higher than all the trees of the field” and was “the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God.” As the prophecy goes on, it tells how God cut down the great tree of Assyria because of its pride and evil ways. Nebuchadnezzar, who incidentally was instrumental in conquering Assyria, missed the meaning of the dream, perhaps out of ignorance or stubbornness. However, the dream’s significance shouldn’t be lost on us. Just as the great tree of Assyria was cut down, the cosmic tree of Nebuchadnezzar would be “cut down,” too (Daniel 4:14). Just as the cosmic tree of Nebuchadnezzar was cut down, so too could God bring down the proud rulers of our society. Sometimes it might seem like self-absorbed autocrats are running the world. However, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream reveals an alternative perspective on reality: “the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people” (Daniel 4:17). SCRIPTURE Daniel 4:1–18 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Tree 1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! 2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. 3 How great are his signs, How mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation. 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. 5 I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. 6 So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. 7 When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. 8 Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) 9 I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. 10 These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. 13 “In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. “ ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him. 17 “ ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’ 18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” QUESTIONS 1. At a time when people are vying for seats of power across the nation, what does Daniel 4:17 communicate to you: “the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people”? 2. Scripture often describes the kingdom of God in upside-down terms. How does Daniel 4:17 reflect this upside-down value system? Where do you see our society making progress in embracing upside-down ideals? Where can we do better?

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continues. As we’ve seen, they have been accused of refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. Now, they are threatened with death in a blazing furnace. The passage begins with a stunning statement by the three men. They say in Daniel 3:17-18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” What’s remarkable about their response is the faithfulness they show in the midst of uncertainty. They recognize that God has the power to save them. They also recognize that God might choose not to save them. In that place of unknowing, they still resolutely declare that they would never submit to the corrupt agendas of evil rulers. In the end, God intervenes in a dramatic fashion. He sends one who “looks like a son of the gods” to deliver them from the flames (Daniel 3:25). This is the first of several times in the book of Daniel that God sends a supernatural being to save His persecuted people from suffering (Daniel 6:22; 7:13; 8:25; 10:12-14; 12:1). However, this story should not be read as a guarantee that God will save us from whatever imminent harm is looming on the horizon. In fact, the latter half of Daniel describes how God’s people undergo enormous suffering at the hands of a 2nd century BC tyrant known as Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Daniel 11:33 tells us that some who would choose to be faithful in the midst of Antiochus’ abominable policies would “fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.” God would eventually raise up these faithful followers over their oppressor, but their deliverance would come in the afterlife (Daniel 12:2-3). While the story shows us God’s ability to save, it’s more of a challenge for us to be faithful, even when we don’t know the outcome. As followers of God, we don’t do what is right because life will be easy for us or because God will save us as a result. We do what’s right because it’s what God calls us to do. SCRIPTURE Daniel 3:16–30 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. QUESTIONS 1. What does it say about God that He sent a representative to join Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in their place of suffering? 2. What recent or current situation are you facing that requires faithfulness without certainty? What right thing is God asking you to do?

COMMENTARY Daniel 3 tells the story of another colossal statue. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a statue. Now, perhaps inspired by the dream, he builds one. (Evidently, he forgot that the statue in his dream came crashing down!) It’s not clear who exactly this statue represented. Some suggest it was an image of a Babylonian god. Others suggest it was an image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. In any case, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that all nations and peoples were to worship the statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. This command was a test of ultimate allegiance for the foreign captives he had taken, trained, and indoctrinated in Babylon. Would they submit to his regime, or would they suffer the consequences? For the people of Judah who had been carried into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, this test was especially problematic. God had previously commanded His people not to bow down to any images like this one. In fact, in Deuteronomy 4, God said He would scatter His people into places like Babylon if they neglected His command. Sure enough, the people of Judah were in Babylon because they had betrayed God, and now they were being tempted to break faith again. However, it’s worth noting that in the same chapter, God reminded His people that He had saved them in the past from an “iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:20). If He had saved them from one “furnace” in the past, He could save them from this one. All God asked for was their loyalty. God continues to ask that of us today. We may not face the same dilemma as the exiles in Babylon. We may not be tempted to bow down to statues. However, we do live in a society where idols like money, power, sex, and fame tempt us to submit to them daily. We live in a society where politicians and leaders demand our allegiance. In fact, you might be like Nebuchadnezzar. In your own sphere of influence, do you wield power over the people you claim to love and lead? The message of Daniel is that God is the true King, not us or the idols we are tempted to worship. God deserves our ultimate allegiance. SCRIPTURE Daniel 3:1–15 The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace 1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 3:1-15 includes a lot of long, repetitious lists. On four different occasions, it lists six types of instruments, and twice it lists seven types of officials (Daniel 3:2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15). One effect of the robotic repetition is that it highlights how people senselessly went along with Nebuchadnezzar’s commands. How do you see people senselessly go along with corrupt agendas in our society today? 2. What “statues” in your life challenge you to break faith with God?

COMMENTARY Yesterday we read about Nebuchadnezzar’s search for someone who could tell him his dream and its meaning. Today, we finally learn about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its meaning. Daniel reveals that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a colossal statue that was composed of four different metals: a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, and legs of iron. This sequence of metals, which declines in value from top to bottom, corresponds to an ancient way of organizing history. Some ancient historians, like the Greek poet Hesiod, thought of human history as devolving from an original golden race into generations of silver, bronze, and iron. The reasoning behind this sequence was that things became worse and worse over time. Daniel reveals in his interpretation of the dream that the metals of this statue also relate to the progression of history. The four metals represent four successive kingdoms. We are told that the first metal, the head of gold, represents Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire. Unfortunately, we are not told what kingdoms the other metals represent. This omission has led to much debate. Some interpret the four kingdoms as a sequence that culminates with the Greek Empire. Others interpret it as a sequence that ends with the Roman Empire. Still others think that the entire sequence is symbolic. In Nebuchadnezzar’s culture, the number four symbolized the whole universe, so perhaps the four metals symbolized all the kings and kingdoms of this world. Though this is an interesting debate, we shouldn’t get sidetracked by it because that would distract us from the most important part of the dream: one day a stone of divine origins would crush this statue of empires built by human hands and grow into a kingdom unlike any the world has seen. For Nebuchadnezzar and merciless leaders like him, this dream served as a prophetic critique. It revealed that the empires of man inevitably fall. God will not allow them to last, so we should resist aligning ourselves too closely with them. However, for those who are oppressed, this dream carries a hope-filled promise. God has brought, and is still bringing, an unparalleled kingdom where justice is the rule and God reigns as King. SCRIPTURE Daniel 2:31–49 31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. QUESTIONS 1. Put yourself in the shoes of Jews like Daniel who lived under the oppressive authority of the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Why would the message of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream give you hope? 2. What man-made “empires” do you suppose God would confront in our world today? Why?

COMMENTARY Toward the end of yesterday’s reading, we learned that God gave Daniel the ability to “understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (Daniel 1:17). Today, we see Daniel use these gifts for the first time. The story begins with Nebuchadnezzar having a troubling dream during the second year of his reign. Like much of the world at that time, ancient Babylonians found a great deal of significance in dreams. They understood dreams to be messages from the gods. Archaeologists have actually uncovered dream books that Babylonian scholars used to interpret dreams. These dream books identified the significance of various images in dreams and predicted what outcomes dreamers should expect. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, a year when Babylonian records show he was preparing for a major war, he certainly would have wanted to know the meaning of this strange dream. Nebuchadnezzar asks his wise men to interpret the dream, but he surprises them by adding a strange request. In Daniel 2:6, he says: “Tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” In other words, Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to tell him not only an explanation of the dream but also the contents of the dream. This was an unprecedented request, as the wise men point out, “What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans” (Daniel 2:11). The local dream experts could pass along their interpretations, but there was no manual for revealing dreams! Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had been unimpressed with previous interpretations and wanted more proof that these wise men really had a connection to the gods. Whatever the reason, his request highlighted the inadequacy of Babylonian wisdom and provided a space for God’s wisdom to shine. No Babylonian experts, or their supposed gods, could reveal the dream. But God could and would. This lesson is important for us in our increasingly over-informed world. We have more information than ever, but as the divisions in our society make abundantly clear, we don’t always know how to interpret the information available to us. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we need real wisdom to navigate our world, to know how to live in our complex society. We need wisdom that comes from outside ourselves. The message of Daniel is that this wisdom is available, and it comes from God. SCRIPTURE Daniel 2:1–30 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream 1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.” 4 Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” 7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” 10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. 14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. 17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” Daniel Interprets the Dream 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” 27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: 29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. QUESTIONS 1. In our culture, we often think of heaven as some far off place. But as this chapter suggests, it’s actually not so distant. Unlike the gods of Babylon who “do not live among humans,” God’s residence is really very close (Daniel 2:11). This is one reason why He is repeatedly called the “God of heaven” in this chapter (Daniel 2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44). How does thinking of heaven as being close by shift your view of God and prayer? 2. Daniel’s prayer to know Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was courageous and probably terrifying. He had no guarantee that God would reveal the dream to him. And if God did reveal the dream, there was a chance its meaning would upset the volatile king. Like Daniel, what issues in the world or areas of your life could you use more wisdom to understand? Make the courageous and possibly terrifying request to see – really see – the world as God sees it.

COMMENTARY In yesterday’s reading, we were introduced to Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These men were taken captive in Judah and brought to Babylon because of Nebuchadnezzar’s foreign policy, a policy which aimed to thwart future rebellions by capturing and indoctrinating the elite citizens of defeated nations. As we read in Daniel 1:3-7, these four men were placed into a program of forced cultural assimilation. They were given Babylonian names, a Babylonian education, and even a Babylonian diet. That is to say, they were being molded into good and loyal Babylonians. In today’s reading, Daniel takes a stand against his new Babylonian diet, but it’s not entirely clear what problem he had with it. Some suggest the food and drink were not kosher. Others suggest it had been previously offered to idols. Still others think the food was given with an expectation of loyalty. Perhaps accepting and eating the food equaled giving allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever the case, Daniel understood that the diet would “defile” him (Daniel 1:8). Despite the dangerous penalties he could face, Daniel rejects his assigned diet out of faithfulness to God. In the end, Daniel’s courageous faithfulness results in his success. In spite of his defiance of the Babylonian program, Daniel and his friends are granted positions of prominence in the Babylonian kingdom. Their example teaches us an important lesson. We tend to believe that getting ahead requires playing by the rules of this world, no matter what we have to do or whom we step on along the way. What we see here, and will continue to see throughout the book, is that success doesn’t require us to abandon our values. God honors faithfulness. Whether in the present or in the eternal future, God will elevate the humble who choose to be loyal to Him (cf. Daniel 2:48-49; 3:30; 5:29; 6:27-28; 7:13-14, 21-22, 27; 12:2-3, 13). SCRIPTURE Daniel 1:8–218 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. 21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 1:9 says, “Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel.” The words translated here as “favor” and “compassion” are important. They are used together in many places in Scripture to describe how God characteristically acts toward His people (e.g., Exodus 34:6; Psalm 40:11; 69:16). In this situation, God reveals His favor and compassion through the actions of others. What might this verse teach us about God and how He operates? 2. When have you recently experienced pressure to compromise like Daniel when you knew a decision was wrong? How did you respond?

COMMENTARY The book of Daniel begins with a tragic scene. Daniel 1:1-2 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem and carted off treasure from the Jerusalem Temple, placing it in the temple of his god in Babylon. The events described in these verses took place around 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar rose to the Babylonian throne and his kingdom became the most powerful empire in the world. In that cultural context, it was common practice for kings to steal treasure from the temples of those they defeated and move it into their own temples as Nebuchadnezzar does here. This was a show of political and religious dominance, a way of saying that they and their gods were in control. For anyone watching what was happening, the capture of Jerusalem and the Temple treasure would have seemed like a crushing loss for Yahweh, the God of Israel. It would have appeared to most that Nebuchadnezzar and his god Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, were in control of the world’s events, not Yahweh. However, a subtle clue in verse 2 tells us that things weren’t exactly as they seemed. Daniel 1:2 says that “the Lord delivered” the articles from the temple of God into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. In other words, these events came about by God’s choosing, not by the will of Nebuchadnezzar and his god. This reality is consistent with a theme we will see in every story and every vision in the book of Daniel. When all hope seems lost and God seems absent, even then, God is in control. For corrupt leaders who misuse and abuse their authority, this theme should generate a sense of fear. Their power is limited and their time is short. But for the persecuted people of God, it means hope. God sits on the throne of the universe. He is at work, and in the end, He will have the final victory. SCRIPTURE Daniel 1:1–7 Daniel’s Training in Babylon 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. 6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. QUESTIONS 1. How do you suppose you would have felt if you were one of the exiles carried to Babylon? What effect do you think that experience would have had on your faith? 2. How do you hope to grow through your Journey Through Daniel experience? Share this with God and ask that He might use the book of Daniel to shape, challenge, and inspire you.

Introduction to Daniel THE HISTORICAL SETTING OF DANIEL The book of Daniel is set in the context of the Babylonian and Persian Empires where Daniel lived as an exile from the nation of Judah. He had been taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II in 605 BC and resided there until at least 537 BC, after the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great overtook the Babylonians. THE HISTORICAL SITUATION OF THE READERS OF DANIEL While the setting described in Daniel is quite clear, the date of the composition of this book is hotly debated. There are two main perspectives concerning when Daniel was written. The first and traditional perspective understands the book to have been written in the 6th century BC by Daniel himself while he was living in exile. The second and more recent perspective understands the book to have been written (or at least finished) sometime around 164 BC while the people of Judea were living under the tyrannical rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This debate is complex and considers all sorts of factors like language, vocabulary, literary style, and history. A good study Bible or commentary is a useful resource for those who want to learn more on how to navigate the contours of the arguments (see Selected Resources at the end of this introduction or the bibliography at the end of the book). What all sides agree on is that Daniel’s original readers were people who suffered under oppressive regimes, whether it was 6th century BC captives in Babylon or 2nd century BC Judeans who were persecuted by a foreign king. Appreciating this context of suffering is critical for recovering the relevance of Daniel today. MODERN RELEVANCE OF DANIEL It can be easy for us as Christians living in 21st century America to identify with Daniel. There are many ways in which we should aim to be like this inspiring person. His loyalty to God in all circumstances, his persistence in prayer, his integrity, and his wisdom are all virtues we would do well to emulate. But we must not fail to see that the socio-political situation many of us are in more closely parallels that of Nebuchadnezzar than that of Daniel and his friends. With all of our power, privileges, security, and abundance, we can easily misappropriate the message of Daniel and make it into a promise for us, when it may in fact contain a prophetic critique. The message of Daniel is a promise of hope for those who are hurting at the hands of leaders who misuse their power; God sees their pain and will vindicate them in the end. But it’s also a challenge for those with influence over others – a challenge to look at the world through God’s eyes so that they can truly discern if they are leading like image-bearers or behaving like beasts. GENRES The book of Daniel contains two primary genres. The first six chapters of the book are written in the familiar narrative style. Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 are narratives of court contest. In these stories, Daniel and his friends find themselves competing with Babylonian scholars for positions of authority in the empire. The success of the Judahites through God’s favor demonstrates the supremacy of God over the deities of Babylon. Chapters 3 and 6, each following a pair of stories where Judahites have been promoted, contain what are called narratives of court conflict. In these stories, Daniel and his friends find themselves accused by their jealous Babylonian and Persian contemporaries. These stories also magnify God’s power through miraculous acts of rescue. The final six chapters of the book are written in a more esoteric and cryptic genre called apocalypse. This type of literature can be very confusing, even for the most trained readers of Scripture. Many would prefer to skip this part of the book, but to ignore these chapters would be to ignore some of the most important passages in all of Scripture for understanding who Jesus is and what He did. There’s so much to be gained by entering into the apocalyptic world, and with an understanding of a few key ways of approaching these texts, they can become even more accessible. First, the word “apocalypse” does not mean “the end of the world” despite what English dictionaries or Hollywood directors lead you to believe. It’s all too common for people to read this part of Daniel and assume that it contains predictions about what is unfolding in the geo-political world today. We should not make this assumption per se. It certainly challenges our geo-political world to get in line with the ways of God’s kingdom. But the word “apocalypse” simply means “to unveil.” An apocalypse is essentially an unveiling of an alternative perspective of reality so that we might come to see the world the way God sees it. Second, apocalyptic literature uses a lot of images. We should not interpret these images too literalistically. We should think of them as symbols that conveyed something significant to the original readers of Daniel in the same way that a flag or mascot might convey something significant to us today. Again, this is why it’s important to enter into the world of the Bible and understand the Bible the way it was meant to be understood. Finally, apocalyptic literature may seem especially violent and destructive to us, but we have to remember that apocalypses like what we read in Daniel were generally written for people experiencing oppression in the midst of militaristic empires. When there seems to be no end in sight to the pain that oppressive structures bring upon innocent people, visions about empires crashing give reason for hope. They are a reminder that God is in control, that He sees the pain of His people, and that justice will prevail in the end. STRUCTURE The book of Daniel has been organized through an interesting matrix of genres and languages and can be divided into two halves according to genre. Chapters 1-6 are written in narrative, and chapters 7-12 are written in apocalyptic. However, the book of Daniel can also be divided according to the language in which it was written. Chapters 1 and 8-12 are written in Hebrew, and chapters 2-7 are written in Aramaic. Curiously, these genre and language divisions do not match as one might expect. Additionally, the Aramaic section of Daniel has its own special structure. It’s been written as a chiasm, where stories in the first half of the section mirror stories in the second half of the section as follows: Daniel 2 – A dream about four kingdoms and the kingdom of God Daniel 3 – A story about faithfulness in the face of a fiery furnace Daniel 4 – A story about the humbling of a proud Babylonian king Daniel 5 – A story about the humbling of a proud Babylonian king Daniel 6 – A story about faithfulness in the face of a lion’s den Daniel 7 – A vision about four kingdoms and the kingdom of God This chiastic structure shows that the Aramaic section of the book is a well-contained unit and that the apocalyptic vision in chapter 7 cannot be easily separated from the mix. Chapter 7 may be related by genre to what follows it, but it is related by language and chiasm to what precedes it. The effect of this matrix structure then is to highlight the central significance of chapter 7 for the book and to bind the various parts of the book together. That is to say the book of Daniel is incomplete if any section, especially chapter 7, is ignored. THEMES IN DANIEL Power of God From beginning to end, the book of Daniel emphasizes that when circumstances seem otherwise terrible – when emperors capture people, when conspirators scheme against people, when tyrants persecute people – even then, power belongs to God. He may share His power with others, but if they abuse it, He can also take it away. Allegiance to God Empires and emperors may test their subjects to see where their people’s allegiance lies. And when they do, how will God’s people live? Will they remain loyal to God even if it means losing their lives? The stories, visions, and dreams of Daniel emphasize that God deserves our allegiance no matter the cost. After all, the kingdoms of this world are fragile and fleeting, but the kingdom of God remains forever. Perspective from God Reality is multifaceted and prone to subjective interpretation, especially for those with calloused hearts. It’s clear that wisdom is needed to navigate the complexities of life, but the wisdom of man is not enough. The apocalyptic dreams and visions in Daniel reveal an alternative, God-inspired perspective on reality. God wants people to see that the empires we live in and work for may not be as just or indestructible as we think they are. Hope because of God At its core, the book of Daniel is a message of hope. It’s a message of hope for change, hope for justice, and hope that the oppressive structures of man won’t always hold down those who are hurting. But this hope isn’t a vain wish or prayer. It’s a promise that is secured by the power of God. Because God is just and in control, we can have confidence that He will vindicate His suffering people in the end. SELECTED RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY The Willow Journey Podcast – search for Willow Journey anywhere you get podcasts Daniel and the Twelve Prophets for Everyone by John Goldingay Hearing the Message of Daniel: Sustaining Faith in Today’s World by Christopher J. H. Wright How to Read Daniel by Tremper Longman III The Story of God Bible Commentary: Daniel by Wendy L. Widder Volume 4 of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, edited by John H. Walton

COMMENTARY Our final reading tells the story of Jesus’ resurrection. Compared to Mark’s account of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, this story is short, and it may be shorter than it appears at first glance. About halfway through our reading, the text provides a note saying, “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.” Modern scholars almost universally agree that these verses are a later, second century addition. Though they sound a lot like what we read in some of the other gospel accounts, they aren’t written in Mark’s characteristic style, and they don’t appear in the earliest copies we have of the book. These verses seem to have been added to the end of the book to compensate for the fact that Mark’s resurrection story is brief and ends abruptly. After an angel instructs some of Jesus’ female followers to “go, tell” others about the resurrected Jesus, the book surprisingly ends with the report, “They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (Mark 16:7-8). Theories abound as to why the book ends so abruptly. Some have speculated that the original ending to the book was lost. Others have suggested that Mark never finished the book. Perhaps the best explanation is that Mark actually intended to end his book this way. There’s great irony in the fact that, at this point in the book, when individuals are finally free to tell others about Jesus, they suddenly go silent. Previously, Jesus had asked others not to share His identity, but they would not stay quiet (e.g., Mark 1:45; 7:36). Now, on this side of the crucifixion, an angel asks others to share about Jesus, but they say nothing. We know from the other Gospels in the Bible that these women eventually did go on to share the good news with others. But Mark seems to have cut the story short for a rhetorical effect. As readers, we are left wondering who will share the gospel if the women will not. The abrupt ending is meant to entice us to carry on the story ourselves. As readers, we’ve walked with Jesus throughout His journey. He’s called us. He’s challenged us to leave everything behind and follow Him. Now that we’ve heard that the kingdom has come near, we have a final decision to make. Will we go away silent, or will we join Mark in proclaiming the good news? SCRIPTURE MARK 16 CHAPTER 16 JESUS HAS RISEN 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.] 9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. REFLECTION 1. Who in your life do you need to share the good news with? What is the first step you need to take towards sharing Jesus’ message with that person? 2. What has been your most significant learning from reading through the book of Mark? How has God been challenging you?

COMMENTARY Today’s reading tells the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. As we read this story, we shouldn’t miss the agony Jesus would have endured as He died on the cross. Our familiarity with images of the cross can numb us to the brutality of Jesus’ death. The reality is that it was likely much worse than we imagine. Roman crucifixion was an excruciatingly slow, public, and humiliating form of execution. Victims often experienced some form of torture beforehand like flogging (Mark 15:15). After being tortured, they were stripped naked, so as to bring shame (Mark 15:24). Then they were nailed to wooden posts, where they slowly and painfully suffocated as their lungs were crushed under their own body weight. This torturous style of execution was used as psychological warfare to discourage potential rebels. It was considered so barbaric that the word “crucify” became an expletive in Roman society. It’s no wonder Jesus prayed from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). While we should never forget the agony Jesus experienced on the cross, we also shouldn’t miss the dramatic and deliberate irony in this story. While Jesus was on the cross, religious leaders mocked Him, saying, “He saved others . . . but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe” (Mark 15:31-32a). The irony of this group’s misunderstanding is that the cross was the place where Jesus became their Messiah. Saving others meant He couldn’t save Himself. In the same way, before His crucifixion, Jesus is led to a “palace” where He is dressed in a purple robe, given a “crown,” and hailed as “king” (Mark 15:16-20). This triumphant imitation of victorious Roman emperors was intended by Jesus’ executioners to be a form of mockery. But as the book of Mark has prepared us to see, Jesus’ execution is also the moment of His enthronement and ultimate triumph over evil. This is the moment when Jesus becomes King. The story of the cross is, therefore, a story of agony and irony. The cross was meant to bring torture. God used it to bring triumph. You may respond to this story with tears, guilt, or gratitude, but what Jesus deserves most is our allegiance, for us to hail Him as our Messiah-King. SCRIPTURE MARK 15 CHAPTER 15 JESUS BEFORE PILATE 1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. THE SOLDIERS MOCK JESUS 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. THE DEATH OF JESUS 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. THE BURIAL OF JESUS 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day be- fore the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summon- ing the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. REFLECTION 1. In Mark 15:34, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words come from Psalm 22, a psalm of lament. By quoting this psalm, Jesus showed that He felt let down by God, just as many worshippers before and after Him have felt. When have you felt abandoned by God? How might Jesus’ words be an encouragement to you? 2. It can be easy for us to cast judgment on the various characters who appear in the stories of Jesus’ arrest, trials, and crucifixion. It is more difficult, but perhaps more important, that we consider how we might have fit into the story. When have you acted like Peter, denying Jesus? Like an onlooker, insulting Jesus? Like Pilate, caving to pressure and condemning Jesus?

COMMENTARY A recurring theme we’ve seen in the book of Mark has been Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Story after story demonstrates that the God of Israel has now appeared as the person of Jesus. This theme rises to a crescendo in today’s reading when Jesus makes His first public claim about His divinity (Mark 14:62). While Mark wants us to understand that Jesus was fully God, He also wants us to see that He was also fully human. No story expresses His humanity more poignantly than the first episode we read today. Mark 14:32-41 describes Jesus’ raw moments of anguish as He waits with Peter, James, and John for His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here, Jesus is described as “deeply distressed and troubled.” He admits to being “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34). Earlier, Jesus confidently told James and John that they would drink from a “cup” of suffering with Him (Mark 10:38). Now in their presence, He falls to the ground and pleads God to take this “cup” from Him (Mark 14:36). This is a degree of psychological distress that we are unaccustomed to seeing in Jesus. One reason why Mark might have included this vivid story could be that it shows us that Jesus had a full human experience. He suffered in every way, not just externally but also internally. By enduring the onslaught of sin in all its forms, He became for us a perfect and sympathetic Savior (Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:15; 5:7-10). Another reason why we might have this story is that Jesus shows us how to persevere when we suffer for following Him. Jesus finds His inner resolve by praying to the Father three separate times. In contrast, Peter falls asleep three times instead of praying as Jesus asks, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14:38). It’s noteworthy that at the end of today’s reading, Peter, in his own time of temptation, disowns Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72). Jesus’ example, therefore, illustrates the power we can receive from God through prayer. God may not always give us exactly what we want for ourselves, but if we turn to Him, God offers the peace and power to persevere. SCRIPTURE MARK 14:32–72 GETHSEMANE 32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” JESUS ARRESTED 43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled. 51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. JESUS BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN 53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him. PETER DISOWNS JESUS 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. 68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or under- stand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” 72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. REFLECTION 1. Mark 14:47 says, “Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” This reaction reflects another misunderstanding about what Jesus was trying to accomplish as the Messiah. He wasn’t “leading a rebellion” (Mark 14:48). He was establishing a fundamentally different type of kingdom. This raises the question for us; is it ever appropriate for us to strike at someone like this? Why? 2. How do Jesus’ prayers in the garden help nuance His earlier teaching: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24)? In what situation do you need to echo Jesus’ words, “Not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36)?

COMMENTARY Today’s reading describes two of Jesus’ final meals. These meals both include symbolic actions that anticipate what will happen to Jesus. In the first meal, Jesus is anointed with perfume, an act that foreshadows His death and subsequent enthronement. In the second meal, famously known as the Last Supper, the symbolism goes one step further. At this meal, Jesus reveals not only that He would soon die but also why He had to die. He gives us clues about the meaning of His death. These clues come to us through a number of allusions and references back to Old Testament passages. The first clue is that the Last Supper was most likely a Passover dinner (Mark 14:16-17; Exodus 12). Passover was an annual holiday that commemorated how God had liberated the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt. Faithful Jews celebrated this holiday by eating a symbolic dinner. Every item on the menu represented a key moment of the Israelites’ escape. In Mark 14, Jesus participates in this meal, but He transforms the meaning of some items because He wants His followers to understand that His death would be the means by which a new Passover would occur. Their sin had put them in exile; Jesus’ death would free them from their exile. Two more clues come to us in His interpretation of the wine. He says in Mark 14:24, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” The phrase “blood of the covenant” is a reference to the covenant God made with Israel in Exodus 24. That covenant had been established with sacrificial blood. Here, Jesus indicates that He is making a new covenant, a new agreement with His people, but it would now be through His blood. The phrase “poured out for many” alludes to Isaiah 53:10-12. Isaiah the prophet wrote that a suffering servant would justify many by bearing their sins. Here, Jesus implies that He is that suffering servant. Together, these allusions give us a glimpse into why Jesus had to die. Jesus freed us so we could live as covenant-partners in the kingdom with Him. His self-giving way of freeing us was by taking our sins upon Himself. SCRIPTURE MARK 14:1–31 CHAPTER 14 JESUS ANOINTED AT BETHANY 1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” 3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. THE LAST SUPPER 12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” 19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?” 20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. JESUS PREDICTS PETER’S DENIAL 27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” 30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today— yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. REFLECTION 1. In Mark 14:9, Jesus promises that the woman’s act of devotion would be told “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world.” This promise is fulfilled by the inclusion of her story in the gospel of Mark. Why do you think Jesus thought it was important for her story to be told as part of the gospel? How should Jesus’ statement influence the way we share the gospel with others? 2. Mark 14:3-5 indicates that the perfume the woman “poured” on Jesus was worth “more than a year’s wages.” Her display may seem excessive, but when we compare it with Mark 14:24 where Jesus says His blood will be “poured” out for many, her action comes into its proper perspective. He gave the best of what He had for us, so we owe the best of what we have to Him. In light of what Jesus has done for you, how are you returning devotion to Him? Are you bringing Him the best of what you have?

COMMENTARY Mark 13 includes Jesus’ longest teaching in the book of Mark. This section is called the Olivet Discourse because it takes place on the Mount of Olives, which sits across from the Temple. The primary focus of this teaching is the fate of the Temple. Jesus has already symbolically stated that the Temple was under God’s judgment (Mark 11:12-20). Now, He communicates verbally, albeit privately and cryptically, that the Temple’s destruction is near. One key to understanding this confusing and sometimes controversial passage is recognizing that Jesus uses a lot of figurative language. For example, Jesus says in Mark 13:24, “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” Jesus did not intend for us to interpret this verse literally. This cosmic image is symbolic of socio-political upheaval and had been used by earlier prophets to describe the destruction of ancient Israel’s enemies (e.g., Isaiah 13:10; 34:4). Another key is recognizing that most of what Jesus predicts here was fulfilled when the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. Ancient Jewish historical works make it clear that “wars,” “false messiahs,” and “false prophets” who could “perform signs and wonders” were all characteristic of this period (Mark 13:7, 22). Jesus Himself says in Mark 13:30, “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” This does not mean that this passage does not refer to the end times in any way. But the primary focus of this discussion, as Mark records it, is about the end of the Temple. Even though much of what Jesus describes here has already occurred, this passage still has significance for us today. First, the fact that the Temple was destroyed as Jesus foretold affirms that He is who He says He is, and His message is true. He is the “Son of Man” who sits enthroned by the Father “with great power and glory” (Daniel 7:13-14; Mark 13:26). Second, God’s condemnation of His Temple reminds us yet again that God stands against all structures of injustice, no matter how holy their appearance. Third and finally, Jesus’ encouragement that “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” applies at all times (Mark 13:13). We may face difficulty when we follow after Jesus, but He promises eternal victory for those who endure. SCRIPTURE MARK 13 CHAPTER 13 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND SIGNS OF THE END TIMES 1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. 28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. THE DAY AND HOUR UNKNOWN 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” REFLECTION 1. In Mark 13:1, one of Jesus’ disciples remarks, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” At this time, the Jerusalem Temple was considered by many to be the most beautiful building in the world. But it also became such a point of nationalistic pride that the honor given the building began to surpass the honor given to God. When have you found yourself honoring the gifts or symbols of God more than God Himself? How can you make sure your reverence for holy things doesn’t blind you to what God values most? 2. Throughout this passage, Jesus repeatedly encourages His disciples to “be on guard” because adversity could come to them at any moment (Mark 13:9, 23, 33). We may not face the same difficulties as His first disciples, but we too should be ready for whatever may come our way. How have you prepared yourself to endure as a Christ-follower through difficult and confusing days?

COMMENTARY In yesterday’s reading, Jesus indicted Jerusalem’s religious leaders for their corruption and failure to welcome Him as God’s Son. In today’s reading, representatives of these leaders confront Jesus with a number of questions in order to trap Him. The first trap deals with the issue of Roman taxation. In Mark 12:14, some ask Jesus, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” The “imperial tax” these questioners ask about was an unpopular Roman census tax. One rebel leader compared paying this tax to slavery. The sensitive nature of this yes or no question put Jesus in a difficult situation. A “yes” answer would show Jesus to be a Roman loyalist and undermine His Jewish following. A “no” answer would show Him to be an insurrectionist and give the Romans a reason to execute Him. Jesus responds to their question with a question. In Mark 12:15-16, He says, “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. . . Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” The denarius Jesus asks for is a silver coin used to pay the imperial tax. It depicted the current emperor, Tiberius Caesar and would have said: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.” When the people affirm that Caesar’s image is on the coin, Jesus then gives His final answer, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:16-17). Jesus’ answer is brilliant for a couple of reasons. First, it is vague enough to be interpreted as a “yes” or “no.” He admits that Caesar should get what belongs to Caesar while not denying the view of Jewish nationalists that everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The ambiguity of the answer therefore allows Jesus to circumvent the trap. He can’t be pinned into a “yes” or a “no.” Second, by drawing attention to the image on the coin, Jesus is able to teach a larger lesson. If coins should be given to Caesar because they bear the image of Caesar, then we should give our whole lives to God because we have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). This has been the call of Jesus all throughout the book of Mark. It’s His call to the disciples, to the rich man, to Bartimaeus, and to every one of us. When Jesus asks us to follow Him, He’s asking us to deny ourselves and give everything to Him - our actions, our thoughts, our possessions, and our pursuits (Mark 8:34). He’s given us the honor of bearing His image. We owe Him our whole lives. SCRIPTURE MARK 12:13–44 PAYING THE IMPERIAL TAX TO CAESAR 13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. MARRIAGE AT THE RESURRECTION 18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. WHOSE SON IS THE MESSIAH? 35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. WARNING AGAINST THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW 38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” THE WIDOW’S OFFERING 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” REFLECTION 1. In Mark 12:29-30, Jesus affirms that the most important command is for us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This command was first given in the covenantal context of Deuteronomy 6:4-6, where love has to do with loyalty rather than emotions. God wants our whole being to express loyal love to Him. How can you show Him more allegiance today with your heart, soul, mind, and strength? 2. In Mark 12:31, Jesus affirms that the second greatest command is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” How have you failed to love others as yourself recently? What step can you take to show self-sacrificial love in the coming days?

COMMENTARY Mark 11 introduces the third and final act of the book of Mark. Over the last few chapters, Jesus has been traveling to Jerusalem. Now, He finally enters Jerusalem. When He arrives, He does a couple of odd things. These actions come to us in the form of another “Markan sandwich,” a story within a story. The first half of the outer story tells us that on His way into Jerusalem, Jesus curses a fig tree when He sees that it has no fruit. Jesus says in Mark 11:14, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” Later, in the second half of the story, Peter reports that the fig tree dried up just as Jesus said: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” (Mark 11:21). Read by itself, this story can make Jesus seem petty. Why was He so upset about this insignificant tree? But when we read it along with the inner story, this episode takes on symbolic significance. The story at the center tells how Jesus enters the Temple, flips over money-changing stations, blocks the flow of merchandise, and drives out the buyers and sellers of sacrificial animals (Mark 11:15-18). Like the cursing of the fig tree, these actions can also seem erratic. However, Jesus’ actions were intended to bring the operation of the Temple to a standstill. Without the activities that He disrupts, daily sacrifices could not be funded, sacrificial animals could not be purchased, and sacrifices could not be offered. Therefore, Jesus wasn’t having a random fit of rage. Jesus was deliberately and symbolically undermining the Temple system and its corrupt leaders. Jesus’ issue with the Temple was that it no longer fulfilled its intended purposes, just as the fig tree had failed to produce fruit, its primary purpose. God intended for the Temple to be a “house of prayer for all nations,” but fraudulent officials had made it “a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17). The outer story of the fig tree therefore symbolizes what would eventually happen to the Temple. Like the fig tree, the Temple would soon “wither” away, and Jesus would become the new “Temple” through whom we can pray and have access to God (Mark 11:22-25; 13:1-2; 14:58). SCRIPTURE MARK 11:1-12:12 CHAPTER 11 JESUS COMES TO JERUSALEM AS KING 1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. JESUS CURSES A FIG TREE AND CLEARS THE TEMPLE COURTS 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS QUESTIONED 27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” 29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism— was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ . . .” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” CHAPTER 12 THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS 1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vine- yard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. REFLECTION 1. In Mark 11:25, Jesus says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Who have you been holding a grudge against lately? Who do you need to forgive? 2. In Mark 11:23, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” This is a bold statement. We all have mountains in our lives that we would like Jesus to move. What do you need to ask Jesus for today? Use this space to write out your prayer.

COMMENTARY Throughout the last two readings in Mark, Jesus has been on a journey to Jerusalem. In today’s reading, this journey ends in the same miraculous way that it started, with Jesus healing a blind man (Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-52). On its own, this closing story is significant because it reveals Jesus’ Messianic identity as the one who can bring sight to the blind (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7). Where it is located, the story is especially ironic because it shows how a blind beggar named Bartimaeus can “see” what others along the journey have failed to see. For example, Mark 10:50 tells how Bartimaeus abandons his cloak when Jesus calls to Him. This might not seem like a big deal to us, but for a beggar like Bartimaeus, this was a major sacrifice. His cloak may have been his only possession, and it was likely the place where he received alms. By casting his cloak aside in his pursuit of Jesus, Bartimaeus shows that he sees that following Jesus is worth more than making money. This is in direct contrast to the rich man described in Mark 10:17-22, who rejects Jesus when Jesus asks him to sell everything. Unlike Bartimaeus, the rich man couldn’t see that Jesus can give “a hundred times as much” to those who leave everything to follow Him (Mark 10:30). Bartimaeus also sees what two disciples, James and John, fail to see. Jesus asks all of them the same question: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36, 51). The response of James and John shows they still have a misguided view of the kingdom: “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:37). In contrast, Bartimaeus’ request shows that He sees Jesus as a Messiah who bestows “mercy” rather than seats of power (Mark 10:40, 47). Bartimaeus humbly but boldly tells Jesus, “I want to see” (Mark 10:51). This story about Bartimaeus should remind us that “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). Even though he had been a blind beggar, Jesus welcomed Bartimaeus into His community of “seeing” followers (Mark 10:52). Likewise, the spiritual blindness of the disciples and the rich man should challenge us to consider whether the love of power or money has blinded us to the way of Christ and His kingdom. Jesus can help us see, but first we have to recognize that we are blind. SCRIPTURE MARK 10 CHAPTER 10 DIVORCE 1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied. 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” THE LITTLE CHILDREN AND JESUS 13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. THE RICH AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD 17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH A THIRD TIME 32 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 Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the 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, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” THE REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 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.” BLIND BARTIMAEUS RECEIVES HIS SIGHT 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. REFLECTION 1. When Bartimaeus was “healed” [literally: saved], he was no longer content to sit “by the roadside,” but instead actively followed Jesus “along the road” (Mark 10:46, 52). How would you describe your own faith walk right now? Are you more like a fan, passively watching from the sidelines, or are you actively participating in your faith? 2. Imagine that Jesus asks you the same question He asks James, John, and Bartimaeus: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36, 51). How do you respond?

COMMENTARY Today, Jesus continues to teach His disciples what it means for Him to be the Messiah, and just as we’ve seen in the past, His disciples are confused by His message. Their confusion takes on a variety of forms. One way it manifests itself is through an argument they have among themselves on the road. After hearing Jesus make another prediction of His death, they get into an argument over who among them is the “greatest” (Mark 9:34). This argument might have been provoked by Jesus inviting Peter, James, and John to witness His transfiguration (Mark 9:2). It almost certainly was grounded in a belief that the kingdom of God would have a rank and file hierarchy like the kingdoms of this world (Mark 10:35-37). Jesus responds to their argument in two ways. First, He teaches them about the upside-down nature of His kingdom. In Mark 9:35, Jesus says, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” In Jewish society, the word translated here as “first” referred to those who had “leading” roles in society (e.g., Mark 6:21). By teaching that those who aspire to be “first” (i.e., leaders) should take the position of those who usually come “last” (i.e., servants), Jesus flipped the social structures of the day on their head. In the kingdom of God, being a leader looks like being a servant. Second, Jesus responds to them by embracing a “child in his arms” (Mark 9:36). This might seem like an endearing gesture to us, but in Jesus’ day, it would have been radical for a person of Jesus’ prominence to embrace a child that wasn’t His. At that time, children had little to no status. Socializing with them was thought to be detrimental to one’s well-being. One rabbi even compared “chatting with children” to “drinking wine at noon.” By welcoming a child into His arms, Jesus symbolically conveyed yet again that the kingdom of God knows no class distinctions. The kingdom of God welcomes those who are rejected because Jesus Himself was also rejected (Mark 8:31; 9:12; 37, 12:10). On this side of the cross, it can be easy for us to wonder how the disciples could be so confused about Jesus. Look at our culture. We have our own titles, ranks, honors, and hierarchies. Just like the disciples, it can be easy for us to misconstrue what life is like in the kingdom of God. Like the disciples, we desperately try to climb the social ladder. For what? If we want to live lives that really, truly matter, we have to live as Jesus did, embracing people regardless of status and being servants of all. SCRIPTURE MARK 9:14–9:50 JESUS HEALS A BOY POSSESSED BY AN IMPURE SPIRIT 14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 When- ever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I com- mand you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH A SECOND TIME 30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 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.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. 33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” 36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” WHOEVER IS NOT AGAINST US IS FOR US 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. CAUSING TO STUMBLE 42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones— 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. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where“ ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” REFLECTION 1. In Mark 9:24, the father of the suffering boy desperately cries, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” This plea reflects a great truth about faith: we can still believe even when we don’t have it all figured out. What is the status of your faith today? How do you need help through unbelief? 2. Today’s reading ends with a collection of strong warnings about wrongdoing. These warnings are hyperbolic. Jesus doesn’t mean that we should actually lop off limbs or stab out our eyes if we struggle with sin. After all, sin has its roots in the heart (Mark 7:21-23). But Jesus does intend that we understand the gravity of sin and take action to repent when we’re in the wrong. What wrongdoing do you personally struggle with? What steps can you take to help you through your struggles?

COMMENTARY Today’s reading represents a major turning point in the book of Mark. Up until this point, Jesus has spent His time in and around the Galilean countryside, demonstrating with great power that He is the Messiah. Now, the book begins its second act as Jesus travels “on the way” to Jerusalem and teaches about the “way” of the Messiah (Mark 8:27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32, 46, 52). The episode in Mark 8:27-33 functions as a hinge between these two acts. In the first part of the story, Jesus asks His disciples a question: “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). This is not the first time that someone has asked a question about Jesus’ identity. Throughout Mark, people frequently raised similar questions (e.g., Mark 1:27; 4:41; 6:3). However, this is the first time that Jesus Himself poses the question. He asks it in Caesarea Philippi of all places, a city that was named after Caesar Augustus and had a temple dedicated to the worship of the emperor. Peter’s response, “You are the Messiah,” shows that Peter understands, at least in part, who Jesus is (Mark 8:29). Jesus is God’s anointed King, who would disarm the powers and authorities of this world. Peter’s response is called “The Great Confession.” While his confession is great, it was still a bit misguided. Following Peter’s answer, Jesus went on to teach clearly what it would look like for Him to assume the throne as the Messiah. Mark 8:31 says, “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” We shouldn’t miss how startling this would have been to Peter. Mark says Peter was so disturbed that he “rebuked” Jesus, the same thing Jesus did to stormy seas and demons earlier in this book (Mark 1:25; 4:39)! Peter’s rebuke reveals that he still had a shallow, albeit popular, view of the Messiah. He was expecting a Messiah that looked more like a military general than a suffering servant. In our culture, we have our own shallow, if popular, views of the Messiah too. Some prefer to see Jesus without His cross. Others prefer to see Jesus without His kingdom. Jesus wants us to see that they go hand-in-hand. Jesus came to triumph over sin in all its forms: spiritual, sociological, political, etc. He did this not by matching might with might, but instead, by suffering as a servant on a cross (Isaiah 52:7-53:12; Colossians 2:13-15). SCRIPTURE MARK 8:22–9:13 JESUS HEALS A BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA 22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” PETER DECLARES THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” THE WAY OF THE CROSS 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” CHAPTER 9 1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” THE TRANSFIGURATION 2 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 them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 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 and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.” REFLECTION 1. How would you answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am” (Mark 8:29)? 2. In Mark 8:34, Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” How does your life compare to Jesus’ portrait of a disciple?

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, Jesus spends the majority of His time in Gentile territory. This is not the first time in Mark that Jesus has visited non-Jewish regions. He has already visited the Decapolis, a non-Jewish region on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:1-20). That trip was brief, but Jesus now begins to focus His ministry in areas beyond the Jewish Galilee. One story we read tells of how Jesus returned to the Decapolis and miraculously fed 4,000 people. Other than the specific location in Gentile territory, the details of this episode are similar to the more famous feeding of the 5,000. In both stories, Jesus has “compassion” for a large crowd in a remote place (Mark 6:34-35; 8:1-4). When He sees that they need something to eat, He asks the disciples to share their few loaves and fish (Mark 6:35-38; Mark 8:2-7). The disciples’ responses in each story are also similar. In the story of the 5,000, they respond, “That would take more than half a year’s wages!” (Mark 6:37). In the story of the 4,000, they ask, “Where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” (Mark 8:4). What stands out is the fact that the disciples still asked this question in the second story. Given that they had already seen Jesus feed 5,000 individuals, why would they doubt He could feed 4,000 now? The answer seems to be rooted in their expectations of what Israel’s Messiah would do. Jews at this time expected that the Messiah would provide bread for Jews in the wilderness just as God had done for the Israelites many centuries earlier (Exodus 16). Jesus did this. The word translated as “remote place” in Mark also means “wilderness.” But few would have expected that the Messiah would miraculously provide for non-Jews like this too. Jesus’ repetition of this miracle for the Gentile crowds confronted the beliefs of His disciples. Though they may have thought the kingdom blessings were reserved only for people like them, Jesus was welcoming outsiders to His table too. Like Jesus’ disciples, we may need our eyes opened to see who Jesus is welcoming into His kingdom. Jesus’ compassion isn’t reserved just for people who look, think, and talk just like us. His compassion extends to any who have need, and our compassion should too. SCRIPTURE MARK 7:24–8:21 JESUS HONORS A SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN’S FAITH 24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. JESUS HEALS A DEAF AND MUTE MAN 31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” CHAPTER 8 JESUS FEEDS THE FOUR THOUSAND 1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” 5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. THE YEAST OF THE PHARISEES AND HEROD 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” REFLECTION 1. Today’s reading begins and ends with two brief parables about bread (Mark 7:27; 8:15). The Syrophoenician woman’s response to the first parable contrasts with the disciples’ response to the second and shows that she understood what they didn’t. Why do you think the disciples continually struggled to fully understand what Jesus was saying and doing? How do you think you would have responded to Jesus if you were present at this time? 2. At the end of yesterday’s reading, Jesus declared “all foods clean” (Mark 7:19). In doing so, He broke down a traditional social boundary between Jews and Gentiles just prior to His Gentile mission. What social boundaries do you see at work in the church and world today? Why do we have these? What do you suppose Jesus would say about the boundaries we set up?

COMMENTARY Today, Jesus again finds Himself in trouble with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. As we’ve already seen in Mark, these people have accused Him of blasphemy, of eating with sinners, of failing to fast, of breaking the Sabbath, and of casting out demons by the power of Satan (Mark 2:6, 16, 18, 24; 3:2, 22). Now they have a new complaint with Jesus. After seeing His disciples eat without washing, they ask Him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” (Mark 7:5). To appreciate the angst of these religious leaders and Jesus’ response, it helps to explore some background on the tradition of the elders. In the centuries leading up to the time of Jesus, officials from Pharisaic schools of thought developed an elaborate system of rules. These rules, which were considered as authoritative as Scripture, were designed to put a fence around the Jewish laws so that people would not accidentally break any of them. In some cases, these rules helped people know how to obey laws that seemed unclear. In other cases, they functioned more like supplements to the biblical laws. This is the case with the issue of handwashing. Scripture records only one law about handwashing. But the Jewish Mishnah, a written record of these additional rules, dedicates more space to rules about handwashing than the Bible gives to the all the covenant laws combined (Exodus 20:1-23:33). Jesus could have responded to His accusers by pointing out how their unending lists of rules had ironically undermined the Law rather than fenced it in. God’s one instruction about handwashing applied only to priests when they participated in sacred meals (Exodus 30:17-21). Elsewhere in Scripture, God allows common people to eat common meals, no matter the status of their hands (Deuteronomy 12:15, 22; 15:22). It wasn’t a problem for the disciples to eat their food without washing. But since this is the seventh time Jesus has been confronted with this kind of accusation, He cuts right to the chase: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (Mark 7:8). Jesus’ response to His accusers should challenge us in the church today. We have our own rules and traditions. They aren’t all bad, but we have to be careful that we don’t value our rules so much that we forget what has come from God and why. When we lose sight of the original purpose of God’s commands, we can actually undermine His Law, even in our efforts to keep it. SCRIPTURE MARK 6:45–7:23 JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. CHAPTER 7 THAT WHICH DEFILES 1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come— sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” REFLECTION 1. In Exodus 33:19-34:7, God famously reveals His name and His glory to Moses when He “passes by” him. In Mark 6:48-50, Jesus similarly decides to “pass by” His disciples and then identify Himself, saying, “It is I” [literally: “I am”]. What is this story teaching us about Jesus? Why should this have been a cause for “courage” for the disciples (Mark 6:50)? Where do you need more courage in your life today? 2. In Mark 7:6-7, Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 to show how His accusers from Jerusalem were similar to the people of Jerusalem back in Isaiah’s day. Both groups looked like they were faithful on the outside, but on the inside, both groups were far from God. What has been the status of your heart lately? Are you more concerned with what others see on the outside or about what God sees on the inside?

COMMENTARY A major portion of today’s reading tells the story of John the Baptist’s death. At first glance, this seems like an odd story to be placed at this point in the book. John had been a major figure early on, but he hadn’t been seen in five chapters (Mark 1:2-14). What’s more, this story is told as a flashback. By this time in Jesus’ life, John had already been killed. So why did Mark tell the story of John’s death in this part of the book? It seems that Mark placed this story here to draw a contrast with the story that immediately follows it. In the first story, we learn that John was killed by a “king” known as Herod Antipas. Herod was a power-hungry governor in Galilee, the area where Jesus did most of His ministry. Mark calls him a “king,” in part for dramatic effect and in part because this was a title he desperately craved (Mark 6:14). We learn from extra-biblical sources that Herod had a history of spurning Jewish values and exploiting the poor. This particular story tells us that Herod stole his brother’s wife, asked his stepdaughter to “dance” in front of his friends, and literally served “the head of John the Baptist on a platter” at a banquet (Mark 6:22, 25). In contrast, the story that follows tells of a very different king and banquet. This is the story of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. The basic details of this story are well-known, but we shouldn’t miss how much royal symbolism it contains. The story has echoes of Psalm 23, a poem about the Divine King (Mark 6:34, 39, 42; Psalm 23:1-2, 5). It also tells how Jesus provided bread in the wilderness, a miracle that people expected from the Messiah (Mark 6:32). Most importantly, Mark says that Jesus had compassion for the crowds because they were like “sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). This was biblical code language for “people without a king” (1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:5). In other words, Jesus looked with compassion on the people that Herod had failed to lead. Then, He showed them the kind of King He would be. This is so relevant for us today. We live in a world where leaders all too often exploit those under their care in their insatiable pursuit of power. Jesus’ deeds show us a different way. The kingdom of God is not characterized by oppression but by compassion, so we should live compassionately too. When we feel hurt by those in power over us, Jesus’ actions can be an encouragement. We are seen and loved by a compassionate King. SCRIPTURE MARK 6:6b–44 JESUS SENDS OUT THE TWELVE Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. JOHN THE BAPTIST BEHEADED 14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protect- ed him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immedi- ately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them some- thing to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. REFLECTION 1. In Mark 6:8, Jesus instructs His disciples to “take nothing” with them on their missionary journey. Why do you suppose Jesus instructed this? When in life have you experienced lack or nothingness like this? What did you learn from that season? 2. Mark 6:26 tells us that Herod was “greatly distressed” about his stepdaughter’s request. He knew what was right in his heart, but he didn’t want to look like a coward, so he killed John. This is yet another example of someone who was “seeing but never perceiving” (Mark 4:12). He was like the “seed” that was choked by the “desires for other things” (Mark 4:18-19). When have you felt similar distress about how others perceive you? How do you find the resolve to stand up for what’s right even when others seem to choose what’s wrong?

COMMENTARY Today, we read two more miracle stories that reveal Jesus’ identity and character. These stories are presented to us in a form that scholars often call a “Markan sandwich.” This is a literary feature used throughout the book of Mark. Mark frequently places one story in the middle of another story (e.g., Mark 3:20-35; 4:1-20; 6:6-31; 11:12-21; 14:1-11, 53-72; 15:40-16:8). By combining stories in this way, Mark intends for us to read them together so that each might shape our interpretation of the other and provide depth to our portrait of Jesus. The stories sandwiched together in today’s reading have a number of similarities.Both stories feature sick females. One was a twelve-year-old girl (Mark 5:42). The other was a woman who had been suffering for twelve years (Mark 5:25). In both stories, the ailments were not just physical but also of a religious nature. The girl and the woman would have been considered unclean and therefore unfit to touch (Mark 5:25, 35; Leviticus 15:25-27, Numbers 19:11). In both stories, people made jokes about Jesus’ words (Mark 5:31, 40). Finally, faith in the saving power of Jesus resulted in healing for both (5:34, 36). While there are multiple similarities between these stories, one trait clearly differentiates the girl and the woman. One was represented by her father, a well-to-do, ritually clean, and respected “synagogue leader” (Mark 5:22.) The other had no representation. She was likely bankrupt from medical bills, almost certainly unmarried, and definitely living on the margins of her community. By sandwiching these stories together, Mark teaches us that just as sickness and death don’t distinguish between social classes, Jesus doesn’t either. He goes out of His way to heal both of them. This should come as an encouragement to us. We are all in need of healing, no matter our background. The good news is we have a Savior who came for all of us. SCRIPTURE MARK 5:21–6:6a JESUS RAISES A DEAD GIRL AND HEALS A SICK WOMAN 21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her some- thing to eat. CHAPTER 6 A PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR 1 Jesus left there and went to his home- town, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been giv- en him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. REFLECTION 1. Mark 6:5-6 indicates that Jesus did not “do any miracles” in His hometown because of their “lack of faith.” What does this teach us if we are looking for a miracle in order to believe? 2. Mark 5:30 says that Jesus noticed the touch of the sick woman even while a crowd pressed against Him. Jesus’ awareness of the woman should encourage us. He can sense when we reach out for Him too. Use this time and space to reach out to Jesus today. Be bold with your prayers and confident that He notices you.

COMMENTARY At the end of yesterday’s reading, Jesus paused to teach about the kingdom of God through a series of parables. In today’s reading, Jesus resumes His ministry with a series of miracles. As we’ve been discovering throughout Mark, Jesus’ miracles were not just random acts of power and goodwill. Like His parables, the miracles that He performed taught veiled lessons. They demonstrated through actions what He had not said openly, that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. The first miracle story we read about today illustrates this well. Mark 4:35-41 tells of a time when Jesus calmed chaotic waters by the power of His voice. This was a profound miracle, one that would cause any of us to echo the disciples’ words: “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him” (Mark 4:41). Its significance is amplified by the symbolism that Jesus’ disciples would have attached to this miracle. In the cultural context in which the Bible was written, it was widely believed that the god who had power over chaotic waters was the king of the gods. Throughout Scripture, God leveraged this symbolic connection between water and kingship to stake a claim that He is the world’s one true King. We see this connection, for example, in Psalm 93:1-4 which says, “The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty.” In light of this, we shouldn’t miss the significance of what Jesus was teaching through this miracle. He wasn’t just ensuring the safe passage of His friends across the sea, though He did care about their safety. By calming the waves, He demonstrated undeniably what Mark has been proclaiming from the beginning: Jesus is God and Jesus is King. SCRIPTURE MARK 4:35–5:20 JESUS CALMS THE STORM 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” CHAPTER 5 JESUS RESTORES A DEMON-POSSESSED MAN 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shout- ed at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs ran off and report- ed this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. REFLECTION 1. Following Jesus’ exorcism of the demon-possessed man, the people of the town respond by asking Jesus to “leave their region” (Mark 5:17). Their response was likely motivated by a combination of fear and economic concern. Rather than seeing a tormented man set free, all they could see was the loss of 2,000 pigs. This is an example of what Jesus meant in Mark 4:12 when He said, “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving.” What are some reasons why people chase Jesus away today? In what ways are people ever seeing but never perceiving in our culture? 2. Like the disciples, we sometimes face storms in life that we don’t know how to navigate. Jesus’ questions for the disciples then become questions for us: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). What storm are you currently facing or have faced recently? What would it look like for you to choose faith over fear in the midst of your storm?

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, we encounter a collection of parables about the kingdom of God. A key to interpreting parables is recognizing their riddle-like nature. Parables aren’t always as simple as they might seem. In fact, Jesus indicates that they are meant to conceal as much as they reveal (Mark 4:11-12, 33-34). We see this in the parable of the mustard seed. On the surface, this parable teaches about the potential growth of Jesus’ kingdom. Just as the “smallest” of seeds can grow into the “largest of all garden plants,” so the kingdom of God has the potential to become great. This is an accurate interpretation, but there is another layer of meaning to this parable. Jesus doesn’t just say that a mustard seed can grow into a large garden plant. He adds that it has “such big branches that the birds can perch [literally: nest] in its shade” (Mark 4:32). This is a curious addition because birds generally don’t make nests in mustard shrubs, as His agrarian listeners would have known. Mustard shrubs are typically too weak and too hollow. This addition to the parable could be a hint about the supernatural character of this particular mustard shrub and therefore of the kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom would grow into something bigger and better than the laws of nature could ever predict. This addition could also provide a clue about the humility of the kingdom. Jesus is clearly playing off themes from Ezekiel 17, a messianic parable in the Old Testament. In that parable, God says He would plant a sprig that would one day grow into a cedar tree, a tree renowned for its stature. Ezekiel 17:23 says that the cedar would become so great that “birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.” The connections between Ezekiel 17 and the parable of the mustard seed are unmistakable. In both parables, seedlings become great plants that provide homes for birds. The main difference is that one is about a stately cedar tree, and the other is about a comparatively less impressive mustard shrub. Jesus therefore seems to be teaching a lesson not only about the growth of the kingdom but also about its character. His parable offers a corrective to those listening, both back then and today, who expect that the kingdom of God should reflect the pomp and pageantry of a cedar tree. The kingdom of God has power beyond what the laws of nature can explain. But unlike the kingdoms of this world, God’s kingdom comes with the humility of a modest mustard shrub. SCRIPTURE MARK 4:1–34 CHAPTER 4 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” A LAMP ON A STAND 21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hid- den is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” 24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. REFLECTION 1. Considering the political and religious climate of His time, why do you suppose Jesus taught “many things by parables” (Mark 4:2)? Why would He save His explanations about the parables for those who genuinely sought Him as opposed to those who blindly opposed Him (Mark 4:11-12, 34)? 2. In Mark 4:24, Jesus says, “Consider carefully what you hear.” How carefully do you consider Scripture? Do you just breeze through your reading, or do you reflect on its significance in your life? What would help you consider Jesus’ words more carefully?

COMMENTARY Many times in the book of Mark, Jesus makes a request that can seem baffling. Referred to by scholars as the “messianic secret,” Jesus frequently asks for His identity to be hidden. For example, when demons declare that Jesus is the “Son of God” in Mark 3:11-12, Jesus gives them “strict orders not to tell others about him” (cf., Mark 1:24-25, 34; 5:7-10). And Jesus doesn’t only silence demons. He also asks humans to keep His identity secret when they discover who He truly is (e.g., Mark 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 29-30; 9:9). This begs the question, why would Jesus want to hide His identity if it was central to the gospel that He would eventually want everyone to hear? Jesus’ secrecy could be explained in a few different ways. In some situations, Jesus may have been concerned about how this information would be used. This seems to be the case when He silences demons. Magic manuals written around this time give evidence of a widespread belief that exorcists could drive out demons by pronouncing the demons’ names. By pronouncing Jesus’ title, “Son of God,” the demons may have been attempting to outmaneuver Jesus and gain control of Him. In these situations, Jesus’ silencing of the spirits was a repudiation of their efforts. He would not be manipulated by them (cf. Mark 1:24-25). In other situations, Jesus’ secrecy may have reflected a concern about how people would understand His messianic identity. At that time, “messiah” was a politically loaded term, as was the title “Son of God.” “Son of God” was a title used for Roman emperors. “Messiah” was a title used by Jews to refer to the hoped-for Jewish king. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries anticipated that a coming messiah would free them from their subservience to Rome. As the Messiah, Jesus would confront the systems of sin and injustice that characterized the Roman empire. But Jesus wouldn’t accomplish this through military power. Instead, it would be through a life of service and suffering. Jesus asked people who recognized Him to conceal His identity until after His crucifixion because it’s in view of the cross that Jesus’ Messianic identity is most clearly revealed (Mark 9:9; 15:39). On this side of history, Jesus’ status as the Messiah is no longer something to conceal. Jesus asks that we share the gospel with others. But in doing that, we can’t misunderstand what it means to say He is the Messiah. Jesus isn’t someone we can manipulate for our own personal or political gain. He doesn’t accomplish His mission through force or coercion. If we are true followers of Jesus, then when we proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God, we ought to do it by living lives of love, service, and sacrifice. SCRIPTURE MARK 3:7–35 CROWDS FOLLOW JESUS 7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him. JESUS APPOINTS THE TWELVE 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appoint- ed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. JESUS ACCUSED BY HIS FAMILY AND BY TEACHERS OF THE LAW 20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” 31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” REFLECTION 1. In today’s reading, Jesus faced backlash from His family for potentially imperiling their reputation and safety. When have you experienced similar pushback for living like Jesus? How did Jesus respond to His family, and how can this be an encouragement for us today? 2. Mark 3:29 contains a warning about what is often called the “unforgivable sin.” It’s important to understand that Jesus isn’t talking about just any random word spoken against the Holy Spirit. He is describing an intentional and ongoing denial of the Spirit’s redemptive work through Jesus. If you have any concern that you may have committed this sin, this is a sign that you haven’t, and you have no real reason to worry. Still, Jesus’ warning should make us cautious about demonizing others, especially those who claim to follow Christ. Why do you suppose we are so quick to vilify those we disagree with? What would be a more Christ-oriented way of engaging with those we don’t agree with?

COMMENTARY As news of Jesus’ power spread throughout the Galilean countryside, He began to capture the attention of not just the crowds, but also religious authorities, and not in a good way. Religious leaders began to see Jesus as a threat because His actions repeatedly conflicted with their teachings. In today’s reading, we encounter five separate stories that highlight this increasing hostility toward Jesus. One of these stories features Jesus calling someone to follow Him. As we read yesterday, He had previously invited four fishermen to become His disciples (Mark 1:16-20). In today’s reading, the occupation of the man Jesus now invites to follow Him draws the anger of religious authorities. The man is a tax collector. We can’t overestimate how scandalous this would have seemed to Jesus’ contemporaries. In first century Jewish society, tax collectors were thought to be the worst sinners. They had a well-documented history of fraud. Many regarded them as traitors for serving the Romans. Some rabbinic literature even says that tax collectors defiled houses just by entering them. You can imagine how much it would have upset religious leaders when they saw Jesus not only summoning this tax collector but also having dinner at his house (Mark 2:15). Here was Jesus, a celebrated expositor of the Law, eating at a place that they considered impure. When they confront Jesus, He leaves them speechless by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 2:17). Jesus’ teaching is one we need to hear today. Like the ancient religious leaders, we can be quick to dismiss people we don’t understand and reject people who don’t conform to our rules. But like Jesus, we should prioritize love for people over concern for rules, especially human-made rules. After all, Jesus didn’t call people who thought that rules would make them righteous. Jesus called people who admitted they were sick and needed a doctor. MARK 2:1–3:6 CHAPTER 2 JESUS FORGIVES AND HEALS A PARALYZED MAN 1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” JESUS CALLS LEVI AND EATS WITH SINNERS Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” JESUS QUESTIONED ABOUT FASTING 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bride- groom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” CHAPTER 3 JESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH 1 Another time Jesus went into the syna- gogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was com- pletely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. REFLECTION 1. In today’s reading, Jesus is accused twice of violating the Sabbath. In reality, He only violates human-made regulations that have nothing to do with God’s original intent for the Sabbath, as Jesus Himself points out. Can you think of any ways we’ve made following Jesus unnecessarily difficult by adding to God’s laws today? 2. In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus teaches us the importance of befriending irreligious people. But elsewhere in Scripture, we are encouraged to keep good company and avoid sinners (e.g., Psalm 1:1; 1 Corinthians 15:33). How do we balance these seemingly disparate teachings? What would it look like for you to eat with “sinners and tax collectors,” and how could you do this without compromising your convictions?

COMMENTARY At the end of yesterday’s reading, Jesus proclaimed that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). In today’s reading, we encounter the first detailed stories of Jesus’ kingdom work. Jesus begins to recruit followers, show signs that the kingdom is approaching, and give people a glimpse of His identity and character. The first story in this series reveals something unique about Jesus’ character: He’s an invitational leader. When He sees two pairs of brothers fishing in the Sea of Galilee, He calls to them, “Come, follow me” (Mark 1:17). For a person of Jesus’ position, this invitation was counter-cultural. Writings from Jesus’ time show that rabbis expected prospective students to seek them out, not the other way around. Jesus could have followed this custom. In fact, crowds repeatedly sought Him out (Mark 1:32-33, 37, 45). However, in spite of His position and influence, Jesus took the initiative to go out and find followers for Himself. This is a model for us. Too often, we sit inside the walls of our churches and expect that potential believers should come to us. But in the kingdom of God, we make disciples by first going out to them (Mark 6:6-12). This story also reveals something about the cost of following Jesus. Mark tells us that after hearing the call, both sets of fishermen follow Him “at once,” leaving behind valuable possessions like nets, a boat, and hired men (Mark 1:17-20). Two of them even abandon their father, a social crime that a contemporary Jewish text compares to blasphemy. The fishermen’s total rejection of all that they have in order to follow Jesus reflects a theme that we see throughout Mark. Jesus will bless those who choose to follow Him “a hundred times,” but following Him requires that they “deny” themselves completely (Mark 8:34; 10:28-31). Jesus’ call extends to us today. He invites us on the adventure of a lifetime. But following Him means surrendering all we have and all we are. How will you choose to answer His call? SCRIPTURE MARK 1:16–45 JESUS CALLS HIS FIRST DISCIPLES 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew cast- ing a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. JESUS DRIVES OUT AN IMPURE SPIRIT 21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. JESUS HEALS MANY 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon- possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. JESUS PRAYS IN A SOLITARY PLACE 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. JESUS HEALS A MAN WITH LEPROSY 40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses command- ed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. REFLECTION 1. Mark 1:35 tells us that Jesus woke up early and went to a “solitary place.” Interestingly, the word translated as “solitary place” is the same word translated in Mark 1:12-13 as “wilderness.” This is a type of place we might normally try to avoid, but Jesus frequently sought it out (e.g., Mark 1:45; 6:31-32). Why do you suppose Jesus did this? How might we benefit from spending more time in places like this? 2. For Jesus’ first disciples, following Jesus literally meant walking with and behind Him. What do you suppose it should look like for people to follow Jesus today?

COMMENTARY The book of Mark begins with a short, one-line introduction that serves as a title for the entire work: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). It’s brief, but this introduction makes an extravagant claim that would have been striking to those reading it in Mark’s time. Around the time this book was written, the word translated as “good news” (or sometimes “gospel”) was commonly used to describe the lives and achievements of Roman emperors. Roman messengers would travel around proclaiming “good news” about things like a royal birth, an emperor’s ascension to the throne, or an emperor’s victory in battle. One particular inscription known as the Priene Calendar Inscription calls Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, a “god,” and describes his birth as “the beginning of the good news for the world.” Mark’s introduction, which uses virtually identical vocabulary, would have stood out to readers in this context. It makes the claim that this book shares good news about an alternative king. This was an explosive claim. It would have been considered even more subversive if the book of Mark was written from Rome as a majority of scholars believe. This alternative gospel about an alternative king would have been proclaimed from the capital of Caesar’s empire. We will discover, as we read through this gospel, that Jesus was no ordinary rival to the Roman emperor. Unlike typical competitors, He didn’t rise to His throne through conspiracy, coup, or stabbing Caesar in the back. Instead, Jesus claimed His crown through an act so unconventional that not even His closest companions saw it coming. In doing so, He established a kingdom unlike any the world has ever seen. This is truly “good news,” and it’s the gospel that Mark invites us to read. SCRIPTURE MARK 1:1–15 CHAPTER 1 JOHN THE BAPTIST PREPARES THE WAY The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repen- tance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” THE BAPTISM AND TESTING OF JESUS 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. JESUS ANNOUNCES THE GOOD NEWS 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” REFLECTION 1. In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus proclaims the “good news” (or “gospel”). How does Jesus define the gospel in His own words (cf., Isaiah 40:9; 52:7)? How does this compare to how you have defined the gospel in the past, and why might this be good news? 2. How do you hope to grow through your Journey Through Mark experience? Share your hope with God through prayer. Ask that He might use the book of Mark to challenge, shape, and inspire you.

Chapter 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your re- quests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hun- gry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Paul ends his letter to the Philippians with closing greetings and a blessing. He begins by sending his own personal greetings (Philippians 4:21). Then he passes along the greetings of those who were with him (Philippians 4:21-22). Finally, he prays for the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” to be with the Philippians, mirroring the blessing he bestowed upon these Christians at the opening of this letter (Philippians 4:23; 1:2). Although this closing is customary and brief, it should not be read as a mere formality. Even in these few short verses, Paul had something surprising he wanted to reveal to the Philippian readers and to us today. While passing along the greetings of those who were with him, Paul specifically identifies one group of people who wanted to greet the Philippians: “All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22). There is some debate about what Paul meant by “Caesar’s household.” This debate is related to the question of where Paul was imprisoned when he wrote this letter. What is clear to most modern scholars is that the individuals Paul is alluding to worked in some capacity for the Roman emperor, most likely as slaves, freedmen, or freedwomen. This is clear from hundreds of inscriptions archaeologists have found throughout the Roman Empire that refer to “Caesar’s household.” The significance of this greeting would not have been lost on the original Philippian readers. People who answered to Caesar, a self-proclaimed savior and lord of the universe, had come to pledge their allegiance to Jesus, the world’s true Savior and Lord. This was another reminder that nothing, not even Caesar himself, could stop the “advance” of “the gospel” (Philippians 1:12-13). This also would have been a source of encouragement for the Philippians who were suffering at the hands of those loyal to Caesar. If anyone had reason to be “frightened” that they might “suffer” for their faith, it was those who worked directly for the Roman emperor (Philippians 1:27-29). This special greeting let the Philippian Christians know that they were not alone. The significance of this greeting should not be lost on us either. If any of us have fear or concerns about how others will respond to our faith, we can find encouragement from these Christians who belonged to Caesar’s household. Others have faced this struggle before us and they found the strength to press on. Also, if we ever doubt whether a certain person or group of people could become followers of Jesus, this greeting should give us hope. Any person, no matter how unlikely, can be moved by the gospel and may come to see Jesus as Lord. PHILIPPIANS 4:21–23 FINAL GREETINGS 21 Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Day 19 Questions Notice the repetition of the phrase “all God’s people” in this passage. How does this relate to Paul’s appeals for unity throughout this letter? Are there people in your community of faith that you view as different or you exclude? Do you ever try to avoid someone when you go to church? How could you be more inclusive in the ways you interact with others? Who in your life is like those who “belong to Caesar’s household” – people you thought might never come to believe, or people you doubt will ever believe? What would help you to have courage like Paul’s to make the most of every interaction?

Commentary Today’s reading includes the conclusion to the main body of Paul’s letter. In this section, Paul gives thanks to the Philippians for some gifts they had recently shared with him. This is not the first time in this letter that Paul has expressed his gratitude for these gifts. In Philippians 1:3-5, he thanked God for their “partnership in the gospel.” In Philippians 2:25-30, he honored Epaphroditus for delivering these gifts. However, this is his most heartfelt thank you, encompassing a full ten verses. In the middle of this extensive thank you note, Paul does something curious. He writes a short aside saying that he didn’t really need their gifts: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:11-12). This is an odd statement, because it seems to undermine his thank you. But there are a couple of reasons why Paul makes this digression. First, in Philippi’s society which was driven by honor and shame, all sorts of power dynamics could be involved in the giving and receiving of gifts. Those who gave gifts to others could advance in status, and those who received gifts could find themselves subordinate and indebted to the gift giver. By emphasizing that he was “content” no matter his circumstances, Paul made sure that the Philippians knew that their gifts were just that, gifts. The gifts did not obligate him to them or make him subordinate to them in any way. In the kingdom of heaven, gift-giving is motivated by generosity, not by the pursuit of power or influence. Second, as the Philippians faced the prospect of suffering for their faith, Paul wanted to pass along what he had learned from his own life experience about contentment. Contentment is not found in material possessions and it is not found in one’s own inner strength like some contemporary Greek philosophers taught. True contentment is found “through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). This is an important lesson for us living in modern America. Despite the overwhelming blessings most of us enjoy compared with the rest of the world, it is quite common for us to feel discontent, especially when we compare our situations with others. We think that when we get the right job, house, possessions, or spouse, then we will suddenly be happy. Usually, we are just let down. What Paul teaches and models is that contentment is possible in any and every situation. To be truly content we must remember that a relationship with Jesus is the most valuable thing in this life, and that God alone can “meet all [our] needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8; 4:19). PHILIPPIANS 4:10–20 THANKS FOR THEIR GIFTS 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your con- cern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Day 18 Questions Philippians 4:13 is one of the most memorized verses in all Scripture. When read in isolation and in other translations, this verse seems to say that believers have the ability to do anything they set their hearts on: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. But how does the surrounding context change how we read this verse? What is Paul really saying that he has the strength to do? How do you struggle with contentment in your own life? What would it take for you to be content with the situation God has given you today?

Commentary As his letter begins to close, Paul shares a number of short, succinct instructions as he frequently does toward the end of his letters (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; 1 Corinthians 16:13-18; 2 Corinthians 13:11). At first glance, these quick commands might seem random and unrelated, but they actually reiterate themes we’ve seen throughout the letter. For example, Paul writes in verse 9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” This relates to Paul’s previous command: “join together in following my example” (Philippians 3:17). Or again, in verse 4, Paul instructs readers to “rejoice.” This is a verb Paul has already used six times in this letter (Philippians 1:18; 2:17; 2:18; 2:28; 3:1). Paul’s most famous command in this section also relates to things he has said earlier, but in an ironic way. In verse 6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything . . . .” This is ironic because Paul has already admitted to having “anxiety” in this letter (Philippians 2:28). It is also ironic because this is a behavior that seems to be commended elsewhere in this letter. The word translated here as “anxious” is the same word translated as “concern” in Philippians 2:20: “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.” However, Paul is not commanding the Philippians to suddenly stop having all feelings of anxiety, and he isn’t telling them not to have concern for others. Instead, Paul is instructing them to let go of counterproductive thoughts that reflect a doubt that “the Lord is near” and to replace their worry with prayer: “ . . . in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:5-6). Paul then goes on to share a promise about what they could experience if they would give their concerns to God in prayer: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This promise would have been particularly striking for Paul’s original Philippian readers. At the time this letter was written, Philippi was home to a contingent of Roman soldiers whose task was to guard something that was considered the pride of the Roman Empire: the Pax Romana (“Roman peace”). In these verses, Paul plays off these familiar images to teach that God promises a type of peace that “transcends” anything they could understand, even the celebrated peace of Rome. Where Rome’s peace needed to be guarded by soldiers, God’s peace is so great that the very peace itself can guard our hearts and our minds. This teaching is just as true for us today. We live in an anxious and restless culture, but God doesn’t want us to worry about what will come or what will be. He wants us to be consumed by peace – to find rest in the fact that Jesus is Lord and Jesus is near. All He asks is that we surrender our worried thoughts and trust Him to guide us in the way that He alone can. Scripture PHILIPPIANS 4:4–9 FINAL EXHORTATIONS 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Questions In Philippians 4:8, Paul instructs his readers to focus their thoughts on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.” What does this look like in practice? What are some negative thoughts you need to eliminate from your thinking? What are some excellent thoughts you could dwell on more? According to Philippians 4:6, what should be included in our prayers for peace? What are some anxious concerns you need to give to God in prayer? Use this space to write down your own prayer.

COMMENTARY Throughout this letter, Paul often expresses his desire for the believers in the Philippian church to have unity with one another. In Philippians 1:27, Paul encourages his readers to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.” In Philippians 2:2, Paul asks them to be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” These calls for unity, along with other instructions like “do everything without grumbling or arguing,” make it clear that there was some level of disunity in this church (Philippians 2:14). In today’s reading, we come across what may have been the specific issue that prompted these calls for unity. Using the same vocabulary he used in Philippians 2:2, Paul now begs two specific individuals to “be of the same mind.” He writes, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2). Unfortunately, we do not know much about these two individuals or their dispute. Based on their names, we know that they were both women and likely Greek, not Roman. It is also likely that they were both leaders in the local church. This is suggested by the fact that Paul refers to them as “co-workers” and is supported by archaeological and biblical evidence that shows that women often held prominent religious roles in Philippi (Philippians 4:3; Acts 16:13-15). As for their dispute, we can only speculate about what divided them. Most scholars assume that it was a personal matter rather than a theological matter because of Paul’s silence on the issue. No matter the reason, their fracture disrupted their work “in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:3). Paul challenges them to “be of the same mind” and he adds the critically important qualifier “in the Lord.” This is very important. It is nearly impossible for people to always be of the same mind. Even the most sincere Christians won’t always agree on everything. Unfortunately, when Christians disagree, our grievances can distract us from the more important work of sharing the gospel. Even worse, our disputes can sometimes be so ugly that they deter others from embracing the gospel. It is, however, possible to have lasting unity when it is rooted in the Lord. As Christians, we must remember that we all have the same Lord and that we share the same mission from our Lord. In practice, this requires that we prioritize others above ourselves and above our arguments, just as our Lord prioritized us (Philippians 2:5-8). In the end, we may not agree on everything, but not everything is as important as Jesus, His people, and the mission He has given to us. PHILIPPIANS 4:1–3 CLOSING APPEAL FOR STEADFASTNESS AND UNITY 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Day 16 Questions 1. Notice the repetition of the word “plead” in verse 2. Paul singles out each person, and pleads with each individually to “be of the same mind in the Lord” with the other. Why do you suppose he does this? Why is it sometimes so difficult for two disputing parties to see eye to eye? In verse 3, Paul asks another unknown individual in the church to “help these women” settle their differences. Why might it be beneficial for us to let outside mediators help us resolve conflicts? Do you need to invite someone in to help you navigate a conflict in your life? Are you willing to welcome outside wisdom?

SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 3 NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH 1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. FOLLOWING PAUL’S EXAMPLE 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.