Saturday, December 9, 2023

Mark 11:27-33

27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, 28 and they said to Him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer Me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

This question exchange is just one of many encounters Jesus had with chief priests and scribes and elders trying to trap Him in His words. These were the people who should have understood what Jesus was talking about, but they rejected Him because He didn’t act like the Messiah they were expecting. Surprisingly, there were many non-Jewish people who understood better than the Jewish leaders who Jesus was, and that His authority, power, and freedom were available to them too.

On a note of warning, our passage today shows that Jesus will usually not reveal Himself to those who are not willing to receive His truth. Yet on a positive note, the Gospels show overwhelmingly that Jesus will reveal Himself and give His healing and deliverance to those who are seeking. Today, will you please pray that people in the Buddhist world will seek truth? Pray that they will desire to know who Jesus is, and that Jesus will respond with power, healing, and deliverance.

Prayer:

Ezekiel 36:24-28 

24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

LORD God Almighty, please bring Buddhists to Yourself and cleanse them from their idols. Give them a new heart to love You only, and a new spirit to walk in Your ways. Remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, born anew in Jesus. God, please fill new believers in the Buddhist world with Your Spirit, to empower them to walk in Your ways and be careful to follow You closely, even in their Buddhist families and communities. Father God, show them how You include them as Your children; make them confident in their identity as Your people and in Your Lordship over them.

Amen.