"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.
DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH,
1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN, JUDE, REVELATION
Mark 1:1 "The ... Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Gospel means Good News, which tells us Mark's conception of the value of the story he was about to write. It is all good, a true story to cause gladness, news that brings hope. That truth should never be forgotten because sometimes the dark and dreadful facts of human life are in danger of giving an almost gloomy note to the preaching of the Gospel. Sin is a terrible fact and the more we understand our message the more its terror will be felt, but the Gospel is first and foremost good news of complete deliverance from all evil to those who trust in "Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The Good News is simply and wholly the story of that Person, who is fully God and fully man.
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| Divine Nicknames |
Mark 5:39 "The child is not dead but sleeping." In those words we discover our Lord's outlook on death. There was no doubt that the 12-year-old girl in this situation was dead regarding her body and earthly consciousness, but Jesus could take in the entire situation. The girl's mother and father had surely looked on her when she was asleep in the days of her health. While she was asleep, she was unconscious that they were near her, and they could not communicate with her unless they awoke her out of sleep. Jesus told them that the real situation was similar now in His presence. From ordinary sleep they could have awakened her, but from this deeper slumber they could not. He could, however, and that is what He soon did. This outlook upon death is full of comfort for those who love the Lord. He stands by our dead and says to us, "Not dead, but sleeping." For the believer, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). Indeed, "our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly await the return of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform lowly bodies that they may be conformed to His glorious resurrection body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (Philippians 3:20-21).
Mark 6:30 "The apostles ... told [Jesus] everything they had done and taught." This is an account of how the first apostolic mission ended. After a period of preparation by being with the Lord Jesus, they were sent out two by two to do His work and thus enlarge the area of His activity. They had been successful in all the work He gave them to do. Then they returned to Him and gave Him their report. This suggests a beautiful picture: the Lord who had sent them and, in a sense, had never been separated from them during their absence, listening to them as they told Him what He already knew perfectly. Jesus also understood that such work is costly, for His disciples were tired, which is why He then said, "Come aside by yourselves to a secluded spot and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). A point of application here is we are often more likely to report what we have done for Christ to each other and to the world than to Him. Such reporting is not necessarily wrong, but for our own good and enrichment for further service, it is better to report to the Lord Himself. That is not the same as prayer and praise; it is telling Him what we have done and taught because He likes hearing from His children. Making a joyful habit of this will bless Him and us, improving all we think, say, and do.
Mark 7:24 "He could not be hidden." Jesus "entered a house and wanted no one to know it." But then a mother in anguish because of her daughter's affliction begged Jesus for help. From such appeals He could not be hidden. This woman, a Syro-Phonecian, was from a people notoriously hostile to Israel. Not only did Jesus heal her daughter by His mere spoken word, but also He tested her faith in a way that set her up for everlasting praise. Matthew tells us "she came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!'" By the time this divine appointment concluded (His only reason for being in the region as far as we know), Jesus said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire" (Matthew 15:25-28). The only other time He praised someone like that was when speaking to a Roman, another traditional enemy of Israel: "Truly I say to you," Jesus said, "I have not found such great faith even in Israel.... Many will come from east and west [places like Rome, Tyre, and Sidon] and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 8:10-11). God cannot be hidden from human suffering because of His gracious nature. He does not deal with symptoms merely, but with the dire root of the disease. As He comes forth from His hidden place, compelled by human agony, He makes no terms with that which caused the pain, but comes to end the pain by ultimately removing the cause.
That is the final question in a rush of questions meant to convict and sharpen slow minds: Why are you thinking about mere bread? Do you not comprehend? Is your heart hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember how many basketfuls of leftovers you had when I broke the 5 loaves for the 5,000 and the 7 for the 4,000? Happily, Matthew's Gospel makes it clear the disciples finally understood that when Jesus told them "to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees," He was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The apostles were missing the point of Christ's spiritual teaching because they were preoccupied by material things, such as having enough bread on hand. That was happening even though they had witnessed Christ's superlative ability to deal with material needs. The disciples needed to apply their past experiences to present needs, and so do we. Is it not a peculiar and persistent failing of the human soul that in the presence of immediate distress, we often forget past deliverances? The correction is remaining conscious of all that God has done for us: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "'If You can'! All things are possible for one who believes." That is our Lord's response to a father in desperate trouble. The man's boy from early childhood had suffered from demonic oppression. When the man hears of the fame of Jesus as a healer, he brings the boy to Him, only to find He is not with the disciples. In this dilemma he appeals to the disciples, but they were unable to deal with the case. When Jesus returns at this point, the man focuses on the disciples' lack of power, but the Lord redirects this father to focus on his own lack of faith. "If You can!" is His emphatic rebuke of the man's request, "If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us"—said to the most demonstrably compassionate and able Healer of all time! Jesus is also the champion of faith in the one true God, which is why He says, "All things are possible for one who believes." This grief-stricken father immediately understands this principle and applies it to himself as he cries out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" He admits his problem, places His faith in the right Person, and the Lord's response is immediate. When our faith is inspired by His, we make contact with His ability to do the things we cannot do ourselves.
Mark alone of the 4 Gospel writers gives us this revealing detail in connection with Christ's receiving and blessing the children. Our Lord was moved with indignation that any of His disciples should so misunderstand Him that they would even think of preventing children from approaching Him. Surely the disciples meant well since they were on their way to Jerusalem, and Jesus had been preparing them for His sufferings there. They were unable to grasp what He meant by all that, but at least they realized His mind was occupied with tremendous things to come. Perhaps that is why they felt He ought not to be disturbed by children. This incident reminds us it is possible to mean well yet do ill, but especially it reveals the special place children occupy in the heart of Jesus. Hindering them in any way from getting to Him still greatly displeases Him, but bringing children to Jesus gives Him joy. The children all about us everywhere are opportunities for giving Him this joy.
Mark 11:25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive." That is a law of prayer. How much unanswered prayer is the result of forgetting this? Forgetting is the right word since if we remember, we either stop praying or we forgive. It is impossible to pray easily when the heart is hot and angry with someone who has done us wrong. In the underlying depths of consciousness, however, feelings of resentment may lurk, even though at the moment we are not occupied with them. If we discover that is true within us, then according to this word of Jesus, we have no right to expect that God will forgive our trespasses. Our first inquiry, whenever we desire to pray, should be: Is there any person whom we have not yet forgiven? Of course, the condition is that the person has really wronged us in some way. Apart from that, there would be nothing to forgive. If there is such a person, before we can rightfully pray, we must forgive that person. After praying, we then need to carry out our act of forgiveness by seeking the forgiven person if still possible, and doing what we can to establish the relationship that results from forgiveness. What gracious results would follow if this word of Jesus were more often remembered and obeyed! Love would win wonderful triumphs, and prayer would become powerful and prevailing.
Mark 12:10 "Have you not even read this Scripture?" Jesus posed that question to religious, moral, and civil rulers who were familiar with the sacred Scriptures. The Scripture He quoted from Psalm 118 was read every year at Passover, but the way He asked the question makes it clear they had not read it in an effective way. In reading, interpreting, and teaching the Bible, it's not enough to know the mere words; we must know what they mean. The rulers Jesus confronted were face to face with the fulfillment of words they read each Passover, yet they were blind because they had never truly read the inspired words with unprejudiced minds under the illumination of God's Spirit. We are constantly in peril of the same superficial and harmful reading of the Scriptures. Therefore, let us approach our study of them with humility, diligence, and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." Perhaps that is our Lord's superlative word concerning His own teaching. While it obviously speaks of all His teaching, He said this in connection with His apocalyptic prophecies, which He gave to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. However difficult it is to come to perfect agreement in interpreting the "Olivet Discourse", the bad-to-worse scenario it presents depicts the world as we know it. In previous eras, it was assumed the world was steadily progressing upward toward universal peace and goodwill. Ever since the world wars, however, it has become increasingly clear that Jesus understood the human heart better than optimistic teachers who thought Him mistaken. The march of history will continue to vindicate Him at every point, and in that assurance we shall find safety and joy in believing and obeying Him.
Mark 15:31 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save." This is one of several instances when the Lord's enemies, in hatred or mockery, said things about Him that were profoundly true. To save others, the Messiah could not save Himself. His inability was not, as His enemies suggested, because of weakness. It was because of eternal strength. It was not that He was unable to save Himself, but rather that He was able not to save Himself. Therefore He "is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25). As Jesus was being arrested He said to Peter, "Put away your sword, for all who take the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will at once provide Me with more than 12 legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled?" (Matthew 26:52-53)? Isaiah prophesied, "Surely He [the Messiah] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions.... The chastisement for our peace upon Him.... All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.... He was cut off from the land of the living.... Yet it pleased the Lord to ... make His soul an offering for sin." As we soon find out, that's not the end of the story: "They assigned His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich at His death.... [God] shall prolong His days.... He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied."
Mark 16:20 "The Lord worked with them and confirmed the Message." This is how Mark's Gospel ends: with the risen Lord co-operating with His messengers in the delivery of their divine Message, confirming His Word by signs of His authority. The previous statement reveals Him seated at God's right hand after ascending to heaven. Those 2 pictures should always be in mind as we go about His business: He is triumphant and He is active. From His supreme place of authority and power He directs and accompanies all the travels and activities of those who serve Him. When we are true to Him and His message, we may rest assured that He Himself is working with us, making His own direct appeal to those who are listening to us. We must also recognize that it is He who gives the signs; it is not for us to choose what they shall be. Sometimes they are spiritual; sometimes they are wrought in the mental and physical realms. We have nothing to do with them. Our only responsibility is being faithful to His Great Commission: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all things I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
