“For he [Pilate] was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.”

(Mark 15:10)

Envy is an ugly thing, and it will make people do ugly things.  Sometimes, it even contorts people’s faces in a way which makes them look ugly, too!

Envy is a feeling of discontent or resentment at the success, abilities, or good fortune of others.  Envy is nasty, and other people can often see it on you.  Pilate saw the chief priests envy Jesus, and he knew that was the real reason behind their vendetta with Him.  It had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with the fact that Jesus was the kind of leader they weren’t.

It can be hard to rejoice in the success of others, especially if they are doing similar jobs as you.  I have no problem rejoicing when someone succeeds in an entirely different field than me, but it is hard to feel good about the guy who gets the promotion when I applied for it, too.

We must fight envy because it harms our character.  It also harms the church.  When men who don’t become elders become envious of those who do, that leads to problems and hurt.  When we count the successes of others (a new baby, a new job, a happy marriage, etc.) as reasons to dislike them, we take the blessings God is giving to others and use them as a weapon to sever our hearts from theirs.  That’s just wrong.  It’s also sad.

Envy is hurtful, and it can only be driven away by contentment and gratitude.  When I’m happy with who I am and where God is using me, there is no room for the green-eyed monster of jealousy to whisper into my heart.  Next time you start feeling envy, I recommend a hearty dose of grateful prayer in your inner room.  It will drive that beast away in no time.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to them…”

(Mark 14:7)

Right in the midst of preparing the disciples for the fact that He is soon to be killed, Jesus throws in this little tidbit about helping the poor.  He says two very powerful things:

“You always have the poor” – poverty is a constant universal problem, but that doesn’t mean Christians shouldn’t try and solve it SPECIFICALLY.  Yes, we will always have the poor with us, but Jesus fed the poor, cared for them, and His disciples were used to seeing Him do so.  Jesus didn’t throw up His hands because the problem was so big; He teaches us to get our hands dirty and serve where we can to alleviate the problem for someone… even if we can’t do it for everyone.

“Whenever you wish” – the problem with doing good is rarely that there aren’t enough opportunities.  The problem is a shortage of volunteers.  If we wish to do good, there are lots of ways to do so all around us.  Widows who need help, young families who could use babysitters, food kitchens to volunteer at, and neighbors’ lawns to mow.  Thousands of little everyday acts of help and service are available all the time.

The two ideas Jesus brings together is that there ALWAYS will be a need for us to DO something about.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.”

(Mark 13:22)

Lions hunt gazelles.  They’re what they like to eat, and they are good at catching them.

Bears hunt salmon.  Thy’re what they like to eat, and they are good at catching them.

False teachers hunt Christians.  They’re what they like to eat, and they are good at catching them.

Lions and bears will eat other things, but gazelles and salmons are top of their menu.  False teachers are the same way – they’ll collect just about anyone they can, but if possible, Satan really likes to use them to devour Christians.

Nothing makes the ol’ serpent more pleased than to try and take a bite out of the body of Christ.  He knows he can’t destroy the head (Jesus), but if he can snatch some precious lamb from Jesus’ flock, he’s pretty pleased with his meal for the day.

You are on the menu.  Don’t forget it.  Gazelles stick close to the herd for a reason, and everyone watches out for danger together.  We need to be the same.  Jesus reminds us of the value of staying alert just a few verses down.

“What I say to you, I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” (Mark 13:37)

Keep your head on a swivel for temptation and never forget that evil is always hungry.  Solomon, David, and Peter are all reminders that temptation comes even for the strong ones.  You aren’t immune, and neither am I.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one, for You are not partial to any but teach the way of God in truth.”

(Mark 12:14)

A partial person is someone who only does part of a thing.  We can be partial in our treatment of others when we show a kindness to one group, like our friends, but withhold kindness from others – we are only being partially kind.

We can be partial in our effort.  Perhaps we show great energy when pursuing our hobbies or doing tasks we find enjoyable, but we put off doing the jobs we dislike even if they are our duty to do them.  It’s amazing how much energy we have for a round of golf but how tired we are when it comes time to do tasks around the home!  Inequality of effort is a type of partiality.

And we also can find that we can be partial in matters of truth.  We listen to the ‘yes men’ of our lives who tell us what we want to hear but avoid any advice or evidence which would shake our world view.  Rehoboam had this problem – so did Saul.  I worry that, somedays, so do I.

But not Jesus.  No, our Lord wasn’t a partial Man.  He was as whole as they come.  He treated everyone the same, did every task with His full effort, and He never shirked from the truth even if it lost Him friends or made Him unpopular.  Jesus is all God, but He is also, most definitely, a whole Man, too.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites 

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”

(Mark 11:25)

The first command before praying is ‘forgive’.  Forgiving others is the preparatory act before prayer.  Like sharpening an axe before cutting down a tree or stretching before an athletic competition – these acts of preparation save us time, injury, and can make the difference between success and failure.  If you want your prayers to be heard, you best take a long look at whether or not you have forgiven those who have wronged you.

And as a reminder – this is a command from Jesus, not a suggestion.  A command can’t be dismissed simply because we don’t feel like following it.  We can’t rationalize away Jesus’ command by saying that the hurt is too deep or that the person is undeserving because there are no deeper wounds than the ones we inflicted in Him, and there is none more undeserving of His mercy than the person you see in the mirror.

Whenever you stand praying – forgive.  Check your heart for weights before you jump into the deep water of conversing with the Father.  And if you are having a hard time forgiving… pray about that first.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.”

(Mark 10:50)

Oh, that all of us would love Jesus this much!  Blind Bartimaeus was a beggar.  His outer garment was likely the most precious valuable he had in all the world.  For the poor and homeless, their outer cloak was their only protection against the elements, the sting of the rain and the chill of the night air… and he was blind – how was he to find it again after having cast it off amongst the throngs of people on the highway that day?!  To cast aside his cloak was akin to losing it altogether.

Yet, Bartimaeus did not hesitate to risk total loss if it meant he might be granted an audience with Jesus.  What a stark contrast he is to the rich young ruler who went away sad when confronted with personal sacrifice to follow Jesus.  Bartimaeus is the model for our hearts.  May we unhesitatingly cast off all, so we might be closer to Jesus.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“He began to question them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way, they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.”

(Mark 9:33-34)

A good rule of thumb is if Jesus were to ask you what you were just talking about, and you would be too embarrassed to answer – probably shouldn’t have had the conversation in the first place.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

(Mark 8:12)

Why did Jesus sigh so deeply down in His spirit?  We sigh out of fatigue, sadness, and sometimes relief.   The context of this passage removes relief as an option, so we are left with fatigue or sadness.

He had many reasons to be tired.  The crowds always wanted His attention, and the more signs He performed, the more they requested.  He worked long days and with an unwavering attention to people He knew would reject Him in the end.  The Pharisees coming to Him with arguments instead of respect could easily bring weariness to the ever-serving Shepherd’s heart.

He also had much to be sad about.  The Son of God was walking in the midst of His creation, and yet they squabbled with Him and tested Him constantly.  Jesus loves people, but people often don’t love Him back.  That would make all of us sad, too.  His love was rejected, and His character was slandered.

I don’t know whether it was sorrow or fatigue which led to such a big sigh from our Lord, but I do know this… He sighed and then moved on to the next souls He could help.  His fatigue nor His sorrow stopped Him from doing His Father’s work.  He loved us through the long hours and the tears.  What love our Savior has for us!  What a joy to know He cares so deeply.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”

(Mark 7:5)

One of the most common arguments leveled against Jesus was that He ignored the traditions and customs of previous generations.  This was true.  He did not seek to give offense, but neither did He spend His time trying to fit in and make everyone comfortable by being the kind of Rabbi they wanted Him to be.  Jesus was following God’s commands, and sometimes that matched the traditions of the culture; sometimes it upset the apple cart.

To be ‘pharisaical’ is a term used to refer to those who are “too strictly” following the Scriptures, but that use of the term ignores the historical truth.  The Pharisees were strict with their own ideas and loose with the Scriptures.  Jesus wished they had read their Bibles more and just done what the Bible plainly said.

“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:8-9)

False religion is rampant in the world because we have lots of religious experts, but not many Bible experts.  Just stick to the text, and you can’t go wrong.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“They went out and preached that men should repent.”

(Mark 6:12)

When Jesus sent out the twelve, repentance was their message, and it was a timely one.  Repent means ‘to change one’s mind,’ and today, like then, there are a lot of things we need to be changing our minds about.

We need to change our minds about how important things are – it’s just stuff; let it go.

We need to change our minds about life – it isn’t how you start; it’s how you finish that counts.

We need to change our minds about other people – we need to see them as souls and remember we share a common Creator.

We need to change our mind about self – stop thinking about ourselves first; start thinking of others.

We need to change our mind about sin – stop playing with fire and pretending it won’t hurt you.  Sin changes us in deep, terrifying ways, and the road to sin is a lot easier than the road out of it.

And we need to change our mind about Jesus.  He’s the Man that is more than a man.  He’s the Son of Man who’s also the Son of God.  He’s Jesus the Savior, and He’s Jesus the King.  It’s time we start capitalizing His titles in our hearts and not just in our grammar.

We need more repentance – more if it preached from the pulpit and more of it lived out.  It’s the message Jesus gave the twelve to deliver, and the message bears repeating.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites