King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Tuesday, November 04, 2025
Chapters: Mark 11-12, Matthew 23
Message: Matthew/Mark: Seven Woes of Religion
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, we learn that there is only one Father of all mankind, but only those who believe in and accept His Son will get the privilege of being called a son or daughter of God, [Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
A few weeks ago when I asked God to revive my spirit and show me what I needed to do to serve Him more, I had no idea where He was going to take me, but I knew that challenges were going to come because of that and Satan did not disappoint. When our spirit is down, Satan will send his minions, (often through family) to discourage us. However, the second you rebuke him and tell him that you are trusting in God, that is when you feel the Holy Spirit moving in you like you have not seen, [Philippians 3:8-9 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:]
Now, my husband has faith in God, at one time was on fire for serving Him, but has this belief that churches are full of people who will backstab you in heartbeat. Well, of course there are, but there are also some faithful servants who will be the first to be there for you when the backstabbers are found out. If anyone can account to that, Jesus sure can. We have been reading about what was going on prior to the events that would take place leading up to Jesus being captured and ultimately losing His life to save us. Mark, also gives the account of Jesus being in Bethany, but goes straight to Him seeking a donkey to ride into Jerusalem.
[Mark 11:1-6 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.]
Why was this important? There were two reasons, the first one being that it fulfilled prophecy, [Deuteronomy 16:13-15 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.]
The second one being that the Jews expected all along that the Messiah they had been waiting for would come as a king, [Isaiah 7:13-14 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.]. By Jesus doing this He makes it known that He truly is the Messiah (Christ) and KING. Although, many did not believe Him to be the Messiah, it was those who did believe who were jumping for joy to see Him.
[Mark 11:8-11 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.]
This phrase actually plays a part in something that Jesus would say to the Pharisees and scribes, but it is also something that David said prior to God telling him that His Son would descend through his son, Solomon, [2 Samuel 7:12-13,18,21 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 21 For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.]
Think about what David was saying, after all that he did in sinning against God with Bathsheba and in having her husband Uriah killed to his their sin, God still used him. He is proof that we can severely ruin our testimony with God and yet He still has mercy on us and faithful and just to forgive us and continue with the plan when we repent, [Psalms 103:8-10 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.]
Jesus, rode through town on this young donkey, and all that knew who He was and followed Him, shouting “Hosanna!” as they laid their coats and palm fronds on the ground as He passed by, Little did they realize that just a few days later they will be shouting “Crucify Him!” This is proof that people will turn on you in heartbeat under pressure, but you cannot let that stop you from fulfilling the purpose that God has called you for. Now, the next morning, Jesus, sees a fig tree that had no fruit on it because it was not time for it. Jesus, fully knowing this, cursed the tree and heads over to the temple, only to find vendors inside.
[Mark 11:13-17 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.]
Perhaps Jesus was a bit hangry, but I can understand why Jesus was so angry, these fools were making a profit off the sacrifices the people purchasing to be used for seeking redemption with God. Now, granted this may have been more convenient for people who traveled a far distance to purchase the sacrifices, but they could have done it outside of temple grounds. Also, the sacrifices were to be the best of what they had to offer, if they were purchasing the sacrifices, then it was not same as bringing it themselves according to the Law.
[Leviticus 5:6-7,11 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. 7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.]
Do you see what Jesus was so angry about? This was not about the sacrifice, it was about their faith and faithfulness to God. Well, at this point the Pharisees were furious and wanted to kill Him right there, but the only thing that held them back was the people that followed Him, had they took Him then it would have caused an uproar. So, Jesus went back to Bethany for the night.
[Mark 11:18-22 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.]
I just thought about this, after Jesus spoke to that tree, the thought of it never producing fruit again for Him gave it such a broken heart that it did not want to live again. So, why did Jesus say that to the tree anyway, knowing that it had not been time for it to have fruit on it? Our faith in God is the key to receiving what looks impossible to us. Jesus, explains it this way.
[Mark 11:23-26 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.]
Think about it, there are two hindrances that keep God from blessing us with that we have need of, one being a lack of faith in Him doing the impossible, the second being not forgiving someone who wronged you. Remember, forgiveness is not forgetting or condoning what someone did, it is giving it all to God, and letting Him handle the situation. God, knows what it going on, and by the way, He has forgiven us many times for our wrong doing, and we are no more deserving of His forgiveness as they are, but He still has mercy on us, and thank God for that. The worlds religions actually deceitfully try to convince you that they are merciful, but Jesus knows what is going on and literally calls out the scribes and Pharisees, first through a parable.
[Mark 12:1-5 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.]
Now, think about what Jesus is saying here, the Pharisees (if we took the time to learn the history of how they came to be during the four hundred years that no prophet spoke), He is referring to how their fathers treated the prophets, many of them martyred for their faith, including John the Baptist. So, if they tried to stop the ones before Jesus came as promised what makes any of them think that they would do the same to Jesus, whom many perceived to be a prophet. This is exactly what Jesus goes on to say as He continues the parable.
[Mark 12:6-12 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: 11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.]
Exactly what does it mean that Jesus has become the head of the corner? Well, the pure religion of both the Jews and Christians is compared to a building. The people are the stones, the princes and rulers are the builders of the stones, and the chief corner stone is the entire building, beginning with the foundation. Pure religion is not Jewish or Christian, it is an entire family of believers in Christ, the congregation are the stones, pastors and teachers that are the builders of the stones, Jesus being the head of us all.
Mark, also gives as account to the religious sects trying to catch Jesus say something that they could use to discredit Him and also put doubt in His believers minds. The subject of paying taxes came up, and Jesus knew right away what they were up to. This time the Herodians were sent as well, this is the worldly crowd, and this actually has Satan written all over it as he is the true coward, and knows that he cannot trump Jesus.
[Mark 12:13-17 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. 17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.]
The biggest ploy that the world uses to try and discredit us or derail our faith is politics, especially during this, politically correct garbage. Jesus avoided the trap, by telling them to follow the Law, withing God’s Law, which is what we are to do as well, [Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.]
It does absolutely no good to argue politics with the world, and by the way, we do have a right to stand up for ourselves when they attempt to get us to go against God as that is actually against the law. Just because one knows that Scriptures that does not mean they have knowledge of them nor understand them. Remember, only a true believer can discern Scripture as they start reading and learning it. Now, here come the scribes, the ones who were supposed to have discernment of the Scriptures and they were just as clueless as the rest of them, except for one who asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is.
[Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.]
What is the first command that God had given? [Exodus 20:2-3 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.] So, Jesus, actually combines the first four commandments that God Himself had written on the two tablets that He gave Moses together into one commandment, [Exodus 20:1-11]. So, the scribe actually has to agree with Jesus on this one and lets Him know that, but notice Jesus’ response.
[Mark 12:32-34 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.]
This man did not want anyone to know that he agreed with everything that Jesus said. God’s commands are not grievous, and quite reasonable when you stop to think about it. There is a love that Christ brings into a soul that has received Him as their Saviour that only true believers can obtain. We cannot explain it and if we left it up to our flesh, there is no way that we could pull it off. Now, as Jesus is observing things that were going on He started getting kind of angry. He was going to make sure these people understood what the Pharisee’s Sadducees, priests, and scribes were all about. Did you ever just go on a rant? This is what Jesus does and starts calling them all out, beginning with the priests.
[Matthew 23:3–9 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.]
These are literally the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses of today. Their leaders say they say they follow the Bible, enforce these rules that are impossible to achieve, have no intention of following God’s commands, and too blind to see they are headed straight for hell. This is what Jesus goes on to tell them. He literally calls them fools and blind.
[Matthew 23:13-17 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?]
[Proselyte; To convert one into some religion, or to some opinion or system.] These religious nuts were really good and converting people to their religion, but they were either enforcing rules that even God would not condemn or so lax that there was no discipline at all. Neither one taught about the importance of repentance, and now Jesus starts upbraiding them for making light of the Law.
[Matthew 23:23,25-27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.]
Religion, loves to be the ones telling us, do this, do not do that, but are the worse offenders of their own law. Those who have no clue of who God is, what He is capable of, or make up their own beliefs will be the first to not only question the Scriptures, but challenge them as well. So, Jesus, basically calls them walking corpses.
[Matthew 23:29,31,33-35 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.]
How is that for telling them like it is? Jesus not only said this once, but twice. It does not matter who you are, or what you believe, every knee will bow to Christ. Religion loves to be the ones to tell you they are in charge, telling us, do this, do not do that, but they are the worse offenders of their own law. This is no different than false religion, they reject Christ, in fact, hang Him on the cross every single time they say His name, and expect God to just hand heaven to them, [Hebrews 6:5-6 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.]
I do not care what era you are from, true believers of God were inspired by the Holy Spirit just as much before Christ got here in the flesh as they are now. Just because one knows that Scriptures that does not mean they have knowledge of them nor understand them. Remember when John the Baptist called them all vipers? Jesus, did the same thing, [Matthew 23:36-39 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.]
Since the creation of man, those who thought they knew better than God, killed those whom actually did know Him simply because God chose their efforts over theirs. Since we are all sinners saved by grace, and have our own understanding of the Bible, we can expect some of them to be of personal preference, but what they are to never do is change the Gospel, water down the Bible, or go completely off its message. To prove His points, as Jesus observes people putting their offerings in the collection He caught His attention on a little old lady.
[Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.]
Again, this is not about what we offer to God, it is our faith in Him. I am not going to lie, I have not made a penny in a month, but have been putting a dollar or two in the offering plate. Some people are going to tell you that giving tithes and offerings is not biblical while others are going to tell you that the only way God will respect you is if you give it all to Him. Well, we need a balance here, and not every offering is about money, but every offering made by the heart does get His attention. We need to stop comparing ourselves, doubting ourselves, and letting others dictate what we can and cannot do for God. Those who are saved and born again have the Holy Spirit in them, He is the one who guides their steps and if we listen to Him more often, we will actually see God do the impossible besides save us, [2 Timothy 1:12-14 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You have given us the greatest example of how we are to live our lives through our faith in You. I am not saved because I earned it, but because I put my faith and trust in You as my Saviour. Because of my faith I know and have seen that the gate truly is strait and I am learning to be okay with that because I will forever choose You over the world. Lord, Thank You for all the work You do in my life, thank You for making things interesting and challenging sometimes. However, you lead me, give me Your power to live in and through You, give me Your strength to fight for my faith, and let me not get caught up in obeying rules that are not Yours, but simply love You with all my heart, and love others as You command. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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