This week, Jesus uses a Fig tree to symbolize the departure of Israel from True Faith in God. He cursed the Fig tree and within 24 hours it was dead. He also took the disciples into the temple, where He overturned tables and chairs, shut down the marketplace of Annas, and took the leaders back to a couple of Old Testament passages that had an ominous warning about what was about to happen to them and their religious system.  He also instructed the disciples about their source of power going forward and the secret to effective prayer.

Swat Bible Study 3/5/25  Mark 11:12-25 A Symbol of Judgment

             This week, the religious leaders question Jesus as to whose authority He was operating under as He cleared out the temple and taught the things that He taught. Jesus responded to their questions with a question of His own and His question to them exposed their lack of faith in Him as Messiah, and their lack of belief in the One True Living God, Yahweh.  They were paralyzed by his questions because it forced them to reveal their true unbelief in God’s Word. 

SWAT Bible Study  3/19/25  Mark 11:27-33  A Question Of Authority

This week, Jesus goes further into exposing the unbelief of the religious posers and their coming judgment with a parable about a landowner who leases out a vineyard to tenants who were greedy and violent. It is another revelation from Jesus about the coming judgment on Israel’s religious leaders, religious system, their temple, and their nation. You can harden your heart for so long that you go past the point of God’s patience and mercy…it’s TOO LATE! When Jesus came on the scene, He came to a spiritually dead nation.  God’s Spirit had left the temple and their temple was dead…their leaders were dead…their nation was dead. So much so, that when Jesus appeared, they questioned His authority.  Don't wait to trust Him.  Trust Him NOW!

SWAT Bible Study 3/26/25  Mark 12:1-12  Don't Wait until it's too late

This week, the religious leaders desperately want to get rid of Jesus. So, they come up with a plan that has a series of traps with questions about 1) how much do they defer to Roman authorities, 2)the resurrection, and 3)which commandment is the greatest? They hated and feared Jesus and after the last two interactions, they wanted Him off the scene. They were looking for a way to turn the people against Him or have Rome arrest Him and kill Him.  Remember, it was Passover week, and this was the time for messiahs to rise up. The questions were meant to trap Jesus, but He gives us insight into how we are to live out what we believe practically relating to the government, our view of Heaven, and living out the greatest commandment. In Israel, the priests (Levi) represented God’s rule/law  and the Kings (Judah) represented government rule/law.   King Uzziah tried to cross the line and was struck with leprosy.  There is only one priest/king – Jesus! Politicians/gov’ts don’t define or dictate God’s law.God’s Law reigns supreme over every other authority.

SWAT Bible Study  4/2/25  Mark 12:13-17  Rome Isn't the Problem

This week, we see the wave of attacks continue.  All these groups, Chief Priests, Pharisees, Herodians, Scribes try to trap Jesus with questions that reveal how they have departed from God’s Word in some way.  The Sadducees, a group in charge of the Temple and supposedly the spiritual leaders of Israel now try to trap Jesus with the second question.  They try to discredit Him with a question about the resurrection. His response gives us some insights into the Sadducees’ faulty view of Heaven, Scripture, and even Yahweh and His power. Also, His answers give us insight on applying God’s Word to our lives and the way we live as His Kingdom priests.

SWAT Bible Study  4/9/25  Mark 12:18-27  Heaven is for Real

This week, we come to a text that is simple and straightforward. There is not a lot of interpretation with this passage, but a lot of application and accountability with it. This will probably cause many of us to be uncomfortable or uneasy and what we should do is reflect on the heart of God and how we all miss the mark and really need Jesus! The Sanhedrin debriefed (see Acts 4:23, Psalm 2:2 – fulfilled prophecy) after the first two attempts and come up with a question that they all agree on and hopefully will move this rogue Rabbi (Jesus) to respond with a statement that puts himself above Moses and The Law. They wanted to turn the people against Him before they arrested Him. There were 613 laws (613 letters in the Ten Commandments) in the Torah and they wanted Him to answer which one is the most important in hopes he would slip up. 

SWAT Bible Study   4/16/25  Mark 12:28-34 The Mark of a True Believer

This week, it was Jesus’ turn to ask the questions, and he poses a question to the religious leaders (with the crowd listening) and then exposits an Old Testament passage that Jewish teaching had always affirmed was about the Messiah. Every Jew knew that Messiah was David’s son, but they did not see or comprehend that He was David’s God!! They believed that Messiah would be a human ruler with great power from Yahweh.  He would have a great impact on the world by leading Israel to conquer all their enemies and fulfill Yahweh’s promises to Abraham and David. They saw Messiah as a savior of Israel as a nation, not for individuals. 

SWAT Bible Study  4/23/25  Mark 12:35-37  Is Jesus God?

This week, Jesus gave the crowd and His disciples a final warning about the religious “Posers.” He has already exposed their character and faulty theology. Now, he condemns them and their hypocrisy and states that their judgment is coming. These posers pretended to represent Yahweh, but actually represent Satan.  Satan is a liar, father of lies, and can appear as an angel of light.  The Jewish people saw the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Levites, and the scribes as God’s representatives, when in reality, they represented the evil one.  You can’t represent Yahweh and teach lies, take advantage of widows, and disregard Yahweh’s commands, and His Messiah. They presented themselves as “holy men” who served as Yahweh’s shepherds, but in reality, they served themselves for the sake of power, money, and their own glory. They were supposed to feed and care for Yahweh’s sheep.  They were supposed to be gatekeepers of the Scriptures and guard Yahweh’s people. Instead, they led them to murder Yahweh’s Messiah…Yahweh’s Son.  Religious Posers and false teachers are not benign. They cover up what they really are by pretending to be something that aren’t. Left unchallenged, they can do great damage to the body.  Jude 1:3-5  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.   Posers are enemies of Yahweh. They distort His Word, Hate the Euangellion of Jesus, and ultimately hate the sheep. 


SWAT Bible Study  4/30/25  Mark 12:38-39  Posers or Priests

This week, we continue to look at Jesus’ warning to the crowd and His disciples about the religious “Posers.” Jesus warns us against them, their pride, their pretense, and their perversion of the faith. He points out a lonely widow who had been abused by the system as an example of how bad things had become. She gave her last little bit of money to secure her blessings and salvation from God.  Sounds a lot like the religious hucksters of today!

SWAT Bible Study  5/7/25  Mark 12:40-44 Posers or Priests  Pt. 2

Last session, we looked at chapter 13:1-27 and the beginning of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ final prophecy before the cross. It was late on Wednesday of Passion Week and Jesus left the Temple for the last time. When the disciples marveled at how awesome the temple was, Jesus stunned them: “Not one stone here will be left on another” (Mark 13:2). This prophecy came true in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple. Later, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “When will these things happen, and what will be the sign?” Jesus’ answered them by teaching them about the fall of Jerusalem and His ultimate return. He shared that between His 1st and 2nd coming, time on earth will be filled with wars, death, and danger. He prepares them by telling them what is going to happen in the immediate future and right before His 2nd coming…proving His Divine nature by predicting the future events. The purpose of this discourse is not date-setting but Kingdom discipleship: a call for believers to remain watchful, discerning, and faithful until Christ comes again. 
	This session, we look at Jesus sharing some instructions, an important warning, and a couple of illustrations to help the disciples understand and apply what He has been teaching them about His return and their mindset about the future. “Prophecy is in every book in the Bible.” Dwight Pentecost   It’s in there to change our mindset and our life!


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