Lesson 5248

 (Lesson 5248)(06-19-26) Mark 8:1-9 

   “In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.” 

 

     Today’s quote relates that Jesus, being moved by compassion for a large crowd that had been with Him for three days without food, took seven loaves and a few small fishes from his disciples, blessed and multiplied them to satisfy about four thousand people, then collected seven baskets of leftover fragments before sending the multitude away. ~

Lesson 5247

 (Lesson 5247)(06-18-26) Mark 7:31-37 

   “And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” 

 

     In today's quote, Jesus left Tyre and Sidon and traveled to the Sea of Galilee, where He touched a deaf man’s ears and tongue, and instantly restored the man's hearing and speech while ordering the astonished crowd to tell no one. ~

Lesson 5246

 (Lesson 5246)(06-17-26) Mark 7:24-29 

   “And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” 

 

     In today’s quote, a Gentile Syrophoenician woman approached Jesus to have a demon cast out of her daughter. Jesus told the woman that His first priority was to feed the children (The Jews) first; However, because the woman had said, “even the dogs eat the children's crumbs”, demonstrating her true faith, Jesus granted her wish and removed the devil from her daughter. ~

Lesson 5245

 (Lesson 5245)(06-16-26) Mark 7:17-23 

   And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” 

 

     In today’s quote, Jesus explained to his disciples that food cannot defile a person because it enters the stomach rather than the heart and is eliminated, declaring all foods clean. Jesus, instead, identified that true moral corruption originates entirely from within the human heart, that evil thoughts, actions, and desires stemming from a corrupted heart are what actually separate a person from the will of God. ~ 

 

Lesson 5244

 (Lesson 5244)(06-15-26) Mark 7:1-16 

   “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” 

 

    In today’s quote, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and scribes for condemning his disciples' unwashed hands, rebuking the religious leaders for using human traditions to bypass God's direct commandments, which reveals his intent to expose hypocritical, external legalism and shift the focus of true defilement away from ceremonial rituals to the actual condition of a person's heart. ~