All Articles For Marcus, John

And set up over his head his accusation written, this is Jesus the king of the Jews . Matthew 27:37 The superscription above Jesus’ head is a glorious declaration of the truth of the gospel. Jesus was and is the King of the Jews. The superscription is so significant that all four gospel accounts record it in differing levels of detail. Significantly, all four contain the crucial phrase, “The King of the Jews.” We must see Jesus on the cross as the King of the Jews. Matthew, more than the other gospel accounts, treats the subject of Jesus’ kingship and...

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots…. Isaiah 11:1 The mighty Assyrian empire had already conquered the northern kingdoms of Syria and Israel at the time of this prophecy; now it was threatening Judah. Assyria with her ruthless and invincible armies had conquered one nation after another. From a human perspective, Judah appeared to be doomed. Today, the antichristian kingdom goes about to establish itself. It manifests its agenda in greater and greater wickedness. It shows its hatred of God and the church more and...

Among the countless enemies of the Reformation, and therefore enemies of the gospel, two men hold a prominent place in the history of the Diet of Worms. One of them was used by God leading up to the Diet of Worms and the other used at the diet itself. Their names: Johannes Eck and Johannes von Eck. Johannes Eck was professor at Ingolstadt. He debated Luther at Leipzig, and actively opposed Luther’s doctrine in written works published prior to and following the Diet of Worms. The other, Johannes von Eck, was secretary to the Archbishop of Trier, and is best...

Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words. Psalm 119:57 Psalm 119 is the prayer of a pilgrim facing the ups and downs of life. Facing these things, our temptation is to approach life from a horizontal perspective, looking only on the earthly plane. The psalmist, however, teaches us to take a vertical perspective, looking at life in the light of our relationship with Jehovah God. In his prayer, he declares his delight in God’s love to him as well as his love to God. He confesses his neediness, expresses his thanksgiving to...

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Psalm 19:12 Psalm 19 traces the inspired psalmist’s thought process leading up to his earnest prayer to God. The journey that starts as a contemplation of creation ends with a prayer for cleansing from secret faults. As we go along with David on his meditative journey, God leads us to the same prayer for cleansing. David begins his journey by looking at creation. But, as soon as he looks at the creation, his thoughts rise above the creation to the God who created. What does creation reveal about God?...

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 Good tidings of great joy! The world looks for joy in possessions and pleasures and power and whatever else they set their hearts on. Their idols promise happiness; but they never deliver. And when one’s idols prove themselves empty—as idols invariably do—they are replaced with other idols equally unable to satisfy. In contrast to the...

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34a One of the outstanding features of Jesus’ ministry was His willing and wholehearted determination to do His Father’s will. Determined to do His Father’s will, Jesus “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51), even though He knew that He would “suffer many things, and be set at nought” (Mark 9:12). Determined to do His Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). When the mob came with Judas to capture Jesus, He...

Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. Psalm 119:49 The psalmist prays, “Remember the word unto thy servant” because he sees himself as God’s friend-servant saved by grace. The psalmist is not a servant against his will; God has made him a willing servant. Not surprisingly, he identifies himself as God’s servant thirteen times throughout the psalm, the only title he uses more than once. How good it is for us to see ourselves as God’s friend-servants. Adam was God’s friend-servant and God was his Friend-Sovereign in the garden. Adam fell from that...

We live in a modern society that disdains God’s gift of life. Of course, it is generally not the case that human beings have such contempt for life that they have no desire whatsoever to live. Most people want to remain alive and healthy, and would extend their lives if they were able (so long as life goes according to certain criteria). Nevertheless, society at large has contempt for life as a gift from God. That is because, as soon as one admits that God has given him life, he would also have to admit that such a God must...

“Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word.” Psalm 119:41 Every child of God lives in constant need of Jehovah’s mercies. We may all expect difficulties and hardship in our pilgrimage. It is through much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God. Whether single or married, young or old, in the work place or in the home, we are bound to experience turmoil. Circumstances make our spiritual walk difficult, so much so that at times we might wonder if we are able to continue. How we need God’s mercies! Mercy...