I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?* This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
This seems to put great weight on the word liar. Anyone who lies about Jesus is the anti-Christ. pretty heavy stuff and strong words for the time.
He considered abuse suffered for the Christ
How did Moses consider the suffering of Christ, since there was no Christ for Moses to reference at the time?
11By faith
In reading all these "by faith" statements, reaching back to the Hebrew Bible, I am reminded that while Abraham had faith, there were also times of doubt and troubling times for him as well. I think sometimes we read passages like this and think that if we live by faith, we will not encounter struggles...when that is certainly not the case.
worlds were prepared
What exact worlds are we talking about?
“To an unknown god.”
Made me stop and think how desperate must one be to find an answer or help, if you are willing to worship at the altar of an unknown god. Not a unnamed god, which at times Yahweh could have been, but unknown, which to me equate to untested, unreliable, and totally questionable outcomes.
But you have kept the good wine until now
This line makes me wonder what was the real miracle? Turning water into wine or the fact that Jesus turned the water into GOOD wine. Maybe two miracles occurred.
Woman
Seems like Jesus might have been the type of guy to ask her name, instead of just calling her woman. Wonder if it was the writer's bias that omitted women's names?
each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim
Thinking about how did they actually fill these LARGE barrels or vessels? Did they bring them to the well or bring water pitcher or bucket by bucket to fill these. That could have taken all night! And/or did they have to move them...
Woman,
Not sure if Jesus really liked the word woman, or the author, but there is definitely a pattern in the usage. Women apparently are nameless.
But you have kept the good wine until now
So was the actual turning the water into wine the amazing thing? Or the fact that Jesus turned it into GOOD wine? Maybe both.
it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please
So in the Luke version, the devil has been given everything...and not only is the devil offering it to Jesus, but states "I can give it to anyone I please." Kinda like, Jesus, just so you know, you ain't the only game in town.
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Definitely the Readers Digest version when compared the Matthew version.
for you do not know when the time will come
Until reading 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and now Mark, so closely together, I didn't realize that both used very similar terminology in this passage. Would Paul have had access to these writings or would this parable have been part of an oral history Paul would have heard and them mimicked the same sentiment?
And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Reading this today made me wonder if all the times that Jesus told people not to tell was his way of using reverse psychology, because by telling them not to tell, the ONLY thing they want to do is TELL! Because now, we're told constantly to go out and tell everyone about the Good News of Christ, but for the most part, we are reticent to do so...just a rambling thought