Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:24, 25 – Hearing and Responsibility

Mark 4:24, 25 – Hearing and Responsibility

|| Matthew 7:2;[1] Matthew 25:29;[2] Luke 8:18

MK4:24 Jesus said to them: “Take care how you listen, for the standard you use will be the way you are going to be measured. Those who listen well will receive something extra. MK4:25 For the one who has responsibility will be given more; and the one who has nothing, even that will be taken away.”

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[1] Matthew 7:2: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

“For you will be judged with that ‘judgment’ by which you are judging!” (Mt 7:2 mhm)

[2] Matthew 25:29: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

“Because the trustworthy and responsible person will be given even more bountifully. On the other hand, the irresponsible and lazy person will be deprived of even what he might have possessed.” (Mt 25:29 mhm)

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Preceding

Matthew 7:1-11 – The Nazarene’s Commentary on Neighbor Love Continued 7: Matthew 7:1-5 Judgment and neighbor love

Matthew 7:1-11 – The Nazarene’s Commentary on Neighbor Love Continued 8: Matthew 7:6-11 Giving and neighbor love

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:1-9 – Teaching in Parables

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:10-13 – How Will You Understand?

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:14-20 – Sower Parable Explained

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:21-23 – Light Exposes

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Related

1. Mark 4:24
2. Are you listening?
3. Listening to Jesus
4. How’s Your Hearing?
5. *Verse of the Day – Matthew 7:2
6. You Will Be Judged
7. Matthew 25:29 Invest What You Have
8. In God’s Hands
9. Be Deliberate

Making sure to be ready and to belong to the escaped ones

In Daniel 12:1 is spoken of a time that the archangel Michael, or the great prince who as a grand defender and guardian protects [L stands by] God’s people [10:13, 21], will stand up [arise (Jude 9; Revelation 12:7)]. All people should know that there will be a time of much trouble [distress], the worst time since nations have been on earth, but at that time God’s people will be saved [rescued]. Therefore, Jesus warns to stay alert, to keep watch because nobody knows when Jesus will come (Matthew 24:42).

Followers of Christ should remember what they have received and heard, and obey it, and turn from their sin! For if they don’t wake up, they shall be surprised, because Jesus will come like a thief, and people don’t know at what moment he will come upon them (Revelation 3:3).

We have to give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith, so that when the time arrives we shall not find ourselves not ready to follow in the footsteps of the righteous, who shall be allowed to enter the narrow gate to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus compares that coming day and the required readiness with the owner of a house who also does not know when a thief would come along. Had he known his house was about to be broken into, he would have stayed up all night, vigilantly. He would have kept watch, and he would have thwarted the thief and not let his house be broken into. So we too have to be ready because we know the Son of Man will come, but we can’t know precisely when. He might be coming at an hour we do not expect (Matthew 24:43-44; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15).

Jesus asks

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time?” (Matthew 24:45)

The sent one from God, Jeshua, the son of man and the Kristos (Christ) we can have as our trustworthy servant, the one Whom the Highest Master has put in charge of all the servants of his household. We, who want to serve Jesus, are simple servants, but that does not take away that we do not have to take our responsibility seriously.
When the times of the latter days arrive we should belong to those servants whose master (Jesus Christ) finds them doing their work when Jesus returns on this earth. (Matthew 24:46)

Jesus who always tells the truth, assures us and most solemnly say to his followers that the master will choose that servant to take care [put him in charge] of everything he owns. (Matthew 24:47)

When that servant would not be ready and [L at an hour when he] is not expecting him that is appointed by the Most High, then the master will treat that caught unaware servant like one who did not do his job and consider him a worthless servant. (Matthew 24:50-51)

In those days, after that tribulation, when the earth shall shake, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. [Mark 13:24-25; Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10; 2:31; 3:15; Haggai 2:6,21] Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth (lying dead and buried) will awake and rise up (Daniel 12:2) to see with those, who are still alive at that time, the Son of Man coming in the clouds with tremendous power and glory (Mark 13:26; Daniel 7:13–14).

Then there might be weeping and gnashing of teeth, indicating agony and remorse, but it shall be too late to discuss over distress and anger, because everybody has been warned long before and could have found the Biblical Truth. When the time after the big war has arrived, and Jesus shall be seen as the returned one from God, then it shall be time for the righteous to come out of the world of mammon, showing to the world they do not belong to this world but to God and His people, so that they will not share in the world her sins, and so that they will not receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4). All then shall have to know that then the time has arrived when those particular chosen ones who are alive and left behind [or alive and are left] will be gathered [caught; taken; raptured] together with them [the resurrected ones] into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is how we, the resurrected and the living, will be with him forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Events seem to be happening at a break-neck speed, so that it is almost impossible to keep up. We have major headlines coming out almost hourly, Russia (the bear), Syria, Iran, Iraq, the Asian and African countries. Many of these have a role in prophecy during the last days.

When believing in God and believing also in Jesus (John 14:1) we do know that in Jehovah, our Father’s house, there are many mansions, which all should be prepared and ready to receive the Master.

Let us, who have obtained salvation through Christ, make sure that when the time is near, right at the door, that we shall be ready. So that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming (1 John 2:28), after having able to stand strong and firm in those troubling or perilous times (2 Timothy 3:1). We have to be prepared and have made ourselves strong enough to go through that time of great trouble and can stand up against those lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:2-5). As the Messiah loves us, so should we in the world having our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment (1 John 4:17).

Nobody shall be able to escape the judgement-seat of Jesus. It is not that some people shall already be gone to a hell, a purgatory or heaven. For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Let us not lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. Let us not give thieves an opportunity to break through and steal (Matthew 6:19) and remember that whatever we deserve for the good or bad things we have done in our period here on earth, shall come unto us. They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life shall then receive their reward, but those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment, shall be condemned, find the path unto the resurrection of damnation (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 5:29).

We can only hope that when Jesus returns, we ourselves and many of our friends, shall be counted to those with faith (Luke 18:8) and belonging to the ones whose name is written in God’s book to be saved [L All who are found written in the book; C of life; Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Da 10:21; Mal 3:16; Luke 10:20; Rev. 20:12.].

 

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Preceding

Matthew 10:11-15 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Searching for the Sheep

Matthew 13:36-43 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Parable of the Zizania in the Field Explained

Matthew 16:24-28 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: A Disciple Must Disown Self

Matthew 22:11-13 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: King’s Inspection and Marriage Garments

Matthew 24 about temples or Houses of God and the end of the age

Matthew 24:1-2 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Desolation, Oppression and the Parousia – The Setting

Matthew 24:3 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Desolation, Oppression and the Parousia – The Apostles’ Question

Matthew 24:4-8 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part One – Beware Being Misled

Matthew 24:9-14 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part Two – The Acts of the Apostles Foretold

Matthew 24:15-28 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Sign 1: Encamped Armies. The Sign Great Oppression Is Near

Matthew 24:29-35 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer Part Two – Sign 2: The Parousia. A Sign after the Great Oppression

Matthew 24:36-41 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: About That Day and Hour

Matthew 24:42-51 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Stay Awake!

Left in the dark or being in the dark seeing light

Separation of local judgment regarding 70 CE from the global ultimate-coming prophecies of the Second Coming and Final Judgment

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Additional reading

1. You know neither the day nor the hour
2. Only once and with consequences
3. With the gift of Jesus comes an awesome responsibility
4. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
5. Signs of the Last Days
6. The days are coming
7. To be prepared and very well oiled
8. Devotees and spotters
9. The chosen ones to fear or not to fear
10. God my fence, my hope for the future
11. Dealings with ruling authorities
12. Rapture Exposed
13. Rapture what does it mean?
14. The Rapture or admittance with Christ
15. Gather together with Jesus Christ
16. Raptured in clouds

Life is too precious

In 1999 Marcus Ampe got his second near death experience and was literally paralysed for 6 months. After ten years revalidation he started feeling again as ‘the old Marcus’ and started kicking again.

He never could resist to have some comments on our society in his artistic works. His ballet on the First Chechen War with Russia and the inhuman conditions in  Chechnya, making a lot of commotion. As choreographer and dance teacher he was never afraid to say what was on his lips. As Christian preacher he wanted to follow the task Jesus had ordered to his disciples, spreading the Good News. But such Good Tidings and warnings about how to make something of our life were not exactly welcome, so he had to endure many difficulties, also at his work. Not afraid so much of people, but more fearing God, he always continued to spread the message of peace and human respect.

Having had 2 nearly death experiences in his life, he knows what it is to be alife, and would like to get people to understand the importance of having the opportunity to be alive and kicking well.

According to him prediction is not easy, but in case we would know the past much better we could have an idea where the world is heading to in the the future. As teacher of the history of ballet, he always wanted his pupils to compare the past with the contemporary time and to have an open mind about evolutions in the world of art but also in the world of politics, because there shall always a connection between them.

To predict the future one needs to know all of the past and the now. But he is aware that knowledge will always be partial, and therefore (according to him)  predictions will never be reliable except when they do come from people send by God, namely the prophets speaking in the name of God. But we should always be careful not to fall in the hands of false teachers and false prophets.

“To make something of our life we should have an open mind.” he says. “We should be aware of what happens in the world but also of which position we would like to take in that world. Often we do think we can not change anything, but that is not believing in the possibility of the complementary rules that all small bits can make one bigger unit, and can make a difference.”

For Mr. Ampe it is clear that we do have to take our responsibility. He does not agree as so many other Christian preachers preach that we as Christians should stay politically neutral and should stay away from any discourse. ‘Though making up a mind and taking stance does not mean we do have to go into a political party, that is something totally different.” According to him we should give to the system what the system demands (giving Caesar what the emperor asks said Jesus). “Having a democratic system people are or should be given the right or/and duty to vote. In Belgium it is compulsory to vote, so we should bring out our voice and vote for those who come closest to our opinion, our Judeo-Christian values, even when we do have to chose the best one from the bad ones.”

“We only live once. It is all in the Now, that we do have to make it. We can not take anything into our death. All will end up in the grave or in the incinerator.” The Christadelphians do believe that there is no spirit that leaves the body to go to a heaven, a hell or a purgatory. “Once death it is finished. With death we have paid for our sins.” Which should be a warning “We do have to make it here on earth. In case you postpone everything until a later date, it can well be the date you wanted to do it shall never come into your life. There is no time like the present.”

For some years Marcus Ampe said that we had to be careful not to listen too much to all those doom-preachers and lots of American mega church preachers who may count a lot of followers and really succeed to fill their enormous meeting-rooms. But they could well be the falls teachers Jesus warned us for.  Several evangelicals try to frighten people for the end of the world, which is near. Mr. Ampe agrees that we clearly can see signs that the End-times are near, if they did not start yet. “But before we shall hear the final whistle we shall have to face a third world war. People shall not be able to leave over the Plan of God and Armageddon. Though they should be aware that it is know that they can prepare themselves and that they should be trying to get as many people ready.”

On several occasions he told people not so much to fear the end of the world, because it will come when it is destined to come. “At the moment we do see that somehow some people started to become afraid of what is going on in the world. Some even prepare themselves by doing exercises to survive, building stock, building bunkers, you can’t image how crazy it can be.” Instead of wasting no time worrying about what can not be changed or avoided we should be conscious of what we do can change and on what we can work to have a better world to live in. “We do not have to work to have a better heaven. Those who will be judged to enter the Kingdom of God, shall be judged for what they have done in their lifetime on earth, and not on what they had planned to do.”

“When we get too involved with the fear of the end of our lives and the world, we forget to enjoy the time we have been blessed with.” Out of experience he is assured that we got the chance to live on this earth and should be thankful to the Creator for being allowed to be here on this earth.  “So many people never see the blessings they receive every day of the Most High. Often they do not think about God, but as soon as something goes wrong they accuse Him of letting something go wrong and wonder ‘Why?’.”

“Instead of blaming God, people should think more about what went wrong in the world and what really caused it. There  are so many things we do have in our own hands. Even elements of nature. Instead of taking care of avoiding pollution and respecting the environment, we continue our selfish  behaviour, destroying gods Creation, of which He asked men to take care of” (Editorial note: At the beginning of humankind in the Garden of Eden.)

“We should be pleased that we can live and thank God for our blessings as well. Fear for what is around us and for what might come in the future distracts us from our relationship with God. We should work much more at making that relation as best as we can, while most people are putting most efforts in trying to be accounted for the world, having a place high on the ladder in the community. Their position in the world is much more important for them, and as such they walk away from faith in the Only One God.”

For him it is clear that we can fix the problems of the world ourselves, but to do so we shall need to be humble enough to recognise what we are doing wrong and what others can do better. According to him we also can not expect everybody to believe in the same values or things like we do. In case people want to believe in other gods than our God, we should allow them. Also those who do not want to believe in any God, we should give them a proper place in the world, because God allows all of them to be here. “We should respect Gods choice. It is He who allows plants, animals, human beings, governments to be on this earth. In the Garden of Eden man disputed Gods right to govern, so He has given men the right to look for solutions and systems to govern the world himself. In case we can not come up to the challenge we do not have to accuse God of being unrighteous.”

Living creatures given unto us for joy

Life is to precious to have let it be wasted. So we should take care that those in charge shall also be respectful to everything God has given to humankind for its best. “All the living creatures including ourselves should be our main focus.”

“Having local and provincial elections we should be conscious that it is this year not about electing those in charge of the whole country, but for those who are going to direct the guidelines for the future of the village, city and for those in charge of the province. But we should also follow what is happening in the world and get others to know our idea about governing a small unit, a city, a country but also a state. We should be aware of the consequences when people are going to vote for a president, and what implication this could have not only on their community but also on other people everywhere in the world. All the small countries are just a ping-pong ball in the global game. The world has become so complex that we cannot avoid any interaction between all the states. What happens in the United States of America, for example, shall have a major influence on what is going to happen in Europe.”

“We also see that many conservative Christians are willing to turn back the clock for many centuries. They do think it are only the Judeo-Christian values which can bring prosperity. I also do believe we would be able to live in a better world if more people would keep to those Judeo-Christian values. But Paling enthusiasts seem to have a total different idea of liberty than the Founding Fathers of the United states of America had. They seem to prefer getting a system where their values and ideas shall have to be the rule for everybody in the community. But they do not question which denominational rules shall take over the power, and will result in that what the Pilgrim Fathers tried to escape in the 18th and 19th century.”

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You can find more ideas from Marcus Ampe on his website: Marcus’s Space

Additional reading:

1. Christian values and voting not just a game
2. Which back voters in the US wants to see
3. The trigger of Aurora shooting
4. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #1 Christian Reform
5. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #2 Roots of Jewishness
6. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #3 Of the earth or of God
7. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #4 Mozaic and Noachide laws
8. Judeo-Christian values and liberty
9. Faith related boycotts
10. Right to be in the surroundings
11. Bumpy road to success
12. Religious Practices around the world
13. Obama campaign expands faith effort
14. People of Faith for Obama video

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Also of interest:

God gave us a wonderful home and we should cherish it
With the Mayan Calendar countdown to zero pending in our minds and all the shows pushing doom and gloom there is a lot of people living in fear of the end.

Was the Apostle Paul the Original Preacher of Toxic Christianity?
The prominent religion in America is Evangelical Christianity. Belief in an inerrant, inspired Bible that is meant to be read literally is common in most every American denomination. I agree wholeheartedly with Rand that the Apostle Paul, based on his writings, would be a member on an Evangelical church.

True Christianity is a Relationship not A Religion
Any serious observer of Christianity can see that most Christians live lives opposite of what the Bible teaches.
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According to the Catholics there is One God, One Jesus, One Church, One Bible. As much as Protestants might like to say otherwise, the Catholics have the upper hand on this issue. The Protestants are the new-comers, the new kids on the block, kids who showed up 1500 years after Jesus and the first pope Peter got the whole shebang rolling.

The bottom line is this…….Christianity has ALWAYS been a religion. Christianity started as a subset of the Jewish religion, morphed into the Catholic religion, and splintered into the Protestant religion. Those trying to make a personal relationship with Jesus what REAL Christianity is have history, the Bible, and God himself against them.

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Related articles

• “How near-death experiences are changing the world” – new video (personalityspirituality.net)
  David Sunfellow, head of the organization New Heaven New Earth, has compiled a 2-hour video on How Near-Death Experiences are Changing the World.The video is based on talks about near-death experiences (NDEs) given by David in Sedona earlier this year.
• Dear Christian, If You Believe There is a Hell (brucegerencser.net)
  If you believe there is a hell and people go there when they die, you are every bit as reprehensible as the Evangelical.
• gospel of jesus christ (meanlittleboy2.wordpress.com)
  Mortal death, and its accompanying ills, is a certainty. That is the bad news, and that is why we need good news. There is a solution.
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  The solution is found in an historical person: Jesus the Chosen One (the Christ) from Nazareth. The good news is that this special person, God’s own Son, has conquered death. We read in the New Testament that he was put to death on a cross by an antagonistic world, but that God counted this tragic event as a perfect sacrifice offered to Him (Isa. 53). Those who identify themselves with this sacrificed Jesus now have hope: The hope of life.
• “Is There A Wrong Way To Be Right?” (carrythecross156.wordpress.com)
  My heart is aching, because in many respects I see my brothers and sisters in Christ, who, against their own will, are beginning to look a lot like the world. These are Christians who hold the right views on many important subjects. However, the attitudes that they have display are anything but Christ-like. It seems as though the very same people who complain about the “mud-slinging” done in the political campaigns are every bit as quick to sling a little spiritual mud when it will help them in their cause.
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  Even if I have the right doctrine, if my motives and my attitude are wrong, I will not win my brother, which is the ultimate goal!
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  If our sincere desire is to win our brother, and promote unity within the brotherhood, strengthening one another on our way to heaven, I would recommend just a few practical things for you and I to implement in our own lives.
• ‘Unworthy slaves’: Listen to Jesus and do what he says (markkelly.wordpress.com)
  Pretty much everyone today feels they deserve better than they are getting, and here is Jesus talking about not just being a slave, but seeing yourself as an unworthy slave!
• A different perspective on Christianity (amustardseedsurlaroute.wordpress.com)
  

  “In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point” Friedrich Nietzsche

  The quote is from Nietzsche, but it could have come from anyone. This steadfast idea that we, Christians, life in our own world, close-minded and blind for what happens in society.

• What Tone Is Appropriate in Christian Discussion? (christcenteredteaching.wordpress.com)
  Christians today need to find their voices!Our insight as to when to speak up and which tone to use may make the difference as to whether we speak up at all.Unlike the message we are all getting from our Post-modern world today, God never meant us to keep silent, He said ,”Go and Preach the Gospel.”