These are the words we see Mark writing in his gospel when talking about the Apostle Peter at the transfiguration of Jesus.

In Mark 9:5, Peter says “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

In Mark 9:6, Mark writes “For he did not know what to say.” That’s funny!

Has that ever happened to you? You find yourself talking when you shouldn’t be. You find yourself talking when you don’t even know what you are saying.

I think all of us have done that before.

Here’s the thing: –> Some of us talk too much. Some of us talk too little. All of us need to listen well.

Hear some of God’s word:

Ecclesiastes 3:7 there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

God’s Truth is so good at teaching us how to use our mouths. We need grace for discernment on when to speak and when to not speak.

As we pray for that wisdom, lets hear what God said right after Peter spoke those words: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7)

Lets work on being better listeners to Jesus.

To really understand the true meaning of Easter and the Holy Week, it is helpful to understand God’s Word and the use of a sacrificial lamb.

Here is a simple Bible study outline that can help you with this idea.

(I want to be honest and give credit where it is due – I originally got this idea from a tweet from Sam Allberry. I reached out to him about it, and he replied saying that he didn’t recall where he first heard it.) So here I am further developing the thought.

—– A LAMB FOR ONE PERSON – Genesis 22 (v.8 especially)
-Abraham to sacrifice Isaac
-God provides a lamb to die in the place of Isaac.

—– A LAMB FOR A HOUSEHOLD/FAMILY – Exodus 12 (v.3 especially)
-The Passover, Before the 10th Plague, Before the Exodus
-God provides a lamb to die in the place of each household

—– A LAMB FOR THE NATION – Leviticus 16 (v.17 especially)
– The Day of Atonement
– God provides a lamb to die in the place of the whole nation

—– A LAMB FOR THE WHOLE WORLD – John 1 (v.29 & v.36 especially)
-John the Baptist sees Jesus coming
-Jesus is calling his disciples
-Also, look up Isaiah 53:7 and 1 Peter 1:19
-God provides His Son, the lamb of God, to die in the place of the whole world

—– A LAMB FOR THE RANSOMED/REDEEMED FOR ALL ETERNITY, FOREVER – Revelation 5 (v.6 & v.9 especially)
-From every tribe, tongue, people and nation
-In Heaven, they sing “Worthy” to the Conquering Lion and the Slain Lamb
-God is worshiped by all who love the worthy lamb of God, Jesus, who died in their place

Hear this strong word from THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE:

“My body is like this bread. It will break, Jesus told them. “This cup of wine is like my blood. It will pour out.” “But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God’s broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart — and your hearts will heal. Just as the passover lamb died, so now I will die instead of you. My blood will wash away all of your sins. And you’ll be clean on the inside — in your hearts.”

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and so there was a lot of mention of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus. You can hear or see our church’s Palm Sunday service here.

This is when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Let’s not be the people who talk about God and His truth without knowing what we are talking about. So, I want to help all of us know what the Bible says about Jesus and his Triumphal Entry.

It is found in all 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

— Matthew 21:1-11

–Mark 11:1-11

–Luke 19:28-40

–John 12:12-15

Please take the time to read these passages. Palm Sunday begins Jesus’ Passion Week.