1 Peter 3:12b "But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
Day 87 – Mark 4
“But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12b
A SPECIAL BLESSING
Jesus must have been most pleased even as He pronounced these words to His disciples.
“And when He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve
asked Him about the parable.
And He said to them, ‘To you it has been given to know
the mystery of the kingdom of God;
But to those who are outside, all things come in parables.”
MARK 4:10-11
1. The Twelve
These would of course be among this small group of disciples. They were chosen so that they might be with Jesus (Cf. Mark 3:14).
2. Those around Him with the Twelve
These disciples may not have been chosen to be apostles, but they nevertheless proved themselves to be worthy disciples:-
a) They were not petty
They may have been disappointed that they had not been chosen to be among the Twelve, but that did not see them give up on following Jesus.
b) They were genuine seekers of the knowledge of God
This group of disciples showed that they were not like the multitude. They did not follow the Master in the hope that they might be healed. They followed Him because they were truly interested in learning deep and precious lessons from the Lord Jesus.
3. Wonderful words of commendation
a) They were given the privilege of understanding “the mystery of the kingdom of God”.
b) They were not classified as those who belong to the “outside”.
4. The mystery of the kingdom of God
a) The word “mystery” (“musterion”) is reference to God’s truths that have remained hidden.
b) No one can fathom these hidden truths on their own.
c) These mysteries of God must be revealed by the Lord Himself.
And God had chosen the disciples of Jesus to be recipients of knowledge of the Kingdom.