Why “must” Christ suffer? This imperative was all through the life of Christ. This imperious necessity was not because of man. Jesus did not say, “I must be killed because men are going to kill Me.” The Lord did not have to allow Himself to be put to death, at least by any human standard. “No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18).
In the face of such an outpouring of power, it is not surprising to see Jesus’ sorrow at the ignorance and unbelief He encountered in Mark 8:11-21. How much sorrow is caused to the Lord Jesus by unbelief! But what was worse for Him was the ignorance and unbelief of His own disciples (vv.14-16). This spiritual dullness unleashed a barrage of questions from Jesus unlike anything else in the four gospels. (vv. 17-18)
The evening comes to a close. The Book is taken once more and the day is brought into review beneath the eyes of Him Who is naught but holy. How sad it is to look back and see the things that have displeased him.
Christ has promised power for every need. Recently I came across a paragraph on the varieties of power furnished by the Holy Spirit to men in the Bible - what a range of endowment for special purposes! For instance, the Old Testament tells of Joseph, the shepherd lad, who is made adequate to rule the mightiest kingdom in the old world and save countless lives in a time of unprecedented famine. Bezaleel is given the ability of "craftsmanship" to bring into being the divine plan for the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Samson is endued with physical strength sufficient to slay a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass.
The sweet psalmist of Israel is taught the songs, so rich in deep, spiritual experience, which have been the heritage of God’s people down through the ages. Prophets are given boldness to stand before the backsliding people of Israel, and rebuke in plainest terms their idolatry and sin. The remnant, returning to their land under Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, are given that purpose of heart which, in the teeth of bitter opposition, sees the new Temple slowly, but surely, erected on the ruins of the old.
My four children are very fond of stories and riddles, and frequently ask me to bring forth fresh ones for their entertainment. One day I told them this one. A baby was born in New York just a few months ago, and it weighed about 50 pounds at birth. They fed it ten gallons of milk every day, and in a few months it weighed about 100 pounds. There was a moment of silence, and then Mr. Nine–year–old replied, ‘Why, daddy, that can’t be so! We weighed less than ten pounds when we were born, and here our son is over eleven and he doesn’t yet weigh 100 pounds.’ After discussion and the display of much incredulity they at last asked for the explanation, so I replied that the baby was born at the Zoo, and that it was a baby elephant! Then I said to them: “Suppose that the keeper at the Zoo was making his rounds with the food one morning, and found the ten gallons of milk heavy to carry.
Suppose that he said, ‘I will give these ten gallons of milk to these little birds in this nest in the bird house and take these worms down to the elephant.’ What would happen? Why, of course, the birdlings would drown and the elephant would starve!” We understand that every member of the animal kingdom must have its own particular nourishment, without which it cannot live.
