A woman enters the house of Simon the Leper where Jesus is dining. In her hands, she carries an alabaster jar containing perfume worth an entire year's wages. Without hesitation, she breaks the jar and pours every drop of the precious liquid over Jesus' head. As the fragrance fills the room, so does the indignation of the disciples. "Why this waste?" they mutter. "This could have been sold and given to the poor!"

But where the disciples see waste, Jesus sees worship. Where they calculate financial loss, he recognizes spiritual insight. This woman understood what the disciples couldn't yet grasp – that Jesus was preparing for burial, that his time was short. She broke her most valuable possession and poured it all out because she recognized Jesus' infinite worth.

"She has done what she could," Jesus declares, immortalizing her act of devotion. These six powerful words offer both comfort and challenge to all believers. The Lord doesn't demand we match others' resources or abilities – he simply asks if we've done what we could with what we've been given.

The stark contrast between this scene and what follows is jarring. While this woman empties her treasure upon Jesus, Judas leaves to fill his pockets by betraying him. Two individuals facing the same Savior with radically different hearts – one breaking open her most precious possession in worship, the other selling his Master for silver.

This powerful account invites each of us to examine our own alabaster jars – those precious resources, talents, and treasures we possess. Are we breaking them open completely in service to Christ, or carefully preserving portions for ourselves? The invitation stands: pour it all out, hold nothing back, for the One who is infinitely worthy. What will you break for Jesus today?

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What does it mean to live in expectation of Christ's return? In this profound exploration of Mark 13:28-37, we unpack Jesus' teachings from the Olivet Discourse about spiritual readiness and watchfulness.

Jesus uses the powerful imagery of a master leaving his household in the care of servants to illustrate our responsibility during His absence. Three times He emphasizes the command to "be on the alert," yet simultaneously makes clear that "of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." This tension creates the framework for how believers should live: spiritually vigilant without obsessive speculation about timing.

We tackle the controversial phrase "this generation will not pass away until all these things take place," unpacking the broader meanings of the Greek word "genea" and examining how context shapes our understanding. Rather than supporting skeptics' criticisms or preterists' claims that all prophecy was fulfilled in the first century, this verse actually reinforces Jesus' teaching about the generation that will witness the specific apocalyptic signs He described.

Perhaps most comforting is Jesus' declaration that "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." In a world of instability, God's Word remains our unchanging foundation. This promise grounds our faith through life's uncertainties and gives us confidence in the reliability of Scripture.

The practical application of this passage challenges us to examine our lives: Are we distracted by end-times speculation, or focused on the Great Commission? Are we maintaining short accounts with God and others, living as if we could meet Jesus today? Whether through His return or our mortality, readiness for that divine encounter should transform how we live now.

Join us as we reason through Scripture to discover what it truly means to stay spiritually awake while waiting for our Master's return. Subscribe to continue exploring God's Word verse by verse.

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Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Jesus' Olivet Discourse stands as one of Scripture's most profound prophetic teachings, delivered from the Mount of Olives as He gazed across Jerusalem during His final week before crucifixion. Today we continue to wade into these deep waters, examining a critical section of Mark 13 that points toward Jesus' glorious return.

At the heart of our discussion is the question: which portions of Jesus' prophecy were fulfilled in the first century, and which await future fulfillment? The answer emerges through careful attention to the sequence Jesus provides. "After that tribulation," He declares, cosmic signs will appear, the Son of Man will come in the clouds, and angels will gather the elect from earth and heaven.

We explore why false messiahs can be identified by their secretive or limited "appearances," while Christ's true return will be unmistakable—like lightning flashing across the sky. The deeply Jewish context of Jesus' teaching becomes evident as He quotes directly from Isaiah's prophecies about judgment on all nations, not just Israel.

Most compelling is the realization that the events described—cosmic disturbances, Christ's visible return in glory, and a universal gathering of God's people—simply don't align with what happened when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. There was no dramatic sign in the heavens, no visible appearance of Christ, and no gathering of believers that hadn't already been occurring.

For listeners wondering about the timeline of end-time events, this passage offers clarity: the tribulation period will conclude with Christ's unmistakable return in glory, accompanied by angels who will gather His chosen ones from across earth and heaven. What a glorious day that will be! Join us as we continue unpacking this profound teaching.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve