Pastor Matthew Trott Sept 27, 2026

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Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 56

 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study

The Gospel of Mark Part 56

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Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - GREATNESS

GREATNESS

It seems to be the ambition of peoples and nations all over the world to seek to be great. Whether it be through wealth or power or influence; greatness seems to be the ambition of many. And, of course, much, if not all, of this is attempted through the determinations of the leaders of the countries involved.

What does make a country and peoples great? Is it the skill of the leadership or the ambitions of the people or the chance of being in the right place at the right time? Is it the right slogan e.g.: It’s the Economy, Stupid (Clinton, 1992); Yes We Can (Obama, 2008); MAGA, Make America Great Again (Trump, 2016)? [Which Greenland turned around to MAGA: Make America Go Away] But even catchy slogans don’t always cut it.

There previously was a time when men tended to follow the Bible more than their own understanding. As Proverbs states it:

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding…

(Proverbs 3:5) 

Is the world in the state it’s in at present because leadership has abandoned the above advice? Dr. Paul Brown wrote in an article some time ago:

There was a time when our leaders usually governed well 

because they accepted a clear cut responsibility to God for their actions. 

All this changed when the Christian foundation of western civilization 

began to be replaced by humanism. 

From the moment we decided man could take care of his own affairs 

without divine guidance, things began to become “unstuck.”*

A French writer and judge, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote in 1840, after the second French revolution, when he was sent to study American society:

I sought for the greatness of the United States in [many ways; 

in her agriculture, commerce, educational systems, government, and Constitution].  

Not until I went into the churches of America 

and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness 

did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, 

and if America ever ceases to be good, 

America will cease to be great.**

It its evident that a person or a nation can have wealth which may make them fortunate but not great, or advanced education which may give intelligence but not wisdom, or military power which may cause them to be feared but not great. True greatness comes from trusting in God and knowing Him, not just knowing about Him. Scripture says to:

 

…love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 

(Mark 12:30)

…seek first the kingdom God and His righteousness… 

(Matthew 6:33)

…and both the people and the nation may become great.

Josyp Terelya was a prisoner in Soviet labour camps, prisons, isolation cells, and psychiatric hospitals for over 23 years. He suffered multiple tortures because his captors wanted to hear him denounce his Christian faith but they never did. After eventually coming to Canada, he spent 20 years travelling and spreading his Christian faith.*** His trust and faith in God made him great in many ways; and it is only by means of such trust and faith that our countries will become truly great again.

Trust in the Lord - it is really something to think about.

* The Globe and Mail April 8, 2009

**The Handwriting of God by Grant R Jeffery p.g. 38

*** Article the Evening News April 1975

Dr. Barlay with Something to Think About - FISH STORIES

FISH STORIES

There are a few stories in the Bible that are difficult to understand and truly believe; one is the story of Jonah and his ordeal in the belly of a great fish.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish 

[not a whale as some stories have it] to swallow Jonah. 

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fishes belly.

So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. 

(Jonah 1:17, 2:1,10)

Now, while such a story may be hard to accept, Jesus Himself referred to the story of Jonah in the book of Matthew when He replied to the Pharisees and Sadducees by saying:

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, 

and no sign shall be given to it 

except the sign of the prophet Jonah… 

(Matthew 16:4)

And there is a fish large enough to accomplish what the story of Jonah details - the whale shark; a massive fish up to 30 feet in length, with a huge mouth, and measuring up to 16 tonnes in weight. Certainly capable of swallowing a man; so the story of Jonah may not be a fish tale after all.

And then there is the story told in Matthew 17 as to whether or not Jesus paid the temple tax. Jesus told Peter to:

…go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. 

And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; 

take that and give it to them for Me and you.

(Matthew 17:27) 

Now, if it is difficult to accept a man being swallowed by a fish, it is just as hard to comprehend catching, on the first try, a fish with a needed coin in its mouth. If you think about it, this would be a true miracle. But at the same time there is a fish, a kind of tilapia, which is found only in the Nile River, in Lake Victoria and in the Sea of Galilee.* This kind of tilapia holds its eggs in its mouth and keeps the young there well after they hatch; letting them out for only short periods of time and scooping them up again if any sign of danger. During this time she rarely swallows for fear of damaging her young. When her young are gone, the female fish are  often found with a pebble or bottle cap top or something similar in its mouth apparently to retain the habit of thus protecting her young. This apparently is the fish mentioned in this story and has become known as St. Peter’s Fish.

So, in spite of these being unusual occurrences as mentioned in Scripture, there is evidence for them being actual events and not just “fish stories.” Of course, being in the Bible should in itself give them credibility.

At the very least, it provides a few more tidbits to think about.

* The Handwriting of God by Grant R. Jeffery, p.g. 217  

 

Pastor Matthew Trott Sept. 13, 2026

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Pastor Jasmine Trott Sept 6, 2026

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TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

 

There will be no video this week due to technical difficulties.

See you next week.