Mark 9:30-37

Mark 9:30-37

Jesus leads the disciples in lonely places so they can travel without the distraction of needy people. If the One who had the greatest heart and love found it proper to pull away from extensive, public ministry for a time of intense ministry with his disciples shouldn't we? We tend to divide our time between work and leisure (aka recreation and entertainment). Perhaps a third category is needed: intimate time with God.

The disciples could not grasp the meaning of Jesus' prediction of His death and resurrection. This was likely a struggle in two areas. The first failure was the idea that the Messiah would undergo the apparent defeat of death rather than the obvious victory of a kingdom. Second, the idea of the literal resurrection may have been difficult for them to grasp. They may have believed in a resurrection in the last day. If they thought of the three days as a metaphor or parable rather than as a literal three days then they may have missed the resurrection as being literal. We need to realize that if we miss the literal resurrection we will miss the nature of the Kingdom.

The disciples missed it as evidenced by their argument over who is better or greater in the Kingdom. The argument may have arisen as a result of the failure of the disciples to cast out the demon. There may have been a justification and accusations about who was at fault for the failure. People are not likely to be divided by success as much as by failure and the attempt to avoid blame. Peter, James and John would have certainly been a part of this argument. We can almost hear one of them say, “If I had been there I would have done….” The double blessing of failure is that we find out how much our ego is involved and to what extent we will fight to justify ourselves. Failure doesn't cause division; it merely exposes it.

The response by Jesus was not a hearty rebuke but a formal teaching indicated by the fact that Jesus sat down, the position for formal teaching time. Jesus said, “If you want to be great in the Kingdom this is how.” And then he took a child to himself. All the child did was go to be with Jesus. Greatness is wanting to be with Jesus. And how are we to be with Jesus? By serving. To find greatness we do not need self-esteem what we need is self-forgetfulness.

"Lord, grant me the wisdom of forgetting myself in active service in Your name. AMEN"

Mark 9:14-29

Mark 9:14-29

This passage is so full of incredible insights it would easily feel like a small book. But for the moment, consider the glory of Christ expressed in this passage. To the naked eye Jesus looked like any other itinerant teacher, no halo, no shining aurora, no glittering skin. The boy for his part looked like a mad, diseased child. But the demon within the boy saw beyond the physical appearance. What the demon saw overwhelmed it with terror. No doubt the demon manifested for malignant intent. Perhaps the demon intended to extract terror from the people. Demons desire to be adored and worshipped. If they can't have that they will settle for fear of the terrors they bring. While the demons crave glory and delight in exacting terror, in contrast, God is honored by our praise, peace, and our repose in Him.

Perhaps the manifestation was to disquiet the people. This vulgar, radical display would be used by the demon to be a wedge between the people and Christ. It is as if the demon is saying, "Going too near to Jesus will cause bad things to happen." It may have been attempting to foster an unholy fear of Jesus. Satan will gladly leave his own unmolested, so long as they don't draw too near into the Lord.

A third possibility is that the manifestation was to promote division and idle speculation. A carnival atmosphere of idle onlookers does no good and potentially great harm. If Satan cannot control the people perhaps he could get them to argue, especially so that parties form. The powers of darkness are quite content with discussions about Christ so long as no one submits to Him.

So, at the glory of the Christ the demon is still in stubborn rebellion and makes one last stand. Jesus in calm authority commands obedience and He is obeyed. Where we see the glory of Christ we cannot help but to be overwhelmed. We are either overwhelmed by love and worship or overwhelmed with rejection and rebellion. Our reaction to Him is a strong indication of what is in our heart-rebellion or submission.

"Lord, help me to see Jesus and in seeing Him worship and adore Him.  AMEN"

Mark 9:1-13

Mark 9:1-13

The Transfiguration was more of a “return-figuration”; Jesus was returning to His pre-Bethlehem glory. But Mark is not going to coin words for this one occasion. It may be that the transfiguration is the fulfillment of the prophecy of verse 1 (the other possibilities are the resurrection or the day of Pentecost). Peter wanted to build dwelling Places. The glory of God during the Exodus era descended onto the tabernacle and this may have been Peter’s inspiration. To be fair to Peter, he was operating in and around that which he had never experienced, he was in a place where he had never been nor could have ever imagined. 

God the Father's two-part comment is the focus of this event. The first is, “My beloved Son,” or we might say, “My boy that I love and delight in.” We need to focus our attention for a moment on the love within the Trinity. Like most aspects of God it boggles our mind, but there is an affectionate love within and between the three persons of the Godhead. Understanding this is foundational for our Christian faith. The second part of God's comment is “listen to Him” or “give constant heed”; not a momentary or occasional attention but unrestricted, never-ending focus.

It is interesting how the apostles fail to take Jesus literally regarding His statements concerning his own resurrection. This can only be attributed to their lack of faith. This was no passing thought, verse 10 indicates by the phrase “they seized” that they kept to themselves but in an ongoing conversation. The three of them kept discussing this statement about the resurrection.

They were also confused because there were hung up on the coming of Elijah. They expected the literal Elijah to precede the Messiah. The Messiah was here and they had not had a literal Elijah. Jesus shifts the focus from who Elijah was to the response of the people. The rejection of the Elijah character, John the Baptist, indicates the rejection of God and His Messiah. The Lord shows us that obedience and submission are more important than splitting the fine hairs of eschatology.

"Lord, help me to give constant attention to Jesus. AMEN"

Mark 8:31-38

Mark 8:31-38

Mark puts the proclamation of Messiahship in context with suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. The person and work of Christ are bound together. This rejection and suffering of Christ means that a faith must able to pass scrutiny of trial. This refers to the trials associated with Jesus’ arrest, especially by the Sanhedrin. Peter's rebuke of the Lord shows how imperfect his understanding of the role and the work of the Messiah was. We, like Peter, welcome a Messiah that gives us what we want. Not the Messiah that gives us the opposite of what we want. The temptation to reject the cross is one that Jesus had faced since the wilderness trials. Any invitation for Jesus to take a path other than the way of the cross ultimately comes from Satan. In this case through Peter. This is the harshest rebuke Jesus ever leveled against anyone.

Beautifully, Mark places the warning of the cost of discipleship with the warning of Jesus' death and resurrection after calling out Peter. The desire to avoid suffering may be the greatest danger to our discipleship. If we try to save our lives, if we look to hoard our lives we cannot help but to lose them. Each day that is past is gone and nothing can get it back. Even a day of exquisite pleasure and selfish delight are lost and cannot be kept. Nothing prevents the march of time toward death. The one who dies to self has already moved beyond the point of having anything to lose and the totality of his life waits for him in Heaven. Christianity is the hardest of all faiths. All other faith systems try to keep life here and perhaps a good life to come. Such an approach is ultimately false. The exchange of which Jesus speaks is a “great deal”. The sands of time are going; they are fleeting and nothing can stop them. Why not trade those fleeting moments for eternal value and reward? Jesus concludes this teaching by linking the Son of Man with the Messiah. He now demands and teaches that the only way to have the lasting life is an open loyalty to His person. Jesus is the great stumbling block for all history because He allows nothing other than absolute loyalty to Him on every occasion, everywhere and at all times.

"Lord, help me to die to myself every day. AMEN"

Mark 8:22-30

Mark 8:22-30

It is important to remember that the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod to use God to gain their agenda was in the context for the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida. We are told that “they brought a blind man” to Jesus. We are not specifically told who is the “they”. Jesus takes the man out of the village and preforms a two-stage healing. Jesus often healed in the company of crowds, but this is the only time He did a two-stage healing. We are never told why and there is no follow-up discussion explaining this to the disciples. What are the lessons to be drawn? Jesus meets us as individuals. Each meeting of Jesus must be individual and unique. What experiences others have may or may not be repeated. The point is not the experience; the point is the Christ. Our encounter with Christ is singular and unique. It must not be seen as the norm that we expect all others to have. We may not be able to see an advantage to His two-stage healing, but it is not our healing. For this man, this was precisely what he needed.

Jesus has recently had to deal with the Pharisees looking for a sign to indicate Jesus would be the kind of Messiah that they could use. Because different people and groups are trying to use Jesus for their own ends Jesus chooses to become less of a public figure. This will make it harder for people to co-op his ministry for their own ends. Rather than a big show, Jesus deals with the person individually and then sends them to their home. Jesus makes the changes at the individual level, the small level and then lets it work out from there to change the world.

Mark's recording of the great confession is very brief. Jesus after hearing Peter's confession adamantly emphasizes that they not tell anyone who He is. The New American Standard Bible uses the words "warned them". The Greek words mean, "to threaten", "to speak in a mean tone". Jesus is threatening His disciples to not let people know that He is the Messiah. When anyone uses or attempts to use God to accomplish his or her own agenda it always causes great, spiritual harm.

"Lord, meet me where I am, give me the ears to hear Your word for me, not Your word for someone else.  AMEN"

Mark 8:14-21

Mark 8:14-21

Jesus' disciples (myself included) are often pretty slow to understand. Taken by itself this passage seems to come out of left field, but with the context we gain insight. Jesus’ warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod is in the context of the demand for a sign. The Pharisees were nationalists and had decided what the Messiah would do. They failed to see in Jesus the proof of the political Messiah they wanted. Jesus warns the disciples of the subtle, insidious nature of wanting our own way, which always results in sin. Think of leaven as the favorite sin and when it is harbored, protected, and nurtured, it grows and penetrates to the whole person. The Pharisees and Herod had almost nothing in common (at least this is how it might appear), but underneath they both wanted power and control. They wanted to rule and would gladly use God to accomplish their ends. Behind their external motives there is the desire for selfish satisfaction. Jesus will not be used to accomplish our ends and agenda. No matter how good we try to make the ends sound or how good they may be, the Lord is not our puppet.

When the disciples were distressed about not having bread and perhaps not understanding what Jesus was talking about, He calls on them to remember. Can a person have eyes and not see? If a person has eyes and can't see, something is wrong. Can it be that a person has ears and they don't hear? If that is the case, something is wrong. Jesus links their failure in the present with their lack of memory. Remember! When faced with today's trials the correct first response is not to try to figure out a solution, the correct first response is to remember. To remember God's care, His provision, His power and His actions. That does not imply that we do not work. But it means that when we remember we operate from a position of strength and confidence rather than fear, doubt and worry. Our confidence is not in our ability; rather, it is in God.

"Lord, help me always to remember. AMEN"

Mark 8:1-13

Mark 8:1-13

Jesus tested His disciples in the moment-by-moment walk of the day. The test was an opportunity for them to draw on their faith and grow in it. But their default response is to consider what they themselves could accomplish. Notice they did not say, "Where will be we be able...” They said, "Where will anyone...” Apparently, they included Jesus in the company of those that they believed were unable. They saw the impossibility of the situation. They did not see the One who could solve the problem. Often times we see the problem and then we look for the solution either natural or Supernatural. Instead of looking for the solution either natural or Supernatural we ought to look at the Savior. Seek the person not the provision! We see no material solution and we see no Divine solution and we begin to despair. Let the situation be seen in the shadow of the Lord. The disciples’ failure of a test of their faith is put in context with the Pharisees. For the disciples there is hope in spite of their failure. Not so with the Pharisees. Don’t miss the subtle difference that Jesus gives the disciples a test. It is appropriate for the greater to test the lesser. But the Pharisees test the greater, that is Jesus. It is wrong for the lesser to test the greater. Note that God does not respond to being tested. His display of power may be acts of kindness that demonstrate who He is, but they are never offered as proof to satisfy one who would act as a puppet master. In the course of 16 verses, we see Jesus sigh twice. First was deep emotion from the Lord, but this time sad and disappointed. I wonder, do I ever make Jesus sigh and on what occasions and why?

"Lord, may I always seek You more than any solution or blessing. AMEN"