Mark 6:1-13

Mark 6:1-13

The preventive power of unbelief is amazing.  Jesus is well into His ministry.  He has done amazing things and great works of power or miracles.  But in His own town He is limited in what can be done.  Here is the example of the contrast between unbelief and doubt.  Doubt is more akin to the questions that honestly seek answers.  Unbelief is rejection that seeks an excuse to justify that rejection.   Nazareth had decided to reject Him; the citation of family association was merely a flimsy excuse.   Don’t miss the tragedy!  In the presence of God and all that He might do for them, they rejected Him because their minds were made up.   Jesus could only marvel at their rejection.  What blessings and what an opportunity they rejected. 

In contrast, the people to whom Jesus sends His disciples experienced healing and the liberation from demonic powers.  On this trip, Jesus specifically gave the disciples authority over the demonic powers.  This mission was to be as much about training for the disciples as it was teaching for the people.  The disciples learned to do ministry quick and light.  We must not think that ministry requires a building, a truckload of equipment and a 3-5 year plan.  They went with nothing but a walking stick and their clothes.  If the Lord calls, the needs will be provided along the way.  But we must not presume upon the Lord’s promise for what is not His agenda.

"Lord, help me to make your agenda mine. AMEN"

Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Jesus re-crosses the sea and on the other side has the occasion of a double miracle.  Both of these miracles involve women, who were little more than chattel in that time.  The first woman was, apparently, just an ordinary individual and the second was a young woman, Jairus’ daughter.  Jarius was a man of great standing.  These two people, the unnamed woman and Jarius, share a common theme.

For the woman her actions were very presumptuous.  She presumed the privilege of approaching a great leader who was a man; she presumed that she would be healed.  We have no way of knowing how complete her theology was, but she had one rock- solid conviction: Jesus can heal me.  She believed that the least amount of Jesus is more than enough.  Her cure was instantaneous, complete and dynamic, so much so, she felt it within. 

Jairus also knew that Jesus was his only hope.  The mourners were at the house waiting for the girl to die.  What takes a father from the last, possible, precious moments with his little girl?  Desperation and hope!  His theology would have been more complete than the woman’s, but in crisis theology is less critical than trust.

There is a common characteristic between these two that has great application for us: Jesus’ treatment of fear.  The woman, realizing what great thing has happened, is suddenly afraid to the point of trembling.  The profound power and person she has presumed to touch turns in her direction.  Healing was what she desperately wanted, but would her boldness now cost her?  Jairus was witness to this conversation, but without knowing the healing or the gravity of her situation.  We might assume that the conversation between Jesus and the woman was not impressive to Jairus.  While Jesus is talking to the woman, word comes of the girl’s death.  Jesus turns His attention to Jairus and addressed the fear in his heart.

Jesus’ response to fear is important to us.  To the woman who was on the completed side of the miracle He says, “Go in peace.”  This would have most likely reflected the Hebrew concept of “Shalom”, wholeness, completeness, and peace.  “Your faith has brought through.”  To Jairus who was on the “not yet” side of the miracle Jesus says, “Do not be afraid any longer, only keep on believing.”  Perfect faith will drive out any fear, but Jairus did not have perfect faith.  He had come a great distance by his faith, yet he was still afraid.  Jesus tells him, “Keep on believing.” 

In my heart that is filled with fear there is some faith as well.  In my mind filled with knowledge and some faith fear is mingled in.  Faith will not vanquish fear in a moment; we should not want that.  Should that happen we would need a daily sign or miracle with each new fear.  Rather Jesus calls me to choose to “keep on believing”.  Faith has brought me this far.  At this moment I may choose to “keep on believing” or sink into the despair of fear.  To “keep believing” does not mean I will get what I want.  It does mean I am confident that Jesus has a preferred vision of the future for me.

"Lord, I believe help me where I still have unbelief. AMEN"

Mark 5:1-20

Mark 5:1-20

The encounter with the demonic is a record we need to study more and more frequently. As many in our society are dabbling in the demonic they open the gateway to the powers of demons. As Christians we may soon confront the demonic in our lives and ministry. There is something about the demonic that at a heart or gut level a sensitive believer will recognize. This is hardly a clinical diagnoses, but it is some how identifiable, but none the less real.

Jesus is never out numbered. The collective called Legion was not a match for Jesus and they knew it. The demons were, in fact, terrified with the prospects of what they knew was their defeat. In verse 10, they beg Jesus not to cast them “out of the country” or the realm of time and space and into the realm of their eternal doom. Like many people, demons do not want to face their eternity.

Why would Jesus cast them into hogs? Why would the demons want to go to the hogs? Why would Jesus allow it? This is speculation, but we may guess. For the demons the hogs are a better option than their eternal doom. Also the powers of darkness hate humans and will use any occasion to harm them. These hogs represented $250,000 to $400,000 in value. The demons could hurt the community by an act of economic terrorism. The demonic uses humans like tools then break the tools they have used. Where demons might for a season empower and energize their human host or allies in the end their intent is to ruin them. But why did Jesus allow such an act of economic terrorism? First, this is to demonstrate the value of one soul. In the economy of heaven, the loss of much is worth it to gain the real life in Jesus. Secondly, Jesus is going to send this man out as the first missionary. The suicidal stampede of the pigs will be the talk of the region and will make a fertile seed bed for the gospel’s proclamation.

It is interesting that the people in the area ask Jesus to leave. Asking Jesus to leave is how people-content with misery- respond to the change the Gospel brings. In terms of one man’s impact it is hard to over estimate what this man did. It is important to know that this first missionary worked with very low knowledge, but a very high level of obedience.

"Lord, help me to be a witness to the world about Your grace. AMEN"

Mark 4:21-41

Mark 4:21-41

Jesus presents three parables; the lamp, the seed growing at night, and the mustard seed. He also addresses our responsibility in the learning part of being a disciple. In verses 22-25 and later in verses 33-34 we see that the student part of being a disciple is very serious. In short, we are responsible for what we have been taught. It is possible for the word to go in one ear and out of the other. The disciple who wants to learn, who studies, who seeks God will grow and will be given new insight, understanding and opportunity. The one who has will be given even more! If we handle the discipline of learning in a sloppy way, what we do have will be taken from us. The learning can be in the simplest things. When we hear the story we can walk away at our current level and there we will remain. But if we want we can meet the Lord privately and take it to the next level. The stories and teaching are not meant to be heard and then ignored, like a lamp under a basket; rather, they are to be studied and considered like a lamp on a lampstand.

Jesus gives two illustrations of what transpires in our lives. We can't really understand the how of what is happening in the discipleship transformation. It is like a seed planted and then begins to grow. We need to appreciate that mystery, but we will never fully understand it. That appreciation is such that we focus on the result, the mature grain at the end. We may not be able to explain why our lives are so changed and sometimes the change is subtle enough that in a single moment we may notice very little, but the difference is ultimately massive and undeniable. How great is that change? It is as great as the size of a mustard tree when contrasted to a mustard seed.

How well did the disciples grasp the lesson at that moment? Apparently, they did not grasp it very well. Taking his disciples to the other side of the lake they are caught in the storm. They are needlessly terrified and they came to Jesus (which is always a good plan) and asked for rescue. Jesus rescues them and then calls them “timid” and asked where was their faith. The learning opportunity had arrived. Not all learning is in a book perhaps some of the best is in life. At verse 41, they asked a great question. How they ended up processing that question is the point at which they matured.

Mark 4:1 - 20

Mark 4:1 - 20

This parable ought to be called the parable of the four soil conditions. The first three soils are non-productive. We are tempted to say that they are victims, but if we look closely we see they are not victims, but perpetrators of their own doom.

The first soil is hard. It is hard because of emotional rebellion or selfish resistance to God. We all have the capacity to refuse to hear God's word in some area of our life. That hardness makes it impossible for us to even hear the call of God for our lives and leads to greater hardness or hardness in other areas of life.

The second soil was shallow. On the surface things may have looked good. The life of faith is easy when things are good, but things are not always good. Circumstances may be a testing and refining from God to purify us. They may be a temptation of the enemy to ruin us. From our own perspective we may not be able to tell the difference. The results reveal our character and what is under the surface. How would we fair under persecution and affliction? Note also that the Lord says, "They have no firm root in themselves." In persecution and affliction we cannot rely on others.

This third soil appears to be doing well, at least longer than the rocky soil. Notice the two forces at work in the demise of these plants. There is the “deceitfulness of riches” and the “desire of other things”. It is not riches or things themselves that are the problem, but our attitude toward them. If we believe money and things can solve our problems then we are these weeds. How are riches deceitful? Why are things desirable? The Lord is speaking of both the miser and the spender here. They both believe that “having” will satisfy. If worry about money is a problem, either in having enough to get what you want or hanging on to it, then you are in the weeds.

We see the soils are not passive victims, but active participants in their own ruin just as the good soil is an active participant in its productivity. We see here a partnership between the soil and the seed, between the word and the disciple. Grace is the opposite of earning, but it is not the opposite of grateful service and effort.

"Lord: remove from my heart anything that might make me unproductive for You. AMEN"

Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-35

Jesus returns home from a preaching tour and finds that His ministry has followed Him. People are boundary-less and in any ministry this is part of the work. There has been a shift on the part of many in ministry to make it a profession and less of a calling. Ministers sometimes hide behind staff and doors and secret means of contact. For Jesus, if He wasn't away with the Father then He was available.

The prior testimony of demons may have been the inspiration for the accusation of the scribes. This is not an honest mistake because they were attempting to join with the demonic to undermine Jesus's ministry. Do not think that anything that demons did was a result of worship or adoration. Note also that the scribes came from Jerusalem. This was a 60-mile distance as the crow flies. The accusation was the merger of two forces that oppose Jesus, the demonic and religious elite. If opposition to Jesus to this point was scattered and individual, it has now become the official policy of the religious powers.

Jesus proves the failure of their thinking by showing that a house divided will fall. We don't appreciate this because we do not understand the immensity of the liberation that Jesus brings. When Jesus cured the demon-possessed person it was no minor improvement. It was extreme and radical. The horrible, wretched life of the demon-possessed might change a little for the better as the demon toyed with the person and their loved ones. But what we see when Jesus heals a person is a change so great and complete that they are virtually unrecognizable.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit ought to bring holy fear to any heart and cause us to practice extreme care and reverence in all matters related to the things of God. In short, to reject the work of the Holy Spirit, in this case by attributing it to Satan, is unforgivable. Such an action hardens the heart and leads to a cycle of rejection of God making repentance impossible.

Verse 31 and following is likely an explanation of verse 21. Jesus’ kin had a plan for His life and His agenda did not match theirs. To follow the will of the Father meant for Jesus, and for us, that the relationships formed in obedience and being a disciple is stronger and closer than even that of family.

"Lord help me that I may always place my loyalty to You above all else. AMEN"

Mark 3:1-19

Mark 3:1-19

Jesus entered the synagogue and it was known that a man with a useless hand attended there. Jesus’ reputation for acts of kindness is such that His opponents are waiting to see if He will heal on the Sabbath. What an incredible reputation for kindness! Note that the opposition doesn't doubt the miracles or the power of Jesus to heal, they want to see if He will conform to their expectations and traditions. Jesus is angered by the hardness of their heart. It is not doubt that angers the Lord; but rather, hardness of hearts that is the problem. In this case, the hardness of heart was expressed in the attitude that the man with the withered hand was nothing to the religious elite but a tool, a pawn, or a test case. When we care more about how much people prove our theology than their condition, we have become like these religious elite. After the healing, they began to conspire to kill Jesus. Why? Not because of a Sabbath regulation, Jesus has already dealt with that issue, nor because of the healing itself. They want to kill Jesus because He represents a threat to their power structure. The common people are no longer minions and tools; but rather, objects of God's love and care.

Demons began to testify that Jesus is the Son of God. They were the wrong kinds of witnesses and it was the wrong time for such a testimony. Later, Jesus would be charged with being in league with Satan and that charge may have stemmed from this testimony of the demonic. It is sad that demons have a better understanding of who Jesus is than many liberal theologians.

We see also the calling of the twelve. First is to be with the Savior and the second is to be sent out by the Savior. In many cases, we today are a little weak in both of these callings. It is at this point that Simon becomes Peter and the two “Sons of Thunder” James and John are identified. These are the ones who want to call fire down on an unrepentant city. James was the first Apostle to be martyred, perhaps because the “Thunder” would not be silent. Jesus has a tendency to use passionate people. Passionate people are not always loud, but you can never doubt their passion.

"Lord, help me to be passionate about You and Your will. AMEN"