Traditions: Viva la Powdered wig (Mark 7:9-23)
Let’s get right to the mother of all church issues. Traditions. Which ones are of God? Which ones can we live without?
By looking at the last 100 years of church history and by listening to the questions being asked today, it seems that one primary issue people are trying to determine is this: How do we tell the commands of God from the traditions of men? And once we figure that out, how do we handle the division that will arise once somebody steps outside those traditions?
This “tradition” discussion is not new, neither is the solution.
A few hundred years ago, every respectable man wore a powdered wig. What rebels broke against that great idea? Young Jeezy and I agree ... Long live the wowdered pig!
Look around. Many of the older generations of saints condemn the younger because they will not take up the traditions which have been their heartfelt, personal identity markers for decades and centuries. And many of the younger generation looks down on the older because they have too many identity markers they believe are unnecessary and outside of Jesus.
If my reading of church culture is too harsh here, read the Apostle Paul’s explanation of the weak and strong in Romans 14. This chapter is Paul dealing with controversy over traditions in the church in Rome 2000 years ago. We see this is an age-old problem of God’s people.
In the church in Rome, one faction believed you could eat and drink everything (the strong) and the other had traditions that strictly forbade some food and wine (the weak). To the strong it was a matter of preference. To the weak, it was a sin issue. Paul’s response? “Whatever you believe about these things, keep it between yourself and God” (vs 22).
So what were “these things” Paul talks of. In vs. 1 he calls them disputable matters … traditions passed down over time that may seem holy and beneficial, but are not outright commands from God. In other words, these disputable matters are not essential and cannot be expected of people. They are not covenant issues. They are not actually sin issues, though some may see it that way because of their traditions.
Jesus and the Pharisees
In this case in Mark 7:1-8, the traditions (the disputable matter) have become a tool of exclusion. The weak ones who lived by the tradition couldn’t accept Jesus and his disciples who did not wash. It made Jesus angry then, and it makes him angry now when weak saints use their traditions to exclude people from the church.
In vs. 9-23 Jesus jumps on the Pharisees for actually twisting the intention of the Word of God with their traditions. My friend says that when people make Bible say what they want it to say, they are “raping the word of God”.
So what do we do?
I think we ought to do as Paul taught in Romans 14. Whatever we believe about traditions … about disputable matters, we ought to keep it to ourselves.
THINK:
- What traditions are you wrestling with, trying to determine if they are Biblical commands or just a weird misunderstanding of a scripture?
- How do people in the church help turn others from sin if we are supposed to keep our opinions about such things to ourselves?
- How do we know what sins are real sins and which are actually just breaking against traditions?
Looking For Brilliance In Spoons (Mark 7:1-8)
On this idea of rules of God without relationship with God, Benyamin Cohen wrote a great book called My Jesus Year. In it he relays his life as a Jew “trying out” Jesus for a year. Below is an except that so perfectly fits this passage about the controversy of Jewish traditions in Mark 7:
Judaism is a religion in which actions trump faith. Checking lettuce for bugs (another weird Jewish law and real party favorite) is just as important as belief in God …
When we ask a rabbi about Judaism, more often than not it’s a legal question, not a theological one. For example, we’re not allowed to mix meat and dairy food. To be extra careful, we keep two sets of dishes. Let’s say I used a dairy spoon with a meat pot by accident. I need to ask a rabbi what to do with that spoon. Do I throw it away? Is there a way to make it “kosher” again? Most likely, he’ll respond with a litany of follow-up questions. What was in the pot? How hot was it? When was the last time the spoon had been used? And so on. Compounding this problem is that asking a different rabbi will often garner you a different answer.
I’m not asking the rabbi, as a Catholic parishioner would a priest, how many Hail Marys I need to say in order to be forgiven for this transgression. That’s not the point here. I’m asking a practical question. What the hell do I do with this spoon?
I’ll ask the obvious. What does this have to do with spirituality? Because once we go down this road, there’s no natural place to stop. Forget the spoon. What about the pot? What about the food that was in the pot? What about the stove this tragic episode happened on? …
Maybe I’m crazy, but I thought religion had something to do with belief in God and being nice to your neighbor. I wasn’t aware it had anything to do with oxen or pots or spoons, and even if it did, those things wouldn’t be of paramount import…
What kind of religion was this that worshiped minutiae over meaning?
Don’t get me wrong. There are brilliance and beauty in this faith. I just haven’t found them yet. ~ Benyamin Cohen, p 25 of My Jesus Year.
In looking at why the Pharisees and priests were so oppositional to Jesus and his apparent carelessness with Jewish traditions, John Ortberg says
James Dunn notes that in the first century a disproportionate amount of rabbinic attention was devoted to three areas of the law: dietary rules, Sabbath-keeping and circumcision. This was in spite of the fact that rabbis would not have claimed these as the central aspects of God’s will for humanity. They knew that the essence of the law was the shema — the loving of God with heart and soul and strength. So why the relentless focus on dietary laws, circumcision and Sabbath-keeping?
The answer, Dunn says, involves “identity markers,” or boundaries. All groups of human beings have a tendency to be exclusive; they want to know who is inside and who is out. So they adopt identity markers — visible practices of dress or vocabulary or behavior that serve to distinguish who is inside the group from who is outside.
Henri Nouwen wrote that it is very hard to stop being the prodigal son without turning into the elder brother. Any time people are not experiencing authentic transformation — as in Mark 7:21-23 — they will inevitably be drawn toward some kind of faith characterized by boundary markers. We will look for substitute ways of distinguishing ourselves from those on the outside. The boundary markers change from century to century, but they all reinforce a false sense of superiority, fed by the intent to exclude others,
Ironically, the one human being who was perfectly free from self-righteousness is the only one who was completely righteous. The least exclusive member of the human race is also its most exalted. The only person who has ever been truly free of a messiah complex was the Messiah (Pharisees are Us).
I started reading Cohen’s book last week and have only gotten halfway through it … so I’ll let you know if he finds the brilliance and beauty he was looking for in Jesus. Or I suppose you could read it for yourself.
THINK:
- What traditions do you see in Christianity that can be misused and overemphasized just like eating with “unclean hands”?
- Do you think traditions in the Church do more to exclude people, or include them? Why?
- What traditions do you use to mark your identity as a Christian? Why? Do they help or hinder your relationship with God?
- How can you determine the difference between a tradition of man (that has some root in scripture) and an outright command from God?
When Jesus scares me. (Mark 6:45-56)
Even though Jesus really wanted the rest, he took time out for the people. The needy people. The hurt. The broken. The hungry. No politicians in that crowd. No priests. No famous people. What does this mean for me and you? Jesus cares for normal joes. He will meet our needs and teach us truth.
No matter what my mother says, The Brick Testament is pure genius.
While Jesus takes some time alone to pray, to recoup from the rigors of ministry, the disciples pile into the slow boat again and head back across the lake.
And after many hours of prayer, it is now between 3 and 6 o’clock in the morning (remember he is setting an example of how important prayer is for us). When he checks on his boys, he sees them working hard, fighting against the wind. So he goes out on the lake, walking on the water. He’s God incarnate. he can do whatever he wants.
Jesus told them he would meet them in Bethsaida, and that’s where he was headed when they saw him and cried like like school girls in fear. They thought it was a ghost. But aren’t these are the same guys that had power and authority from Jesus to cast out demons? Again, Jesus is compassionate and changes his plans to help. He calms them down and climbs in the boat with them.
The moment Jesus steps into the boat, the wind suddenly stops. To me that is scarier than the idea of a ghost on the water coming after me.
THINK:
- Do you ever think that Jesus cares about other people and will heal them or guide them but not you? Why?
- Jesus knows things about the future, right? So why does he send his disciples into lake that he knows will soon have an opposing wind? Why is he compassionate about some things, but not about other things?
- What is Jesus allowing in your life right now, that you really need him to calm you down and say,”Don’t be afraid, It’s just me!”?
- Verse 52 says that the disciples are amazed by Jesus and have hardened hearts at the very same time. What in your heart needs to be softened?
- When you realize a little more of who Jesus really is, do you get scared?
Slow Boat and Free Fish Mark 6:32-44
In an attempt to run away from the masses of people, Jesus and his disciples jump on a boat. It’s a slow boat, though. Slow enough, I suppose for them to get some rest. But the boat is so slow that the crowds of people walk around the lake to where Jesus is going, and they are waiting on him when he gets there. They were determined to get something from him.
Imagining myself here.
I’d love a long ride in a slow boat right with Jesus right about now.
When Jesus lands, he has compassion on the people and begins teaching them. That’s my Jesus, but that’s not necessarily me. I look at people sometimes as time-wasters, energy suckers, life-drainers, joy-hogs. When I do have compassion, it is only Jesus’ Spirit in me coming through. Now I love to teach and tell people what to do, and I recognize that I can do it two ways. I can do it in my meanness (telling people how I think they ought to live) or I can teach in the spirit that Jesus did. One is effective and leads toward righteousness, the other is controlling and results in me getting corrected by the Master.
Later that afternoon, the disciples in their wisdom told Jesus it was time to close shop and send the people away so they could go eat. But because they were on the other side of the lake, in the middle of nowhere, there was nowhere for them to go. I personally think the disciples were hungry, and just wanted to eat, and it was a good plan for them. Jesus was probably hungry too and thought it best to treat everyone like he would want to be treated. So, he fed them all.
It was miraculous to feed 5,000+ people with so little food, with 12 baskets of leftovers. Jesus is that kind of man … and he is that kind of God. Compassionate. Miraculous. Available.
THINK and comment:
- How determined are you to get something from Jesus? Would you have walked around the lake to get to him?
- Have you ever endured physical fatigue when seeking Jesus? Other than a tired rump when a preacher is going too long?
- Would you have eaten the fish and bread that day? Even if you couldn’t explain where they all came from?
- What are you refusing to accept from God today because it isn’t logical and you can’t explain how it is going to happen?
When is it time to stop? Mark 6:30-32
After the disciples spent a time of traveling and ministering, Jesus offered them the next part of their schooling: Rest.
Working with people on any level is difficult and rewarding. Dealing with them on a spiritual level is exhilarating and exhausting at the same time, because you pouring into them who and what you are. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “We were pleased not only to impart to you the Gospel, but our own lives” (1 Thess 2:7)
Jesus took them to a solitary place. There were no cell text messages to respond to, no cell phones ringing, no email alerts to hear. It was quiet. They were alone, as alone as you can be with 13 people. But all of them had experienced the highs and lows ministry. They had that in common.
Jesus knew they needed time alone. Time alone to process everything that they experienced. Time alone to be quiet. Time alone to be themselves. Time alone with Jesus.
I like the phrase “sharpen the axe”, especially when it’s referring to resting in order to work more. That’s what rest does. You may have banged and banged away at something, and before long you are dull and ineffective. Rest is the solution. Sharpen the axe. Renew your mind, your body, your soul. Some of you are dull and worthless right now because you need rest. You need renewal. Being present in ministry is not enough, you must be sharp, ready, effective.
On the other hand, and this has to be said … too many people don’t know how to use their axe in the first place. They don’t ever jump into anything and put forth a good effort. They prepare themselves, but never do anything. They think more sharpening is needed.
All the time I was growing up, I was bent on being prepared. I wanted all things in place, and perfect. It would take me 30 minutes to get gear and tools together to do a 5 minute job. It was at these times that my dad would always pass on his dad’s advice,”Son, you’ve whetted your sword till the battle was done.”
And for many of us, we are trying to get everything in perfect order, before we begin doing what God has been calling us to. If that’s you, then you don’t need rest. You need a kick in the pants.
THINK … and comment. Get a discussion started:
- Are you giving yourself to people in the work of God, or are you exhausted from pursuing your own interests?
- What are you waiting on, in order to do what God has called you to?
- When are you usually your lowest? Is there a pattern to this exhaustion?What do you do to recoup when you are at a low point?
- Is Jesus involved your efforts? Is Jesus involved in your rest?
Mark 6:14-29 Intrigued, but not enough
There are days when you get bad news, and then there are days when you get news that just puts the fear of God in you. In this passage, King Herod hears about Jesus for the first time. He discovers that Jesus and his disciples have been going from village to village teaching about the kingdom of God and working miracles. We know from the other gospels that Jesus and his disciples were baptizing converts also. And after having just beheading John the Baptiizer, he feared that he had come back from the dead. Everything seemed to line up:
- This man had disciples. John had disciples.
- This man baptizes people. John baptized.
- This man taught about God’s Kingdom, so did John.
- This man preached about repentance. John commanded repentance.
- This man has miraculous powers. John would have miraculous powers if he rose from the dead, right?
Backstory on Herod’s paranoia:
Who is really free? John or Herod? "Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he is free. Because his God is with him." This is a line from the movie "Joseph". It was Potiphar speaking to his horrible wife after Joseph was sent to prison because of her indulgence.
History tells us that early in his reign, King Herod Antipas and his wife were staying in Rome for a while with his half brother, Philip. Herod liked Phil’s wife, Herodius, better than his own, and before long, they agreed to divorce their spouses in order to marry each other.
John the Baptist entered the scene as a wild man, eating locusts and predicting damnation for unrepentant sinners. He lambasted Herod, who was only Jew(ish), for his immoral unbiblical marriage. This and the fact that John had gained so much notoriety with the common people. made Herod afraid that rebellion was near, so he arrested John. (Matthew 14:3-4; Luke 3:19)
Once John was imprisoned, Herod continued his debauchery. But verse 20 catches me by surprise. I picture a guilty Herod leaving his life of indulgence to take the occasional stroll to the prison to talk with John. He knew John was righteous and holy … and right. Maybe he could endure a private rebuke, but not public. Maybe he wanted to align his life with God, but was too comfortable in his current lifestyle. We don’t know, but we do know that Herod was protecting John from his new wife. She hated the embarrassment he cause her.
And ultimately, we see yet another man who doesn’t stand up and do what is right. Herod’s indulgence led to his neice (or possibly his own daughter) dancing for him and his guests. Sensually? Sexually? Breakdancing? Not sure, but it charmed Herod enough to offer her whatever she wanted. And after consulting with a bitter, unrepentant mom, the decision was made: John’s head on a plate. Herodius’ source of embarrasment would end, or would it?
Herod is most known today for his role in the execution of John the Baptist and Jesus. He was interested in both John and Jesus, for more than political reasons (Luke 23:8), but in the end his only stand was for ease of his own life … not truth.
THINK:
- John dared to tell the King that it was wrong to marry his brother’s wife. If you were John, what would you have done?
- When it comes for standing up for what is right, what do you usually do?
- What is God telling you to do? Are you silencing his voice? Will you ever do it? Will you give up and keep your life easy?
- What do you do when God’s message or his messenger leaves you puzzled, like in verse 20?
Mark 6:6-13 Taking it to the Village People
Jesus teaches by involvement. A few months earlier, these disciples were working regular jobs. They weren’t theologians. They were simple, uneducated men. But they had been with Jesus, had learned a little about the Kingdom. had been given authority over evil spirits, and showed that healing was possible through God. Jesus thought they were ready for a mission. Would that criteria exclude your christian friends today? 
Think about the leap of faith they had to make. They were to double up, 2 by 2, and walk ahead of Jesus in each village, teaching about him and the Kingdom. Jesus also limited their luggage to what they had on at that moment. Why? He wanted to show them that God would provide for all their needs as they pursued his Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
Jesus had given them authority over evil spirits, but not human spirits. Instead, he gave them the wisdom of verse 11: some people will refuse to hear and obey God, and there is nothing you can do for them. Jesus told his disciples to leave them, and make sure they know why.
I wish I had really really learned that before I went and started a church. I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t think the majority of the people I would come across would be unwilling to repent, or obey the Bible. I feel I’ve wasted a lot of time trying to teach unwilling people and convince them of why they need God. However, I am friends with many of them now, but I don’t try to tell them anything about God.
It’s simple logic really … it is impossible to cast out a human spirit. And if a human spirit refuses to repent, then there is nothing else you can do. Even God himself will not change a human spirit … the person must be willing. We can read stories about this in the Bible all the way back to Genesis 2. But God’s goodness does cause people to repent. Maybe that is why Jesus couples his teaching with healing and casting out demons.
At verse 12 we begin to see it all coming together … this ragtag group was actually doing it! Just like John the Baptist, they were teaching, telling people to repent and that the Kingdom of God was coming. And like Jesus, they cast out evil spirits and healed, all by themselves! They were finally doing what they saw Jesus do.
Sounds a bit like a 4 year old finally learning to ride a bike. Although wobbly and scared to death, still riding and grinning.
THINK:
- What does the disciples assignment tell you about the Kingdom of God?
- Who have you told lately about God’s Kingdom? How did they receive the news?
- How have you handled being rejected when you tried to teach an unwilling person about Jesus?
- What assignment has God given you? What is your progress? Leave a comment below. I’m curious what God is doing around the world.
Hey! Please leave a comment about verse 11. What do you think it means? Jesus’ teachings didn’t allow for promiscuity or drunkenness, so why did he hang out with drunks and prostitutes? Why would he teach his disciples otherwise? What’s the main point?
Mark 6:1-6 Amazed and Offended at the same time
The presence of Jesus definitely brings out different things in different people. In this part of Jesus’ life, he returns home. He is back where he grew up, where his brothers and sisters still live. A thought … Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, but her other kids were from Joseph, not God. Mmmmm, why do some people still refer to her as the virgin Mary? I’m glad people don’t still refer to me as Cub Scout Toby.
And it is in Jesus’ hometown that the savior of the world was the most rejected.
Look at the scenario closely. Jesus teaches at the synagoge on the Sabbath day, and everyone who heard him was utterly amazed (vs2). They were in awe of his knowledge of the scriptures and God and about his stories of miracles and the soon coming of God’s kingdom. They had just heard the Master himself break down the gospel.
But head knowledge by itself is nothing without faith. Jesus only healed a few people, because they didn’t have faith.
I have friends who know more about God than I do. They can quote theologians and historians. They know terms like ontological and monarchianism. They can spin my head with knowledge. But they do not know God. There is a difference. They do not have faith in him like I do. They are not passionate about him like I am. Think about it, you can know all about my wife Ellen: her social security number, her favorite food and color, her height and weight. But I know her, even if I don’t know how much she weighs.
Jesus’ hometown people had just heard Jesus teach. They were amazed by how wonderfully he explained God. And they stopped there. They did not have faith to believe what they just heard.
Therein lies what I think is the biggest issue in Christianity today. Knowledge with no faith. Belief with no works. “Faith” with no Faith. Believers with no experience with God. This type of Christianity screws up our children, so that they have no foundation to stand on when life comes against them. This requires a revolution … which I am actively trying to make happen.
"Help Thou My Unbelief" by David Andrew Green. Of this he says, "These works come out of my personal experience, and in them I explore the nature of inherited faith and the child-like qualities an adult must have for faith to exist. All at once, I appreciate and criticize this process of faith. Does “becoming like little children” make one pure and innocent? Or does it mean being naïve or simple, which suggests ignorance? In order to have faith, one must disregard fact to some degree. Faith is deciding to believe, whether facts support this decision or not. In this series I am exploring my struggle to reconcile the faith of my youth with the adult I have become."
Then Jesus talks about honor and prophets. I’m not a prophet, but I do try to represent God in all venues of my life. And I’ve noticed that people you are really close to you, especially for a long time, have trouble accepting the change that God works in you. Most of them just don’t like God’s favor on you. They may say, why are you special? Because you pray more? Because you read the Bible? Because you give? Because you do things for people? Because you quit watching porn and playing video games all day? Because you are responsible? Because you are faithful?
I don’t know if it is their own self-imposed conviction that spurs them to remember all the things that make you “no better” than them. I don’t know if it is unfulfilled, God-given promises in their life that restrains their honor for you. It may even be that they are still living in the same sins that you once shared with them, and you followed God out of those sins, and they are still wallowing in them. Whatever the reason, when it comes to family and old friends, it is difficult even for Jesus to get the honor that is due.
THINK:
- What childhood escapades of yours do you hear about most often when you visit family or old friends?
- How has familiarity blocked you from really seeing Jesus for who he is?
- How does your family react to your faith in Christ?
Mark 5:21-43 Jesus heals … physically and emotionally
What we have here are 2 episodes of Jesus healing. One is a response to a desperate father where Jesus raises a dead daughter back to life. It reveals Jesus’ compassion toward children and religious people who realize they really need God. The other story is an intentionally unintentional healing. I’ll explain what that means.
Why is it that so many "believers" today have trouble believing that God heals? Didn't Jesus say (Mark 16:17-18) this is one sign of a believer?
Healing #1: Jairus’ daughter:
Since Jesus started teaching, who had given Jesus the most trouble? Who questioned his authority, his standing with God? Who condemned him for doing things that were generally thought to be sinful?
It wasn’t demons. Jesus shuts their mouth and casts them out.
It wasn’t the crowds that followed him. He heals them and they love him for it.
Jesus is continually plagued by the super-religious folks. They constantly criticize him for his words and actions. This was because they lived so intently after the Old Testament laws that they were wooden literalists. They didn’t understand the heart of the scriptures; they only understood the letter of the law. These were Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests.
And in this story, who is it that runs to Jesus, has fallen at Jesus’ feet, and is begging him to come and just touch his daughter so that she could be healed? A ruler of the synagogue. Is this irony? No. I don’t believe scripture points in the existence of luck or happenstance. God wants religious people to be saved too, and I think that’s why he worked through Jairus’ daughter’s sickness. It was his tipping point.
Think about it. When something horrible happens to someone you really love, you are willing to go outside your comforts and do what is proven … what you know will work to help them. You’ll do things you wouldn’t normally do or even agree with, out of your love for that person. And this is how Jesus gets Jairus. Jairus knew Jesus could heal. Most likely he didn’t agree with Jesus’ teachings or his fame with the people. He might not have liked Jesus or his doctrine, but he knew he had power to heal. And his little girl was close to death. He could overlook somethings for the love of his life.
All along, God loved Jairus and his obedience to the law, but what God really wanted was to win Jairus’ heart over to Jesus. And he used the person that happened to be the dearest to him, his daughter.
Healing #2: The intentionally unintentional healing:
Jesus wants people to be whole. We can see that in his ministry, his teachings, in his life. So we can conclude that healing is part of his intentional ministry on earth. Again … healing sick people is one part of what Jesus did and does. Again … Jesus heals. That means he still does it. I’ve seen it with my own eyeballs, that Jesus answers prayers and heals cancer, AIDS, headaches, broken bones, etc. Got it? Jesus heals.
The woman in this story is weak, tired, aching, and suffering. She has had “her aunt Floe over” for about 12 years. I’ve seen my sisters, Mom and wife go through this on a monthly basis and it was unbearable, just on my behalf. I can’t imagine how she dealt with this for 12 years.
Doctors couldn’t help her, and she’d spend a lot of money on this sickness. Because of the OT law, she was considered unclean and had to stay outside of the city with the other women on their period. Except she wasn’t just on a few day visit. She had been suffering through the physical, emotional and spiritual agony of this for over a decade.
So what was unintentional in this story?
When this woman was healed, Jesus wasn’t responding to her request for healing. He wasn’t responding to her friends asking him to come to her house and heal or to her family letting her down through a roof. And it even surprised Jesus because the instant she touched him, she zapped power out of him. She zapped the healing from him. He recognized it, and wanted to let her and the crowd know that faith brings the healing.
She had it in her mind that he didn’t have to even acknowledge her, but that he was the source of the healing. This healing was an example that you could get what you needed from Jesus, by simply believing and acting on it.
The greatest thing about her healing was that she could be part of society again. For the first time in 12 years she wasn’t looked down upon as being “unclean”. It may have been an Old Testament law that declared her unclean, but because of her interaction with Jesus, she was now clean. So it was more than a physical healing; it was emotional as well. She was human again. She was a citizen again, and could live a normal life. She could rejoin her family and live.
THINK:
- Of all the people pressing for Jesus’ attention, these 2 get through to him. Why?
- When is the last time you fell at Jesus’ feet and begged for help?
- After the woman was healed, why was it important to Jesus that she be identified?
- Why is healing generally not believed in among many Christians today? What can you do about it?
Mark 5:1-20 When Jesus is asked to leave.
This is a story about Jesus, a legion of demons, a broken man who becomes whole, a lot of bacon gone bad, and some very selfish people. Let’s go through this by verses:
Verses 1-9: Setting the erie scene: Demon-possessed-guy has remnants of broken chains around his wrists, is living away from town out in the graveyard, and is in the buff (the Luke 8:26-39 version records him being naked). He runs around constantly screaming and cutting himself. This is one messed up man.
This is not a picture of all demon possessed people. There are other demoniacs in the New testament that do not run around the graveyard screaming, or cut themselves, or are naked (excluding the funny story of the 7 sons of Sceva, Acts 19:13-17). The thing this guy has in common with other spirit-possessed people is this:
- He has unnatural or supernatural strength (he breaks chains)
"Crazy Bill" is a great poem by Tim Melton. It was inspired from this man filled with a legion of demons. The link for it is below; click it for the audio version.
- He has supernatural knowledge; he knows who Jesus is without anyone telling him. At this point, only a handful know Jesus is the Messiah, God-incarnate.
Why is this? Because he is getting his strength and his knowledge from something beyond himself … from a legion of demons within him. That’s why people without God in them are scared of demon-possessed people. They are more powerful, and full of evil.
What about God-possessed people, those filled with the Holy Spirit? Can we have knowledge that couldn’t be naturally known? What about supernatural strength? The logical side of you and me says no. But from my own personal experiences and from the promises in scripture, I say yes. The Spirit in us is a source of strength and wisdom and knowledge … and most importantly in this scenario: authority over demons.
Verses 10-13: The demons beg for a deal with Jesus. They know they will have to leave their naked host, and they have to be in someone … so they beg to be cast into the pigs. And as soon as they are in the pigs, they have the pigs kill themselves. Then, the demons are free again to inhabit someone else.
Maybe they inhabited the townspeople. Maybe they got as far from Jesus as possible. We don’t know. But we do know that they did not want to be out of their region. The Luke 8:31 version says they begged Jesus not to cast them into the Abyss, or the bottomless pit mentioned in Revelation 20.
Verses 14-17: The bad guys in the story. The townspeople all wanted to see what Jesus had done, but once they saw the demoniac in clothes and in his right mind, they realized that Jesus was more powerful than the whole legion of demons. He scared them. Like many people I know. They want to feel safe from Hell and evil, but do not want to approach God’s searing holiness. Because a searing holiness means looking inward and dealing with our wretched unholiness.
Strangely, Matthew 8:28-34 records this story as being 2 possessed men, not 1. Why the difference? There are 2 options:
- This could have been a completely separate instance where Jesus delivered 2 guys one time and 1 guy another time, and both times was run out by the townspeople.
- It is the same story, but the lesson of the story wasn’t that Jesus could deliver demon possessed people. Maybe the main idea is the wicked response of the townspeople. They were more concerned with their income and property than they were about people being made whole, or about Truth. Luke 8:37 says they asked Jesus to leave because they were afraid of him, which ultimately means they were unwilling to prepare themselves to meet God.
Verses 18-20: The convert has a mission. He was denied by Jesus to follow him at that point, but was given a greater duty that only he could do. Think about it. Who better to tell people about the miracle working power and love of Jesus than those who have been set free by him. Who better to reach that area of people than “the naked guy at the graveyard who screams and cuts himself”?
Jesus told the ex-demoniac to go tell his family what God had done for him, and knowing who Jesus really was … he told the Decapolis (10 cities) what Jesus the Messiah had done for him.
THINK:
- When this guy cuts himself, is it similar to the reason that people today cut? Is all cutting a sign of demon possession or oppression? What is it a sign of?
- In the interplay between Jesus and the demons in verses 9-13, what did you learn about demons? About Jesus?
- Are you like the ex-demoniac wanting to leave everything and follow the one who delivered you, or are you like the townspeople wanting Jesus to leave you alone because he costs you too much?
- Have you ever told your family, friends or strangers how much Jesus has done for you? Why or why not?
Also, check out the poem, Crazy Bill, by Tim Melton.
Mark 4:35-41 Jesus is about The Journey
The destination is important, but it’s the journey where the good stuff happens that makes the destination so beautiful, so desirable. It’s the journey where you learn about God. Think about the exodus. If it was so important for the Israelites to be in the land God promised them, they could have walked there in a matter of days, or God could have “beamed” them there. But God had them spend 40 years out in the desert. Evidently, the path is a necessary part of the promise. The way is important.
Rembrandt's view of the storm Jesus was sleeping through. How many times I have felt like those guys ... working my butt off through chaos and Jesus quiets it all with a few words.
In this little journey across the lake, Jesus reveals a little more of himself to his chosen boys. Just when they think death is imminent, they wake him up. With sleepy eyes and a yawn, he says a few words and the chaos that was threatening them stopped. But it was this hidden power in Jesus that really scared them … more than the wind and waves. They suddenly realized they had underestimated him. They thought they had him pegged. They thought they had him figured out, but they didn’t.
I think we ought to put ourselves in the disciples’ sandals and learn something from their journey with Jesus:
- Storms and choas don’t bother Jesus. He’s a heavy sleeper who is confident in God.
- Jesus cared for people and will save us from harm.
- He used this as an opportunity to teach them. What did he ask them about? He was concerned about their faith and their fears.
- They thought they understood everything about Jesus, but they didn’t. (This is my favorite part of the story. I too have underestimated God, and when he “woke up” and saved me from some threatening situation, he blew my doors off. The situation became tiny compared to my God who flexed his muscles just a little.)
THINK:
- Which would have frightened you more? The storm or Jesus?
- How do you react to Jesus when he seems to be asleep in your life?
- In your journey right now, what is Jesus teaching you about himself?
Mark 4:21-34 Parables of light and seeds
Jesus is teaching the crowd again. He basically tells 2 parables … and neither one of them is something we do well:
- Explain and tell the gospel to others
- Mature.
Parable #1: (vs 21-25) Lamps and their purpose
Jesus wrapped up the soil and seed parable by explaining that people who truly have had the message take root in them and who will not let it be choked out by the cares of this life … they will explain the message to others (vs 15-20). Jesus’ next parable is related.
He simply asks questions about what is the best way for a lamp to shed light. The light is the message of the kingdom. The Message, by Eugene Peterson, captures verse 22 well, “We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.” This message is too good to keep to ourselves.
And, the more liberal we are in sharing the gospel and the gifts of God, the more liberal God will be toward us.
God doesn’t leave this message to be taught and explained by angels. This is our job as disciples and followers. We are the ones to shine the light or spread the seed … whatever analogy you want to use. We who have been changed by Jesus are the ones to tell others about what Jesus can do for them. This is not the job of TV or internet evangelists.
Parable #2: (vs 26-34) Seeds slowly mature
These parables about the seeds show how the kingdom of God makes progress in the world and in us individually. When the message of the kingdom has good soil in a soul where it can develop roots, it will mature into a full grown plant … slowly.
From seed to sprout ... and a lot of growth to come. Notice the depth of the roots compared to the height of the plant?
Of all the miracles Jesus did, he never laid his hand on a child and said, “Become an adult this instant!” He left that process to nature. And the kingdom is the same way. It is slow growth in a person. The growth is always slow and gradual: first the blade; then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear. Did I mention it being slow?
This is an ancient God we serve. From what I’ve experienced, he is not into speed or comfort … he’s into thoroughness and process. Many people get frustrated with the slowness of God, his not answering their prayers, and his not explaining menial things to them like what happened to dinosaurs.
Don’t rush the process God has you in. We won’t understand it all in the beginning, and even less the more we learn. That sentence makes sense to mature believers.
We need to keep our eyes on him and his promises, really do our part, and be content with the growth as he does it in us. It is his word and Spirit working in us.
THINK:
- In terms of the light of Christ, are you a 20, 75, or 200 watt light bulb? Or are you a burned out bulb? Why?
- What does the parable of the mustard seed teach about God’s kingdom? What evidence of growth have you seen in the last year?
- Does knowing that the growth of the kingdom is ultimately in God’s hands cause you to rest or work more? Why?
- At what stage is the kingdom in your life now? Still a seed? Sprouting? Outgrowing the weeds? Producing a harvest?
Mark 4:1-20 Jesus confuses people
What a serene scene! Jesus gets into a small boat and pushes out a bit and anchors so he can teach the very interested and large crowd. HIs words travel easily on the water, so he doesn’t have to raise his voice. Everyone lines the water’s edge in anticipation of a life-changing message. Seagulls flap overhead in a gentle wind. It’s just Jesus, the gulls, the waves lapping the shore (remember it’s a lake, not an ocean). But shortly into his teaching, there was one other sound.
Across the crowd, a deep exhale takes place. This sigh is audible confusion. I think maybe a few people were thinking, “Hey, the chosen one isn’t the best teacher. Do you get anything he’s saying?”
Dirt? Seeds? Birds? Rocks? Crops? And Jesus wraps up his very impacting sermon with this dandy, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
I wonder if Jesus wrestled with low self esteem after preaching? Did he wonder if people got it? Were enough lives changed? Was anybody changed? As a pastor I know the angst of not clearly communicating something that I earnestly want to, but I’m still clueless as to why Jesus taught this, when he only wanted the 12 to understand it (vs 11).
At first, even the 12 golden boys didn’t get what the heck Jesus was saying. So they kindly waited until Jesus finished his “clear as mud” sermon and asked what it meant. This happened a lot. Many times, they waited patiently until everyone was gone, and then asked Jesus, “What were you really trying to say back there?”
I love it when people in our church ask me that after a message. At least I know they are interested in what I was trying to convey.
Matthew 13:1-23 records this same parable. In my opinion, it’s easier to understand when reading Matthew 13:18-23. The basics are these:
- The seed is the message about God’s Kingdom: it is here, how to enter, how to live inside it, why you will like it, etc.
- The 4 different soils are different people.
- Packed soil is a path, where the seeds just gets eaten by birds. These are people who hear about the kingdom but don’t understand. Satan comes along and takes away what they heard.
- Rocky soil receives the seed and produces a plant, but it can’t develop roots because of the rocks, it is short lived. These are people who receive the truth and are joyful about it, but because they aren’t rooted, when trouble comes, they quickly fall away.
- Thorny soil receives the seed, but its necessary nutrients are stolen by the thorns. These are people who receive the truth, but their worries about life and security and their desire for other things choke out the message of the kingdom.
- Good soil receives the seed and produces a large crop. These are people who hear the message and receive it. Because the seed is the message or the word about the kingdom of God, they create more seeds. This means that good soil people will produce a hundred times more seed that what they received. They will be people who create opportunities for other people to hear the message.
THINK:
- What are the thorns/worries in your life that choke out your spiritual life?
- What are the stones in your life that keep you from growing spiritual roots?
- What do you know about the birds that try to steal the messages of God’s kingdom in your life?
- How do we change what kind of soil we are? Are we doomed to always be the same? What steps could you take to improve the soil of your spiritual life?
- What crop does Jesus want to yield?
Mark 3:20-35 Jesus avoids intervention while damning ignorant scholars
To me, this is shows us a very human side of Jesus. Of course, he is human, but because of the miracles and unwillingness to sin against God, and turning water to wine, we usually put him in that “other” category of “not like us”. But he is like us. We too would like to turn water to wine … and make a fortune … and of course give it to the poor.
In this passage, Jesus’ closest friends and family thought he had gotten a little carried away with this Kingdom of God stuff. They decided it was time for an intervention. While his family was on their way, a crowd gathered around Jesus and his disciples, and as these 13 guys sat and tried to eat dinner, the crowd continued making demands.
The story as told in The Brick Testament:
Who should show up, but more “Bible teachers”. Good grief! Give Jesus a break already. These jerks kept hounding Jesus because he was doing things that they couldn’t do … and they couldn’t control him. In their eyes, he was an un-submitting wildcard. But the people loved him. Jesus would teach them, heal them, deliver them from demons, and it made no difference to him if it violated these scholar’s view of God one bit. The Bible scholars and the Pharisees had knowledge about God, but it was very obvious they didn’t know God, or they would have recognized God in Jesus.
Anyway, after they accused Jesus of being demonic himself, he blasted them. I’ve noticed that he has truckloads of patience with people as they make their way to him, but to those who boldly claim to fully know God, they are the only ones he tells to their face they will go to Hell. Everyone else seems to have a chance of Heaven.
I like Eugene Peterson’s version of vs 28-30, “”Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.’
And then it happens … Jesus’ mom and brothers show up for the intervention.
Who's family doesn't think you're loco when you really dive into the kingdom?
Right as he is telling off the well-respected authorities of God’s word, Jesus finds out that his family is here to “rescue” him from his righteousness. In the novel “Lamb: the Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s childhood pal” Jesus often uses the phrase “Geez,” when he’s frustrated.
THINK:
- If you were Jesus which would be the hardest to deal with: the constant demands of people, or your family thinking you were crazy?
- What did the crowd expect in vs 31-32? For Jesus, what does family mean to him?
- Have you experienced conflict between what God wanted for you and what your family wanted for you?
Mark 3:7-19 Runaway Jesus
Okay, here we have Jesus running away because he was about to be killed. He wasn’t afraid, it just wasn’t his time. I think it’s fairly important to know when it’s our time … to do what we came to do. We ought not die on molehills if we’re destined for dying on mountains. If Jesus had been caught and stoned for breaking the sabbath, where would we be now? He knew “when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run” (that’s a Kenny Rogers song for you youngsters).
When Jesus delivered some of these people from demonic spirits, they fell down before him and loudly declared who Jesus was: God in a human body. But what’s strange is that Jesus commands them not to tell anyone (vs 12).
Why not tell anyone who Jesus really is? This would be like uncovering the true identity of Batman or even like pulling out old photos of Michael Jackson. But Jesus didn’t want people to know who he was, yet. He had a reason. Jesus had a lot of work to do yet, and if it got out that he was being called the son of God (God manifest in a human body), that he would surely be arrested and killed … too early. He gave up instant recognition for his greatest opportunity.
Then Jesus climbs up a mountain and invites only a few people out of the crowd. How frustrating for the people who were left behind. These 12 would be his closest disciples, his apostles. Except for Judas the idiot … he would kill himself after he sold Jesus out. Isn’t it strange that Jesus willfully chose a guy who he knew would betray him?
THINK:
- What were the crowds looking for in Jesus?
- What do you think he was looking for in the crowds?
- What qualities did the 12 disciples have that urged Jesus to choose them?
- If Jesus overlooked you in the crowd that day, and chose Judas next to you, how would you have felt watching them walk up the mountain together?
- How would you feel if Jesus called you up the mountain that day? Has he called you in some form or fashion to be his follower?
Mark 2:23-3:6 Jesus fudging the lines of “right” and “wrong”?
Here is Jesus … upsetting the religious folks, again. These Pharisees were strict students of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. They knew what God had commanded about the Sabbath (the 7th day of the week). No work, no fire-building, no traveling. (Numbers 15:32-35; Leviticus 23:1-8) Keeping the Sabbath was as vital as circumcision; it marked who was God’s and who wasn’t. Quite the line in the sand … and God drew it.
But here we have Jesus and his flunkies walking through the fields … picking grain and eating it. Breaking the law. The Pharisees interpreted that as “work”; which meant they we
ren’t of God, of course. They had busted Jesus, finally! Jesus’ responded to their Biblical condemnation with a Bible story … David once ate the food that was strictly, Biblically, only for the priests (1 Samuel 21:1-6). He silenced them.
When Jesus healed the shriveled-hand-man in the temple, it was on the Sabbath. I think Jesus waited all week to do it when it would stir up a curious crowd and then he could teach this lesson: The Sabbath is for people to get rest from a week of busting their humps … not for people to be ruled by the Sabbath. The Sabbath 
is a gift from God, not a burden.
I am compelled to think about today’s different organizations and denominations and how they interpret scripture. Some look at the Bible and say women should be completely silent in the church (1 Cor. 14). Some believe eating medium rare steaks go against the teaching in Acts 15. Some think that you should never marry (1 Corinthians 7). Or that women should wear only dresses (Deut 22) or never cut their hair (1 Cor . 11). What about that holy kiss we are supposed to slap on our brothers when we see them (Romans 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26)?
These are just minor issues in the Bible, but many organizations use these rigid interpretations to separate themselves from the “other” Christians … kinda like the Jews viewed circumcision and chillaxing on the Sabbath. Those who didn’t do it were not God’s people. Wow! How does God view this? Do any of us have it all right?
Are these accurate interpretations of scripture? What would happen if we use Jesus’ method of looking at the Sabbath … Is scripture here for us, or is it the other way around?
THINK:
- What made the Pharisees so upset with Jesus?
- What do we learn about Jesus in these 2 confrontations?
- What was God’s intent of the Sabbath? How was it mis-interpreted?
- How have you seen well-meaning religious rules or institutions hurt people? What causes that?
- Have you ever felt angry at a church or religious institution? How has that experience affected you?
Mark 2:18-22 Fasting: Facilitation of Change
For a guy with an extra 15 pounds of chub on him, the very thought of fasting is horrible. I hate it. I don’t want to deny my body it’s natural desires: chocolate filled donuts, medium rare steaks, Lucky Charms, Sandy’s Waffles. I’d rather talk about loving our neighbors or Balaam’s ass.
This passage is Jesus’ response to questions about fasting. People were asking him why his followers din’t fast and other religious people did. A few thoughts:
- The Old Testament talked a good deal about fasting. It is biblical and was commanded by God: Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-31. That’s why the others were doing it.
- Fasting breaks spiritual strongholds: Isaiah 58.
- In verses 19-20, Jesus uses the analogy of a marriage celebration in relation to fasting. Why would the guests celebrating the marriage of their friend fast at the wedding? It was a time of celebration. Why would Jesus’ followers fast when God is walking with them? They weren’t mournful that he was with them … but there would come a day when he would depart and they would fast.
- In verses 21-22, when Jesus appears to ramble about old cloth and new cloth and new wine and old wineskins … he has a point to make: Doing Kingdom things, without being of the Kingdom will only tear you apart. Fasting somehow is a part of this.
Also, there is a lot of change that takes place in your life when you initially begin to serve the King. He doesn’t pour precious new wine into a vessel that he knows it will burst. instead, he is going to make us into a new vessel … a new person altogether.
Denial through fasting is part of being of the kingdom. Jesus knew his disciples would be fasting soon enough, but for now he wanted to celebrate being with them. There is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3)
I was once doing a lot of dirt work for an old pastor friend of mine. We were renovating the landscape of the church, adding a new flower bed and sidewalk. Unintentionally I dug too deep into the ground with my tractor and pulled up the the church’s plumbing and sewer lines. What a mess! No one knew those lines were so shallow. By law they should have been much deeper, to keep this kind of thing from happening The old pastor just laughed and said, “That’s what we get for putting new wine in an old wine skin … something bursts every time.”
THINK:
How has the new wine of Jesus burst your old religious wineskins?
Mark 2:13-17 Wanted: Dirtbags for Disciples
Levi, the man chosen by Jesus to be a disciple, was an extortionist. He was a tax collector (publican), which means he made his profits by charging more money than the law required. This amount was completely at his discretion; since it was his “pay”. So Levi was a bit … unscrupulous. And this is the setting for a Jesus interaction, because Jesus loves dirty scoundrels.
A little background on how hated these tax collectors were:
1. With his collection booth next to the lake, Levi was most likely collecting taxes from the fishermen … right as they caught their fish.
2. The Jews considered a tax collector’s money to be unclean so they would never ask for change.
3. If a Jew did not have the exact amount that the collector required, he borrowed from a friend. Even enemies would loan each other money before letting change go to the tax collector.
4. Jews despised the publicans because they were agents of the hated Roman Empire and the puppet Jewish king.
5. Tax collectors were not allowed to testify in court, and the priests forbid them from tithing their money to the temple.
6. A good Jew would not even be seen associating with publicans.
What’s so great about Levi’s badness, is that Jesus doesn’t seem to care. Jesus just looks at Levi, inhales the stench of extortion into his nostrils, and exhales saying, “Come on buddy, follow me.” I added the “buddy” part.
Remember who Jesus is? He’s God … in a human body … showing and telling us how to live. So by this action, it’s obvious that God does not need us to clean up our life before he calls us. Really! We don’t have to get better before we go to God.
I think the main idea here is that it is Jesus who called Levi, not Levi making himself useful or beneficial to Jesus. It is Jesus who is calling you … and you are most likely a dirtbag too! But Jesus knows it and is still calling you to follow him. He sees something in you that the rest of us don’t.
Later in this story, the Pharisees and the Bible teachers are causing Jesus trouble again … complaining that Jesus is mixing with the wrong crowd. Just how did tax collectors party?
Isn’t it ironic that while Levi is busy sharing Jesus (literally) with his dirtbag friends, the religious leaders are filled with their own feelings of self-righteousness about the matter. It is easy to criticize them but we each should consider — what people do we consider too sinful for us to associate with?
Levi was not the only one called to share his faith. We are all called. But some of us are so busy being “good Christians” that we never seem to have time. It seems we are waiting for the right opportunity or the right time to reach out. Hurting people are all around. Invite some of them over for dinner and let them experience Jesus.
On a related note: In the 11th century, King Henry III of Bavaria was tiring of the pressures of court life and felt God calling him to a more meaningful life in the monastery. He visited the local monastery and expressed his desire to the monk there. The man asked him, “Do you understand the pledge here is one of obedience? It might be very hard for you since you have been a king.”
But Henry was determined, and he replied, “I understand. The rest of my life I will be obedient to you as Christ leads you.” He was ready to follow Jesus wherever it lead. Little did he expect where it would lead.
The monk looked at the king and told him, “Then I will tell you what to do. Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.”
The king obediently returned to his throne with a new sense of mission and ministry. He had learned what it meant for him to follow Jesus in a more meaningful way.
THINK:
1. The fisherman disciples may have paid inflated taxes to Levi for years. How would you have felt if you were them, watching Jesus call him? Why did he do so?
2. Do you feel unworthy? Do you feel God can’t love you because of the sin in your life? How could the call of Levi reveal God’s call to you?
3. How can you reach out to those that other people consider “unacceptable”? Can you do this without becoming unacceptable yourself?
4. Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you were at odds with the religious establishment? What was the cause?
Mark 2:1-12 God works outside what we call Truth?
Word travels fast when the supernatural stuff starts happening. Deep down inside us, we’re curious and interested. At that point of real desperation we’re all up for an unexplainable, but undeniable miracle in our life. That’s what’s happening in this story of the helpless paralytic and his hopeful friends.
Consider this … though it is outside what many of us believe.
Jesus may have healed the paralytic because of his buddies’ faith, not just his. Doesn’t this go against much of what we understand about faith and Jesus? We read in vs. 5 that Jesus saw their faith and acted. Plural … they? There are 2 ways to see this:
1.It could be that Jesus may have only noticed the 4 friends’ faith; the guys who were peeking in from the open ceiling after they dropped their buddy in. The paralyzed guy’s faith may have been as useless as his limbs, and his buddies decided enough was enough … “Jesus is going to heal you and we’ll make sure of it”. And Jesus healed him because of their faith, not his.
2.Their faith could have also included all 5 of them. We don’t know the circumstances, but we know Jesus was moved to act by their faith. His healing, and ultimately his forgiveness was because of their faith in Jesus. His buddies became part of the ingredients for the miracle.
And Jesus saw their faith. Cutting a hole in somebody else roof just to get to lower your buddy down to Jesus … this is ridiculous faith. They could have waited until the crowd thinned. They could have asked people to move away from the door. But they didn’t. They wanted to seize the moment, and they did. It wasn’t logical, but it worked because it was raw faith. Jesus seemed to like it.
Also, it confused the Bible teachers in the room when Jesus forgave the poor guy’s sins. According to the Bible they knew so well, only God forgives sins … so what’s Jesus implying? The Bible teachers were ticked. They relied more on their opinions of the Bible than the actual truths of the Bible. And since Jesus knows how to read minds, he cut the chitchat to help them figure out who he really was: “I have authority on earth to forgive and heal.” If they knew their BIble, and were sensitive to the Spirit of its author, they would have known who sat in front of them: God incarnate.
THINK:
- In this story, do you identify more with the paralytic, the 4 friends, or the teachers? Why?
- How would you feel if you were helpless and your friends decided to “drop you in on Jesus” in front of everyone? Has this ever happened to you?
- Does anyone notice your faith; are you actively and physically pursuing Jesus? Are you willing to blow past the hinderances between you and Jesus?
- Is it possible to have studied the Bible for years and know a lot about God, only to miss what God is doing right in front of you? Know anyone like this? Ever feel this way?
Mark 1:35-45 Jesus, you in there?
Jesus knew his strength came from God … and he needed regular times alone with God.
We are no different. Before we get weary from doing good things, we need to sneak away to a private place. Just me and God. Jesus called it a prayer closet. Imagine Jesus slipped off alone, praying. Getting wisdom and strength and dealing with his calling to teach truth to a difficult people. Then all of a sudden, “Hey Jesus!” … knock, knock, knock … “you in there?”
Verse 37 reminds me of my mom wanting quiet time to do her business in the bathroom when suddenly 3 little kids burst in with their issues and complaints that just can’t wait. Both Jesus and my mom were troopers. ”I’ll be there in a minute,” carries such promise when you need Jesus … or when you can’t open a pickle jar by yourself.
THINK
- What do you do when you need to get away? What about when you need to get away with God?
- According to vs 38-39, how did Jesus view his mission?
- Vs. 40. Why is the leper unsure about Jesus’ desire to help? (see Leviticus 13)
- What is significant about Jesus touching the leper prior to healing him?
- Where do you need Jesus’ special touch this week? How can you “touch lepers” in your community?
Mark 1:21-34 Believe in Jesus? Demons?
The same book that introduces us to Jesus introduces us also to our enemy.
Satan exists. He is not a fairy tale figure of speech referring to mankind’s general badness. Demons exist … they are fallen angels of God. Satan and demons hate God and all that God loves. Guess where that leaves us? Loved by God, hated by demons.
THINK
- What is most striking about the account between Jesus and the evil spirit?
- How does Jesus’ healing compare with his exorcism? What new realm of authority is seen here?
- Vs 33. Do you think a crowd would gather today to see this happen? Why?
- Does our culture (even those who claim to be Jesus followers) have trouble believing in demons? Why?
Mark 1:14-20 “Hey you, losers! Follow me.”
There was no dilly dallying of these guys when Jesus called them.
They jumped on his offer. They had nothing to lose, because they were … well … losers. And people who have nothing to lose are willing to take bigger risks. We see this same issue come up later when Jesus also asks a young wealthy man to follow him (Matt 19:16-22). The young man wanted to be a Jesus roadie too, but didn’t want to give what he had to the poor. Having too much, or thinking we are already “there” is such a hinderance to what Jesus really has for us.
What’s so neat about this leaving that the disciples do is that they all take up a new identity immediately. Losers no more! They still don’t have it all together. They still don’t really get Jesus yet. But their identity is totally lifted and changed by their relationship with Jesus. It’s time for us losers to unite, and stand firm in the identity that God has given us. Peculiar? We are, and we should love it.
Think:
- What is the good news? What practical, “right now” difference does God’s kingdom make?
- Why did the disciples decide to follow Jesus? What seems unusual about their response?
- Spiritually speaking, are you still preparing the nets? Thinking about leaving the boat? Following hard after Jesus? Feeling left behind?
- What is it about Jesus that makes you want to follow him?
Mark 1:1-13 John T. Baptist: PR Rep Extraordinaire
Mark 1:1-11
Background:
- John is the forerunner of the Messiah … i.e. THE transition from Judaism to Christianity (Mt 11:14).
- John’s audience is Jewish.
- It is possible that John the Baptist was influenced by the Qumran Community (the people of the Dead Sea Scrolls). Curious? Google it … it will only make you more in love with the way God works with his people.
Why did John baptize? In the Old Testament, people were immersed in water as part of the ritual purification … being restored. John, and the Qumran community, used this as a sign of re-devoting to God. LIstening was not enough. Knowing was not enough, one must act/do.
Why baptize in the muddy Jordan river? This area of the Jordan was really unsuitable on many counts, but primarily because it was a day’s walk from Jerusalem. It is still the same today, except, of course, people can ride their Seqways to the river.
On the other hand … it was the very spot the great prophet Elijah had been swept up to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:4:11). Ironically, John also looked like Elijah, wild-eyed and wearing a camel-hair garment girded with a leather belt. John intended those who saw him to be reminded of Elijah … the prophet who called God’s people to devote themselves to God again.
There can be no doubt that the word of a new Elijah spread like wildfire. More on Elijah (1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 9).
Forcing a decision? John’s PR move brought “all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem” down to the Jordan to hear John … and make a decision. Would they begin to follow God again?
John’s location required action on a person’s part before they ever heard him speak. Were they looking for God or just entertainment? Were the people willing to travel 2 days (1 to the river and 1 back home) to hear from God? Would they yield themselves to an ancient purification rite that had always been part of the path to God?
NOTE:
- Jesus, our example in life, was baptized. We ought to, too.
- Jesus was tempted. It was not sin, but a plan of Satan. After a spiritual experience with God, be aware that Satan will be the next to visit you. Temptation, frustration, confusion and other evil schemes will almost always follow great spiritual highs.
Thoughts for yourself:
- Who is the wildest preacher you’ve ever heard? What made them “wild”? How did you respond to his/her message?
- John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord in these people’s lives. Who has prepared the way for God in your life?
- John told the people to “prepare for the Lord” and to “make straight paths” in their life for God. How should you prepare yourself for God? What would it mean for you to make a straight path in yourself for God?
- When Jesus came out of the water, after being baptized, God spoke audibly. What would you like to hear God say to you?
- What would happen if you went away from your normal life to deal with your temptations and issues for 40 days?
Mark: Behind the Scene
“Mark wastes no time in getting down to business – a single-sentence introduction, and not a digression to be found from beginning to end. An event has taken place that radically changes the way we look at and experience the world, and he can’t wait to tell us about it. There’s an air of breathless excitement in nearly every sentence he writes. The sooner we get the message, the better off we’ll be, for the message is good, incredibly good: God is here, and he’s on our side.” – The Message, Eugene Peterson
The details of the message are far better than “God exists”, but that he is here right now. This qualifies as news … really good news. People generally believe God exists, but with that belief there has always been an enormous amount of guesswork about him, and this results in runaway superstition, anxiety, and exploitation. So Mark is understandably in a hurry to tell us what happened in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – the Event that reveals the truth of God to us, so we can live in actuality and not illusion. Mark doesn’t want us to waste a minute of these precious lives of ours ignorant of this vital reality: God is passionate to save us.
