The Real Question

Saturday, February 24, 2007 Mark 7:1-23

“To wash or not to wash”… that was NOT the question. I see the error of the Pharisee way, those hypocritical legalists, focusing on such minor details, thinking that by following man-made rules they will be saved. Ha!

But then my inner Pharisee starts wondering… Is there a “correct” Sabbath day? Which is the “truest” Bible: King James or NIV, or (have mercy!) a New Living Translation? Are tongues for today? Shall we baptize babies or only believers? Dunk or sprinkle? Does rock-and-roll belong in worship? (Shall I raise my hands in church, or just my eyebrows…? :-))

Before I know it, Pharisee Me has answered those questions with a list of “rules” defining the “best” way, which is of course, my way…(Well, if not rules, at least very strong opinions...)

Jesus is clear about the real question: Do I know Him or do I not? And He's clear about our mission: to help others answer that question in the affirmative. Jesus saves, by grace alone, through faith. Adding rules to faith gets in the way of knowing the Savior and the simple truth of His unbounded love and the freedom He offers—freely, freely!—to a lost and hurting world.

Precious Lord, keep my heart focused on You alone, worshipping, celebrating, and sharing You in joyful freedom!

Enough

Friday, February 23rd - Mark 6:30-56

For some reason, Mark's account of these events seems somewhat unfamiliar to me. Some of his phrases surprise me, by the details he reports and others I expect to read but don't actually find here. I've been trying to learn a little bit about Hebrew culture lately, and one thing I've learned is that the images and stories are important. So, along with trying to understand the words, I'm also trying to hear the story - not only as a collection of little details, but as a whole picture. As I read this section from Mark, amid all the things I feel like I need to research more, an image jumped out at me. I'll admit I'm not confident that what I think it means is entirely consistent with the context here in Mark, but I'll share it, so you can wrestle with me (or straighten me out).

vss. 50b-51a "But Jesus spoke to them at once. 'Don't be afraid,' he said. ' Take courage! I am here! Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped."

Often, when I read the accounts of Jesus calming storms for the disciples, I get caught up in the miracles. I wonder when I'll witness something like the feeding of 5,000 men and their families, or the calming of the storms, or Jesus walking right toward me on the water. But it strikes me that Jesus' intent is not to calm the storm but to offer the disciples (and us) a peace that transcends understanding. Jesus' words are, "Take courage! I am here!" And then he climbed into the boat, and the waves calmed down.

The focus of the story seems to be Jesus' sufficiency. He just fed a huge crowd with an amount of food that could have been given to me and still left me hungry. Although he started with little, he finished with 12 extra baskets - enough for the tribes of Israel or enough for each of the disciples. Jesus can accomplish what they need their Messiah to do. Then it appears that Jesus calmed the storm to demonstrate that he has the power to calm the storm in our hearts and bring us peace with God. When we're close to Jesus, he brings peace. Notice that Jesus doesn't even address the wind or waves here; he only addresses the disciples, inviting them to have courage and to rest in his presence.

We often focus on the miracles and wonder, "When has something like that happened near/for me?" But we're not supposed to focus on the miraculous circumstances any more than we're supposed to obsess over the difficult circumstances. We're supposed to focus on Jesus. He is more than enough! Take courage! Whatever the circumstances, Jesus is enough for you and for me. He can bridge the gap between God and us!

Familiarity Breeds Contempt?

In the beginning of Mark 6, Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and started teaching in the synagogue. At first, the people were "amazed" and wondered about His wisdom and power to perform miracles. Then they began scoffing and questioning Him. "Isn't this the carpenter?" may very well have meant "Isn't he just a commoner like the rest of us?" "Isn't this the son of Mary?" could have even been a thinly-veiled reference to a long-standing rumor of Mary bearing an illegitimate son. Scripture said the people " were deeply offended and refused to believe in him".

It seems as though word of Jesus' teachings and miracles had reached Nazareth ahead of Him, but when He was finally "home", the people simply could not overcome an undercurrent of doubt and their knowledge of who He once was - just a simple boy who grew up with them. In a similar light, I wonder how many of us have struggled to share our faith with the people we know the best? It can be an enormous challenge to find the courage to witness to those in our inner circles, especially our families. Many Christians have examples of family members and old friends who have scoffed at their testimony, doubted their sincerity or questioned their motives when sharing their faith. Do you think this is similar to what was happening with Jesus? In this case and in our lives, does familiarity breed contempt?

I don't know that I have ever read another statement in scripture like verse 5, in that it states something that Jesus could not do. "And because of their unbelief, Jesus couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them." Do you wonder, as I do, what exactly that means? Does couldn't actually mean wouldn't? No, it would be inconsistent with the rest of scripture if Jesus would somehow be vindictive and refuse to perform miracles as a punishment on the people of Nazareth. So, does it mean that He couldn't perform miracles because he didn't have enough power? Again, we already read in Matthew that Jesus had "been given all authority in heaven and on earth.", so we know it is not lack of power that prevented Him. So, I have to conclude that the reason Jesus "couldn't" perform miracles was because of the unbelief of the people.

In a climate of unbelief, Jesus could not/would not/did not perform many miracles. As we read in Matthew and will continue to see in Mark, Jesus performed many miracles in response to faith. He did not perform miracles in order to prove himself to people, but rather to express His great love and compassion.

Jesus was "amazed" at the unbelief of the people of Nazareth, and I'm guessing he may have been saddened, as well. Leaving His friends and family behind in a state of unbelief would have been very difficult; sadly, this is a situation many of us know all too well.

Karen Peikert

Interruptions

Have you ever had the feeling/assurance as you stood by the sickbed of a loved one that Jesus was right there with you? v. 24 In this section, we read of the woman who had a special physical need . . . a need for healing. She was healed. Why do you suppose Jesus insisted that this newly healed woman “step forward” so that other people would know about it? What might that suggest for us? Notice that the account of this needy woman takes place while Jesus is on His way to heal a little girl elsewhere. It was “an interruption” for Jesus. Consider: how do I feel about being “interrupted” when I have plans of my own? Am I able to see it as not just an “interruption”, but as an “opportunity” to help, to share and tell others what Jesus has done for us? Notice, too, that all this time, Jairus is waiting for Jesus to get to his house to heal his little sick daughter! Can we really trust the Lord enough to believe that in the ways of the Lord Delay is not Denial? See verse 36 where Jesus said: “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Is that what the Lord is saying to me right now?

Don Pardun

Look out! God's Kingdom is coming!

Mark 4:30-5:20

Jesus begins this section by asking the question, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God?" We then have the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus calming the storm, and Jesus casting out demons into a bunch of pigs. All these stories scream out, "God's Kingdom is coming!" or for you Narnia buffs, "Asland is on the move."

Jesus uses the parable of a mustard seed to describe the kingdom. A seed that starts very small yet grows into a tree in which many find their home. God's Kingdom doesn't come as we would expect in a large glorious manner with trumpet and fanfare (although it will someday), God Kingdom comes to earth in a manger and in a man of sorrows as Isaiah 53:2,3 says, "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed Him not." Most importantly and most clearly though God's Kingdom comes by way of the cross. God's kingdom is like the mustard seed in that it has very small beginnings but "is the largest of all garden plants."

We as people naturally resist and are even offended that such a glorious kingdom could have such humble beginnings. Yet we see in these next verses the extreme power and glory of this kingdom, which is hidden in a man of sorrows, Jesus Christ. These experienced fishermen are on a boat and are scared to death because of the storm – that says something about the intensity of the storm doesn't it? Jesus is sleeping through the whole thing (my favorite part). They wake Him up and with a few words demonstrates His extreme and total power over nature, remember with a few words He created nature. The disciples marveled saying, 'Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!"

Finally in our reading today we see God's Kingdom come up against the Kingdom of Satan. There is a man possessed by a legion of demons. Again with a few words Jesus commands the demons to leave the man and they do. God's Kingdom that comes in such a humble way has total and absolute power even over the Kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of God sure seems to be a safe kingdom to live in if you ask me.

God wants to give us a place to live in His Kingdom. God wants His Kingdom to come to us so that in our own life His Kingdom continues to win against the Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of the world. He wants to give us victory over these temptations to sin against Him. He has already won the victory for us and has given it to us! Now through faith in Jesus we get to walk in His ways and live in His Kingdom every day.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Adam

adam berge

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Jack's Magical Seed

Mark 4:1-29

So who gets the credit?!

Was it some inherent quality of the seed? Was it the fairy-tale-faith of Jack? Was it some other mysterious power at work in that kingdom that took this simple seed & yielded such an extraordinary beanstalk harvest?

Mark chapter 4 gives us great food for thought about God's kingdom, Word, and coming harvest -- seminal truths to germinate and sprout in our lives (okay, okay, pardon the lame puns!).

Actually Jesus tells 3 seed parables in a row (can't help myself!). The last is about the humble beginning but spiritual-rags-to-riches story of God's Kingdom, and belongs to tomorrow's reading. But in today's scriptures, both seed stories have to do with the impact of God's Word.

I rather prefer the 2nd parable. It's by far the shorter (vv 26-29). It is by far the lesser known. Only Mark's gospel records it. But it is not merely for its obscurity or brevity that I like it best of the two. This is the seed parable that says "It's all in God's hands!" It confirms the absolute sovereignty of God in the working of His Word. The power for reproduction is wholly pent up in the mysterious magical potency within the Gospel seed! Whether we who tend the fields are doing our job well, whether we are awake or sleeping-in on days when the sun is shining & there's much work to be done... Whether we 'understand' (v 27) how the Word takes root, sprouts, & grows, creating repentance & faith & transformation of lives... in the end, it doesn't matter! God's kingdom comes, is coming, is coming with fruitful world-expanding impact! And, it will do so with or without us.

Not an excuse for the 'willfully unemployed harvest-hand' spirit that yawns in each of us, but I really LOVE knowing: it's all about Him, its all in that Seed!

There's an absolute 'period' at the end of that sovereignty story. Nothing to undo it, or untell it.


...but we all remember...that just before Jesus told another 'seed story', equally true, that captures that great antinomy tension of God's kingdom. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign in salvation & over His seed, He does all the saving & we do none of it. But somehow the 'soil' matters. Hearing, really listening & accepting matters. The response of the human heart matters. And, all of that comes into play in the harvest fruitfulness God seeks and expects in our lives!

The harvest imagery of vv 8 & 20 is connected commonly in the rest of scripture to the consummation of God's kingdom (see in Rev 14:14-16 for the last days 'harvest' of believers, and 14:17-20 for the 'harvest' of unbelievers). In the Mark 4 parable of the soils, real affective obstacles to a fruitful harvest exist: Satan (v15, did you know he actively seeks to quickly pluck the Word that plunks-off rather than penetrates us?!), Shallow (vv16-17), Suffocated (vv18-19).

But the intent of this sown Gospel seed is that it must be heard, really listened to, accepted, and also that when that is 'truly true' it will yield a harvest, 'produce a crop' (vv8,20). It has ever intrigued me that Jesus well-defines in vv15-19 precisely what the soil imagery of the parable means. But, when he comes to verse 20, he never really elaborates to my liking about what is this 30/60/100-fold 'crop'. Is this 'harvest' transformed lives, the impact of God's Word in me that evidences in the fruit of repentance and good works? Or is this crop a more abstract prediction of the fruit of the Spirit yet to be produced in me?

Or, is it the most plain and simple understanding of the image: the seed produces a harvest of what else?: more seed! Not meaning that we who receive the Word start to voluminously write more words -- like this blog! (sorry), but that one single seed of His Word that dies with me and rises in me will result in the scattering of 30/60/100/+! of Gospel seeds to other soil. God does not seek mere receptive fertile soil to receive His Word and for it then to lie latent. He's not just after one more pretty plant. His eye is ever on the harvest, and the seed given you is probably intended also for the person sitting closest to you as you read this.

"Sovereign God over soils, seeds & harvest, have your fruitful way in me today."

PPaul

Sunday - Mark 3:7-25

I have always felt that the mother and siblings of Jesus got a little left out in this passage. They came to chat with Him about something or other and Jesus decides to use their presence as a teaching moment. That it was though, a teaching moment. In the midst of a huge crowd Jesus was able to bring the reality home to them that whoever does the will of God is His family. After having read the book of Matthew and recently finishing a reading on the death and resurrection of our Savior, what an extreme privilege to know that we are His family. We are the siblings, not just the servants and former enemies, of a King.

Anyway, back to the "real" family of Jesus. I guess for the first time I realized that just because one thing is true doesn't mean the opposite is true. Just because Jesus valued the relation of the crowd doesn't me He belittled the relation of His natural family. After His teaching lesson He may have walked out and spoken to His mother and cared for His siblings. It's one of the things that amazes me about God. He can care for all of us intimately at once. He doesn't love one more than the other, yet He is uniquely involved in all of our lives.

We can live today knowing we are in the family of our Savior!