July 3, 2009
Posted by Bob Galvin
35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Don’t you love this dramatic scene? Can’t you envision paintings that you have seen of Jesus standing up with waves rising against the boat, the disciples cowering behind Him, the wind whipping the against the small sails….and our Lord commanding the wind to “Hush, be still”. I really love this scene.
The passage starts off by stating “On that day when evening came”…..did you ever have an incredibly busy day? I am sure you did….and you just couldn’t wait to hit the sack and probably fell asleep before the light was fully out. You were just plum tired. Well that how this day ends for Jesus. I think this “Day” includes everything at least back to Chapter 3:22 – and it was busy. Jesus had just called the Twelve, been confronted by scribes, taught large crowds, dwelt with an attempted family intervention, taught more people by sea…..spent alone time with His disciples, and then had more crowds coming to Him…..so Jesus and followers take an evening boat excursion to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
Finally off His feet…..sitting in the front of the boat - with the gently rocking of the waves against the boat - Jesus falls asleep. However a harsh wind arose and soon the boat is in peril. The gospel account tells us that water was already filling up the boat. They are in trouble. Which begs the question how long did the disciples attempt to work thru this problem before they woke up Jesus. I can see them trying to save the boat and themselves….these guys are not inexperienced w/ sea. Finally they get to a breaking point where they need to wake Jesus. How long do we wait before we approach His Throne in prayer….how long do we deliberate on what we should do….before we go before Our Counselor?
After He is awake – they hit Him with a question that at first blush we might think is pretty silly “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Of course we know that He cares. But how many times have we said similar words to God silently or in our heart – “God don’t you care about me, or my situation, or my family?” Sadly I have many times. When people are in the midst of a severe problem – that question is probably often asked of God. “Don’t You care?” Sure He does. Jesus Arises…. Jesus Commands…..And All Is Well. The disciples are blown away and make an imperative statement “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” I can only imagine that despite the victories that they previously witnessed ( demons cast out, diseases healed, etc) they still did not get who Jesus was. Maybe it was now that they got a glimpse of who is the Person.…..actually being God in the Flesh.
Couple key things that we can get from this encounter:
1. Don’t try to work out your problems without the One who cares for you. 1Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you”
2. Don’t feel bad that you have asked the same common question – “God do you care?” God can handle that.
3. See the fullness of who Christ is…..He is Almighty God….the Creator and Lover of Your Soul.
“Thank you Lord for being the Lover of My Soul. Help me to always lean on Your strong shoulder”
July 1, 2009
26He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Jesus’ parables in Mark 4 teach about the kingdom of God, the reign of God, the work of God in this world.
The first parable (4:1-20) reminds us that there are different responses to the Word of God, to the message of God’s kingdom. Some fully embrace it. Some immediately reject it. Some half-heartedly follow it until difficulty hits or some distraction draws their attention to something else.
The second parable (4:21-25) reminds us that if we embrace the message of God’s kingdom then we should show it. God’s truth is light and it cannot and should not be hidden. Indeed, the more we invest into God’s kingdom, the more we give of our time, attention and effort to it, the more the fruit is multiplied.
This third parable (4:26-29) seems to balance out the second parable. Though our actions have a multiplying effect in God’s kingdom, we should not assume that it is our actions that are the real power of God’s kingdom.
I was thinking of those walking escalators in many airports. When you get on them and start walking you find that you are moving at exceptional speed. Even a gentle walk propels you forward at double the speed of those walking on the carpet next to you. It is the power of the escalator that propels you at this speed not the power of your walking. Even if you stood still, the escalator would still move you forward. Even if you resisted and turned backwards, the escalator would still be going forward.
The same is true with God’s kingdom. It is working and moving whether you are on it or not. It is working and moving whether you are walking against it or standing still. But when you align your life with it and walk with it, you find that things happen in remarkable ways.
In the parable of Mark 4, Jesus doesn’t talk about walking escalators. Though Jesus obviously could foresee the concept in the 21st century, the people in the first century would have stared at Him even more confused than many of them already were. Jesus instead talks about a man who plants seed. The man who plants seed does nothing to make it grow. He may encourage the growth by watering and fertilizing it but he in himself does not make the seed sprout into a plant. Even if he does nothing, the seed is capable of sprouting on its own. Indeed throughout the world, grass and plants are growing apart from any direct action of man. All that man can do is cooperate with the forces of nature that are already at hand.
I needed that reminder so much right now. As I look at the world around me, I am finding that I am becoming increasingly discouraged. The morals of our nation are deteriorating rapidly. Things unheard of fifty years ago on TV are now proudly displayed in primetime TV shows and movies all the time. Lyrics of many popular songs have turned into soft porn. I wonder what kind of world my boys will grow up in. The challenges they will face. I wonder how long our liberties in this nation will last. Big government scares me because mankind has shown that it does not handle unchecked authority well. Our founding fathers did all they could to limit government not increase it. As I consider all that is happening, I feel overwhelmed. My efforts seem like a drop in the bucket. I am not even sure where my efforts should concentrate.
But Mark 4 reminds me that it is not the kingdom of the US that I should be consumed with. Yes, I love my country and, as a citizen, I will stay informed, write my congressmen, vote faithfully, pray for our leaders, and do what I can to promote justice, mercy and truth in our culture. But ultimately I am to align myself with the kingdom of God. It is moving and working whether I am active or not. It is greater than me. It does not depend upon me…rather it invites me to participate in it. God will accomplish His work. God will reign. The kingdom will come upon this earth. I am privileged to be a part of that kingdom. How? By scattering the seed of the Word, of the good news of Jesus Christ, of the message of grace and reconciliation. By shining light to others in the way I speak, act, and relate.
This world is not out of control. It is in the hands of God. I do not have to measure up. Indeed I can’t. But in Christ I find grace and mercy. I am not called to condemn the world but to bless it (1 Peter 3:8-9). And I do not make the kingdom of God happen. I merely align with life with it and enjoy the ride.
June 30, 2009
Read and meditate on Mark 4:21-25 today…
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
I like this slower reading through Mark. I am sure I’ve read these verses before but never stopped to really think about them. Jesus teaches two main points in these verses.
1. Truth should not and cannot be hidden. Truth is like a light. And lights are meant to be seen. No one buys a flashlight, turns it on, and then shuts it away in a drawer. It’s not only a waste of batteries but just plain foolish. It goes against the very nature of light. In the same way, the refrigerator light only comes on when it is needed not when the refrigerator is closed…or at least I think it goes off. I guess no one really knows.
Jesus equates truth with light. Thus truth, by its very nature, is meant to be seen, to be shared, to dispel darkness. “Hidden truth” is an oxymoron. After all, if truth is that which is real, that which is actual, then, in the end, it cannot be hidden. It will come out. It will eventually be seen.
What does that mean for me today? It means I am to live an authentic life. If I claim Christ as my Savior, then I should exhibit that, not be ashamed of that. If I struggle with doubt at times, then I should be honest…to myself, to others. I don’t have to pretend to be that which I am not. I am free to live an authentic life, to be who I am, to be a disciple in process. By the same token, I am also to live a life of integrity. Wholeness. I cannot be one person in one context and try to be someone else in another. Who I am when I am in public should be who I am when I am in the privacy of my home with my family. Who I am with my family should be who I am when I am alone.
Of course, truth is much bigger than the context of my own life. To be truly authentic, my life must conform to the reality of God and His story. I cannot know who I truly am if I am not connected to the One who governs the universe, orchestrates the movement of history, and created and designed me for a specific purpose within that history. Otherwise, I live a lie, a fantasy. I live a life that seems good to me (and possibly to others) but has no connection to the overall reality of God’s story. And His story is the only one that is true, the only one that matters, the only one that will last.
2. You ultimately receive that which you give. This is a very practical concept that explains much of life. For instance, what you put into relationships ultimately determines what you get out of them. Are your relationships less than satisfying? Jesus would say, “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.” In other words, other people are probably not the problem. You are. Ooo, that hurts. It is much nicer to think that other people are always the problem.
Jesus says that there is a reciprocal, even multiplying nature to life. Exercise more and the physical fitness that results often multiplies into more exercise. Sit around and be lazy and the resulting sedentary life produces greater laziness. Make a habit of refreshing others and you find that life becomes more refreshing (Proverbs 11:25). Wallow in self-pity and the resulting misery will beget more misery. The funny thing is that we are always trying to fight this basic principle of life. We want to put in half-hearted effort and get full-scaled blessing in return.
This reciprocal principle also shows up in our relationship with God in a unique way.
With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks (Psalm 18:25-27).
James tells us basically the same thing. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy (James 1:13).
When we nitpick, criticize, hyper-evaluate, and play self-righteous, we are in essence asking God to measure the same back to us. What we dish out is often on the dish that God gives back to us.
In short, our actions and choices today have major repercussions tomorrow and beyond. Making a simple choice to show oneself friendly, to avoid that little sin, to encourage someone, to build a marriage, to give, to deepen one’s faith, to invest time in one’s kids, to seek reconciliation in a relationship, to pray…is an investment that will reap compounded returns.
Lord, deliver me from the weight of an inauthentic life. May I be honest with myself, with others, and with You. May I also show others grace today, refresh them, encourage them, pray for them…knowing that, in You, these investments will never fail.
June 29, 2009
Posted by Marian Fontanilla
I like that Jesus shares His wisdom in parables. I think it makes his lesson more concrete. I especially like that he explained the meaning of this parable as if this was the one that unlocked the meaning of all the others. He says,“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable? The sower sows the word.” In other words, Jesus asks to check the condition of our heart.
Our heart’s condition must be guarded and protected. It can be easily led astray. The condition of our heart can also change very quickly so it’s a good idea to check in frequently.
We need to understand what soil represents our heart so that we may readily understand Jesus’ other parables and teachings.
What type of soil does God’s Word (the seed) fall on when it comes to your own heart?
Soil sample #1:
* This is seed that falls “on the path.” The path is well-worn dirt and firmly-packed from high volumes of foot traffic, virtually impenetrable to scattered seed.
* The birds in the parable symbolize Satan. Because of the firmness of the soil, birds were able to snatch up the scattered seed before they could penetrate the hard ground.
* This soil represents a hard heart that doesn’t permit the Word of God to penetrate its surface. These individuals are in control of their own lives; they have all of the answers. They are unteachable, and the Word of God falls upon their deaf ears.
Soil sample #2:
* This is seed that falls “on rocky ground.”
* The sun in the parable symbolizes trouble or persecution.
* This soil represents a vulnerable heart. While these receive the Word with joy, it fails to run deep enough to affect their lives. These hearts are shallow in their comprehension of Christian things. They lack the intimacy that accompanies a personal walk with Christ—because they have no root—they are the first ones to fall away when times get tough.
Soil sample #3:
* This is seed that falls “among thorns.”
* The thorns in the parable represent worldly cares, wealthy pleasures, and desire for other things.
* This soil represents a distracted heart and divided. Distractions will choke the Word of God and render one fruitless.
Soil sample #4:
* This is seed that falls “on good soil.”
* This soil produces lasting fruit in varying measures.
* This soil represents a receptive heart. Only the receptive heart receives the Word rightly.
June 28, 2009
Posted by Hector Gonzalez
Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!” ”For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mar 3:31-35 NASB)
A few observations:
· Mark 3:21 gives us a hint as to why Jesus mother and his brothers may have come for Jesus. He couldn’t eat and they were accusing HIM of losing His senses. There is this thought that they may have wanted to take charge, not of the situation, but of Jesus. Not in a malicious way.
· If Jesus would have given heed to His mother’s request, this would have elevated her over Him. Luke writes how some were elevating His mother by saying to Jesus “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But Jesus had to correct that thinking by replying “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
· His mother and brothers were standing outside. Could they not have made an effort to go and speak directly to Jesus? It makes me wonder why they had to send word for Him. What kept them from making the attempt to approach or come nearer to Him, was it the crowd, was it shame, or was it pride.
· The last time Jesus made an observation of His surroundings (verse 5); He was grieved and angry at the hardness of heart at those who were in the Synagogue. In verses 34 & 35 He brings respect and value to those who are nearest to Him. Why, because they were doing the will of God (His Father, Our Father). What were they doing exactly? Sitting and listening, in contrast to those who stood outside.
It may sound like a broken record, but when I read how Jesus gave respect and value to those sitting around Him. I can’t help recalling those times when I was on the outside, not only as a non-believer, but also as a willful disobedient Christian. The latter experience is forever etched in my mind and I do regret them. But I praise God that when He showered me with His mercy and gift of repentance, He returned respect and value to my life.
Lord, thank you for giving respect and value to someone who didn’t deserve it ‘me’. Help me in my walk to do Your will, and help me to treat my brothers & sisters with the same respect and value too.
June 27, 2009
Posted by Greg McKinney
My NIV notes say this was probably Peter and Andrew’s house where Jesus and his newly selected disciples arrive. I picture a jammed house, loud, people shoulder to shoulder, jockeying for position, trying to get a glimpse, to hear any message, people trying to squeeze in doors, out on the porch, all on the lawn out into the street, sitting on cars, stopping traffic, horns blaring, camels braying, the disciples trying to keep or restore some semblance of order. There’s food being prepared, or ordered in… There are people getting healed which means there are sick folks there, some crippled, trying to get close enough to Jesus to get healed…. Jesus and the twelve are so occupied, they’re not even able to eat. (I thought this fact was an interesting inclusion, particularly now, in our hindsight, we know that Jesus could have literally fed everyone.)
Jesus’ family was also in the crowd somewhere, apparently worried that Jesus was not properly taking care of himself. Innocently, lovingly, like parents visiting a child on an extended stay from home, they show up on the very day he misses a meal. They said he was ‘out of his mind,’ not in a mean degrading way, but in the manner of ‘he needs to be taking better care of himself.’
Contrast that with the not so innocent or loving remark the Pharisees blurt out about Jesus. They shout out above the sound of the crowd that he is possessed by Beelzebub! The Prince of Demons. Lucifer. Satan. It wasn’t a ’slip of the tongue’. It wasn’t in the manner that we, today, toss around words to describe how hot it was yesterday, or the way might use ‘Devil’ to describe a mischievous eight year old nephew.
The Pharisees had yet to witness Jesus do anything evil. All of Jesus’ miracles were benevolent, he was healing people–he had embarrassed, even defied them for sure, on occasion, to point out their errors-but he had exhibited nothing evil. Yet the Pharisees were so prideful, so hardened, almost illogically, so hypocritically blind that they dared to label Jesus as Satanic.
Incredible? How could they possibly not understand what was right before them? My guess is they really didn’t want to understand. They did not want to open their tightly shut spiritual eyes. It would cost them a little too much. They were a little too proud. Surrender is not always freely offered.
My guess is that their blindness was not so incredible. Any one of our own biographies would include measures of such blindness… Even as Christians I’m not sure we totally comprehend all of what is Jesus is doing.
The crowds that gathered around Jesus were filled with the same diversity of personality as that of the congregations filling our churches to hear Him today. The same levels of understanding, curiosity, selfishness, brokenness, biases, sincerity, and hypocrisy fill our rows and pews… The Pharisees just happened to be at the top of the spectrum in terms of pride.
And blasphemy comes easy to the prideful. It’s in their words; it’s in their actions, their attitudes. Blasphemy denies Jesus as Lord.
Jesus counters their accusation with a parable. Jesus confronts their logic. If I were working for Beelzebub, why would I be casting ‘my own evilness’ out of people? Jesus states his ’salvation’ plan in verse 27. ‘I am here to ‘bind’ Beelzebub, and free all of you–his captives!
Right on the heels of the ‘Strongman’ parables Jesus offers warnings of blasphemy.
(This is especially where I need help)
I don’t hear the tone in verse 29 as a threat, I don’t hear Jesus saying ‘I won’t ever forgive that. I won’t, I can’t, I won’t…’ I want to believe that the very ones among the Pharisees who hurled the Beelzebub crack at Jesus would be saved if they were to humble themselves at the Lord’s feet and ask His forgiveness. I want believe that because He has forgiven me–I was in the Strongman’s House–No, I never called Jesus an agent of Satan, but I blasphemed against Him by the way I used to live. My life said He had no authority over me…
I hear Jesus, this ‘man of sorrows’ pointing out to the people He came to save, the eternal, grave consequence of rejecting the Holy Spirit. How can the man who rejects being saved, be saved?
It’s unpardonable.
“Lord, thank you for having ‘freed’ us from the Strongman. Thank you for your Word, in its completeness. Keep pride from us. (Forgive me if I have trampled-up this passage. May my brothers kindly correct any of my errors)
June 26, 2009
Read and meditate on Mark 3:13-19 today…
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
William Barclay’s thoughts on this passage were too good to try to rephrase. Here is what he said:
“It is significant that Christianity began with a group. The Christian faith is something which from the beginning had to be discovered and lived out in a fellowship. The whole essence of the way of the Pharisees was that it separated men from their fellows; the very name Pharisee means the separated one; the whole essence of Christianity was that it bound men to their fellows and presented them with the task of living with each other and for each other.
Further, Christianity began with a very mixed group. In it the two extremes met. Matthew was a tax collector and, therefore, an outcast; he was a traitor to his fellow countrymen. Then there was Simon the Zealot. …The Zealots were a band of fiery, violent nationalists who were pledged even to murder and assassination to clear their country of the foreign yoke. The man who was lost to patriotism and the fanatical patriot came together in that group. No doubt between them there were all kinds of backgrounds and opinions. Christianity began by insisting that the most diverse people should live together and by enabling them to do so, because they were all living with Jesus.
Judging them by worldly standards the men Jesus chose had no special qualifications at all. They were not wealthy; they had no special social position; they had no special education; they were not trained theologians; they were not high-ranking churchmen… They were twelve ordinary men. But they had two special qualifications. First, they had felt the magnetic attraction of Jesus. There was something about him that made them wish to take him as their Master. And second, they had the courage to show that there were on his side. Make no mistake, that did require courage. Here was Jesus calmly crashing through the rules and regulations; here was Jesus heading for an inevitable collision with the orthodox leaders; here was Jesus already branded a sinner and labeled as a heretic; and yet they had the courage to attach themselves to him. …These twelve had all kinds of faults, but whatever else could be said about them, they loved Jesus and they were not afraid to tell the world that they loved him–and that is being a Christian.
Jesus called them to him for two purposes. First, he called them to be with him. He called them to be his steady and consistent companions. Others might come and go; the crowd might be there one day and away the next; others might be fluctuating and spasmodic in their attachment to him, but these twelve were to identify their lives with his life and live with him all the time. Second, he called them to send them out. He wanted them to be his representatives. He wanted them to tell others about him. They themselves had been won in order to win others.
For their task Jesus equipped them with two things. First, he gave them a message. They were to be his heralds. …Men will always listen to the man with a message. Jesus gave these friends of his something to say. Second, he gave them a power. They were also to cast out demons. Because they companied with him something of his power was on their lives.
If we would learn what discipleship is we will do well to think again of these first disciples.”
A band of brothers, diverse in backgrounds and opinions, united in love for Jesus Christ, impacting the world with the message of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. Quite a picture of discipleship.
Lord, I fear I fluctuate too much in my devotion. Help me to fall in love with You again, to be united with others in fellowship, and to speak Your name freely to others.
June 25, 2009
Posted by Carlton Huff
7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
From a multitude of people seeking to be healed come a multitude of questions:
Why did the unclean spirits recognize Jesus as the Christ, but the multitudes did not? Of all those being healed, did they not care Who it was that healed them? Were they like the blind man who said “All I know is that I couldn’t see before, and now I can.”? How would we respond? Would we care? Would we recognize the divine power of Jesus for what it is? Or would we remain locked in our legalism and religiosity, like the Pharisees, disregarding His miracles and trying to find fault with Him? Would we join those trying to figure out a way to destroy Him?
It saddens me terribly to think, to know, that I could be capable of all these things. I was capable of doing them, and did them. All those small and not-so-small miracles that happened in my life chalked up to what? Luck? Fate? Who is Jesus? Who cares? I didn’t. Not until I was 39 and on the run did I care. And then only because of the love God showed to me through His children.
So, can I learn not to point fingers at those who don’t know Jesus, who don’t care, who hate Him? Because I want to. I want to grab them, shake some sense into them, tell them how wrong and misguided they are. I hope I can. I pray I can. I was there. That was me. Fortunately, no one did that to me. Let’s be gracious to those who don’t know Jesus like we do. Let’s allow God to love them through us.
Oh Lord, our gracious Heavenly Father, Who lovingly drew us to Your marvelous light and graciously saved our souls: help us to love those who don’t know You. Give us compassion for their souls and courage to share the good news of Jesus with them. Amen.