Sayre Woods Bible Church

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. (Mark 14:72)

There is so much to consider in Mark 14. Initially my eyes were drawn to the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet and the disdain expressed toward her by the disciples. “What a waste of money! We could have sold that perfume and given the money to the poor,” they said. Sounds noble, loving and just. But Jesus saw it differently. “This woman did a beautiful thing. It was an act of worship. If you want to help the poor, you will have plenty of opportunities but this was her opportunity to show devotion to Me.” It was a reminder of how critical we can become of others under the guise of good motives. Judas was so offended by Jesus’ rebuke (and the loss of money) that he decided to betray Jesus. The man with the “generous heart” for the poor went out and betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Things are not always as they appear. That’s why it is good to stay humble and avoid a critical spirit.

But the passage that caught my attention this morning was Peter’s denial of the Lord. I cannot escape the picture or the emotion of that scene. Peter, the strong one, the one who will never deny the Lord, the confident one, denies Him three times in quick succession. And as soon as the third denial leaves his lips, the rooster begins to crow. In an instant, Peter remembers Jesus’ words–”Before the rooster crows twice you will disown Me three times”–and crumbles to the ground. The words are graphic: “And he broke down and wept.” The strong one was broken. The confident one was reduced to tears.

There are times that our pride gets out of control. We don’t really see it but others usually do and God certainly does. We become obstinate, self-righteous, critical of others, confident in ourselves and in our strengths. Often such pride masks itself in spirituality. “I will never deny the Lord.” “I wouldn’t do that.” “My faith is strong.” But such pride is a cancer that eats away at our spirit and makes us cold toward God and toward others. God must break such pride, for our own sakes. The breaking is never pleasant and never easy. The disease is ugly and so the medicine must be strong. God brings us to the point where we see our sin, see our weakness, see our utter bankruptcy before Him. It is only here that God can begin to build us into the image of His Son. The decrepit building of pride must be demolished, the rubble removed, and the foundation cleared so that a new building, a new person, can arise in its place.

Peter broke down and wept. Every conception he had of himself as a self-made man, a tough fisherman, and a committed disciple was removed. Now God could make him into the man he needed to be. A weak man infused with the power of Christ.

As Paul, another broken man, discovered, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).

When you really read and consider Paul’s words, you almost want to check his temperature. Boast in my weaknesses? Delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties? Sounds crazy. And it really is. But Paul knew that his pride was so strong, so rooted in his heart, that unless the medicine was strong, the pride would never die. Though the medicine was bitter, Paul saw the results as sweet. “When I am weak, then I am strong”…because then, and only then, I am resting fully on the power of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I am not there yet. Such brokenness is frightening. But teach me to trust You when the times of breaking come. And let me experience Your presence, power, and grace so that I do not lose hope.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.” (Mark 13:32-34)

Finding balance when it comes to biblical prophecy can often be tough. Some Christians downplay it and ignore it; some Christians make it their sole focus. These three verses in Mark 13 give me a good perspective on the matter of biblical prophecy.

1. No one knows the day or hour. There are signs to look for but no definite date. Why? Because based on Romans 11:25 I believe Christ’s coming is contingent on when “the full number of Gentiles has come in.” In other words, God is patient and is waiting for men and women to come to faith in Jesus Christ. When the “fullness” has come in (a certain number of people?) then God will start the clock for Christ’s second coming. BTW…I believe Mark 13 is describing the tribulation period when God is primarily working through the nation of Israel again after the church has been raptured and taken away (1 Thess 4: 13-18). There are obviously different opinions on this but that is my best understanding. Whatever the case, Jesus’ words in these verses make it real clear that anyone who claims to know the day of Christ’s return is assuming a knowledge that only God has.

2. We are called to work and to watch. To be honest, sometimes too much focus on biblical prophecy makes people weird. They formulate conspiracy theories, see signs in practical everything in the news, and start advocating radical actions in light of Christ’s eminent return. In this passage, Jesus tells a parable to teach us how to respond to biblical prophecy. We are servants in God’s house. He has left us in charge but at some point in the future He is coming back. In the meantime, we have each been given an “assigned task” and we are to “keep watch.” In other words, we are to live in hope and expectation of His return while doing the specific task that God has gifted and equipped us to do. It’s an awesome thought that God has given each of us an “assigned task.” It parallels Ephesians 2:10 which says that we are God’s workmanship “created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God has created each of us for a specific reason to impact specific people in a specific way for His glory. This is what He calls us to do in light of His return.

I am reminded of 1 Peter 4:7-10. Peter starts off in verse 7 and says, “The end of all things is near.” After that we may be expecting something radical like “go sell all you have, join a commune, wear a sign that says the end is near, and get ready to fly.” Instead Peter goes on to say: “Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” What is end-time living? It is thinking clearly, praying, loving others deeply, offering hospitality, and using your gifts to serve others. It is taking advantage of every moment to build relationships, to grow in your faith, and to love and serve others because we know that time is short. It is watching and working. Hoping and helping. Looking up and looking out for one another.

Lord, you have given me an assigned task in Your household. Help me to know Your will and to accomplish it for Your glory. Teach me to take advantage of every moment to grow in my relationship to You and in my relationship to others as I eagerly anticipate Your return to set this world straight.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Mark 12 is a chapter where the religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus. First the Pharisees team up with the Herodians (an odd couple since the Pharisees hated Roman rule and the Herodians accepted it) and ask Jesus about taxes. A hot topic between them I’m sure. The goal was to get Jesus to make some controversial statement that would drive people away from Him. It’s the same tactic used today with politicians. Get them to say something that will drive constituents away or make the person appear “radical.” Jesus however answers wisely.

The next group, the Sadducees, come and ask a convoluted question about a woman married to seven brothers consecutively. Instead of 7 brides for 7 brothers, it was 7 brothers for 1 bride ;>). Their question was whose wife would she be in the resurrection (my question would be, “what in the world is she doing to those brothers?!”). It is an interesting question since the Sadducees didn’t even believe in a resurrection. This was obviously one of their favorite philosophical questions to trip up people who believed in a resurrection. Again Jesus answers wisely and corrects the misunderstanding of the Sadducees in the process.

Then a teacher of the law stands up and asks, “What is the greatest commandment?” This is a different type of question because Mark indicates that this man has a different heart attitude. This man is actually looking for an answer. The other groups were simply looking for a way to trap Jesus. (It is a good reminder that many times people ask questions about Christianity not because they want an answer but because they want to trip up the person who is answering.)

Jesus answers the question by stating that the greatest commandment of all is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. That is the foundation of all other commands. That is the foundation of life itself. Everything is measured by this. Paul draws on this command when he writes 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. Without love, everything a person says and does (no matter how religous) is worthless.

I have referenced these verses many times before. They are good reminders to me that in the midst of all of my activity I cannot forget that my primary motivation must be love of God and love of others. Without that motivation then everything I do (no matter how good it looks to others) is meaningless in God’s eyes.

But what hit me today was the context of these verses. They come in the midst of a bunch of religious leaders asking philosophical and political questions. These leaders had gotten so caught up in proving their point or winning arguments or being on the right side of the political fence that they missed the whole point of the law, the whole point of life. To be sure, there are laws that are important and there are issues to be addressed but if our motivation is off-base then our answers, no matter how much they align with the letter of God’s law, miss the spirit of God’s law. In focusing on winning the argument, we lose sight of God.

Lord, thank You for Your Word. May my motivation today in what I say and what I do be love of others and love of You.

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” ”Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:20-25)

There are some passages of Scripture which are hard to understand. This is one of them. The first difficulty is trying to understand why Jesus cursed the fig tree. The second is trying to reconcile Jesus’ promise that whatever you ask in faithful prayer will be answered with the reality that some of our prayers, seemingly offered in faith, go answered. I can’t say that I fully understand either difficulty but as I reflected on this passage this morning, here are the two thoughts that came to me.

1. The fruitless fig tree represents the fruitless nation of Israel during Jesus’ day. The context of the cursing of the fig tree makes this clear. One day Jesus approaches a fig tree that is full of leaves but has no fruit. He curses it and it withers. Sandwiched in between this event is the story of Jesus cleansing the temple area and shouting, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations and you have make it a den of robbers!” Mark ties the two events together for a reason. Israel is the fig tree. They have lots of leaves but no fruit. They look good but are far from God. The Jewish temple was the center of activity but none of the activity was truly centered on God. It had become an empty routine for the people and a source of pride and money for the religious leaders. Because of their fruitlessness, God’s judgment would fall on them and they would wither. This happened in AD 70 when the temple and the religious system was completely destroyed by the Romans.

It is a good reminder to us that in the midst of all our good activities it is possible to totally lose sight of God. We become so engrossed in the routine that we forget the Savior. How do we know we’ve lost sight of God? Jesus gives us a clue when He says that His house is to be “a house of prayer for all nations.” When our prayer life is non-existent or self-centered it is an indication that our lives are all leaves with no fruit. Prayer demonstrates our dependence on God. And prayer “for all nations” indicates that our heart is in tune with the heart of God who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2. True God-centered prayer will be answered. Jesus begins His instruction on prayer with four words: Have faith in God. Put your trust in Him. Have your focus on Him. Believe on Him. When our faith is directed toward God, then nothing can stand in our way. In the Jewish culture, moving mountains was a symbolic way of saying removing difficulties and obstacles. However, I do not believe Jesus is speaking primarily of our personal problems and difficulties. In light of the context of Mark 11:12-19, I think Jesus is emphasizing the fact that “the prayer for all nations” will be answered. Christ will build His church and the gates of Hell will not stand against it. In other words, I do not think Christ is saying that whatever problem you have in your personal life will be removed when you pray. Certainly God promises strength and peace in the midst of trials but He never promises a problem-free life. In fact, Jesus promised the opposite: “In this world you will have tribulation…but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The prayer life entirely focused on self indicates a life that is all leaves and no fruit. True prayer must move beyond our personal comfort and desires and connect with God’s purpose for the nations. This kind of prayer will not be hindered.

I needed this reminder on prayer today. With the anniversary of 9/11 it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the events that are happening in our world. Things seem out of control and a nagging sense of insecurity still hangs in the air. In the midst of all this, my tendency is to focus on my own comfort, security, and wants. But God wants me to move beyond that and to see this time as an opportunity for His gospel to go forth. In a world of uncertainty, people need to understand that there is only one Rock, only one Refuge, only one Redeemer. And I must faithfully pray to the God of all nations and ask Him to work in powerful ways around the world, through my brothers and sisters in Christ, and through me right here in the U.S.

Lord, give me a heart for the nations. May my prayers fall in line with Your desire for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:38-41)

This passage was a great reminder to me today. I think it reveals one presupposition that Christians often have and two truths that we should learn.

First the presupposition…we as believers have a tendency to think that God is only working through us and our methods. The disciples were the “in” crowd of Jesus’ day. After all, they were His disciples. Without even realizing it, pride began to seep into their hearts. Here are a bunch of common men–mostly fisherman–who are suddenly thrust into the spotlight of Jesus’ ministry. They are with Jesus 24/7 as crowds of people flock after Him. Better than being famous sometimes is knowing the famous and being with them. And the disciples have that privilege.

Then they are sent out by Jesus to cast out demons and heal the sick and they have great success (6:7-13). So much success that now the big topic of conversation among them is “who is the greatest?” (9:33-34). Imagine the conversation…”I cast out five demons and healed a man with leprosy.” “Well, I cast out six and healed two men with leprosy.” “Yea, but I found the fish and bread that Jesus multiplied…” etc. Okay, the conversation probably did not go quite like that but it was enough along that lines that Jesus says that the disciples “disputed among themselves.” Is it possible that most of our disputes with other believers are really just arguments over who is the greatest? Who has the greatest knowledge? Who has the greatest love? Who has the greatest evangelistic fervor? Who has the greatest relationship with God? We are sad creatures sometimes.

Jesus tries to correct this attitude by bringing a child into their midst and saying, “This is true greatness…being gentle enough and humble enough to care for and love children (i.e., work in the nursery or children’s church).”

John curiously responds, “Jesus, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us.” How John went from receiving children in Jesus’ name to telling someone to stop casting out demons is beyond me. Either John wasn’t listening or he simply missed Jesus’ point. But again the disciples’ pride emerges. “We’re the only ones whom You gave the authority to cast out demons, right, Jesus? How dare someone try to minister outside our control and oversight. We told him to stop. Pretty good, huh, Jesus.”

In response to John’s statement, Jesus teaches two incredible truths:

1. He who is not against us is on our side (9:40). Whoa. We usually reverse that and say, “He who is not on our side is against us.” Jesus’ words remind us that God is working in ways that are far outside our box and if someone is not opposing us then we should try as much as possible to work with them. We are better off taking advantage of our alliances than isolating ourselves and working only with people who are exactly like us. Who knows how much more the church of Jesus Christ could do in America if we learned to keep the main thing the main thing, swallowed our pride and began working with those who methods or affiliations are different than our own.

2. He who gives even a cup of water to you in My name will be rewarded (9:41). Whoa again. Any act of support and kindness extended to Christ’s followers will be rewarded. That is awesome to me. We tend to look at the big things in ministry as the things that are really important…however God tends to see the little things, the things that often go unnoticed but flow from a humble, caring heart. I am fully convinced that when I reach heaven, God will reward me for things that I don’t even remember and the things I thought were a “big deal” will go totally unnoticed. It’s the kind word given to a hurting individual, the arm around the shoulder, the card sent in the mail, the gift of appreciation, the simple act of service that God sees and rewards.

What Jesus is basically saying is this: ”Don’t sit on your high horse and think God is only working through you or that your spirituality is somehow greater than someone else’s because of some special thing you have done or can do. Instead start focusing on refreshing others in Christ’s name because that’s what God cares about. Start ministering to children. Start giving out cups of cold water. Start working with others who are ‘not against you.’ And then you’ll know the humility that God rewards.”

God, forgive me for my pride. Help me be a cup of water to someone this week.

In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ”First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” ”Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” (Mark 7:25-29)

This story always raises a few eyebrows. Basically the story goes as follows…

Jesus leaves the area of Galilee and travels into Gentile territory near Tyre (modern Lebanon…in fact it is a beach resort today) in order to withdraw for a time from the growing crowds and the growing opposition in Israel.

A Gentile woman hears that Jesus is in Tyre and immediately finds him. Matthew’s gospel notes that this woman (Matt. 15:21-28) repeatedly cried out for Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus however remained silent. But the woman was so persistent that the disciples began urging Jesus to send her away, presumably implying, “Go ahead and heal her daughter so she’ll leave us alone.”

Jesus instead replies that He is sent to the lost sheep of Israel (Matt 15:24) and that the food meant for children should not be given to the pet dogs in the house.

To this the woman replies, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs in the house get the crumbs from the children’s food.” When Jesus hears this, he is amazed at her faith (”You have great faith!” Matt 15:28) and heals her daughter.

What in the world is going on in this story? I can’t say that I understand it fully but at least two thoughts are evident.

1. The woman’s persistence revealed her passion and her faith. This woman was passionate about her daughter and she had faith that Jesus alone could heal her. In Matthew’s gospel, the woman addresses Jesus as “Lord, Son of David” and in Mark’s gospel she addresses Him as “Lord.” It is interesting that in Mark’s gospel this is the only time Jesus is referred to as Lord. Whoa. This woman is the only one in Mark’s gospel to really see who Jesus was. She knew that He was Lord–Lord over nature, Lord over disease, Lord over demons. Because of her faith and her love for her daughter, she would not give up. Persistence is always a measure of our true passion and faith. When we give up too easily, it is evidence that we either don’t really have a passion for it or don’t really have the faith that God can answer. I believe Jesus allowed this woman to persist to teach His disciples what true faith looks like.

2. When the children don’t eat all their food or don’t want their food, the dogs in the house get the benefit of eating it. Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. He came primarily to lead the Jewish nation to repentance and to be their King. But though many of the Jewish people wanted Jesus to rid them of Roman rule, they did not want Him to rid them of their own sin. They are like many of us–we want Jesus to solve our problems not change us in the process. Since many of the “children” (Israel) did not want Jesus, the benefits would go to the “dogs” in the house (Gentiles). Thus this story becomes the foreshadowing of Jesus’ rejection by Israel and the Gospel going to the rest of the world. It is a reminder to me that God’s blessings and benefits do not go to the people who are the most privileged but to the ones who are the most hungry for it. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

Lord, stir up a hunger in my heart for more of You!

BTW…if you want to read a fuller commentary on this passage in Mark 7, you can visit the following link at www.bible.org. http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=3919

The Tuesday morning Ladies Bible Study group will begin meeting on January 22 from 9:30-11:30am.

And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:49-52)

There is a lot going on in Mark 6 and the disciples are a part of it all. They are with Jesus in Nazareth when He is spurned and rejected. They are sent out to the villages to preach and heal the sick. They hear about John the Baptist’s execution. They are with Jesus when He feeds the 5000+ people with five loaves of bread and two small fish. But somehow in the midst of all this activity, they missed something.

When Jesus comes walking to them on the water, they are terrified. I can understand that! But after Jesus gets into the boat, Mark says “They were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure and marveled.” It’s like Mark cannot think of enough adjectives to describe their amazement. They can’t believe their eyes. They are utterly amazed, surprised, stupefied. Then Mark tells the reason for their excessive amazement, “For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”

What were they supposed to learn from the loaves? At first glance the two stories don’t necessarily go together. Jesus feeds 5000+ with little food then He walks on the water and calms the storm. What were the disciples supposed to learn from the loaves that applied to the storm? What did they miss? Quite simply, they missed Jesus. They still were not fully aware of who He was or, if they did know who He was intellectually, they still missed it in their hearts.

Jesus’ identity is at the forefront in Mark 6. People in Jesus’ hometown can’t believe in Him because they see Him as the local carpenter, Mary’s son and a part of her family. King Herod and the rest of the people don’t know if Jesus is John the Baptist resurrected or Elijah or some other prophet. “Who is this man who teaches with authority and has power over disease?”

Of all people, the disciples should know. They should know by now that Jesus is the Son of God with power over nature, power over demons, power over sin. But they keep missing it. Every time Jesus performs a miracle they are “greatly amazed.” They can’t believe it. “Wow! Look, guys, Jesus can do that too!” I am sympathetic to the disciples. I would be greatly amazed too. But Mark indicates that their amazement was not a good thing rather it showed the hardness of their hearts.

You see, a hardened heart struggles to believe. A hardened heart doesn’t expect Jesus to provide miraculously, to calm storms, to heal broken bodies and spirits. A hardened heart doesn’t really expect anything beyond the normal. And thus it is utterly amazed when Jesus does answer. A hardened heart simply forgets who Jesus is.

I forget who Jesus is. Intellectually I know Him but so often my heart is hardened. It struggles to believe. I think of my favorite character in the gospels who cries out to Jesus, “Lord, I believe! Help thou my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) I am so engulfed in this natural world that I can’t see the supernatural. I am too skeptical, too cynical, too rational…nothing wrong with a rational mind unless it is connected to a hardened heart.

“Lord, I believe! Help thou my unbelief!” Help me not to miss Your hand today. Help me to expect great things from You rather than be surprised if anything beyond the ordinary happens.