They came from Jerusalem in their flowing white garments, expecting and excepting the honor and reverence they received as they took the chief seats in the synagogue. They came because they had heard about the demons who had proclaimed that Jesus was, “the Holy One of God” in the synagogue in Capernaum. Rumor had it that Jesus spoke with power and authority that the scribes did not possess and they were offended. They had heard how all who were sick and demon possessed had flocked to Him. In fact, they had heard that the whole town had assembled at His door and that Jesus had healed many and had driven out demons. They had viewed all this with the unblinking eye of a serpent and had come to pass judgment.
With malicious jealousy they proclaimed that Jesus could drive out demons because He Himself was possessed by the chief of demons. Note that there was no question about the existence of demons. In the book of Mark we are given a glimpse into the spiritual world where demons are fully acknowledged. The question wasn’t whether demons existed or not the question was by whose authority was Jesus casting them out.
Jesus’ first words in Mark are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.”(Mark 1:15) When Satan entered the garden in the form of a snake and tempeted man to sin he was able to steal dominion and set up his kingdom. But even as the curse was spoken God also gave a promise that one day the head of the serpent would be crushed. Jesus response to the scribes was a parable about kingdoms in conflict. “If a kingdom is divided against itself it will not stand.” (Mark 3:24)
In connection with driving out demons Jesus also said that, “no one can enter a strong man’s house and rob his possessions unless he first binds the strong man.” (Mark 3:27) I can’t but wonder if the scribes who had from Jerusalem were among those who stood at the foot of the cross as Jesus took His place between two thieves. On the cross the word of God was fulfilled. Satan bruised the heal of Jesus but Jesus crushed Satan’s head and in doing so He bound the strong man and robbed him of his possessions.
In was also in response to the accusation that He, Jesus, had Beelzebul in Him that there was a reference to the unpardonable sin. “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal sin”(Mark 3:29). Blasphemy is when you refuse to acknowledge what is good and worthy of respect and instead speak evil about what is good and in doing so you reverse moral values. Come with me to the cross and I will show you an example. Jesus hung between two thieves at first they both hurled insults at Him. Did they both commit the unpardonable sin? No. One of the thieves impaled on the cross repented and that day entered the kingdom of God. The other turned his face away. All this was seen by the unblinking eyes of the scribes.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Those Jesus Summoned (Mark 3:13-19)
I’m so glad when Jesus summoned those He wanted to be with Him that it wasn’t a list of perfect people. He called 12 to walk alongside Him during His earthly ministry. They each were fully seen and fully known by Him, but not one of them fully saw nor fully understood Jesus.
In every list given of the 12 apostles Peter is always first. In the Gospel of Mark we hear Peter’s voice telling the story. Jesus understood and loved His friend Peter. Peter obviously loved Jesus enough to walk away from the life he knew to follow Jesus. But Peter had a hard time understanding his friend. Peter wanted to protect Jesus. Once that even took the form of his pulling Jesus aside to rebuke Him when Jesus spoke about crucifixion. Again Peter tried to protect Jesus when the mob came to get Jesus in Gethsemane by pulling his sword and slicing at the High Priest’s servant. I have no doubt that Peter’s intention wasn’t to lop of his ear but his head. However, in both instances what comes into focus was Peter’s inability to truly see and understand just who Jesus was.
James and John were brothers. They weren’t the only pair of brothers that Jesus chose. In fact, I think calling the apostles a band of brothers would be a good description. James and John, however, were part of the inner circle that Jesus chose. He gave them the nickname “Sons of thunder.” Maybe that was because they asked Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire from heaven to burn and consume the people in the village that didn’t welcome Jesus. Again they had a passion for Jesus and were willing to kill for Him, but they didn’t understand that He had come to die for them; and not only for them, but also for those that they were willing to burn for His sake.
When the apostles found themselves in a storm on the Sea of Galilee they woke Jesus. He rebuked the wind and the waves, and they looked at each other in terror and said, “Who is this!” Later, when Jesus again sent them out on their own in the night to cross the Sea of Galilee, they were fighting against the wind. Jesus came to them walking on the water. Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then He rebuked them for their lack of faith. They couldn’t really see or understand who He really was.
All through the Gospel we see Jesus opening the eyes of the blind, giving the deaf the ability to hear, unbinding the tongue of the mute. For those He summoned to come to Him, He gave spiritual sight, He took away their spiritual deafness. He gave them a voice to proclaim the good news. This was His gift to all who would repent and believe in the gospel. But at the end of every list we find the name of one who would not repent or believe. There we find the name of Judas.
In every list given of the 12 apostles Peter is always first. In the Gospel of Mark we hear Peter’s voice telling the story. Jesus understood and loved His friend Peter. Peter obviously loved Jesus enough to walk away from the life he knew to follow Jesus. But Peter had a hard time understanding his friend. Peter wanted to protect Jesus. Once that even took the form of his pulling Jesus aside to rebuke Him when Jesus spoke about crucifixion. Again Peter tried to protect Jesus when the mob came to get Jesus in Gethsemane by pulling his sword and slicing at the High Priest’s servant. I have no doubt that Peter’s intention wasn’t to lop of his ear but his head. However, in both instances what comes into focus was Peter’s inability to truly see and understand just who Jesus was.
James and John were brothers. They weren’t the only pair of brothers that Jesus chose. In fact, I think calling the apostles a band of brothers would be a good description. James and John, however, were part of the inner circle that Jesus chose. He gave them the nickname “Sons of thunder.” Maybe that was because they asked Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire from heaven to burn and consume the people in the village that didn’t welcome Jesus. Again they had a passion for Jesus and were willing to kill for Him, but they didn’t understand that He had come to die for them; and not only for them, but also for those that they were willing to burn for His sake.
When the apostles found themselves in a storm on the Sea of Galilee they woke Jesus. He rebuked the wind and the waves, and they looked at each other in terror and said, “Who is this!” Later, when Jesus again sent them out on their own in the night to cross the Sea of Galilee, they were fighting against the wind. Jesus came to them walking on the water. Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then He rebuked them for their lack of faith. They couldn’t really see or understand who He really was.
All through the Gospel we see Jesus opening the eyes of the blind, giving the deaf the ability to hear, unbinding the tongue of the mute. For those He summoned to come to Him, He gave spiritual sight, He took away their spiritual deafness. He gave them a voice to proclaim the good news. This was His gift to all who would repent and believe in the gospel. But at the end of every list we find the name of one who would not repent or believe. There we find the name of Judas.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
What Did They See ( Mark 3:7-12)
The Pharisees were holding council with the Herodians looking for a way to destroy Jesus. However, not everyone felt about Him the way they did. Word had spread about His power over demons and His ability to heal the sick. And so they came from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from Tyre and Sidon. Who were they? A mob, a horde, a mass of broken humanity. A light had shown in the darkness a glimmer of hope in the midst of their despair and so they came bringing with them their brokenness and pain.
Jesus’ early Galilean ministry began after John the Baptist was arrested by Herod Antipas. Jesus began His ministry with two declarations and two commands. “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near; repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14) He didn’t choose His disciples from the Pharisees or the scribes, but instead He chose fishermen and a tax collector. He astonished those who were attending the Capernaum synagogue because He spoke with authority that the scribes didn’t possess. “He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:33). He had the power to cleanse the leper and even showed that He had the power to cleanse a man from his sins when He healed the paralytic.
How did Jesus’ early Galilean ministry end? It ended with the Pharisees, those who considered themselves to be holy, wanting to destroy Jesus. Why? They were consumed with their outward appearance of being separate from everyone else. They gained their status not by keeping the law that God had given Moses but by making an elaborate maze of rules and regulations that were impossible to keep. Jesus didn’t acknowledge their man-made righteousness. He showed instead that at the heart of the problem was a matter of the heart. With their man-made laws they condemned Jesus and sought to destroy Him. The time had come, and not only the kingdom but the king Himself was in their midst, but they refused to repent and believe the good news. Instead they joined forces with the Herodians and tried to figure out how they could destroy Him. With their rejection, Jesus’ later Galilean ministry had begun.
Jesus withdrew from those who were seeking His destruction with His disciples, but many people from Galilee followed Him. They came from every region that had belonged to Israel during the time of the judges. Word had spread about all that He had done and so they came. Even the descendants of those who had resettled in distant regions after the Babylonian exile sought out this man. Jesus told His disciples to have a boat ready because of the crowd so that they wouldn’t crush Him. He had healed many and those who had come with diseased bodies were pressing around Him to touch Him.
Did this mass of broken humanity see who it was that they were longing to touch? In their frenzy for healing were they able to hear that the time had come and that the kingdom of God had come near? The Pharisees saw a threat. The wounded saw a healer. But did anyone recognize Jesus as the Son of God? Yes! The demons did. Human flesh could not conceal His deity. Why did He order them not to make Him known? I believe that one of the greatest miracles of Jesus was to give spiritual sight. This spiritual vision was NOT to come from receiving recognition of unclean spirits.
Jesus’ early Galilean ministry began after John the Baptist was arrested by Herod Antipas. Jesus began His ministry with two declarations and two commands. “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near; repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14) He didn’t choose His disciples from the Pharisees or the scribes, but instead He chose fishermen and a tax collector. He astonished those who were attending the Capernaum synagogue because He spoke with authority that the scribes didn’t possess. “He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:33). He had the power to cleanse the leper and even showed that He had the power to cleanse a man from his sins when He healed the paralytic.
How did Jesus’ early Galilean ministry end? It ended with the Pharisees, those who considered themselves to be holy, wanting to destroy Jesus. Why? They were consumed with their outward appearance of being separate from everyone else. They gained their status not by keeping the law that God had given Moses but by making an elaborate maze of rules and regulations that were impossible to keep. Jesus didn’t acknowledge their man-made righteousness. He showed instead that at the heart of the problem was a matter of the heart. With their man-made laws they condemned Jesus and sought to destroy Him. The time had come, and not only the kingdom but the king Himself was in their midst, but they refused to repent and believe the good news. Instead they joined forces with the Herodians and tried to figure out how they could destroy Him. With their rejection, Jesus’ later Galilean ministry had begun.
Jesus withdrew from those who were seeking His destruction with His disciples, but many people from Galilee followed Him. They came from every region that had belonged to Israel during the time of the judges. Word had spread about all that He had done and so they came. Even the descendants of those who had resettled in distant regions after the Babylonian exile sought out this man. Jesus told His disciples to have a boat ready because of the crowd so that they wouldn’t crush Him. He had healed many and those who had come with diseased bodies were pressing around Him to touch Him.
Did this mass of broken humanity see who it was that they were longing to touch? In their frenzy for healing were they able to hear that the time had come and that the kingdom of God had come near? The Pharisees saw a threat. The wounded saw a healer. But did anyone recognize Jesus as the Son of God? Yes! The demons did. Human flesh could not conceal His deity. Why did He order them not to make Him known? I believe that one of the greatest miracles of Jesus was to give spiritual sight. This spiritual vision was NOT to come from receiving recognition of unclean spirits.
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