Tag: Mark 9

Sin is Serious, Flee Temptation (Mark 9:42-50 Devotion)

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“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched– 44 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched– 46 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ 47 “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire– 48 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ 49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 “Salt [is] good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

– Mark 9:42-50 (NKJV)

I was just a little boy when I found dirty magazines an older male relative of mine thought he had hidden. He thought no one else would ever know of his secret sin. Yet, when I discovered his magazines, my little impressionable eyes came across images that I never should have seen.

I am sad because my relative didn’t flee like he was supposed to. He treasured these materials and when I found them as a child, I was exposed to his sin. I witnessed the genuine sorrow cross his brow when he learned that I had destroyed his dirty magazines. Sin had so calloused his heart that he wasn’t sorry that I had seen them, he was sorry that his “treasure” had been lost.

One of the conclusions we can draw from this passage is that sin is serious. It has a way of effecting those around us. If we really want to honor Jesus we will treat sin as serious and flee when temptation comes. Sometimes to fight something serious like cancer a doctor will cut off part of your body to make sure the cancer doesn’t spread. It takes drastic measures to fight against something as horrible as cancer. Our fight against sin in our lives should be no less drastic. The analogy that Jesus uses here is to cut off body parts for the sake of preserving the whole. We should flee sin in our lives not only for our own sakes, but for the sake of those around us.

Rather than taking little ones for granted, we should honor the Lord by living the truest and best example we can before them, that includes going to war with sin in our lives. When it comes to things like social media and entertainment apps I have the strictest restrictions in my family set on my phone (and I don’t have the password). I don’t particularly struggle with sin in that area, but I want to live above reproach. As a parent I don’t want to institute parameters that I myself am not willing to submit to.

Keeping the context of this passage in mind from yesterday, I think it’s important that we especially be on the guard for jealousy, divisiveness, hatred, and lack of humility in our lives. This flows from a long rebuke to John to be careful who he condemns. Jesus ends the passage and thus I think brackets this whole conversation with the charge to live at peace with one another. Certainly that calls for real and biblical discernment, but it also calls for humility and the willingness to fight sin in your own life.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for all that you have entrusted to us. Let us live lives that bring glory and honor to you. Thank you for the privilege of making an impact in the lives of other people. Please give us grace and humility to serve others well. Give us grace to flee from temptation, take sin seriously and fight it with the shed blood of Jesus. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Praise God When Others Do Well! (Mark 9:38-41 Devotion)

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Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 “For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

– Mark 9:38-41 (NKJV)

I served on staff with a pastor who got upset when another church baptized folks. He got angry when he heard that they were doing well. It puzzled me because they had the same background and theology that we had. However, in his mind we were in a competition. He saw it as our church vs theirs. So sadly, every time they did well, he felt bad. And he often looked for ways to talk bad about other churches even in their success.

John had a little bit of this spirit in him. He didn’t want someone else going around in Jesus’ name doing things that the disciples were supposed to do! In his eyes they didn’t have the authority that he had or the connection to Jesus… and in a sense he was right, but he was also wrong.

Jesus said that in this instance whoever was doing these things was on his side. They were on the same team. Casting out demons is a pretty big deal. Proclaiming the name of Jesus, which is ultimately what was happening, was a pretty big deal.

So when it came to drawing up sides, Jesus reminds John and the other disciples, that these other folks were on their side. Their actions proved it. You can’t cast demons out of people in Jesus’ name and then speak ill of him. It’s time the disciples learned to work with others who God was already working through.

John didn’t realize it at this moment, but the gospel vision that Jesus had called him to was bigger than just the twelve, or even the two hundred that followed him, or the over 5000 men in the countryside. The vision was to take the gospel message to the entire world and that would take everyone pulling in the same direction.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Give us humility and discernment to partner with others to take your gospel to our communities and beyond. Help us know truth from error. Give us grace to not let pride of place come between us and others, but let our hope be surely and firmly set on you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Servant Leadership (Mark 9:33-37 Devotion)

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Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who [would be the] greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

– Mark 9:33-37 (NKJV)

I took a group of students on a leadership retreat. In an effort to get as much as we could out of the entire retreat I gave the students leadership assignments on the way up and back from the retreat. One of the assignments was where to stop for lunch. Those making the decision thought this would be great, they would pick their favorite place to eat and no one could do anything about it. So they picked Chick-fil-a… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Then they picked Zaxby’s… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Then they picked Churches Chicken… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Finally frustrated they asked why their picks wouldn’t work. I shared that we had a leader among us who was allergic to chicken and the places they had chosen to eat only served chicken… He wouldn’t have a lunch! They all learned a basic rule of leadership that day, you seldom get what you want when you are making the best decision for “everyone” in the group.

Some of the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest. That kind of talk didn’t sit well with Jesus and he reminded them that to be first is to be last and to be a leader you really have to be a servant. Serving means we humble ourselves to take care of the needs around us. Often there isn’t anyone more needy and dependent on others than a small child. So Jesus takes a child and puts him in the middle and reminds the disciples that to take care of one of these is as big of a deal as serving the master himself. Doing so, Jesus valued children and encouraged his disciples to be servants.

Serving others with gladness is what we are called to do. The amazing thing is that there is so much joy to be found in serving others, especially those who need the help. The disciples were slow to pick up on the lessons that Jesus offered sometimes, but they would come to value and know the power of being faithful to serve the Lord in small things and as they did, they would be trusted with bigger responsibilities. What about you? Who are you serving in the name of the Lord today?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your grace to serve others in the name of Jesus. Use us in ways small and big. Let us be faithful in the smallest tasks and among the most needy. Let your grace be given and shine through us in incredible ways. Let us enjoy the grace of how you have called and allow others to serve us. Thank you for the humility to both serve and be served. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

But They Did Not Understand This Saying (Mark 9:30-32 Devotion)

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Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know [it]. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

– Mark 9:30-32 (NKJV)

My grandfather asked me one day if I found any “air heads” down by the river. I thought it was strange that my grandpa knew about this wonderful sour candy and thought for sure I had misheard him but I wouldn’t dare ask him to repeat himself because he could get quite angry and so I just said, “no.” I was shocked when I showed him an “arrow head” that I had just found and he got mad at me anyway. Apparently that’s what he was saying all along.

Unlike my grandfather, I think Jesus was clear here when he was speaking with the disciples. I don’t think they had a problem understanding exactly what he was saying. I’m not even too sure that they were afraid of how Jesus would react. They seem to have no problem getting Pete to speak up and ask a question when they have one.

I do imagine the disciples were afraid about what Jesus was saying might mean. He said he would be killed, and that sounds pretty scary. They may have been afraid to dig in on this topic because it was a sad one. Jesus was a little more intentional about being secretive with his works now. I’m sure the air was filled with a little uncertainty on the disciples part.

Never-the-less, Jesus was preparing them for what would happen. They weren’t asking the right questions, but it didn’t stop him from sharing what would happen. They will be taken off guard, but when they regain their senses they will know that he had been preparing them all along. Like a good shephard he was leading them and preparing them for some of the hardest moments of their life.

I am grateful that Jesus is a good shepherd and that whether I recognize it or not, he has prepared me for the challenging moments I will face in my life. I may have been fearful to press in on places where he has worked and spoken in the past, but his grace will prove sufficient when the times of trial and tribulation come. He cares for me enough to speak the truth even when I haven’t been in a great frame to receive it.

This is often how bible reading works for me. I read and study today and glean a little insight, but then several days or weeks later the real application of that passage presses in on my life with urgency. I was prepared yesterday for the events of today and by God’s grace he has prepared me today for my tomorrow.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your grace that is always enough for every situation I face. Thank you that you have already prepared me for what lies ahead. Thank you for being a good shepherd and leading us in paths of righteousness and preparing us for the challenges we face. Let us receive and count every goodness and grace you have given us along the way. Give us discernment as we apply your word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

More of Him and Less of Me (Mark 9:25-29 Devotion)

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When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then [the spirit] cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

– Mark 9:25-29 (NKJV)

The disciples had cast out demons before. They were puzzled why THEY couldn’t cast this one out. Maybe it was because they forgot who was the one casting them out. They had gotten it backwards. They couldn’t do anything without the LORD. They had put too much confidence in their own ability. The remedy was simple. Come back to the LORD in prayer (and fasting).

It’s easy to read this and criticize the disciples. Of course they should have known to go to the Lord in prayer. They couldn’t cast demons out in their own strength and ability. Such things had become too familiar in their hands. Perhaps there was a sense of “we’ve got this,” and in the middle of it all they forgot what was a stake… A little boy thrown in the fire and water, a distraught father, a criticizing crowd.

Too often we are like the disciples when we set our hands to spiritual tasks. The Lord has used me to deliver countless lessons and sermons, what is one more? “I’ve got this!” Yikes. We don’t want to end up in the same place as the disciples. We must always know where real power comes from. That requires us humbling ourselves and getting on our knees.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We humble ourselves and confess that we have no real power to do anything on our own. We are all in desperate need of you to use us today. We can only do what is given by you for us to do. We seek your will and your glory. Use us in such a way that we can point back to you and say, “Glory to God!” Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Help My Unbelief! (Mark 9:19-24 Devotion)

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He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 “And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things [are] possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

– Mark 9:19-24 (NKJV)

This man’s son had been caught up as fodder for a theological debate among the scribes and the disciples of Jesus. His curious case of possession by a mute spirit was used to undermine the authority of the disciples and cause them to doubt themselves. Yet, everyone around, scribes, disciples, the crowd, all seemed to be missing the point. This man’s boy still needed to be healed!

So Jesus is ready to heal this boy but he ties it to the father’s belief. It’s no longer about if Jesus can… but about this boy’s father. He has been let down so many times, he doesn’t want to miss this if Jesus is real, but at the same time he doesn’t want to me taken as a fool and so he cries out, “I believe, but help my unbelief!”

If we are honest, this is often how we cry out to God to save us from our sins. Parts of us believe that he can and he will, but parts of us have doubts. So we ask God to give us grace and strength to overcome our doubts.

Of course it is amazing what Jesus can do with just a little belief. Just like multiplying loaves and fish, he can take what little faith we really have and move mountains.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the freedom we have to place our trust in you. Where we are weak, please give us strength. Please give us discernment as You apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

When Jesus Enters Our Situation (Mark 9:14-18 Devotion)

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And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to [Him], greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 “And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

– Mark 9:14-18 (NKJV)

I tried as hard as I could I couldn’t get the third and final bolt to come off the starter on my wife’s car. I had devoted hours to the project. I had screamed. I had said things that were really immature considering I was talking to and about an inanimate object. I had prayed. I had done everything I knew how to do… It was time to call the mechanic. I brought it by his shop and the part was changed out in no-time. The lesson I learned was valuable. There are times you can fix it on your own and there are times you really need to just call the mechanic.

When Jesus get’s to the bottom of the mountain, there is a problem. It’s a problem for the disciples. It’s a problem exaggerated by the scribes. It’s a problem that has the interest of the crowds. It’s a problem for a father of a young boy. It’s a problem for this boy.

Thankfully there is a person you can go to when you find that you really need help. You can go to Jesus. And so the crowd comes to Jesus. The disciples come to Jesus. Even the scribes come to Jesus to see what he’ll do.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. So often in life we don’t know what to do or even where to go. Thank you for reminding us today that we can always take our problems to you. Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

What Does It Mean? (Mark 9:8-13 Devotion)

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Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 “But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”

– Mark 9:8-13 (NKJV)

One morning I spent what felt like an hour looking for my reading glasses. When I gave up the search I reached up and patted my hair to find my readding glasses were on my head. They were so close to me, but I couldn’t see them at the time. I looked for them everywhere but where they actually were.

In this passage today we find the disciples asking Jesus about Elijah and why the scribes were saying that Elijah must come before the messiah. Maybe Elijah was fresh on their mind because they just saw him and were wondering if there was a correlation.

Elijah is a subject where it seems like the scholars got it right and wrong at the same time. They got the scriptures right, but failed to recognize the one who came in the spirit of Elijah. So they were holding on to the truth of the prophecy that said Elijah must come first, but then they missed him when he came! (We assume Jesus was talking about John the Baptist). How terrible that must have been! To have studied and read and know the details of prophecy and then to see it all unfold before your eyes and miss it because you were looking for something else!

Then Jesus points out something else they missed. The scriptures said that the son of man would come and must suffer many things and be treated with contempt. Of course we recognize that he said this about himself. This is what he has been trying to tell the disciples. The scripture must be fulfilled. The path ahead of him involves the cross, but not to worry, he will rise again from the dead in three days. The disciples were about to miss it too if they weren’t careful.

Some things are so close to us we will miss them if we are not careful. Jesus doesn’t need to be one of them. We should be looking to see where He is working and join Him in whatever He calls us to. We should study the scriptures not just to know things about God, but to know God so much that we at least have a hint about what he is up too. Those poor disciples were contemplating what it meant that Jesus would rise from the dead when in a few days they would find out.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We know that you are at work all around us and at any given moment. Give us grace to see you working and courage to join you in whatever you have called us too. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Hear Him! (Mark 9:1-7 Devotion)

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And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” 2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”– 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

– Mark 9:1-7 (NKJV)

Have you ever had a moment in your life that felt so good that you wish it could last forever? Maybe it was a really good day and you got to go on an adventure. Or maybe it was because you were in the company of someone you really love. Or maybe it was a camp or Christian experience where you felt really close to God. You were afraid to let go of the moment because you wanted things to last. In the passage we read today we find three disciples in one of those incredible moments where life is about as sweet as it can possibly get and they don’t want to leave. They want to stay and experience it always.

A lot happens in a very brief amount of time at the Transfiguration. First, Jesus predicts that there will be some who will not die until they have seen the kingdom of God present in power. And then in the matter of six days three of His disciples accompany Him and see this magnificent sight as a fulfillment of what he has said.

Second, we take notice that in the Jewish law it was proper for there to be three witnesses. So we see the three disciples, who are witnesses of humanity. But we also see Moses and Elijah who are present with Jesus that bare testimony from the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Yet at the last moment we hear God the Father who has manifested as a cloud here speak and say that Jesus is, “his beloved son. hear him!” And so we have the testimony of God the Father as well!

Third, It’s the comment of Peter that sticks out. Peter answers some sort of prompt with this idea that he’ll build a shelter for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and they can all just stay there! This word, “Tabernacle” or “shelter” is a word that is common, yet it has a rich history. When Israel wandered the dessert they lived in tents and “shelters” and in the very middle of the camp there was a special “tabernacle” it was the one where God chose to manifest His glory. God Himself was encamped with His people. He was present with His people! So when Peter blurts this word shelter out, it’s absurd but it hits the right note. It hits at something that God wants and what we want; the abiding presence of God!

But rather than building a shelter for everyone, the cloud of God’s glory rolls over head and the LORD says, “This is my beloved son. Hear Him!” That’s the answer to Peter’s longing (and the longing of our hearts as well). This is the healing balm to the brokenness wrought on humanity by sin. Receive the Son and hear Him! Jesus stands as the mediator between God and man!

So here we are confronted with some great truths about who Jesus is and it is left up to us what to do with it. Will we listen to Jesus? Will we be like the wise man who builds his house on the rock in Matthew 7 by taking Jesus words and put them into practice? Will we be like the branch that abides in the vine in John 15 and let his word abide in us? Will we submit our lives to him?…. If we will hear him then he is ours and we are his!

When we have those “Mountain Top” experiences we often wish we could stay a little longer. And one day every Christian will experience that presence of God in a full sensory sort of way. The small peaks into the climate of heaven are good for us and help create a healthy longing for God, but they also prepare us for the valleys in this life as well. Jesus and these three disciples won’t stay on this mountain they will eventually enter the valley as well.

  • What “Mountain top” experiences with God have you had in your life?
  • How have they helped prepare you for the valleys of life?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We thank you for the times when we have felt especially close to you. Thank you for the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the direction and purpose he give. Give us grace and clarity to trust you when things are going well and when they aren’t. Thank you for making sure there were several witnesses recorded who could share with us exactly who Jesus is. We thank you for the Law, the Prophets, and the Eye witness testimony of the three disciples. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.