Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing [Him] were astonished, saying, “Where [did] this Man [get] these things? And what wisdom [is] this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed [them]. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
– Mark 6:1-6 (NKJV)
Mark 6 begins with the account of Jesus teaching in his home town. The people there recognize him and are amazed at his teaching. They knew that he had no real formal education and chose to reject him. They marveled at his works, but must have assumed that it was some sort of trick. They knew him too well. They knew his family. They knew that Joseph was a carpenter. They thought they had him all figured out, but they didn’t.
They missed the message, they missed the miracles, but most importantly the missed the Messiah because they were focused on familiar. They couldn’t see the forest for the trees. They threw the baby out with the bathwater. They were indignant because they thought they knew him. They thought he was a common man trying to be uncommon it never entered their minds that he could be the uncommon reaching out to the common.
Do we miss seeing what He would do in our lives because we have treated Him as common? The culture and sub-culture in which I live is in danger of missing Jesus because he has become common. We treat him like a genie or Santa Clause, we relegate him to the world of mystical cultural phenomenon, but really pay him little attention. Have we forgotten that He is God? have we forgotten that He is the only path to peace with God? Have we forgotten that it’s His kingdom?
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Help us to never dismiss your work as common. Let us be aware of your work in our lives and in the people around us. Remove every excuse from us. Please guide us in your will and direction. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So [Jesus] went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind [Him] in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” 31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” 35 While He was still speaking, [some] came from the ruler of the synagogue’s [house] who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those [who were] with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years [of age]. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that [something] should be given her to eat.
– Mark 5:21-43 (NKJV)
Twelve years ago, a baby girl was born to a prominent family. They watched her giggle and grow and were blessed by her presence every day. Her smiles brought beauty into the world and her personality brightened their day. Her daddy, Jairus, loved her very much. She was a big part of his world. But today she is a very sick little girl. Her bright smile has been replaced by a painful grimace. She hurts. Her tears and fever wet the pillow her head has been lying on. Her father knows that she needs immediate help. The local doctors say there is nothing they can do for her and she will most likely die soon. He’s been up pacing the village praying and hoping for a solution and then he sees Jesus. He has heard about this man and so he comes and falls down at his feet asking for his help.
Twelve years ago, another family across town was affected in another way. A woman began to bleed and couldn’t stop it. She went to all the doctors. None of them had answers. She tried folk remedies and medicines, nothing worked. Her issue was disgusting and made even her household chores impossible to do. She was weak. People didn’t understand her sickness and it caused her to be an outcast. Then she sees Jesus passing by and has heard of the people he has healed and so she cautiously plots to get close enough, just to touch him as he passes by.
I find the contrast of these people interesting. One is a child, the other an adult. One has had her condition for a long time, the other seems very sudden. One comes from a prominent family, the other seems to be an outcast. One has an advocate, a father who comes on her behalf, the other just simply seeks to touch Jesus as he passes by… but what do they have in common? They have a need and they come in faith that Jesus can do something about it… and he does! He does! He does more than we can ever think or imagine. He does more than we had ever hoped. He stops to speak to the bashful outcast and assures her of her healing. He goes to the little girl and brings her back from the clutches of death! He answers both exactly where there needs arise and blesses them with healing… the touching moment that brought tears to my eyes reading this morning is that he calls the woman, “Daughter.” She was loved too!
What Jesus has done in just a few minutes in this small town is to give us all a glimpse of the jubilation, peace, and security that is found in the Kingdom of God. I hope this passage provokes your heart to worship today and longing for the presence of God where all these worries are put to rest.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for how you worked in the lives of these two daughters. We are grateful for the life you bring to hopeless situations. We are grateful for your kingdom and pray for it to come in it’s fullness and we seek for your will to be done. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had [his] dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” 8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What [is] your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name [is] Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. 14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told [it] in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one [who had been] demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him [who had been] demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. 18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
– Mark 5:1-20 (NKJV)
Jesus does an incredible work and sets this man free from demonic possession, but the people of that region are scared in an unhealthy way. They want Jesus to leave them and go. They are reacting differently than how he was received in most places after a miracle. In those places, Jesus did an incredible work and told the person who was healed “don’t tell anyone.” And then he left the place because it had gotten too crowded.
Yet here, Jesus seems to have crossed the lake for an encounter with just a handful of people. The reaction from the small group gathered here is different. There is only one man pressing in around Jesus and in this instance it is the man who had had the demons cast out of him. Seemingly he is ready to lay aside everything and follow Jesus. To some extent, he probably feels like he needs a fresh start. Maybe he is scared of going back to old habits or maybe he is ashamed of what the townsfolk must think of him. He has every reason to leave and follow Jesus.
But what does Jesus tell him to do? Go home and tell what Jesus has done for him to the people there! He has a testimony to share and the people who knew him before and see him now will know that something has happened. They need to see the gracious power of God at work in this man’s life. Also, they have encouraged Jesus to leave because they are afraid and so Jesus commissions this man to go and be a real and present reminder of the power that he has to transform lives.
We may not have a long and storied history of horrific demon possession, like this man did, but for those who have had an encounter with Jesus, we do have a testimony to share. There are people who won’t gather in or press into an organized religious event, but they’ll listen to a friend or family member share about what God has done in their life. We are all called to “Go” somewhere. Some go to the ends of the earth, others simply go home and share what God has done. So where are you going and who are you telling about what Jesus has done for you?
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your amazing grace to save sinners like me. Thank you for the transforming work your word has on our hearts. I pray that we would be a witness for you today. Wherever we are, where ever we go, let us be telling people about what you have done in our lives. Give us courage and boldness today. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.
And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 “But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 “[It is] like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” 33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear [it]. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples..”
– Mark 4:26-34: (NKJV)
I was at a public school and I heard a student read a gospel presentation to a group of his peers. It wasn’t a conversation. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t deep. He just simply read what amounted to a gospel tract. As far as presentations go, I had selfishly in my heart already judged it to be one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen… but do you know what? Two students gave their lives to the Lord that day!
What happened? While presentation is important, when it comes to the gospel there are a few more important elements at play. One is, as we have been talking through the parable of the soils, the receptivity of people to the word of God. A ready heart and the truth of the gospel, even in small doses, goes a lot further than how well or poor we might judge the gospel to be presented. The second is never underestimate the power that is in the seed (Word of God) that will come out in the soil of our lives under the right conditions.
Jesus continues with these garden metaphors and I’m glad He does because he shows us that the power is in the word of God and ready hearts. As we go out sharing God’s word this week we need to pray for ready hearts to receive the gospel and share God’s word with confidence. If we share and someone doesn’t receive the gospel, the defect is not with the seed, it’s with the soil.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the confidence we can have to share your word. We are grateful that the power for fruitfulness comes from your word at work in our lives. We pray for receptive hearts both for ourselves and others. Please guide us in your will and direction for our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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.”
– Mark 4:21-25 (NKJV)
This is the second time Jesus has shared the words, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” He intends of the disciples to “get it.” It’s one thing to be told something and it’s another thing to hear it. He has told them truths encapsulated in parables. It is now up to them to “get it” and now go do something with what they have been told.
They need to cultivate their hearts to receive the word. They are being given a light and there will come a time when they need to shine it. Some things will be secret for now, but they won’t stay a secret, the world will know. The question is, what will they do with what they have seen and heard?
The more we respond in faith to what we have heard from Jesus, the more we can expect to hear and understand. If we don’t respond in faith, but rather pretend we haven’t heard Jesus or we ignore what he is saying, the less we will understand and know of his word. Jesus is placing responsibility at the feet of the disciples and those who have heard him to put his words into practice. He isn’t sharing theory, entertainment, education, or mere rhetoric. He is sharing the words of life and the more you grasp it, the more there is to grasp… but take heed, if you ignore what he has said, you won’t derive any benefit from what little you do have.
This if helping us further understand the parable of the soils we have just read; Treasure the word, let it penetrate your heart, remove distractions, and in due season it will bloom… harden your heart and what little you have… Satan will come and snatch it away. When you receive the word into your heart, it is doing a work that is hidden or can’t be seen, but it won’t be hidden for long as the seed sprouts, the work God is doing will come into the day light. Do you have ears to hear? Will you cultivate your heart to receive God’s word today?
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your word. I humbly ask that we all come ready to hear your word today and give it the room it deserves in our heart to grow. We pray that you would take your word and produce an abundant harvest in our lives. Use us for your kingdom and your glory. Please guide us in your will. In Jesus Name, Amen.
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 “so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And [their] sins be forgiven them.’ ” 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 “The sower sows the word. 15 “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 “and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; [they are] the ones who hear the word, 19 “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept [it], and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
– Mark 4:10-20 (NKJV)
A good gardener wants plants that produce fruit! Jesus wants his word to produce fruit in the lives of people, but there are at least three things that can hinder fruitfulness. One is if you never fully receive the seed. Some people have hard hearts and are overly skeptical, not even giving the word a chance. Jesus compares these heart to those like a beaten down path unready to receive the word and making it easy for birds (who represent Satan) to come and snatch the word away before it even has a chance to germinate. We need to guard against having hard hearts and pray for the Lord to soften hard hearts like he has done with people like the Apostle Paul.
The second is one in which growth appears quickly, but the root system never goes very deep. Then when persecution comes there is nothing really holding them to faith in the Lord. Their faith was more in themselves than anything and so when trials happen they fall away. We see this in the situation of those who first received the book of Hebrews and many were tempted to leave the faith because of persecution. Or possibly the situation of John Mark where he abruptly left the company of the apostles in Acts 13 (for reasons we can only speculate about) but is later recommissioned.
The third is where the cares of this world choke out the life of the first response. In these cases it is the sad reality of misplaced priorities take over. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24) and the soil of your heart doesn’t have room to produce both fruit and weeds. One must go. If you don’t pluck the weeds they will choke out your gospel ambitions and keep you from every producing real fruit in your life. These are like Demas (2 Timothy 4:10) who at one moment was in ministry with Paul, but has deserted him for the love of the world.
To have the world of God produce fruit in my life I need to cultivate my heart to be ready for it. When I go to hear the word I need to ask God to make sure my heart is not hard against him for any reason. I might pray for brokenness to where I am willing to receive his word. I should examine my life to see if I have anything beneath the surface that doesn’t allow the word to penetrate my heart. For the word to really take root I must have more hope in the Lord than I do in myself. Then I must also make sure my heart is free from competition. There are many things in this world that would compete for my affections for the Lord. I must take the idols I used to worship and sacrifice them to God. I must allow him to take the things in my life that don’t please him out…. and it is in this environment that real fruitfulness takes place.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Lord guard me from having a hard heart. I don’t want to be skeptical of things that are true. Give me grace and discernment to see the things from you and to have fruit in my life. Keep me from being content in my own ability to hold on to you and let me trust in your ability to hold on to me so when the storms of persecution happen, I am not shaken because my faith goes deep in you. Lord examine my life to see if there is any competition with you in my heart. Make me into a fruitful Christian. Prepare my heart for your word. Please guide us in your will. In Jesus Name, Amen.
And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat [in it] on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 “And it happened, as he sowed, [that] some [seed] fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 “Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 “But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 “And some [seed] fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 “But other [seed] fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
– Mark 4:1-9 (NKJV)
When you plant a tomato plant, what are you looking for come time for harvest? Tomatoes! When you plant a pepper plant? Peppers! When you plant any sort of garden plant, the purpose is to produce a harvest! Gardeners don’t grow plants for growth sake, but they grow plants to yield a harvest. There are all sorts of things that can stop a plant from reaching maturity and producing fruit. In today’s passage we see some problems with a harvest begin with the type of soil where a seed is planted.
A problem in the soil is a problem for a plant being able to produce fruit. It is sufficient for today to remember that the goal of planting is not growing alone, but is for harvesting! A wise farmer prepares the soil for a good harvest.
Growth alone is not a good indication of a harvest. There are three types of soil in the parable where seeds sprout and grow in some sense, but only one soil produces the harvest! In our lives we can experience what we might call growth and that can be exciting, but we must be intent on seeing it cultivated into fruit. We might be able to grow in all sorts of ways, numerically (if we’re talking about a church), educationally (we might know more about the bible today than we did yesterday), passionately (if we’re talking about our enthusiasm for all things related to Jesus), but these things don’t always transform into real and lasting heart change exhibited in loving God and loving others.
If our lives are the soils mentioned in this parable (and we trust that they are as we read ahead in Mark) then we need to cultivate our life in such a way that when we receive the word of God, it produces fruit in our lives. We can’t be content with a measure of growth that produces anything but fruit.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the power that your word has to transform our lives. We want to be fruitful Christians. We are excited by every step of growth that we see in our own lives, but help us not to be content with growth alone, but to see fruit. If there are things that need to change in our lives, please change them so that we can be more fruitful for you! Please guide us in your will. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard [about this], they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” 23 So He called them to [Himself] and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 “And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”– 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
– Mark 3:20-30 (NKJV)
What is the unpardonable sin? Rejecting Jesus and declaring God in the flesh to be “possessed by a demon.” That’s the reading of verse 30. Jesus said what he said, because they attributed the work of God to the Devil. If you are looking for the Messiah to come and save the world and when he shows up you asses what he is doing and call him a demon… It’s clear you have opted out of any salvation he was offering. You can’t find forgiveness when you won’t humble yourself enough to even confess that you need it.
It’s not a little sin to call the work of God evil. There will be people who come into the kingdom of God with a storied history of all sorts of wicked sins that are forgiven by God (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But some of the people who miss the kingdom will have lived otherwise very moral lives. It’s not our good deeds that get us into the kingdom of God, it’s the king. It’s not our bad deeds that ultimately keep us out. It’s rejecting the king (see John 3:18). You can find forgiveness for every sin you have ever committed, but if you reject Jesus, there is no forgiveness for that.
The picture I think we see here is that these men were focused on the idols they had set up in their hearts. Their hearts had gotten so hard and they had given themselves over so much to the enemy that when Jesus was in their midst they didn’t recognize him or even worse they did, but rejected him! We should pray that our hearts are always sensitive to the Lord.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are shocked at what these men did. We find it concerning that people can be so seemingly “righteous” and be so wicked at the same time. Guard our hearts from pride, give us grace to repent of our sins, let us walk in all humility and patience. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.
And He went up on the mountain and called to [Him] those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the [son] of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the [son] of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
-Mark 3:13-19 (NKJV)
We have already met a few of the fellows who are called out on this list. We know that they are ordinary men. They are diverse. Their backgrounds are fishing, collecting taxes, and who knows what else. Yet, here these twelve are set aside to walk and talk with Jesus and to learn from him personally. He will invest in them and then send them out to heal the sick and to preach! They will do what he has been doing! They will go forth with this kingdom message! I think one of the applications of this passage is that God uses ordinary people like you and me.
I think we should notice that some who were gathered there weren’t called up to be part of the twelve. What a tough day this must have been for them. I wonder how many hopefuls weren’t selected. We know that there are many more who followed Jesus as “disciples” but aren’t part of the twelve. We know of at least two guys who were with them all the time even through the point of the resurrection (Acts 1:21-23), but they weren’t chosen at this time. We might be tempted to look at what the Lord is doing in someone else’s life and imagine that we deserve the same opportunities. But such things are not for us to decide. We must each individually seek God’s will. At the end of the day he knows what we can handle and he allows and places people in the right place at the right time.
Finally, There may have been some who suspected that Judas was a scoundrel from the beginning, and in some sense their suspicions would have been right, but it wasn’t for them to decide if he got to be a disciple. It was Jesus decision to make and he made it. For the disciples who worked with Judas day in and day out, I’m sure they saw things in him in hindsight that they didn’t see at the moment. But we should not suppose that he didn’t belong at that moment to the twelve. God often uses hard or wrong personalities to shape us in good and pleasant ways. One of the things the twelve noticed is how Jesus dealt with the traitor.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Lord it is you who calls us to follow you and to deeper discipleship. It is you who equips those you call. It is your will we should seek in our lives. In ways big our small our desire is to simply be used for you in your kingdom for your purpose and your glory. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.
[Mar 3:7-12 NKJV] 7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. 9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
– Mark 3:7-12 (NKJV)
I love the picture that I chose for the graphic for this series. It’s a picture of the Grand Tetons that we snapped as we were driving through that part of Wyoming. It was an overcast day and the mountains were in the shadows of the clouds. Yet, the picture shows slivers of light piercing through and shinning on the mountains below. It was a hint of the glorious sunlight that was shinning above the clouds. It was a hit that the shadows wouldn’t stay on the mountain and there was a “brighter” day ahead.
What we see today in today’s passage is the kingdom of God breaking through the curse that has come on creation. Jesus is undoing the things that have gone wrong. He is healing the broken and casting out demons. People are gathering close to him because they sense and see in him something that has been missing from the world for a long time.
Today, when we see these rays of the kingdom shine down on us it should cause our hearts to long for a full manifestation of Jesus kingdom. We should long for when there will be no more sickness, death, or sorrow. We should long for the day when every evil entity will be completely banished. We should long for a day when God will again fully dwell with people and no one will ever be far from the presence of God again. What we saw in this moment was that the world was not made to live in the shadow of the curse forever, but would one day be banished.
This should provoke our hearts to praise and good deeds. As we pray for the “Kingdom to come,” we should be living as those who are suited to live there. We should ask the Lord to examine our lives and make us fit for the kingdom that is coming.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for the rule and the reign of Christ over our lives and we long for the day when this earth will no longer be under that curse of sin, but be fully set free. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The Hill House 