Tag: pastor

How Do You Receive The Word of God (Mark 4:26-34 Devotion)

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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.

Ears To Hear! (Mark 4:21-25 Devotion)

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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.

Three Things That Work Against Fruitfulness (Mark 4:10-20 Devotion)

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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.

Growth Vs. Fruit (Mark 4:1-9 Devotion)

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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.

Whoever Does The Will of God (Mark 3:31-35 Devotion)

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Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” 33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

– Mark 3:31-35 (NKJV)

There are two groups of people seeking Jesus. The first group is his actual mother and brothers who are outside the house who are calling for him. They probably want to tell/ advise him on what to do. The second group is the crowd at his feet that has been listening to him. Jesus looks at the crowd and says they are his mother and brothers. The distinction that he makes between the two groups is simple… “Whoever does the will of God.”

Jesus doesn’t show any favoritism for his family here. Whatever they want, if it is not the will of God, they can wait. He will not be manipulated. When their will and God’s will collide, it’s God’s will that matters. This is an important thing to grasp.

Throughout church history people have often pulled in their pagan prechristian beliefs into their practice either knowingly or unknowingly. Before the gospel made such an impact in Ephesus, many of the people practiced “magic.” Magic in that day consisted of getting beings or entities to do your bidding for you and you would often have to manipulate them into action. So you might call on an entity that had favor with whatever entity you wanted to act for you so you would use the name of one to get the other to do what you wanted. Unfortunately through a part of history and in some places today people try and “manipulate” Jesus to bend to their will and they will pray to someone like Mary (not that you can or should pray to dead people, you shouldn’t.) and ask her to ask Jesus to do something. The logic is pretty convincing for some people… Jesus has to do what his mom says, right? Wrong. These verses are helpful to know that Jesus in his humanity can’t and won’t be manipulated by his relatives, the saints or anyone. We should all seek God’s will, not the other way around.

This is what we’ve been praying every day, “Guide us in your will.” That’s a Christian prayer! We’re asking God to show us what He wants us to do! Certainly we’ve shared in prayer about what we want, need and feel, but at the end of it all we’re really asking, “Lord show us your will.”

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. What a grace it is to know that we cannot manipulate you to our will. We often do not even know the full situation. We can trust you and your promises because they come from you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

He Called Ordinary Men to Do Extraordinary Things (Mark 3:13-19 Devotion)

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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.

The Sabbath is for Healing, Not Hurting (Mark 2:23-3:6 Devotion)

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Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 “how he went into the house of God [in the days] of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” 1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

– Mark 2:23-3:6 (NKJV)

The Pharisees were telling Jesus that his disciples weren’t keeping the Sabbath. They had taken a serious command that was given to Israel for the flourishing of the people. Indeed, when the Sabbath day command was obeyed in Israel’s history the people did flourish. But I don’t think the Pharisees had the disciples flourishing at heart here. I think they just wanted to exert control and at this moment, it meant using this law to dress down Jesus and his disciples. They were more concerned with power than they were with the people. They were more set on being right than truly righteous. They aren’t concerned for the disciples hearts but Jesus is truly grieved by their hearts.

What they must not have known is that Jesus was fulfilling the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day set aside to worship God. Rest in this context is worship because it means we are trusting God to provide even when we aren’t working….It is a confession that all of our work rests on God’s work.

Jesus reminds the Pharisees that Man wasn’t created by God for the Sabbath day, but that God had created the Sabbath for man. Jesus sees a man who was limited in his ability to keep the rest of the sabbath command (work is endorsed for six days). He then asks the man to do something he can’t do on his own… he must depend on God to heal him.

In this passage the Pharisees were looking to condemn the disciples and by implication, shame Jesus. But Jesus was looking to restore a man on that Sabbath day. (After all that is what the sabbath day was ultimately about). This should cause us to reflect on our own hearts. Are we hard hearted pharisees who look to condemn others or do we seek God and his purpose of restoring the broken?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you that you care about our hearts. We want to honor you in the way we live. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

No Patches Here (Mark 2:18-22 Devotion)

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The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

– Mark 2:18-22 (NKJV)

One of the unique challenges of pastoring is dealing with so many people who are facing different challenges and joys in life. The other day in the matter of a few minutes I went from sharing a gospel message with a group of teenagers to praying with someone facing a serious surgery. On my prayer list is a family joyfully expecting a baby and a friend who is possibly entering into hospice care. One Saturday last year, I wrapped up speaking at a graveside service for a dear friend and drove straight across town to do a vow renewal service for a sweet couple. These are all real folks facing real things and I’ve had to learn how to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. It is okay for people to have different seasons in their life.

In today’s passage, John’s disciples wonder why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast like they do. Perhaps they think there is some sort of spiritual benefit that Jesus’ disciples are missing out on, or more likely, they see themselves as superior for the extra discipline they have demonstrated. Jesus uses this illustration of seasons of life to explain… They knew according to their social customs that even if you are in the midst of a fast, but you are at a wedding, you break the fast for sake of being a good guest (that was actually a rule on one of their own books). To not celebrate the joy of the bride and groom because you are “fasting” wasn’t being ultra spiritual, it was being ultra rude. Anyone can deny themselves food. The mere act of self denial alone doesn’t make you closer to God, it’s the attitude of the heart that matters. Fasting for fasting sake doesn’t get you any closer to God.

There would be plenty of time for the disciples to fast later. The moment they were living in called for celebration. Jesus was with them, it was a time to celebrate.

We should be careful of judging someone else’s spirituality based on their current disposition. We all go through seasons of growth and we shouldn’t expect people to be just like us. The old restrictions and fasts wouldn’t make sense for the season the disciples were in, it would be like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. (You can do it, but you’re going to cause a lot of friction and shave some edges off in the process). We don’t need to needlessly create friction or tears in the fabric of our relationships by judging others by outward measures. The heart is what matters. There would be plenty of time for the the disciples to fast after Jesus had ascended, but for now it was rude not to celebrate what He was doing by healing people etc.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the various seasons we go through in life. Thank you for placing people in our path that can help us rejoice and lament in the proper times of life. Help us to be there for others and place no expectation on them other than that their hearts are genuinely turned towards you. Please guide us in your will and direction. In Jesus Name, Amen.

He’d Sit With You (Mark 2:13-17 Devotion)

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Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. 14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 15 Now it happened, as He was dining in [Levi’s] house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How [is it] that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard [it], He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call [the] righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

– Mark 2:13-17 (NKJV)

If you are unfamiliar with Jesus, Christianity, or church you might be interested to know the type of people that Jesus called to follow him. We already saw that he called some fishermen to follow after him, but today he calls a tax collector to join the ranks of his disciples.

You might be surprised by the type of people Jesus would hang out with. It wasn’t always the respected religious leaders. In fact the religious leaders quite often rejected Jesus! We find in the gospels that Jesus would hang out with people who were the outcasts or marginalized by society. In this passage he is sitting by tax collectors (who would have been wealthy, but rejected by mainstream society because they both represented an oppressive government and were often accused of leveling unfair or “extra” taxes in order to make a tidy profit).

What was His rational for receiving these sort of people to follow him? It was because they needed him. Like a sick patient needs a doctor, those who knew they were sinners needed Jesus to help them come to a place of repentance. The really sad thing it that the religious leaders really needed him too. Their hearts were sick and corrupt as anyone else’s, but their sins seemed more respectable in their society… but they weren’t in God’s eyes.

The comfort that we can draw from this passage is that if we can recognize ourselves as sinners, then there is hope for us to be found in Jesus. When we recognize we need him, we can call out to him and he will be there. What kind of people did Jesus sit with? He sat with people like me and you. You can call on him.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you that you are a friend of sinners, because we are sinners. Sometimes we try and pretend that things aren’t that bad, but we know you see our hearts. So we boldly call out to you and ask you for your grace today. Please guide us in your will and direct our paths. In Jesus Name, Amen.

He Can Forgive Sins! (Mark 2:1-12 Devotion)

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And again He entered Capernaum after [some] days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive [them], not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four [men]. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this [Man] speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘[Your] sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”–He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw [anything] like this!”

– Mark 2:1-12 (NKJV)

Mark two begins with the account of the how Jesus heals a paralytic man. The man’s friends show amazing faith by tearing up the roof and dropping the man in above Jesus. (Let’s just agree that this was a pretty radical and bold move on the part of his friends. They must have really loved him.) So then, Jesus sees the great faith these guys demonstrate and he tells the man that his sins are forgiven. And it stuns the crowd! They were expecting a healing! This man’s handicap is what seems to be his most glaring need. Yet Jesus doesn’t just see the outside, he sees this man’s heart and what this man (and all of us) really need. Some of the people who are there are doubtful that Jesus can even forgive sin. Jesus sees their doubt and authenticates his statement by healing the man.

This man’s greatest need was for the forgiveness of his sins. I wonder if his friends knew this? I wonder if they would have been as aggressive to get him to Jesus if Jesus would have forgiven his sins, but left him a paralytic? I wonder if we sometimes look at our neighbors, coworkers, and friends and don’t really see that their greatest need is to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins? The good news is that Jesus forgives the sins of those who repent and turn to him. Who are you telling today?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you that you saw this man’s greatest need. Thank you that you gave him more than he wanted and searched deeply within his heart to provide that which he needed most. Forgive us of our sins and help us see the real needs of other around us. We want to follow you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.