Living Eternal Lives

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

LIVING ETERNAL LIVES

Mark 8:31-33

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 

NIV

This is the part of the story many sermons have been based on in order to remind us of our human condition. Of course we might also have heard from the time to time that phrase not found in the scriptures, “You’re so heavenly minded, you’re no earthy good”, but we should be saying, “you’re so earthy minded, you’re no heavenly good”. That is what Jesus told Peter, isn’t it? Even though the Spirit had revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, Peter was still thinking in human terms. He had not grasped the reality of the Kingdom of God. He, along with the other disciples, may well have be looking for Jesus to overthrow the establishment of elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. They were looking for Jesus to put an end to the hundreds of rules and regulations, and set himself up as the leader of the people. Peter just could not wrap his mind around the facts Jesus laid out that were going to happen. Do we think in anyway like Peter and the disciples did? Do we see Jesus as a way to improve our human condition? Do we see Jesus in terms of how he makes our lives different? Do we always consider how we should behave, and how we should not? Are we making lists of do’s and don’ts out of the things, Jesus said? There were once a series of little tracts titled, “what next” now that your accepted Jesus, what do you have to do next, the list was made up of earthy duties, read the Bible, pray each day, find a church, and so forth. All of them were geared toward earthy activities, not that all of that is bad; the behaviors as explained, really did not focus on the things of God. We have to see ourselves as citizens of the Kingdom of God, and start thinking of the reality of heaven, and less about our somewhat meaningless time on earth. Sure God blesses us with many earthly things. Yes, he directs us in our lives, in our interactions with others. He even directs us where to live, where to work, where to gather together with other believers and where to serve him as well as others. All activities we could consider as earthly things, or things of men, but in reality those influences in our lives are all directed as heavenly things, they are for the benefit of the Kingdom. Our whole purpose as believers is to bring honor and glory to our God. We really need to get our minds off our own lives, and on the things of God. Yes, Jesus came to serve man, to be the sacrifice, to die so that we might have eternal life, so we need to live as though we are eternal. The things of men will perish, but the things of God are eternal. We need to live eternal lives. 

Who Do You Say I Am?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

Mark 8:27-30

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"  28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

NIV

It is plain that most of the people really did not know who Jesus was, except Peter nailed it. But why did Jesus not want his disciples to tell anyone that he was the Christ? Did he want people to figure that out for themselves? It seemed as though people were more likely to think he was someone who came back from the dead, then being the Christ. Why did he allow them to go on thinking like that? We may never know the answer to that question, but what appears to be a truth we can hang our hat on is that we should not be concerned who others think Jesus is, but know in our hearts that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. There are people today who recognize the fact that Jesus lived in those times, but that he was simply a great man, a prophet, a teacher of love, or someone other than the Christ, the Son of the Living God. There are people who try to model their lives after Jesus, living a life of love, but do not accept him as their Lord and Savior. Some people incorporate the teachings of Jesus with the teachings of Muhammad, Gandhi and Mao, all men who lived and died. They cannot accept that Jesus is alive and well at the right hand of the Father in heaven. We must never allow any of their thinking to infiltrate into our hearts and mind, because we know Jesus is the Christ. It would seem that Jesus has told his disciples not to tell anyone, but then why do we try to tell everyone? True we were told to go into the entire world and preach the Good News. So how can we go tell, and yet not tell anyone who Jesus really is? Perhaps the point is no one will believe another person about Jesus, but has to be convicted by the Holy Spirit, lead into the truth about Jesus by the Spirit and accept the truth about Jesus deep within their own spirit. We know that is how Peter knew from the account in Matthew. Jesus responded to Peter’s statement, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. It seems it matters not what men say, but people will only see Jesus for who he is, when it is revealed to them by the Spirit of God. So should we just keep quiet? It seems not, but we should know that it is the Spirit of God who reveals the truth about Jesus to all men. We cannot convince anyone, nor should we allow anyone to convince us of their way of thinking. What we can do it tell them what has happened to us, and allow the Spirit of God to do what he does, reveal the truth about Jesus. Let Jesus ask the question, “Who do you say I am?”

Seeing Clearly

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

SEEING CLEARLY

Mark 8:22-26

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"  24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." 

NIV

There is several questions about this narrative which might bring us to the truth of this interaction between Jesus and the blind. Why did Jesus take this man by the hand outside the village? Why did it take two times of Jesus touching his eyes for him to see clearly? This is not what we have seen in the past events of healing. Some were healed just by touching the helm of his garment; some were healed because Jesus declared them to be healed, even when they were not in his presence. Some were healed immediately upon Jesus touching them. But here this is not the case. It might be that we should be seeing some people come to the Savior, but some people the Savior comes to them. That is to say some people choose to believe, but there are others who Jesus comes to and takes them by the hand leading them to salvation. We might also see that some come to saving faith in a split second, and instance, no questions, no doubts; they just hear the truth about Jesus and make that decision immediately. Others hear about Jesus, think it over, they need Jesus to reaffirm the truth in them somehow, perhaps by some miraculous sign, perhaps by some other way, but their conversion, their salvation in a process, it takes a little time for them to see the truth clearly. Maybe some of us within the church, those of us who consider ourselves to be saved, to be believers, to be Christian, are like those two ways about seeing the truth of the word regarding our lives in Christ. Some of us see it clearly right away, others it is a process. Some of us come to Christ freely on our own, seeking him, seeking the truth, others Jesus has to come and take by the hand and lead into the truth. Whichever it is, the result is the same, a true healing occurs whenever Jesus enters our life. Not matter how it happens whenever Jesus comes into our lives, we see clearly now. Once we saw as looking into a foggy mirror, a poor reflection, but now we see clearly. 

Stay Unleavened

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

STAY UNLEAVENED

Mark 8:14-21

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."  16 They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread." 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" "Twelve," they replied. 20 "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They answered, "Seven." 21 He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" 

NIV

Watch out for those religious traditionalist and those worldly non-believers because they both can affect you as yeast does to the bread dough. That is the simple truth Jesus was trying to teach his disciple. Of course that truth is not so simple, or Jesus would not have to be teaching it to them and to us. Why did Jesus use those examples of taking a small amount of loaves and making them into enough for thousands to eat? Wasn’t that to demonstrate his divine power? Wasn’t that to show us that whatever we bring to Jesus, our time, our money, even ourselves, that he will increase it. All that may be true but we actually see hear that it was all about showing them what yeast will do. It is about being aware of those people who are so steeped in traditional religious behavior, following all their enhancements of the law, their man-made rules and regulations in order to appear holy, showing themselves to be a “Good Christian”. It is also about being careful of the yeast of those non-believers, those who live according to whatever behavior suits them. We should be on guard against being infected with their lifestyles of greed, lust, immorality, success, power, and all the things Herod stood for. Both of these kinds of people can infiltrate into our thinking and affect us as yeast does to the dough, spreading throughout leaving nothing unleavened. There is something special about living purely for Christ, without the yeast of the world or the church. Sure we are not to forsake the gathering together with others who believe. Yes we should be a part of the body of Christ. Yes we should serve one another, we should love everyone, we should so all those things Jesus has told us and is telling us to do, which includes not allowing those two types of people affect us and ruin our pure unleavened relationship with him. We need to stay unleavened. 

In Need of A Sign

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

IN NEED OF A SIGN

Mark 8:11-13

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."  13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

NIV

It seems strange that the Pharisees should ask for a miraculous sign from heaven when he had just feed four thousand people with five loaves and ended up with seven baskets full after everyone had their full. It is seems stranger that Jesus told them they would not be given any sign from heaven especially after he just gave one. Now of course the Pharisees were not on the other shore, because they came to him after he crossed over to the other side. Now maybe some of them had been there, maybe not, but they sure knew what he had been doing and these questions were a test, to see if he is the one or not. They knew all the scriptures, including all the prophetic ones about the Messiah, but he also was disturbing their order of things. Although Mark does not record his complete response like Matthew did, we have enough information to know that Jesus was very sad about how they could not see who he was. How they hearts were so filled with their own rules and regulations, their human enhancements of the laws of God, they could not see the truth even if it was standing right in front of them. They truly did not want God’s way, they wanted their way and because of the Greek words “signed deeply” we know that hurt the heart of Jesus. It seems there are people today who are looking for a sign from heaven in order to believe. Maybe they really are only testing God to prove he does not exist so they can go on living their way, when no sign is given. But God has already given so many signs, in fact, he says that all that can be known about him can plainly been seen in his creation, so that men are without excuse. God is clearly visible to anyone who has eyes to see, or ears to hear. But many are like the Pharisees trying to entrap God to prove himself, when he is standing right in front of them. Do miracles happen today? Sure, all the time. Do we experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Yes, without question. Do we need signs and wonders in order to believe? Maybe, but for the most part not really, for we know all we need to know in order to believe. God has given us a sign, his Word, recorded and kept for all generations to be able to find him, if they cannot see him because of all his creation. The Pharisees were able to distinguish tomorrow’s weather based on the color of the evening sky, but they could not interpret the signs of times, the scriptures regarding who Jesus was, and what was going to happen in order to bring them salvation. We know what brings us salvation, and surely we have not allowed our ways, our enhancement of the laws of God to get in the way of pure faith in Jesus Christ. What more sign do we need? Are we in need of a sign?

The Bread of Life

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

THE BREAD OF LIFE

Mark 8:1-10

8:1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."  4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" 5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

NIV

This is the second time Jesus feeds thousands with such a small amount. Is he trying to show his disciples something, or is this just a simply case of compassion by Jesus? Three days of setting listening to Jesus teach them is a long time to go without food. The people must have been very hungry, not so much for food, but for what Jesus had to say. To stay and listen for three days without eating any food is a little strange to our way of living. Do we hunger after the words of Jesus enough to give up eating? Of course they did not have a bible they could sit down with refreshments in a nice shady place on our deck or in a nice easy chair and read to our hearts content. But it might be something else here which defines the truth we should learn from this second time Jesus feeds so many with so little. He asks his disciples the same question when they respond by asking him how is this going to happen. He asks them how much do they have. He asked that the first time and they had to go see, but this time it seems they knew they only had seven loaves. Did they figure Jesus was going to do the same thing as last time? It wasn’t that long ago they would have forgotten about it. Yet they still were asking how was this going to happen, after all they were in a remote place, no supermarket to run off to and buy food. How many times must Jesus do something miraculous before they get the truth about him? But again that may not be the main truth we should glean from this passage either. It might be the simple truth that what we give to Jesus that is ours, he will multiply it, use it for his kingdom purpose and there will be enough left over that is more then we gave in the first place. Could this be an example of give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over? The disciples had to give up their supply of food, in a remote place, so that others could be feed. Now maybe they remembered and knew there would be more left over then when what they gave. But they couldn’t be sure Jesus would do exactly the same thing he did last time. So they had to give because Jesus asked them to, give in faith that something wonderful was going to happen. Maybe we need to learn that truth more than we think we know it. Maybe we need to see that we need to give what we have in order that others are cared for, feed, maybe not so much physical food, but spiritual food. Although giving in the material way helps the church function, and supports certain missionary operations and may actually feed some people needed meals, it may not be the type of giving Jesus is teaching about here. What if it is all about the truth, all about the word of God? Jesus told his disciples once that he had food they did not know of, and that was to do the will of his Father. The true food is the very Word of God which we have and which we should be giving to others so they can eat, and they will be more left over then when we started, more believers, feeding more in need of feasting on the Word of God, if we give it out, it will return to us overflowing. Sure Jesus did a miracle again, but look at the miracle of people being saved by us giving the Word of God to them, the bread of life. 

Hear and Speak

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

HEAR AND SPEAK

Mark 7:31-37

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.   32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). 35 At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

NIV

Of course he has done everything well, he is Jesus, but of course they did not know what we now do. What we who know all about Jesus need to be asking is why is this story included in the account recorded for us to read. Is there something special about making the deaf to hear and the mute to speak? Of course any healing is special and should be shouted from the rooftops so as to give Jesus the glory, but he did not want the glory, in fact, he did not want anyone to even tell about this healing. So what can we learn here? Maybe we could say that people some people turn a deaf ear to what Jesus has to say. Maybe we could say that some people simply do not speak about the truth of gospel. Maybe we could say that Jesus can heal both those types of people. Yet there is something special here in that Jesus could have just said, “Your faith has made you whole” but he did not. He put his fingers into the man’s ears and he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Jesus made some kind of show out of this healing. For what purpose did he do that? Why not just tell him he was healed? Perhaps some people need more than to be told they are healed. Perhaps some people need some kind of point of contact with Jesus in order to believe in his power. Some people need to travel to see some faith healer in hopes of being called up on stage and either breathed on or hit in the head in order to feel healed. Some people may have to send money to get a handkerchief that has been prayed over. There was once when people were told to reach out and touch the television and they would be healed. Maybe some people just have to see something to believe it, or to see some kind of physical action in the performance of healing. Yet all we really need to be healed we have already heard from the words of Jesus, “Believe”. Maybe we are the ones with the deaf ears. Maybe we just do not hear what he has said. Are we looking for some miraculous act of magic, a show, in order to believe? Yet when Jesus did heal this man, everyone was amazed. If they were overwhelmed with amazement, why did they bring this man to Jesus? Were they testing to see if Jesus could heal this man? Maybe they did not really believe in the power of Jesus, but now they did because they saw him heal, they saw the show, the act of magic. Jesus told Thomas that he believed because he saw, but blessed are those who have not seen and believe. That is who we are, the blessed. We have not seen, but we believe and we can hear and we can talk about Jesus.

Have Faith and Believe

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

HAVE FAITH AND BELIEVE

Mark 7:24-30

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."  28 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

NIV

This seems to be somewhat of a difficult exchange to understand. If Jesus responded in this way because he was sent to the Jews and not to the gentiles why was he there in the first place? Why didn’t he want anyone to know he was there? When he did respond to her, why did he tell her he was not sent to for the gentiles and calling her a dog was just a way of saying she did a pagan, a gentile, not part of the family. That is sort of harsh and it would seem Jesus was being mean, which we know he cannot be, so why this response? We might gather from Matthews account that he and his disciples already had left the home as she pursued after them, begging, pleading for Jesus to do something about her daughter. Why did he put her off with this response? We know he had sent his disciples into the gentile world two by two to tell the story. We also know that Jesus is God in the flesh and thus he has all knowledge and already knows what he is going to do, and thus we must assume this is a teaching moment for his disciples as well as for us. It may well be Jesus was teaching that faith is what is needed for him to act on our behalf. In fact, we know that salvation, justification comes to us because we believe, in faith, on the forgiveness of our sin due in whole to the blood of Jesus. We accept him as our Lord and Savior in faith. We have no hard facts, we have no real hard evidence except a book which we also believe in faith, without any evidence, that it is God breathed. This woman, although called a dog by Jesus, responded that even the dogs eat crumbs of the children. As a gentile, a non-Jew she still had faith that Jesus could heal her daughter and this is that teaching moment. Jesus responded in the form we know him to be, filled with compassion and love for all of his creation. He was showing all, even his disciples that true faith in him is needed for everything. He was also demonstrating that he did come for all, that none are turned around, but that all must pursue after him, seeking his power in their lives, it does not come to them freely without their seeking. True faith in him is all that is needed and he will heal us, spiritually, emotionally and yes, even physically. Have faith and believe. 

Being Clean

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

BEING CLEAN

Mark 7:17-23

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") 20 He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" 

NIV

When it comes to food, Jesus is simply talking about the bodily function, and as we can clearly see all food has been declared clean. This could only mean that if we as men place any kind of restriction or restraint on anything we eat or drink for the purpose of appearing holy we are absolutely in defiance of what Jesus said. It might appear that some believers pay far more attention to the appearance of evil by abstaining from certain foods, or beverages than to what goes on in their heart. This list if used for self-examination can be pretty condemning. Jesus was making sure they knew there is no way in their natural strength they could be clean. What man can be completely free of all things on that list? Surely many of those behaviors are not committed in the body of Christ. But Jesus was not listing behaviors; he was enumerating the list of evil thoughts. We may not surely keep ourselves from acting out many of these things, but what about how we think? The point is we cannot ever be totally free of sin, maybe not in deed but surely in thought. Some believers have made the brazen statement, “They do not sin in word, thought, or deed.” That statement alone is sinning, in word, thought and deed. It is arrogant, boastful and prideful not to mention deceitful and full of folly. We simply cannot escape the evil which is within and that is why Jesus came. We can never be clean unless he cleans us, and the way of our cleansing is the cross. His cleansing power is what makes us clean, although we may always be plagued by some of those evil thoughts. Some of them may even be manifested in our behavior from time to time, but we must know we are human and thus subject to failure and that is why we need Jesus. He has said that he has set of free from sin, and that if he did, then we are free indeed. In that he has declared us clean and given us the right to be called sons of God. It is not and never will be based on our words, thoughts, or deeds, but only on what Jesus did for us. We can try to deceive ourselves into thinking we are “Good Christians” because of our adherence to man-made rules and regulations, at least our appearance of adhering to them, but in all reality we will only be made clean by the blood of Christ. Our hope is in Jesus.  

Look Inside First

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

LOOK INSIDE FIRST

Mark 7:14-15

14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" 

NIV

Jesus is certainly continuing to discuss the accusations of the Pharisees about his disciples eating without washing their hands in the traditional ceremonial way. We have heard the phrase, “A little dirt won’t kill you” or something like that, but this is not about dirt, it is about the Pharisees and their extreme adherence to traditions that have no basis in the scriptures. We can make all our lists of do’s and don’ts, we can adhere to all sorts of rules and regulations, abstaining from certain foods, or drinks, types of entertainment or activities considered to be questionable that have been passed down to us from a more puritanical era but has no real basis in the scripture. Where does it actually say, “Do not smoke?” Where does it actually say, “Do not drink wine, or some other ‘adult beverage’?” Where does it actually say, “Do not eat red meat or pork, or sugar, or whatever else we what?” Jesus is making the point here that nothing we eat or drink makes us unclean, but it is the condition of our heart, or mind which makes us unclean. Sure we use that we such not defile our bodies because there are the temple of God. So if we refrain from drinking wine, but judge, accuse or gospel about those who do. Who has defiled their body according to what Jesus just said? Some desire to cling to rules and regulations thinking that is the way to holiness. But it is what is in our heart which makes us holy and it is what we think and say about others which make us unholy. It is back to the beginning again about who should we be following, the traditions of men or the commands of God? When we examine his commands, they are not about what we eat or drink, but about what is in our heart. Jesus said that what we think or what is in our heart is who we actually are (paraphrased). The commands of God deal with who we are on the inside, which is what comes out on the outside. So let us be more concerned with our heart rather than our stomach. Let us be more concerned with our thoughts rather than some rule about what we should or should not eat or drink, or how we should go about eating or drinking. If we desire to be clean, look inside first.

Living Free from Tradition

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

LIVING FREE FROM TRADITION

Mark 7:9-13

9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'   11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." 

NIV

Jesus really hits them right smack in the heart with an example of their disobedience to God in order to adhere to a past down tradition of men. It could not any clearer of a message to them and to us. Tradition has a way of greeting in the way of behavior in a manner which pleases God. So often we think our ways are the right way, because we have been doing them for years, in fact, our forefathers did them the same way. We might have change things a little, but not actually, because we believe this is the way we are supposed to do thing and this is especially true of spiritual activity. Now there have been some changes in the past years to our traditional view of doing church, such as given up on suit and ties, even some of the pastors look like they just rolled out of bed. We also may have changed some of the music, replaced or removed the old pulpit for a table and chair or even completed overhauled the sanctuary all in hopes of making an unbeliever feel more comfortable. That certainly is a break from traditional church, at least in those churches where those changes have happened. But we still believe we have to sing a certain number of songs, sometimes a special number by a group, or the choir, have a time of greeting each other, passing the peace, or whatever, take up an offering, even if we are also making electronic or digital giving possible, and then a message for the believers. We still  adhere to communion once a whatever, and of course we use grape juice because it would not be right to use what Jesus used, our traditional view of alcohol holds us back. We make lists of do’s and don’ts because our forefathers said that is the way to control the way we behave, but it has never worked and it will never work, but it is our tradition so we keep at it. How often do we change our view about what the scripture says? We hold to our traditional interpretation, to the point of printed out our statement of faith, what we believe, and we will never change that, because it has been the tradition of our denomination for many years and it has to be the right way. Is it possible we could have stopped following the Spirit as he leads us into all truth? Is it possible we believe that those before us have found all the truth we will ever need and written it down for us to follow? That may be the purest form of tradition. We must be careful to not do many things like that. We must live in the Spirit, listening and learning each and every day of our lives. God has so much for us, if we would only free ourselves from the traditions of men. 

Of Men or God

DEVOTION

THE GOSEL OF MARK

OF MEN OR GOD

Mark 7:5-8

5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" 6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'   8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." 

NIV

Well there it is in the words of Christ himself. Whenever we begin to cling to the traditions of men instead of the truth of God we are in fact hypocrites. We might try to look good on the outside, doing all the traditional things we think are spiritual so as to have people think we are good Christians yet that may not have anything to do with the truth. As we have already looked at ways that might be considered tradition rather than truth we should focus on letting go of them. There are some of us who seem to get upset whenever there is a change in either the color of the carpet, walls, or alter area. Some get nervous or upset enough to leave a particular church if the music changes from their perception of traditional worship. Some leave because of the change in worship styles or if a new pastor does not preach in the traditional methods. Some have to find a church which conducts service in the traditional manner in order to feel spiritual, when perhaps they have let go of the commands of God in order to hold on to the traditions of men, thinking traditions are the commands of God. We simply have to be careful not to be like those Pharisees. We have to be watchful that we do not get ensnared by traditional thinking. Just because that is the way we have always done it, does not mean that is a command of God. Sure tradition is comfortable. Anytime we become too comfortable in our ways, it is because it is traditional, everything exactly the same every time. Change is not comfortable for some, maybe for most, and breaking from tradition will, most likely, lead to change. But we should be open to the Spirit of God, who will lead us into all truth. He will even direct us as we worship God in spirit and in truth. Perhaps that is why some in the world think us as hypocrites. Maybe we show them our tradition or tell them traditional religion but live entirely another way. Maybe we do live without traditional religious ways then we should express that freedom in Christ to others as well. It is true that we cannot live as the world does, but we can be free of tradition and worship God as he desires. Let us let go of tradition and simply seek God. Let us not follow men, but God.

Truth or Tradition

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

TRUTH OR TRADITION

Mark 7:1-4

7:1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

NIV

Tradition is good in some sense, but it can also be a hindrance to truth. The Pharisees were certainly about adhering to tradition, but what we should be asking is where did all that tradition, all that ceremonial activities comes from. All we know from this passage is tradition coming from the elders. This is meant that it was not part of the written law which Moses recorded from the mouth of God. It is a tradition which was passed down from father to son. Some scholars believe that Moses did indeed tell Joshua and he in turn passed it on to the Judges they to the kings thus it being a pure unwritten law, but in actuality it was but a tradition, with no actual God inspired law which had to be obeyed. It would appear that even today they is much tradition practiced which holds no resemblance to what God desires from us. We have established patterns of worship which may have nothing to do with the truth. We know that we should worship God in spirit and in truth yet certain songs that we sing have some truth, but they also have some false theology within the words. It seems that we have to adhere to the tradition view of how church is conducted, even down to how we think the sanctuary should appear. Some have the traditional view of the need for a cross, some have the tradition of a plan unadorned sanctuary. Those who break from tradition and design a wild or modern area for gathering are seen by some as breaking with tradition, and being unspiritual. We all have some perception of what tradition church should be like, but is any of it based on scripture? Is the way we do church based on truth or tradition, if the answer to that question is the later, than we must ask, if we are in any other way similar to the Pharisees? Do we hold on to what we think the elders did? What made the elders right if there was no written law to follow? We must seek God in spirit and in truth, keeping tradition simply for what it is. So we must always be aware of truth or tradition. 

Touch him

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

TOUCH HIM AND BE HEALED

Mark 6:53-56

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.   56 And wherever he went — into villages, towns or countryside — they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

NIV

As soon as they got out of the boat, people knew it was Jesus. How did they know? Id he did have some kind of standard bearer, with a special flag, like kings and emperors did? Did his disciples declare him to all the people, “Make way for the Lord”? Most likely their arrival to the other side was not with a big fanfare, but his reputation was growing, and people all over were talking about Jesus, and describing him to others, telling about his miracles, and about his healing sick people. The whole area was beginning to develop hope in the power of Jesus. Sure it was only about getting healed, they still did not understand what he had really come for. But they were still coming to him, begging to just touch the helm of his garment. They surely must have heard about the woman who was healed by this method. Already they were organizing about how to get healed, a method was started. Had they missed anything? Yet the point here may be about the method used to get healed, but about the fact they recognized him and knew his power to heal. Have we missed anything? Have we developed methods of worship, methods of doing church, methods of being a Christian when we simply need to recognize Jesus and who he and his power to heal? Maybe we should be running throughout our community bringing the sick to Jesus. Maybe we should just be running throughout our community bringing people to Jesus, let him heal them, both physically and spiritually. It doesn’t seem that anyone objected being brought on a mat so Jesus could touch them. Why do so many people object coming to Jesus today? Maybe they simply do not believe us about Jesus. Maybe they really don’t see the power of Jesus in our lives. Maybe they see us as just like them, but only being a little hypocritical because we claim to be good people, believers, Christians but there is no evidence of the power of Jesus in our lives. Maybe it they recognized Jesus they would come running to be healed. Have we lost sight ourselves of the power of Jesus? Maybe we actually need to reach out and touch Jesus. Surely all who touch him are healed. 

It is I

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

IT IS I

Mark 6:50-52

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."  51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

NIV

Whenever life brings us a storm of any kind it can be a frightening experience. Sometimes we might think that we are all alone in certain difficult times. Sometimes we may not feel that anyone really cares about our troubles. The casual, “I’ll pray for you” even if it is well meaning, just doesn’t seem comforting or even genuine, to bring us any peace. Some storms are so severe it seems as though we are going to be drown by them. Worry, anxiety, fear and even depression can set in before we even know it. But we must never forget that the watchful eyes of Jesus sees us in the midst of the storm and comes to our rescue. He arrives with the words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbs in with us in the very center of our experience and everything becomes calm. Should we also be amazed that Jesus can calm our storms? Even though the disciples had been with him for some time now and seen all the miracles and healings that he had done, they still were not understanding that he was of a divine nature, that he was the Messiah, the anointed one, the Savior of all mankind, the actual Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin girl, the fulfillment of all the prophesies. But we do, we know all that, so why would we be amazed that Jesus shows up in the midst of some storm we are experiencing? Because we know Jesus and have accepted him as our Savior does not mean we will not have a storm or two in our life, after all it was Jesus who sent them out there in the first place. Because he is all knowing, he must have known what was going to happen to them and that it would be a teaching moment in their lives. They were never in any real danger, but nevertheless it was a storm. When we face those times in life where it seems hopeless, we must remember to take courage and not be afraid, for Jesus is with us. We might still be in the middle of the lake, but it is now calm. No storm is too powerful for Jesus to calm. No trouble is so great that Jesus cannot bring us courage to face it head on for he said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

In The Darkest Hour

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

IN  THE DARKEST HOUR

Mark 6:47-50

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

NIV

Mark leaves out the part about Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water until he starts to sink. We cannot be sure why Mark leaves all that out, but it is for a specific reason. How big was this lake that Jesus could see them struggling against the wind? They were in the middle of the lake and it with the fourth watch, being from 3am to 6am, so we have to know it was very dark out there on the lake. How did Jesus see them? Of course the answer is so simply, Jesus is in fact the Son of God, one of the three persons of the Divine trinity. He has supernatural powers beyond mortal man it would seem; after all he came to them walking on the water. Is this all about revealing this truth of who Jesus really is? What about when he said we would do even greater things then he did? From Matthews account we do know Peter got out of the boat and walked in the water. Does that imply if we had enough faith we could also walk on the water? Surely this is not about water walking. These men may not have quite understand just who Jesus is and he was revealing himself to them in a way so they could see the power of God at work in him and what was available to them. We know from the rest of the story they really did not understand about the five loaves and two fish miracle, so this might have been a way for them to get the picture of who Jesus was. Do we really understand who Jesus is? Of course we have a whole lot of the record of his life and activities while here on earth, if fact, we even know that he was there during the creation. We also know he is back with the Father and he is preparing a place for us. We also know he is coming back for us. We know a lot about Jesus, but do we actually know who he is? Has he revealed himself to us in a way we really understand? Do we believe because we just believe or do we believe because Jesus has revealed himself to us? Maybe if we saw Jesus in the way the disciples did, we would be terrified as well. Have we become too familiar with Jesus, with God, that we are not terrified by his power? We always focus on the love of God, but we must also know of his mighty power and that no matter how dark the hour is he has his watchful eye upon us. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. It is true that Jesus used his mighty power to come to their rescue, and that is a display of his mighty powerful love for them and for us as well. We have to know that Jesus is there keeping watch over us, ready to come to our rescue even in our darkest hour. 

Alone with God

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

ALONE WITH GOD

Mark 6:45-46

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

NIV

All the fanfare if over, all the teaching that can be taught is done, the big miracle of multiplying the five loaves and two fish is finished, all have eaten the full and the day in done. It appears even Jesus is a bit exhausted from being with so many people and having to be their shepherd. It is a huge drain on anyone to be expected to be “On” al; the time. It was now time that Jesus needed to be alone with his Father and spend some time with him. So He sent his disciples ahead, dismissed the crowd, told them all it was time to go home for the night, the show was over. We really do not know exactly what he said to all the people to get them to leave, but the point here is that Jesus needed time with his Father. We could certainly learn something from Jesus about spending time with our Father. It is great to be about his business, doing all the ministry stuff. It is a good thing to serve others, both in the church as well in our communities. Most of us are in some sense social beings, in need of being around others, doing things, being busy with all sorts of good activities, sharing ideas, thoughts, working side by side, feeling good about being part of the team, contributing to the common good of all. Some of us are a little more reserved, stand offish, not so involved in team efforts, but nevertheless trying to be about our Father’s business in our own way. But how much time do we actually spend alone, withdrawn from all the crowds, all the activity and seeking private personal time with God. When we are with others, we might be concerned about how we are perceived by them. Do they look up to us? Do they think we are smart? Do they look to us for leadership, or are we just they to be one of the followers? Are our ideas accepted as valid, or are they dismissed. Are we even liked or just tolerated? Do people respect us for we are or do they expect more of us then who we are? We might get tired, weary from trying to do good, be the person others think we should be. But when we are alone with God, all those concerns must be put aside, for it is just us and God, and that relationship is perfectly defined. He is God and we are his sons and daughters. His love for us is absolute, He accepts us just as we are, with all out faults, all our sin, all our failures, and he desires nothing but the very best for us. When we get away from everything else that consumes our time, our energy and our very being, God is there to refresh, to restore our soul. We just have to remember that doing all that we do is good, and even some of those things are better, but getting alone with God is best. We need to get alone with God. 

Bring it to JEsus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

BRING IT TO JESUS

Mark 6:38-44

When they found out, they said, "Five — and two fish." 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

NIV

Although this is the story of Jesus multiplying the five loaves of bread and the two fish into enough food for over five thousand, maybe even ten thousand, for the men were the only ones in the count given, there is a truth in here that cannot be ignored. Yes we could say that if we give Jesus our bread and fish he might make it into more, but that is really unlikely in our world today, or is it? But the truth here is that fact that what the disciples found and brought to Jesus he made more of it, more than what was actually needed. What can we bring to Jesus for him to make more of? We could think it would be our money; the church surely makes that one of the issues. Of course the church does need money to function that is a fact. Although some television preachers have said that we need to trust God for our finances, so give our money to them. Why can’t they trust God like we are supposed to? But the point here is that whatever we bring Jesus he will multiply and make more of it. It would appear that would include us. When we come to Jesus and give him all of us, he will pray over us and make us into more than what we were. Whatever talent or ability we have, he will increase it, if we bring it to him. We cannot hoard our talents, our gifts, our abilities, especially the ones he gave us in the first place. We must bring them to him. If we think we do not have enough money, time, talents, or abilities if we bring them to Jesus he will make more of them than is needed, there will even be leftovers. This may be a difficult truth to grab a hold of, to wrap out minds around, or to embrace. The world tells us to store up, to be self-centered, to be looking out for number one, to be motivated by self-achievement, even in our service to others, so that we are lifted up in our humanity. But Jesus simply asks us to go and find what we have and bring it to him. The greatest thing we have is ourselves. Beyond all the wealth and material possession we own, is our own self. Who we are, who God made us to be will be increased. When we come to Jesus he will make us more of what God intended us to be. We must let Jesus break us, pray over us and give us out so others may be fed. Has he not told us to feed his sheep? We need to bring it to Jesus.

Go and See

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

GO AND SEE

Mark 6:35-38

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" 38 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."

NIV

The beginning of the story of five loaves and two fish starts out with a little bit of a discussion between Jesus and his disciples about how all these people are going to eat dinner. We know for sure there was no fast food places anywhere around, in fact, there wasn’t anything around, as they were in a remote place. Jesus had been teaching all these people, as we saw before, they were like sheep without a shepherd so he was being a shepherd to them, feeding them the very words that proceed from the mouth of God. But now another teaching moment comes for his disciples. They are actually thinking about these people and their material needs, such as eating. That seems to be a good thing to care about the needs of others. We might think as long as Jesus was teaching everyone, including his disciples, would simply sit and listen, soaking up as much as possible, but his disciples thought about eating. Maybe they were a  bit jealous and wanted Jesus for themselves since that was supposed to be the plan, for Jesus to take them to a remote place to eat and rest from their excellent adventure of preaching, driving out demons and healing people. In either case they wanted Jesus to release all the people so they could go away and but food. Jesus took the opportunity to press the issue, to teach his disciples more. He simply told them to feed them. The one thing we don’t spend much time thinking about is the idea that the group had that much money in their possession to buy enough to feed all the people. Did Jesus and his disciples have eight months wages in their possession? Maybe Jesus had chased in all that Gold, incense and myrrh from those wise men. We simply do not know about the treasury, other than Judas at some point is in charge of it. Nevertheless, having Jesus tell them to feed them surely set them back a bit. After their response he simply asks, well, how many loaves do you have with you now? Jesus had a plan, he always has a plan, all we have to do is get on aboard with his plan. He was going to reveal it, of course we already know it, but his disciples did not know the plan yet. But as he requested for them to go and see how much they had on hand, they did, even knowing full well it was not going to be enough. The teaching moment has arrived. Even though in the material it seems useless to follow the plan of Jesus, they went and looked to see how much they had. We might learn that same lesson. We might think in the natural that we do not have enough for whatever is needed, but if Jesus says go see how much you have, and I will make it more than enough, if you will only be willing to give it to me. We are getting ahead of the teaching here, as for now we only need to know we need to go and see. We need to follow through on what Jesus asks, or tells us to do, no matter if we thinking according to the natural and cannot see what Jesus is going to do. That is what faith is all about. Maybe it is going to cost us something, but we have to go and see what we have, Jesus is going to bring a miracle into being. So let’s go and see.