Category Archives: Mark

Day Forty-Three with Mark: Mark 11:15-19

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Today we look at one of the more well know passages in the Bible, Mark 11:15-19, where Jesus cleanses the temple.

15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written,

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a den of robbers.”
18 And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19 And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

835_1.jpgOk, let’s unpack what is happening here.  In the Old Testament there were prescribed offerings to made for sin.  But, most people, even back then, didn’t have sheep in their backyard.  So, shepherds and others would bring the sheep, the bulls, the sparrows, all the things prescribed for offerings to the Temple where they could be sold.

Ok, that sounds simple enough.  But here’s the thing.   The Temple treasury wouldn’t accept Roman money, because it had Ceaser on it, and he claimed to be divine.  So, before you purchase your bull or goat or sparrow, you had to exchange your Roman money for Temple money that you could then use to buy your animal for the sacrifice.

And of course, these “money changers” would gouge the people coming to worship.

And that’s the thing that angered, yes, angered Jesus.  Here were people that were coming to worship, and everyone was standing in their way.  Everyone was profiting off of them.  The people that God had sent to them to be a means by which they could worship and experience God these individuals were only using the people as a means to gain themselves.

And this really did make Jesus mad.  One of the many things He did was that He welcomed people in, over and over again.  And here are those that should be helping others worship, instead they are making it hard and just using folks.

And so Jesus hits the reset button.

Jesus cleans it all out.

Because people matter most. That’s what Jesus is saying.  That’s why Jesus is doing.  That’s what Jesus is trying communicate.

People matter.

Today, let’s work to help people know Jesus.  Let’s show grace, let’s show mercy, let’s open doors, let’s be difference makers.

Let’s pull folks in, not push folks away.

Tuesday we’ll look at Mark 11:20-33.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Forty-Two with Mark: Mark 11:12-14

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Today in Mark we look at Mark 11:12-14:

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Lunea-Mare-229x300.jpgThis short passage is one of those one’s that can be difficult for us understand.  This passage is also told to us in Matthew 21:18-22.  In this passage we see Jesus come upon a fig tree and condemn it for not having any fruit.

One of the things that is confusing it that He condemns it for not having any fruit, even though it is not the season for fruit.  Why did He do that?  This is one of those cultural understandings that we talked about yesterday.  While it was not in season, it did have leaves.  And normally when a tree had leaves it would have fruit as well.  It was not uncommon for a tree to produce fruit, even out of season, when it had leaves.

So, from a distance you would have assumed that it would have fruit, all the signs were there.

And this gets to the bigger point of what Jesus is doing here.  Throughout scripture, the fig is often understood to be symbolic for Israel; for the Old Covenant.  One of the commands that God had given was to be a light to the world, and that command was being fulfilled in descendant of David – Jesus Christ.

Just as the fig tree was not longer going to produce fruit, now the Old Covenant of the Law was going to be replaced by the New Covenant of Grace.  Something new was coming.

The old was passing away.  The new was coming.

In Jesus Christ, God was fulfilling all the Old Covenant and all the promises of the Old Testament.  And was doing something new what would change everything.

The fig tree is symbolic of that.

Today, what new thing is God doing in our lives?  What promises is He wanting to fulfill? Where is God wanting to bring forth life?

Today, may we keep our eyes open to what God wants to do.  And may we follow.

Friday we’ll look at Mark 11:15-19.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Forty-One with Mark: Mark 11:1-11

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Today in our walk through Mark, we look at Mark 11:1-11, the Triumphal Entry, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday:

11 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Triumphal-entryOne of the things that we miss here in the West when we read the Bible is that we read it through eyes that are American.  We see things sort of as we see them here.  An example of this for me personally is when I read about Jesus going into the wilderness to be tempted, me being someone that grew up in south Mississippi, when I thought of wilderness, I thought of trees.  It’s just what I pictured in my mind when I thought of wilderness.

Well, when you go to Israel you see that the wilderness that Jesus was tempted in wasn’t trees and forest it the most dreary and desolate desert that you’ll ever see.  Understanding the land and the context really helps you to understand the Word.

Today’s passage is another one that understanding the context really helps you understand.  We see in this Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, and think of conquering western kings or armies parading into town on the back of a horse or coming in great triumph.

So we see Jesus do this and think – oh, look at Jesus’ humility!  Now, it is true that Jesus is humble, but that’s not what is happening here.  Jesus is not being humble, in coming into town on a donkey, in fact He’s doing just the opposite.  He’s declaring Himself as king.

The triumphal entry is an act of humbleness, sure, but in that context it’s an act of kingly humility. It’s the act of a king.

If someone ever tells you that Jesus never declared Himself as the Messiah, point right to this passage.  That’s exactly what He is doing here.  He is telling everyone who He is.  He is king.

And notice the reaction from the people.  They call Him the one that is to to come from David.  They understood what was happening.  They understood what Jesus was saying.

They understood that He was king.

But, what we will see is that He was not the king that they were expecting.

Today, though, we see Jesus getting the praise and worship that He deserves.  We see Jesus as king.

May He be king in our lives as well.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 11:12-14.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Forty with Mark: Mark 10:46-52

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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Now we are entering into the time of Advent, getting ready for Christmas.  During this season, may our eyes, our ears, our hearts, all that we are be looking for the grace of Christ in each moment!

Today we look at Mark 10:46-52:

46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Blind Bartimaeus alteredToday we see Jesus heal Bartimaeus, we see Jesus restore his sight. And when we read this passage, there are a couple of things that stand out to me.  First, notice what the man calls Jesus.  Son of David.  Jesus is called Son of God a lot in the Bible.  He calls Himself Son of Man a lot as well.  But this is a unique title that is telling.

Bartimaeus, in calling Jesus Son of David, understand that He is the one that is to come from the line of David.  The Messiah is to be a descendant of David.  Bartimaeus is speaking the truth, Jesus is the one that is to come from David’s line. But here’s the thing.  The Messiah, the Son of David, that they were looking for was a political king that would drive out the Romans and establish that earthly kingdom like David.

So, yes, Bartimaeus was right in knowing who Jesus was.  But he was wrong in understanding what Jesus was here to do.  He made assumptions about who Jesus was.  And he missed what Jesus was wanting to do.

Let’s not make the same mistake.

Second, notice that once again Jesus heals someone’s sight. Someone is able to see because of what Jesus has done.

One thing to always remember in the Gospels when Jesus heals the blind and restores sight, He isn’t just restoring physical sight.  He’s restoring the ability to see spiritually.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4 it says:

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Without Christ, we may be able to “see” but we can’t see.  The sight that Jesus provides is more than physical.  It’s spiritual.  Jesus grace (we in the United Methodist tradition call this grace prevenient) restores our ability to see.  To know.  To understand.  Jesus’ grace, given to all, allows us to choose, to follow, or to reject.  To not follow.  Not all that Jesus healed followed Him.

But when He restores our sight through His grace, we can see.  We can choose.  We can follow.  We can see.

Today, may we allow His grace into our lives, may we see.  And may we follow Him, wherever He calls!

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 11:1-11.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Nine with Mark: Mark 10:32-45

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Like Wednesday to get a better picture of what Jesus is doing, let’s look at two stories together, Mark 10:32-34 and then verses 35-45:

32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34 they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.”

The Request of James and John
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus-washing-feetWhat we see here is two contrasting ideals, and Jesus trying to reconcile them.  We see Jesus teaching about what must happen, that He must suffer and die to save the people from their sins.  His purpose is to teach us to love, to care, to serve, to forgive and ultimate go to the cross (and the empty grave) for our sins.

Jesus is teaching them that.  But they aren’t getting it.

Then we see in the second portion James and John trying to wiggle their way into being the greatest in the kingdom.  And Jesus says, (paraphrasing) guys, you are missing the point here.

Your life, your greatness, it doesn’t come from power or prestige or titles.  It comes from serving.  The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.  That is the path He walks.  And that is path that He calls us to walk.

Serve. We are not like the world.  It is “not so among us.”  We’ve got to be different.  The only way that we change the world is to be different.  The only way that we can make a difference in the hardened hearts of this world is through service.  To love God and love our neighbor.

That’s what Jesus calls us to.  That’s the path to greatness for us a Christians.  Not in power.  But in service.

Today, and in this soon to be Advent season, may we live out that love of God.  May we serve.

Monday we’ll look at Mark 10:46-52.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Eight with Mark: Mark 10:17-31

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Today in Mark we look at Mark 17-31:

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

This is another one of those passages that have a lot going on it in it.  Let’s break down what’s happening

richyoungrulerFirst, we see the rich young man.  Here’s the take away from him.  He was arrogant and thought he had it all together.  He was coming to Jesus for affirmation more than for instruction.  He thought he had all the answers already.

How do we know this?  When Jesus tells him the commandments, he says, I’ve done all this.  We also see this in Jesus initial greeting to him, when the man calls Jesus good, Jesus reframes it, saying no one is good but God.  And then youth man basically says – nope, I’m good too!  This young man things He has it all together and everything is great.  And he’s missing the point.

Because next we see Jesus’ response.  He loved him.  He wasn’t mad at him.  Jesus wasn’t trying to punish him.  He was trying to set him free.  His “stuff” had trapped him and made him a prisoner.  Jesus was trying to set him free for real life, because He loved him.  But Jesus’ words weren’t what the man wanted to hear.  Or what the disciples.  wanted to hear.

See because in that culture,  wealth = blessing.  So, if this rich man lacked what was needed to get into heaven, then who could get in?  If he couldn’t make it, then what chance did a regular person have.  We see Peter ask this, Lord, what about us?  We’ve left everything to follow you.

And Jesus says, and you’ve found true life.  True life is in following God.  Not in following the world or following power or privilege or anything like.  True life is in following Jesus.  Even if it costs, it gives you life.

Because He is life. And if we “lose” something to follow, we actually gain.  Because we gain life.

Today, may we seek after true life.  May we seek after Jesus.

Friday we’ll look at Mark 10:32-44.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Seven with Mark: Mark 9:42-50

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Sorry for missing last week!  My week began with me not feeling well and then spiraled out of control from there!  Thanks for your patience, we are back up and going this week.

Today we close out Mark 9 by looking at verses 42-50:

42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.  45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.  47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.  50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Today in this passage Jesus speaks with some great hyperbole.  He says if you hand causes you to sin, cut it off!  If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out!  If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off!

sin-kills1Is Jesus advocating mutilation?  No, He is not doing that.  Across scripture, we see that the body is good and we are called to take care of it. By the way, real quick, when the Bible talks about “the flesh” it isn’t talking about our literal body, it’s talking about the sinful desires that we all have.  The “body” is good, it was created good.  But after the fall, our desires were corrupted.  So, when you hear “flesh” in scripture, know it’s not talking about the actual body, but the sinful desire.

The point Jesus is making here is this, sin is a big deal.  It really is.  It is destructive.  It hurts.  It causes pain, it causes ripples.  It hurts you, it hurts others.  Don’t, through your actions, cause others to fall.  Especially one of the little ones.

I spend a lot of time talking about grace, because it all comes down to grace.  Everything.  But we need to be aware of the power of sin.  Sin is destructive.  Sin is harmful.  Sin hurts so many, it hurts us, it hurts others, it hurts our walk with God.

Jesus is saying here, because with sin.  Sin is not a play thing.  It is not something to be ignored.  It is something to take seriously.  It is something to be aware of.  Don’t ignore it, don’t play with it, don’t think it’s not a big deal.

It is.  It is destructive.  So, better to get rid of something that allow sin to run wild.

So, while maybe we don’t need to cut off a hand or a foot, is something in our lives we need to “cut” off or get rid of?  Because if something is causing us or leading us to sin, it’s not a good thing.  It’s a destructive, bad thing.

Today, may we look within and find the things that are destructive to us, to our souls, and to others.  And may God give us the grace to get rid of them within our lives!

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 10:1-12.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Six with Mark: Mark 9:38-41

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Today we look at Mark 9:38-41 and we see Jesus tell us about how we can work together as different churches:

Another Exorcist
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

around-the-crossToday we see Jesus giving us a picture of what “church” should be like. We see the disciples saying, we saw people casting out demons in Jesus name, but they weren’t part of their group. And they tried to stop them, because they weren’t part of their group.

And Jesus says no.  If they do good my name (in other words, through me) then they can’t be against me.  In other words, if they are part of Jesus, but not part of us, you know what?  It’s ok.  Jesus’ team, Jesus kingdom is bigger than just you and me.  It’s bigger than just my local church.  Or my denomination.  Or those that worship like I do.  Or believe exactly like me.  Or have my theology.

Jesus team is made up of all those that believe in Him and part of Him.  Even if they aren’t “part” of our group.  Because you know what?  If they are in Christ, they are part of us.

Through Jesus, we are one.  Even if we disagree or have differences of opinions.  If we are in Jesus, we are one.

Imagine what we could do as Christians if we all worked together.  Imagine what could happen in our communities, our world, everywhere, if we all worked together in Jesus name.  We could (and we can) change the world.

Look at the good that was being done.  In Jesus name.

Today, may all of us that are in Jesus name, may we work together for the same goal, the same purpose, the same plan, the same savior.

May we all, no matter what group we are part of, work for Jesus!

Monday we’ll look at Mark 9:42-50.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Six with Mark: Mark 9:30-37

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When you read the Gospels consistently, you begin to really get a picture for who Jesus is and see some real things begin to emerge.  Listen to what we read in Mark 9:30-37:

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?
33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

follow-JESUS1When you read about Jesus, from beginning to end of a Gospel, you see what matters to Him, what is truly important, what is essential.  And here’s the deal.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God.  So when we see Jesus, we see who God is.

Who do we see today, and who have we seen?

Today, we see in Jesus that He knows He must die for the sins of the world.  When you read the Gospels, this is impossible to miss.  He tells them and teaches them that over and over again, and until after the resurrection, they never fully understood it.  But He continued to teach it.  He continued to point to it.  He continued to stress it to His followers.  He must be betrayed, be killed, and be raised again.

It is all heading towards the resurrection.  We can not take this part out of Jesus teaching. It is what it is all headed towards.  That is unmissable in the Gospels.

But look what else is unmissable.  In 33-37, he teaches that to be great in the kingdom of God, we have to be humble.  We have to serve.  We have to understand that it’s not about what we get, but what we give.  It’s about being the servant of all, not seeking power.  It’s about laying down our lives for His sake.

Those things are right there in front of us in the text today, and they are right there in front of us in the Gospels.  They are right there in front of us in the life of Jesus.

And as Christians, we are called to follow in the way of Jesus.  That means laying down our lives.  That means being humble.  That means serving. And that means understand that Jesus died and was raised for me.  And for you.  For all of us.  For the sake of the world.

These things are all over the Gospel.  And let’s not get so busy reading about Jesus that we forget what truly mattered and was important to Jesus.

He laid down His life to redeem us.  And He calls us to love and serve others.  Those things are in the forefront of Jesus’ ministry.  May they be in the forefront of our lives.

Friday we’ll look at Mark 9:38-41.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Thirty-Five with Mark: Mark 9:14-29

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Today we take a look at Mark 9:14-29, where Jesus heals a young boy:

The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” 19 He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 26 After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 28 When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.”

Today we see Jesus heal another child that is possessed by an evil spirit, something we see quite a lot of, especially in Mark.  There are a couple of words of reminder about evil or demonic spirits I want to give when we read texts like this. First, remember, scripture is clear, they are out there, they do exist. But, let us not become overly consumed or worried about them. That is not helpful.  CS Lewis said this in his book The Screwtape Letters:

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

exorcism_0So yes, there is evil out there, but no, it is not stronger than Jesus.

Two things that I think are of great interest in this text are the notion of faith and prayer.  Notice Jesus’ seeming frustration with the lack of faith displayed by everyone involved in this.  No one is able to heal the boy, it seems as though it is at an end.  The father says to Jesus, if you can heal, and Jesus says all things are possible for those that believe.

Then the father has one of my favorite statements in all of scripture.  Lord I believe, help my unbelief.  How often have we all felt like that?  How often have we said I know you can do it Lord, but help me believe.

Belief and faith are not an on/off switch.  When we flip it, doesn’t always stay there. We can believe, but still struggle with doubt and fear and worry. We can have great faith, but still have areas of our life that struggle to trust in.  We can be this father.  Lord I believe, but help my unbelief.

Today, may your faith be stronger than your doubts.  Hold fast to faith.  Hold on.  Jesus can do it. Believe.  Trust.  Hope.  Don’t doubt, only belief.  Give your doubts, your worries, your fears, give them to Jesus.  He can hold them, He can help them.

Trust.

And the second thing that stands out to me is the conversation the disciples have with Jesus following.  They want to know why they couldn’t heal the boy, and Jesus says some things can only be done with great prayer.  Prayer is always the first things that we should do as Christians.  Not the last.

Prayer must always be our frist resort, not our last.  Prayer must be the frist thing that we turn to, not the last.  We have to start all things, all things with prayer.  Jesus says the only way that you can bring forth healing in this situation is through prayer.

Do we pray first?  We have to.  We must.  It’s the only way that we’ll have the power to be faithful.

Prayer.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 9:30-37.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

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