Tag Archives: Faith

Our Last Day with Mark: Mark 16:9-20

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Today we are finishing up our time with Mark.  You can go through and read all our reflections on Mark here on my blog, you can group them under the category Mark below and catch up.  Friday we’ll do a reading from our Daily Readings, and I’ll be thinking about what is next.

The Longer Ending of Mark

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
9 [[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples
12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Jesus Commissions the Disciples
14 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Ascension of Jesus
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.]]

the-gospel-of-mark1We talked Monday about why Chapter 16 is made it like it is, with the notations of the different manuscripts.  Today, we see these last few verses in Mark are in four different sections, and only one of them really makes us go, huh?

The first section – 9-10, Jesus appears to Mary, just as it happens in other Gospels. The first person to see Jesus after the resurrection was Mary. She was dedicated to Him, she loved Him, and she came to help prepare His body for final burial.  And she was the first one to proclaim the resurrection.  She was the first of many throughout the ages to tell others that Jesus is alive.  She was the first to share that Good News.  But notice, they didn’t believe her.

Second, 12-13, what sounds very similar to the walk to Emmaus in Luke.  In Luke’s Gospel we see a fuller picture of what happened here, two followers were walking to the village of Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them, explained how all the scriptures point to Him, to His death, and resurrection, but they didn’t recognize Him.  It wasn’t until they arrived at the village, and they broke bread together that they realized it was Jesus.  So, they go and tell others, but notice, just like in the section before, they didn’t believe them.

Third, 14-18, Jesus appears to the Disciples.  Ok, here there are some things that make us go, wait, what?  We see a similar end to what we see in Matthew, with Jesus sending them out with the great commission. But we see something unique to Mark.  We see that they will have signs of great power, they will be able to drink poison, handle snakes, speak in tongues, other such things.  What are we to do this?

First, it is in the Bible.  One of my professors in seminary always told us that we can’t just ignore passages of scripture that confuse us or that we don’t like.  They are in the Bible.  This ending of Mark is what is found most common in the manuscripts that the Bible comes from (I unpack a lot this Monday), but know, it is the Bible.  So, I believe that those that follow Jesus, we can face amazing things, things that would kill others, and survive.  I believe we have power that the world does not possess.  Now notice, it didn’t say that we should necessarily go looking for trouble or for these things. But if they come, we will have more power than we think is even possible.

So, I’m not going to go out handling snakes. But, I do believe in miracles.  And I do believe that as Christians, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we may not understand all that God does through us, He can and does do amazing things through us.  We are filled with the very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.  Trust.  Hope.  Beleive.

Don’t be like those initial disciples.  Have faith.

Fouth, 19-20, the ascension.  We see Jesus ascend to heaven, where He sits at God’s right hand, praying for us, encouraging us, interceding for us.  Remember, you always have someone on your side, someone pulling for you, someone that loves you, someone that cares for you, someone there for you.  Jesus.  He is at the right hand of the Father.  On your team.  Never forget that.

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 Fifty-Five with Mark: Mark 14:53-64

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I’m back from the Holy Land and our devotionals will return on their normal schedule.  I hope you all had a Happy New Year as well.  One question for you, we are close to finishing Mark, what would you like to do next?  I am either going to return to the format that I have done for years, reflecting upon a passage from the Morning Office (or some other daily lectionary) or I may do another book of the Bible.  Any feedback?  Let me know what you think!

Today we are going to look at Mark 14:53-64:

53 They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. 54 Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. 56 For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 But even on this point their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 61 But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 Jesus said, “I am; and
‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power,’
and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. 65 Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.

Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-32-_-_Christ_before_CaiaphasOne of the things that you always take away from going to the Holy Land is the reality of all that Jesus went through for our sake.  You see the places where He was abused, where He was mocked, where He was spit upon.

You see places, just like what is described here, where these things happened.

We like to skip ahead the good part.  The resurrection, the victory, all that is to come. But, in doing that, we cause the “good part” to lose part of its power.  When you see all that Jesus went through, the power of the empty grave is even more amazing!  He overcame ALL of this!  Don’t rush through the tough parts to get to the victory.

When confronted with the reality of Jesus’ suffering, it’s easy for us to look past it.  Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked here, we tell ourselves.

But it was.  It was as tough as it seems here.  In fact, it would have been even worse than we could have imagined.  And that hurts.  That’s painful.  We don’t like to think about what Jesus went through for us, it’s too painful.

I think, for me, one of the reasons it can be difficult is when I see the lengths of faithfulness of our savior, I compare it to how easy I want everything to be.  I don’t want to struggle.  I don’t want these challenges.  I want it to all be calm waters.

But that’s not the way that life works.  The challenges, the tough times, that’s most when we see the power of Jesus.

Don’t rush through the tough parts of the Bible. And don’t rush through the tough parts of our lives.  In those valleys, in those trials, that most often when we see the power of God.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 14:66-72.

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 Fifty with Mark: Mark 13

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A few housekeeping notes.  I’ll be doing this studies through Wednesday this week, with a special Christmas Eve one on Thursday. And next week will look (mostly) normal, but then there won’t be one for a few weeks, I’ll be on a trip to Israel with a group, but while in Israel I’m going to share updates about what we’ve seen.  Just wanted to let you know where things are going the next few weeks.

The next few days we’ll be looking at Chapter 13.  Click here to read it.

Mark 13 121This is one of the apocalyptic parts of Mark’s Gospel. Some of what is happening in this passage is referring to the destruction fo the Temple in 70 AD while other parts of the text are talking about the second coming. Which parts are which? That’s a great question. . . .

That’s one of the things with apocalyptic works, is that it’s not always clear which is which. That’s why there is so much debate of what passages like this mean, because no one really is sure about timeline and when things will happen. Jesus actually makes this point today in this passage.

So today, I want to make a few observations from this text that may be helpful for our daily living. For me, that’s the tool I use the most with passages like this. Let’s look at the big picture, what can we see from a big perspective, what makes sense on a big level. Here are some big points to understand within this text.

First, we are told several times, don’t be afraid. You’ll see things that are happening that worry you; that scare you. Don’t be afraid. Over and over in scripture that is one of the primary messages of the Bible. Don’t be afraid. Even when things are bad or scary or worrisome. Don’t be afraid. God has this. God is at work. Good things are coming. No matter how dark and bleak it may look, don’t lose hope. God is at work. Things will get better.

The second thing is the reason number one is important. There will be troubles. In this passage Jesus says several times, it will be tough. It will. There will be troubles. The Christian life is not a life of protection from harm. The Christian life is not a life of protection from trouble. There will be trials and troubles and fears and worries. The Christian life is a something that magically keeps this way. In fact, sometimes quite the opposite. The more faithful you may be the more troubles you may face.

But remember point one. Don’t be afraid. God has this. God is at work. Don’t be afraid. God is with us. All will be well. Don’t be afraid.

The third observation is this – be alert. Jesus tells us to pay attention in life. I think this means not just to things concerning His return, but to all of life. Don’t sleepwalk through life. Look around. Pay attention. Where is God at work? Where is God moving? What is God doing? Where does God want you to plug into His works? Let’s pay attention today!

And last, in regards to His return, He says no one knows the hour or date. Only the Father. For me, this renders any group or organization that says – it’s going to happen on _______ invalid because Jesus plainly say, no one will know. Are we closer to His return? Yes, every day we live we are a day closer. And for us a believers, His return is a good thing, a place with no more death, fear, sin, sickness, none of the destructive things of this world.

So, going back to point one – do not be afraid!

We’ll look a little more in depth tomorrow at Chapter 13.

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-Six with Mark: Mark 12:13-17

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Today in Mark we look at Mark 12:13-17:

13 Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” 16 And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

tiberiusToday we look at Jesus’ famous teaching “give to Ceaser that which si Ceaser’s.”  The NRSV has it give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s.  But what is Jesus really talking about here?

The first thing to notice in this text is  the reason why they are coming to Jesus at all.  It isn’t to learn from Him or seek His wisdom.  They are coming to test him.  But Jesus knew this.  He knew they weren’t really coming to seek wisdom or be drawn closer to God.

They wanted to trap Him and ensure that they would have reason to incite the crowd against Him.

Perhaps that is why they are so amazed at His answer.  He gave the perfect answer, one that was the truth of the situation, while also robbing them of their ability to turn the crowd against Him.

It was a useful straw man argument to talk about not paying taxes.  The point the religious leaders were making was that Ceasar claimed to be a god and shouldn’t a good Jew refuse to honor a false deity.  The argument they were framing was more about idolatry than taxes.  The cultural point of their argument was to pay that tax was to basically honor a false God.

But the thing was, they didn’t believe this. They didn’t actually believe this point they were making.  The Herodians gained their status from King Herod, who was a king appoint by, and who was loyal to, Ceaser, who the false God they were talking about. So their own allegiance and belief showed they didn’t believe in the point they were making, they were just trying to mess with Jesus.

The point for us in this, is this, why and how to do we come to Jesus?  Do we come for wisdom and help?  Do we come with a sincere heart?  They did not. And they didn’t truly see Jesus.

Notice how Jesus answers this question.  He takes the money and say, whos’s face is on it?  Ceaser’s.  So, this money came from Him, it’s not from God anyway.  So, give to Ceaser what he is due.  The money wasn’t from God, it was from Rome, so give it back to them.

So, give to Ceaser what is Ceasers.  We should be good citizens. We are told all through scripture to be good citizens.  Respect authority.  Pray for our leaders.  Be good citizens of our nation.

But most importantly, give to God what is God’s.  And in all things, give God glory.

Tuesday we’ll look at Mark 12:18-27.

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-Five with Mark: Mark 12:1-12

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Today in Mark, we look at Mark 12:1-12:

Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
12 When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.

cornerstone-720x340Philip Yancey wrote a book many years ago entitled The Jesus I Never Knew.  In this book, Yancey talks about what he saw when he just read the Gospel.  I didn’t want to look at what others said about Jesus.  He didn’t want to go off what preachers had preached about Jesus.

He wanted to just see what Jesus actually said and did.  Not what he thought Jesus said and did.  And when he did that, he found something surprising.  The Jesus he found in Scriptures was very different from the Jesus that he expected to find.

For instance, look at this passage.  Jesus is just calling out the Pharisees.  He is going through the history of the people, how each prophet that God sent had been rejected and killed, until finally God sent His beloved son, and He too was to be rejected and killed.

And we see a quote from the Old Testament, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  And the Pharisees and religious leaders leave because they know that Jesus is talking about them.

Jesus is a lot of things.  But He is not harmless.  He is not passive.  For those of us that follow Him, He demands that we do just that.  Follow.  He knows that we will make mistakes.  He understands.  And He forgives.

But He always calls us to follow Him.  Keep going.  Keep walking.  Keep chasing.  Keep being faithful.  Keep coming after Him.

The Pharisees rejected.  And in this passage (and in more to come later) He tells them about it.  He points out their mistakes.  He shows them that they have rejected.  He tells them that there will be consequences.

But while they rejected the stone, others plan to build their lives around it.  And for us, that’s our calling today.  To build our lives around this cornerstone.  To make Jesus the foundation of our lives, our families, our everything.

To build everything around Jesus. And with that as the cornerstone, we will have a firm foundation, able to stand up to any storm that faces us.

Today, may Jesus be the cornerstone of lives!

Monday we’ll look at Mark 12:13-17.

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!

Can we really have Peace?

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I’ve been thinking a lot about peace recently.  We are in the midst of Advent, a season of hope, of peace, of love, of joy.  It’s in this season when we proclaim the words of Isaiah 9:6-7:

6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

peace11x14The Prince of Peace is born!  That’s what we say.  That’s what we believe.  Let me repeat that

That’s what we believe.  Seriously.  As Christians.  As the church, that’s what we believe. And in the world that we live in, that makes us look different.  Off.  Odd.

And you know what?  Good.  We are supposed to.  We aren’t supposed to be like the world.  We aren’t supposed to be like the culture.  We are supposed to be different.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:10 – we are fools for Christ.  We ARE supposed to look different.  Believe different.  Act different.  Have a different hope, joy, love, and peace.

As I tell folks, if you tell folks you are Christian, and they say, “really?”  That’s not a good sign.  We have to look/be different from the world.

Now, here’s the thing.  I’m not saying that there aren’t things to be afraid of.  I’m not saying that there aren’t things that can take our peace, take our joy, take our hope, take our love.

Of course, there are.  There are big, scary, worrisome things.  But hear me, please hear.

God is bigger.  He is stronger.  He is more might.  He is.

He is bigger than your fears.

He is.  And as Christians, we have to believe it.  We do.  It’s who we are.

And the world needs us to believe it.

Your peace will not come from an absence of conflict or absence of things that are you are afraid of.  Your peace will come from the trust and assurance of this truth:

No matter what you face, not matter what you are afraid of – God is bigger.

He is the prince of peace.  Yesterday.  Today.  Forever.  He is He is bigger.  He is our peace.

Trust.

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 Thirty-Eight with Mark: Mark 10:1-12 and 13-16

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Today we look at Mark 10: 1-12:

10 He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.

2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Ok, today’s passage is one of those tough passages, one that can really be a challenge to understand.  That’s why I think it’s good to read it in context with what follows, Mark 10:13-16:

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

jesuskidsHere’s the importance of context, we can see a bigger picture of what Jesus is doing.  When we look at passages that are tough and hard to understand, that context is key.  In both of these passages, Jesus is lifting up those that were forgotten and taken advantage of.

In the first passage, first we see that Jesus was being tested, the religious leaders wanted to see if they could trip Him up, so they asked about divorce.  What was happening in that day was this.  Men would marry and after a few years, divorce their wife and remarry because they could.  In that culture, that would leave the wife basically poor and powerless.

And what Jesus is saying is this.  No!  That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  You can’t do this to your wife.  It’s not the way that God intended.  She’s made in His image.  You can’t, you shouldn’t do that to her.  It’s wrong.

This passage is about affirming the worth of the wife, of the female, of the one that in that culture didn’t matter.  Jesus is saying, this – she matters!

And the same thing with the child.  Children (like women) in that culture were little more than property.  And Jesus is telling the people this, these children matter.  Welcome them.  They count. They are important.  Welcome these little ones.

Jesus is telling us today that everyone matters.  Everyone is important.  Everyone has worth.  Even those that we are tempted to miss or tempted to ignore.

They matter to Jesus.

So, today and each day, they should matter to us.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 10:17-31.

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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Day Thirty-Five with Mark: Mark 9:9-13

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Today in Mark we look at Mark 9:9-13:

The Coming of Elijah
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. 11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.”

urlToday in our reading, we see the disciples continue to struggle to understand what it is that Jesus is doing.  They don’t understand that it means about Him being raised from the dead. That’s not their idea of what a Messiah should do.  They don’t understand who Elijah was in reference to Jesus. They don’t understand what it is that God is doing. They don’t get what is happening.

You kind of hurt for them.  I mean, they wanted to understand.  They left everything to follow Jesus.  If’s always easy for us to make fun of the disciples for not getting it.  But think about the faith they had.  They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand.  But they still left everything and followed. Because while they didn’t understand everything that Jesus was doing or saying, you know what?  They knew that Jesus was life.

Wow, what a testimony of faith.  What a testimony of being faithful when they didn’t understand.

Faith is often the most strong when we don’t understand, but we still follow.

Today, even when we don’t understand, may we have that faith.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 9:14-29.

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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