Mark 8:31-33 Do You Have the Mind of Christ?

Mark 8:31-33  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.  He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  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.”

The above scriptures follow Peter's proclamation: "You are the Christ," which Jesus said was inspired by God: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  (Matthew 16:17-19)  However, immediately after Peter proclaimed those blessed words, Jesus rebukes Peter, stating he is in league with Satan himself.  How could this happen?  One moment Peter is mouthing the words of God; the next moment Jesus denounces him an instrument of the devil.  Is this possible that Jesus plans to build his church upon Peter's confession of faith, and Peter suddenly puts himself in the enemy's camp?  Yes, this spiritual confusion and double mindedness is the inimical condition of the human race.  We want God and his blessings, but we often want them for our own purposes and not his eternal plan.  We want his presence to embellish our own lives, to do what we need, to fulfill our wants.  We want him to bless our dimensions and view of reality: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.  We want God in our kingdom, not necessarily in his kingdom.  Our self-interests and desires many times trump his reality and purposes.  Peter was not a bad person in his own eyes when he rebuked Jesus for saying He must die and rise again, yet he was completely outside of the will of God.  In Christ's view, at that moment Peter was in league with Satan.    

Peter loved the Lord passionately.  As we see later on in his life, Peter is fearless.  Probably the reason Peter with his comrades James and John were always near Jesus in difficult places was that Jesus could trust Peter.  He was a rough man on the outside, yet full of passion, even ready to die for his Lord.  We see Peter in the Garden defending Jesus with a sword.  At that time he intended to die with Jesus, for they were seriously outnumbered; and when Jesus told him to put away the sword, Peter was dismayed.  Peter must have thought, How can I defend this Jesus without my sword?  How can I have his back if He will not fight for himself?  Consequently, Peter merely followed Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest; and then when confronted as a follower of Jesus, he denies knowing him.  All of this story reveals why Jesus rebuked Peter: Get behind me, Satan!” he said.  “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  Peter was willing to fight for a kingdom he could image with his natural mind: the restoration of the Jewish nation.  But, he was not willing to fight for a kingdom he could not perceive by his senses.  He could surmise easily that Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one who could bring back the glory days of the Jewish people; but his spiritual eyes could not conceive of a Messiah led away by soldiers to die.  But Jesus called his perception earthly, evil.  Peter wanted a kingdom for himself and his people: he was willing to die for that.  But Jesus told him he did not understand the realities of God's kingdom.  Jesus was saying, Peter, your mind is centered on this world, on the temporary things of this world and not on God's plans.  God is establishing another kingdom, an incorruptible kingdom that will never end, where there will be no more sorrow and sickness, and death will pass away.  

Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  (Matthew 16:24-25)  Dying to the flesh and living for Christ is the central theme of the New Testament.  Those who want to establish a kingdom of niceties here for themselves are diametrically opposed to the purposes of God.  As with Peter and his idealistic panoramic view of life, Jesus says, Get behind me, Satan!  Jesus illustrates true faith in God's kingdom in his comment about the widow's mite when He says she put in everything — all she had to live on when she gave her two coins worth less than a penny.  (See Mark 12:42-43)  For her this world was not her home.  Jesus tells us the rich young man could not sell everything and give it to the poor, for this world was still his home.  Jesus tells a man, if you want to follow me, don't go home and say goodbye to your loved ones, leave the things of this world and follow me now.  If you prefer the formalities of saying goodbye to your family before following me, forget it: you are not worthy of me.  Strong words, strong commitment; yes, but that is the definition of Christianity.  Christianity is not a vaccination you take to show others you are heaven bound; it is a lifestyle: not my will or perceptions, but your will and perceptions, Lord.  Any other idea about life is wrong: You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  Jesus is telling Peter, you do not understand because you are still established in the Kingdom of men, not in the Kingdom of God.  You cannot serve two masters: No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.  (Matthew 6:24)  Money illustrates the things of this world.  You cannot serve this world and fully commit to God.  You cannot live for your self-interests or the interests of others and serve God wholeheartedly.  When we try, we will hear the Lord say, “Get behind me, Satan!" “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”     

Mark 8:27-30 Jesus Is the Christ

Mark 8:27-30 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.  On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”  Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 

Most of us have heard sermons on today's passage of scripture, especially Peter's answer when Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” and Peter correctly says, “You are the Christ.”  In Matthew's account of the exchange, he adds a phrase, recalling Peter saying: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16:16)  In those sermons, we have often heard Peter's confession of faith juxtaposed with Peter's later denial of Jesus at the cross when he fulfills Jesus' prediction, "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times."  (Mark 14:72)  The same man, so full of faith and hope in his Messiah, turns away in Christ's time of need and appears not to know him or have anything to do with him.  The same man who knew Jesus was certainly not John the Baptist or a prophet of old come back to life feared for his life rather than standing up for his Lord.  Only a few chapters separate the two events, yet both pictures of Peter are true when we view the man; both give us a look at the vicissitudes of the flesh and the trials of a person sworn to follow Jesus, one who has given up all to follow Jesus.  When Jesus spoke of the difficulty of entering into heaven with riches, Peter said, “We have left all we had to follow you!”  (Luke 18:28)  This is not a man who has not considered his choice, who has not taken up his cross to follow Jesus.  When he confesses Jesus as Lord, as the Christ, he draws from a wealth of knowledge and a depth of faith in his heart.  The word he uses for Christ means the anointed one, chosen by God to lead the people.  Peter had no doubt in his mind when he called Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.  The Holy Spirit came upon him and witnessed this reality.

Jesus began his questioning by asking who others said He was because He was leading up to the more important question He wanted to ask them: Who did they say He was?  He must have been disappointed to hear his disciples repeat the answers of the people in the surrounding area without countering them.  To say that people thought He was John or Elijah or another of the prophets without saying, "But we know that is not true," must have been difficult for Jesus to tolerate.  Surely, after traveling with him so long, they could have testified to his identity.  Even the demons recognized him when He cast them out.  Once when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a demon possessed man came in and the demon yelled in a loud voice, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are — the Holy One of God!”  (Luke 4:34)  The forces of darkness recognized the greatest force of good and knew they were powerless to resist the hand of God.  When Jesus came into a situation where the enemy had bound a person, that person would be freed, for where the Son of God is there is freedom.  Jesus said if you sin, then you are a slave to sin, but you need not remain in that sinful state, for He came to set sinners free from bondage to sin.  He concludes, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)  This is the freedom we have as our inheritance in Christ.  We should not become entangled in the things of this world, the cares of life and the enticements that draw us away from our first love for Jesus our Lord.  Paul wrote: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  (Galatians 5:1)

Since we are aware of who we are in Christ and who He is, our Messiah and great deliverer, we must go forth as a mighty army for our Lord and King.  We will fail at times and fall short, but realizing our hope is in him and that we can do everything through him who gives us strength, we will press in and press on.  We will make our confession of faith with Peter: Jesus, you are our Christ, the Son of the living God.  We accept you as our personal Savior.  We are committed to do your will, Lord.  Teach us your ways.  Put them in our hearts and minds that we might not sin against you.  Let our lights shine for you in the darkness of our everyday lives.  Help us to discover and to use the gifts and talents you have given to us.  Show us how to reach hurting and lost people.  Lead us to new pathways where we will meet needy people who are hungry for you.  This week as we celebrate your birth, may we remember to praise you for your life, death, and resurrection that brought us into your family, making us sons and daughters of the Most High God.  Thank you for the gift of life everlasting.  We honor your beautiful name and give you thanks for the many wonderful works you have done in our lives.  May the fruit of the Holy Spirit show a great harvest in our lives in the coming new year as we yield ourselves to you.  May others see an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in us.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  

 

Mark 8:22-26 Do You See Men as Trees Walking?

Mark 8:22-26  They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.  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?”  He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”  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.  Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.” 

In the above passage we see people begging Jesus to heal a blind man.  The blind man's disability prevented him from easily navigating through this world.  He could perceive his environment through his touch and smell, but his maneuverability in this world and even his perspective of life was hindered by his sightlessness.  Are we somewhat like the blind man as we navigate our world?  Most of us have all our biological senses to help us, but we cannot truly understand a correct perspective of life itself, for our spiritual senses are not functioning as they should because of the way we live life.  The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people.  They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.  (Ezekiel 2:1-2)  As Christians we need a constant awareness of our attitudes, our choices, and where we are headed in life.  Are we living as the blind man, not aware of our surroundings or even fully understanding the consequences of being sightless in a dark world?  As Christians, are we walking in the light of Christ with full revelation of the spiritual world around us?  Are we living life more abundantly with an eternal perspective, or are we living life with only our biological senses tuned to this natural world, looking to our daily needs, not understanding that our spiritual eyes are not open and our ears do not hear the Holy Spirit?  Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:9)   Jesus is implying that we need new ears to hear and new eyes to see.  We need a healing of our spiritual senses.  As with the blind man, we need our eyes opened.    

Jesus heard the plea of the people, saw the need of the blind man, and came to his aid.  He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.  He led him away from the crowd and their human perspective of what can be done and what cannot be done.  He then did something rather unusual: He spit on the man's eyes.  He placed his biological mucus on the man's eyes, anointing his eyes with his own spittle.  We might ask, why did not Jesus simply place his hands on this man's eyes and pray to the Father for his healing.  Or Jesus could have declared him healed with a touch or by simply speaking healing as He did in other instances.  Who really knows, but we do know that in this instance we see Jesus giving part of himself for this man's sight.  Only Jesus had divine sight: only He sees clearly.  In healing this man with his spittle, we see a man walking away to his family with clear sight and a better perspective of who he is and what he is in this world: loved by God.  No one else had done for him what Jesus did that day.  Jesus was a good shepherd to this man, and he cares for his sheep.  In speaking to his disciples one time, Jesus warned them against others who were false shepherds who came to steal and to destroy.  He said, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."  (John 10:9-11)     

When Jesus first touched the blind man, the man did not see clearly.  Do we have a clear spiritual view or do we see the things of the Spirit as trees walking?  Are we sure of what we think we see and discern as truth?  Do we have just enough religion that we think we will get to heaven, but not enough of a walk with the Lord to bring us into true fellowship with him?   Jesus was not satisfied with this man's sight after He first touched him.  He wanted the man to see well,  to view life with clarity.  Today, some of us need Jesus' spittle on our spiritual eyes.  We need a clear view of the world, to avoid its enticements.  Jesus indicated He had no earthly home by saying, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  (Matthew 8:20  When one man wanted to bury his father before following Jesus, Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:60   When one man said that he wanted to say goodbye to his family before he joined Jesus,  Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."  (Luke 9:62)  Jesus was saying in all these instances, this world is not our home.  If you are tied to the things of this world, you are not worthy to be one of my chosen ones.  You are still sightless; you are deaf to my voice; your spiritual senses have not been activated.  Jesus says, my eyes are clear and fixed on the Father.  I live to do his will: I am moving on to a new reality of life that seeks first the kingdom of God and not the interests of the biological man.  Are we moving on with the Holy Spirit on kingdom business?  Has the spittle touched our eyes or do we still see men as trees walking when God asks us to do his will?  Jesus said, if you love and serve even the smallest, most helpless child, you are seeing clearly and serving me.  You are loving me and my father, God.  We cannot open our eyes alone, we need the touch of his hand.  We need to be outside of the village away from all distractions, alone with him, so we will see the truth of living only for our sweet Lord.  

Mark 8:17-21 Jesus Is in the Boat!

Mark 8:17-21  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?  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?  And don’t you remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”  “Twelve,” they replied.  “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”  They answered, “Seven.”  He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Even though Jesus performed many miracles in the disciples' presence, they did not realize fully or appreciate the divinity of Jesus or what it meant that He was in the boat with them.  When they talk of bread, Jesus is frustrated with the disciples' inability to comprehend his analogy about yeast: the corrupting influence of the errant teaching and lifestyles of the Pharisees and Herod.  Instead of understanding the dangers of following false philosophies, they were thinking about not having enough bread to feed all of them.  Jesus expresses his exasperation, saying,  Why are you talking about having no bread?  Do you still not see or understand.  Their dullness and lack of understanding of who Jesus really is causes Jesus to remind them of the supernatural acts they observed in his feeding of first the five thousand and then the four thousand.  Jesus questions why would they wonder about having enough bread to feed them when He, who has fed thousands, is in the boat with them.  Jesus shows disappointment with their lack of faith and spiritual depth.  They have seen marvelous supernatural acts, but they still cannot view life beyond their limited temporal perspective.  He bemoans their lack of insight and hearing.  His frustration is clear: Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?  Rather than thinking about eternal and substantive matters, their senses are stuck on earthly matters, which Jesus has recently proved He can take care of through his miraculous feeding of thousands of hungry people.  What He really wanted them to know that day through the yeast analogy and his subsequent teaching was to beware of false teaching and that true and eternal food comes from the Spirit, from the hand of God, and not from the flesh.  He wanted them to trust him with their immediate concern for daily bread and to focus upon what might destroy their very souls.

  

Are we Christians like the disciples?  Do we find ourselves spending a great deal of time considering our daily problems as the essence of our lives, forgetting we are eternal beings?  God has a plan for our lives: He has chosen us to be his image on earth.  Without a doubt, God is concerned about our daily needs: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  (Matthew 10:29-31)  But our daily lives and surely our eternal destiny do not consist of living on bread alone: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.  (Matthew 4:4)  The disciples' eternal lives did not depend on that one loaf of bread in the boat, but their eternal lives did depend upon whether they correctly discerned the words Jesus was telling them that day.  They needed their spiritual ears attuned to what Jesus was trying to teach them.  Are our ears on the right frequency; are we attuned to his voice?  Or are we so concerned with our daily routines and needs that we miss what God is trying to teach us through his abiding Spirit?  When our lives become overly focused on our present needs, we tend to dismiss or lose track of the many miracles God has performed for us and through us.  Just as the disciples were worried about having one loaf of bread after observing Jesus' miracles, we can be that quick to forget the merciful acts of God to us.  When he wrote the psalms, David constantly extolled the blessings of the Lord.  Even when he spoke of his trials and his enemies, he never lost track of God's goodness, and he rested in God's strength: Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  (Psalm 103:1-5)   

We should not frustrate the grace of God by failing to appreciate what God has done in our lives.  If we forget to value his acts of kindness or we dismiss his previous works, we will probably miss what He is teaching us presently.  If fear or anxiety cloud our thinking, we will end up believing He does not know what is happening to us right now, and we might think He is not working out what is best for us.  Paul faced many trials and sorrows, yet he rejoiced in the Lord's sufficiency.  He wrote: Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Then he went on to express his trust in the Lord: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.   (Philippians 4:4-7 & 12-13)  When we forget God's miracles, we are like the disciples who forgot the feeding of the thousands.  We might forget as the disciples forgot that the crowds went away well fed.  Instead, our focus will be on the insufficient one loaf for everyone in the boat.  If so, we will have forgotten, as the disciples did, who is in the boat with us: the Christ, the Son of God, the First and the Last, the Creator of all things.  Divinity was in that boat that day, but the disciples did not recognize him as the All-sufficient One.  Christian friends, He is in your boat today.  He is speaking to you right now, for He is always speaking if we will listen.  He is reminding you to be cognizant of the yeast of a worldly view and understanding of life.  As Jesus testified in the wilderness, we who trust in God, do not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  Therefore brethren, live today, knowing you are in his presence, content to trust in his mercy and grace.  Listen to his words as He speaks to you, understand his abundance comes from belief and trust that Jesus is in the boat.  

   

Mark 8: 14-16 Beware of the Pharisees' Yeast!

Mark 8: 14-16  The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.  “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”  They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 

After his interaction with the Pharisees and his frustration with them for asking for a sign from heaven to prove who He is, Jesus immediately gets in a boat with his disciples and leaves the religious teachers.  As they go their way, the disciples discover they have forgotten to bring bread, and Jesus uses this to make an important point.  He warns, "Be careful.  Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."  We can almost see the inner turmoil of the disciples' thinking processes as they are still thinking about their lack of bread, and now here is Jesus talking about yeast.  So they conclude, this must have something to do with our lack of bread.  But they missed his meaning about the yeast completely.  Eventually, because of their answer, Jesus is going to move on to discuss their lack of faith, but what He wanted to talk to them about in the first place was the work of yeast.  He was not talking about the need for bread to eat but of the power of yeast.  He was saying just as a small amount of yeast makes a huge batch of dough rise, a small amount of wrong teaching can lead a whole generation astray and away from God's holy truth.  He was telling the disciples about the dangers of listening to the words of the so-called religious teachers, for as with yeast, a little bit of their wrong thinking could spread and corrupt the good teaching of Jesus without the hearers realizing it was even happening.  As the Good Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus was saying, "I am the good shepherd, and my sheep hear my voice."

We see what Jesus is talking about with the yeast of the Pharisees in Galatia with the early church.  Paul writes to them because they have been led astray by teachers who want to bring them back into bondage to the law.  He asks: You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?  Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.  I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?  (Galatians 3:1-3)  He wants them to realize they must rely upon the Christ in them for everything.  The same Spirit that brought them to God will perfect them and lead them on the path to glory.  They have been listening to the wrong voices, and these voices have taken them back to the sinful nature that says, "I was saved by faith, but now I am going to do good works through my own efforts that will make me more perfect for doing God's work."  A little later in this letter, Paul says, You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?  That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.  “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”  (Galatians 5:7-9)  He says they were running the race of faith so well until they let someone distract them, until they let a little yeast come in and it began to corrupt their lives.  It is as it was with Adam and Eve: one lie can bring us down; one act of disobedience or unbelief can be the yeast the works its way through our lives until we have lost our purpose and taken our eyes off the author and the finisher of our faith.

In our day, there are so many distractions, so many spirits to bewitch us, so many wolves in sheep's clothing.  We must persevere, we must bow before him, we must praise his holy name.  None of us is worthy or righteous through our own efforts, but each of us can come boldly through the shed blood of Christ our redeemer, Lord, and soon coming King.  He calls us to his side.  Jesus took time that day to warn his disciples of the yeast of the Pharisees because He loved them dearly.  He cared about them, and He wanted to protect them from the attacks of the enemy.  We are so thankful for the writings of the Apostle Paul, yet he was a humble man who calls himself the chief of sinners and says he has no confidence in the flesh.  He writes, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14)  He knew who he was in Christ and who Christ was in him.  He was not going to let anyone or any circumstance of life keep him from obeying the truth he knew in Christ.  He was not turning back to the former things of his old ways of thinking and behaving.  He was not going to begin in the Spirit and then try to be made perfect through human means.  No, this same Paul was willing to  give everything for the cross of Christ, for he had met his Redeemer.  He had partaken of the Bread of Life, and he had drunk from the cup of Living Water, so he would never hunger or thirst for the things of this world that do not satisfy.  He was sold out to serving his Lord and spreading Christ's message: Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.  (Mark 8:34-35)   

Mark 8:11-13 Christians Do Not Need Another Sign!

Mark 8:11-13  The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus.  To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.  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.”  Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

As surely as Satan came to tempt Jesus in the desert, he used the Pharisees as they tested Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven to prove He was who He said He was.  In essence, they were declaring, your wisdom and these miracles of yours are not enough for us, call down power from on high to show us that God has truly sent you.  As always they hoped to show him up as a fraud.  When He sighed deeply, we sense his frustration and disappointment must have been great.  He undoubtedly considered all the Holy Spirit had led him to do and say when He asked, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign?"  Why must I face so much unbelief?  Why must you continually try to trick me instead of turning from you wicked ways to God's holy truth?  He could have said as He did to the devil in the desert,  "Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” for He had no plan to react to their challenge.  According to Bible commentaries, when Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it (this generation),” this statement represents in Greek a shortened form of the Hebrew self-imprecation: "If I do such a thing, may I die."  In other words, there is no way God is going to send you a sign from heaven to verify his own work and Word when He has sent you his only begotten Son.  The Good News had not changed since the angel first spoke to the shepherds watching over their flocks at night: An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2:9-12)

To further show his disdain for this interaction, Jesus immediately turns away from the Pharisees, gets back into the boat, and crosses to the other side.  He seems to say, if you cannot talk about the things of God, the holy things that men of God should speak about, then we will not speak at all.  Sometimes we think God is silent, and we ask him for a sign from heaven to prove He is alive.  Oftentimes, we are like the Pharisees: we are asking for the wrong sign from God, and we have failed to see the signposts along the way.  God has revealed himself to us in many ways and at many times, but we have not been looking for him or listening for his voice.  We want God to fit into our mold and our time schedule.  As Christians we have Christ in us, our hope of glory, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter and Counselor.  Yet we sometimes want to be in charge of our lives.  The Bible is clear that we yield control of our lives to God.  As the disciples, we leave our old manner of living and take up the cross and follow Jesus.  We are more than able to follow the leading of the Lord because He constantly speaks to us: In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  (Hebrews 1:1-3)  If we truly believe He created all things and sustains all things, then we will trust him with all things pertaining to our lives.  As we pray in faith believing, we will not ask him as the Pharisees did to prove himself to us, but we will trust him in every circumstance to bring us through to glory.  It is not a trite saying to count your blessings, for they are many.

When Peter described the church of the living God, he was not at a loss for words: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  (1 Peter 2:9-10)  He did not require another miracle or a sign from heaven to know what Christ had accomplished at the cross.  When Peter looked back, He saw the finished work of God's mercy and grace.  When he looked forward, he saw lives in need of a Savior--people in darkness, waiting for the wonderful light.  Once Peter denied Christ, but he understood the forgiving love of his Lord, and he carried that love in his heart to all he met.  We have that same opportunity, that same responsibility.  The enemy will try to get us off track.  He will test us by trying to get us to ask God for a sign from heaven.  "If you are real God, give me what I really want."  A selfish request goes against the grain, against the heart of the gospel.  We must die to ourselves and come alive to God.  Jesus prayed, "Not my will but yours be done."  (Luke 22:42)  Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  (Galatians 6:14)  The way of the cross is a way of sacrifice, but it is also a way of joy unspeakable and full of glory.  We are free in the Lord, free from the weight of sin and the cares of the world.  We can joyfully declare: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)        

Mark 8:1-10 Jesus Is Moved with Compassion

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

In this account, we see Jesus once again concerned about whether the people will faint on the way home if they don't have food to sustain their journey.  As when He fed the 5,000, Jesus divides what food they have with the crowd.  In the first case, He had five loaves and two fish, and on this occasion the disciples bring him seven loaves and a few small fish to feed the crowd.  In both situations Jesus wants to meet the physical needs of the people before He sends them away.  We see Jesus full of compassion for the people's daily needs.  The crowd probably did not expect Jesus to be bothered about whether they had eaten in the last few days or not.  For them, Jesus was a man of God, maybe even a prophet: one who heals and drives out demons.  Why would He be concerned about a situation they could take care of themselves?  Healing and driving out demons was beyond their capabilities, but feeding themselves was not; they could eventually take care of their hunger with a little time and effort.  Yes, some of them might faint or collapse on the way home, but eventually they would find enough food to sustain them on their way.  In this story of feeding the four thousand, we find Jesus focused on the essential needs of everyday living.  This passage clearly shows Jesus' servanthood to the people.  He came to serve men, women, and children in every area of need.  Personally, He did not have a place to lay his head, and He sent his disciples out with the clothes they wore, dependent upon God and the love of the people for their daily bread and housing.  Yet we see Jesus at numerous times moved with compassion for the people.  Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (Matthew 9:35-36)  

We read in the above passage that Jesus already had an agenda for that day: And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.  He probably knew at the beginning of that day what He intended to do after He got away from this huge crowd of people. Of course, Jesus had his own needs and desires, his own time schedule and purposes for that day; but instead of plunging ahead to fulfill his needs, He reflected on the immediate needs of the people.  He told his disciples that He had compassion for these people, for they must be hungry after three days of watching him minister to them.  Rather than move on, He asked the disciples to feed the crowd.  Think how long it would take to feed a crowd this large.  This was no easy task; it was not something one could do in an hour.  This probably was quite a time-consuming process: 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.  To distribute sufficient food to that many people and gather up the leftovers had to take a long time.  Yet, we find Jesus seeking to serve the people, thus further delaying his own wishes and agenda to meet the needs of others.  We know the continued effort of his ministry must have worn him out, for we see him many times seeking to get away from the people so He might rest.  Yet when the crowds followed him, He would always heal the sick and teach the Good News of the Kingdom to the lost.  Even after three days of ministering, He continued to put the requirements of the people above his own.  

In Mark 9 Jesus tells the disciples to be great in the kingdom of God, you must be the least, the servant to all.  In today's verses, we see Jesus illustrating this principle to his disciples.  He served the people before He fulfilled his own plan of going to Dalmanutha.  As a good and faithful servant, He placed others above himself.  As the body of Christ, this is our task each day.  We need to feed the 4,000 before we satisfy our own interests.  When Jesus describes the division of the sheep and the goats, He says whatever we do in his name, we do to him.  We give food, clothes, housing, and care to the least of these in the name of Jesus.  Jesus concludes his instruction to the disciples about who will be the greatest in the kingdom by talking about little children.  Little children cannot command our attention.  They might yell, scream, and cry; but adults can ignore all of that to do their own will, for a little child does not have the strength or authority to force adults to do their will.  Jesus took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in his arms, he said to them,  “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”  (Mark 9:36-37)  Jesus tells the disciples directly, whoever is a servant to helpless little children who have no power,  whoever treats them kindly as a servant to them, welcomes me and serves me.  But you do not serve only me:  you serve my Father in Heaven, the one I serve.  Yes, Jesus fed the 4,000: He fed them because they are God's little children, made in his image.  He served them with love by providing for them.  Today, He asks us to serve people with love, tenderness, and generosity because we are the image of God on Earth.  We are to serve as Christ served, for He came to do the Father's will.  God bless you, dear servants of God.  

Mark 7:31-37 Jesus Does Everything Well!

Mark 7:31-37  Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.  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.  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.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).  At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.  Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone.  But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.  People were overwhelmed with amazement.  “He has done everything well,” they said.  “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” 

In this passage we see Jesus as a man of love, concerned about the disabilities and troubles of men and women.  We see him sighing deeply before He heals this disabled man, indicating the Spirit of God considered this incidental fact of Jesus sighing as very important.  His deep sigh tells us that Jesus found this man's circumstance and the condition of mankind in general troubling to his soul.  Yes, this particular man's needs would be met, but how many more people were in the same difficulties or even worse.  As he journeyed on this earth, Jesus met the needs of all of the people He touched with his healing hands and his kind and loving spirit.  Yet we can infer from his sigh that as a man of compassion, the scope of mankind's general predicament--a people sitting in darkness with many needs--must have weighed heavily upon him.  He knew there were so many people living difficult lives, harnessed with serious disabilities, sicknesses, and problems.  All of this because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, allowing for sin and sickness to enter into the world.  We see his frustration and his mercy when He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).  God did not plan for men to exist in disharmony and sin, inundated with troubles and sicknesses.  He did not plan for men to die, but sin entered the world to destroy the very breath that God placed in mankind.  Sin reaps death; but this was not God's desire.  This was the not the plan of God from the beginning: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  (Genesis 1:31)  Seeing the great gulf that separated him from his creation, God had another plan: He sent his beloved Son.

As with everyplace Jesus went, even in Decapolis, which consisted of Hebrews and Greeks, we see Jesus healing people.  When they saw such an amazing act as a deaf man speaking, we hear these people, some who worship Greek Gods, say, “He has done everything well,”  “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”  They knew even the wisest amongst them could not open ears.  They knew their great and wise Greek philosophers could not perform such a miracle.  This man Jesus was performing miracles that no one could do from the beginning of time.  Even among the Gentiles, God was revealing himself through Jesus' mighty works.  The people had not seen anyone like Jesus, and He captured their attention.  Of course they were overwhelmed with amazement.  Later in Acts when Peter is called to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, he says, You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  (Acts 10:37-38)  Peter confirms the works of Christ and his death and resurrection to these Gentiles, and while he is yet speaking, they are so overwhelmed by the love of Christ, the Spirit of God falls upon them.  Then he baptizes them in the name of Jesus Christ.  There is power in the name of Jesus.  He overwhelms people and He sets captives free from sin and sickness, bringing them from darkness into the light.

The question for us today: Are we overwhelmed with Jesus' mighty works in 2013?  In the last several decades, technology and scientific knowledge have increased exponentially.  We are doing things now that no man could have envisioned a hundred years ago, let alone in the first century.  We are at the cusp of breaking through to knowledge of how basic matter was created.  We are searching for the foundational elements of life.  We are computerizing DNA so we can produce new life.  Is Jesus and his miracles enough for us today or are we entering into an age of greater unbelief because man is becoming like God in his creative ability.  Are we still overwhelmed with amazement at Jesus' teaching and supernatural power or have we become lax in our zeal for Jesus Christ and his works?  If we have fallen away, my Christian friend, we have failed the challenge of faith: we have gone back to the Greek Philosophers for our answers to life, dependent on human wisdom and knowledge.  Elevating human knowledge as our absolute answer to life replaces the saving grace found in Jesus Christ and his works of love and grace.  Knowledge and wisdom are a gift from God, but such attributes never replace the saving grace of God through faith in his Son as Lord of all creation.  Man seeks to bring God down to his level, but as we have seen in the progressive grossness and debauchery of our culture, man's wisdom and knowledge supply no answers for sin.  Only Christ is the answer: only He can make man a new creature with a clean heart.  Every day of our lives, we meet people who cannot hear: they are deaf to the word of the Lord.  We have the privilege to say: “Ephphatha!  Let your ears be opened to the Good News!  Jesus saves, and He came to heal and to save you!"  Bless you today as you go about doing good in the name of the Lord.  

Mark 7:24-30 Abraham, The Father of Many Nations

Mark 7:24-30  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.  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.  The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.  She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.  “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.”  “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”  Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”  She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

"First let the children eat all they want," contrasts greatly with the scene we see on the day Jesus was crucified, When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.  “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said.  “It is your responsibility!”  All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”  (Matthew 27:24-25)  The religious leaders and the people surrounding them had eaten all they desired.  They wanted this inspired teacher, this healer, this lover of people to be crucified; and they willingly took the responsibility for his death upon themselves and their children.  These actions become all the more shocking knowing Jesus was sent to them because God was honoring his promise to Abraham, the patriarch of faith.  Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.  I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:3-8) 

Jesus was sent to Abraham's descendants to witness to them that the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham had become a reality.  Jesus, Abraham's SEED, would not only bless the descendants of Abraham but all of the people of the world.  Sadly, the children of Abraham had become stiff-necked, self-righteous, and law-bound, not understanding how Abraham found favor with God, not understanding that Abraham found favor because of his total faith in God's words.  He found favor because He believed God would carry out his promises to him without him having to work to find God's favor.  Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.  (Romans 4:3)  Jesus' mission in the land of Israel was to reveal God's nature of grace and mercy by performing many signs and wonders amongst them and also to reveal their recalcitrant reaction to God's will through his many parables.  He desired, as John the Baptist did, for the people to repent of their religious self-willed ways and to return to God with contrite hearts.  But they would not receive his divine mission; they would not repent; they would not accept the marvelous works Jesus performed before their very eyes.  Instead they had their fill of Jesus.  He was in the way of their self-willed, hedonistic living.  Therefore, they wanted to dispense with him, to get rid of his teachings and his miraculous ways.  The crucifixion was their answer.

In the above passage we see Jesus referring to Gentiles in the Greek language as little household dogs.  His reference to the Gentiles as dogs does not mean he is demeaning the Gentiles.  He is merely saying that his ministry while He is on Earth is to the people of the Promise.  The food is for them: the Gentiles will come later as we see in Paul's ministry.  The table at this time was set for the Jews, not for the Gentiles.  Of course, we see a few Gentiles such as the woman in today's passage receive miracles at Jesus' hands, but primarily his healing power and ministry was for the Jewish people.  Jesus was implementing God's promise to Abraham, to bless his descendants and the world through his SEED.  However, instead of receiving Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the promise to bless all people in the world, they responded with anger, hatefulness, and rejection of God's gift.  They were so hostile to God's plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and his works that they told Pilate on the day of Jesus' crucifixion that they and their children would take full responsibility for the death of Jesus.  Jesus' exclusive ministry to the Jewish people ended on the day of his crucifixion.  We find after his resurrection, Jesus instructed his disciples to go out to the world and proclaim God's grace and mercy to all who would put their faith in his atoning work at the cross.  Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:17-20)  

We know all of these things depicted in the New Testament had to happen so that Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, would be slain by those who had received the most light from God.  Their starkly evil actions reveal the basic nature of rebellion against God's authority in the human heart.   We see this in the Garden of Eden: "Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.  (Genesis 3:1-5)  The serpent plants the seed of rebellion: You can do as you wish.  You don't have to obey God!  To break this rebellion of the old nature, a new creature had to be created.  Such a transformation could come only through the death and resurrection of the Son of God, the creator of ALL THINGS.  Each new believer dies with him and is NOW RESURRECTED AS A NEW CREATURE, A HOLY TEMPLE, WHERE GOD CAN ABIDE.  We are no longer sinners, alienated from God.  We are known in Heaven as God's beloved children, HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF THE DEEDS OF JESUS CHRIST.  Even the dogs, those lacking the light of the God of creation, who did not know him or love him, have been brought into the family of God.  We Gentiles who were afar off have been brought near.  We now sup with the Lord, we hear his voice and do his will.  God's plan of salvation came out of a broken heart of love for those He called very good at the dawn of creation.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)  Jesus came to Israel as a baby to redeem the whole world.  Those who should have loved him, who should have accepted him, rejected him; but we who are now in the household of God, chosen by his Spirit, cleansed by his blood, have received Abraham's promise of eternal blessing and life with him.  We will never cease to exist; we will be in the household of God FOREVER.  AMEN!  Rejoice dear ones!     

Mark 7:14-23 Let Your Mouth Speak Good Things

Mark 7:14-23  Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.  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.’”  After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.  “Are you so dull?” he asked.  “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’?  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.”)  He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’  For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” 

In today's scripture, Jesus declared all foods clean, but conversely, He declared certain, hidden thoughts within men and women's hearts to be very much unclean.  These evil and destructive thoughts defile a person's inner being and eventually come to the surface in the form of words and actions, poisoning  people and the environments around them, including how they treat others in their lives.  How many homes within the Christian community are being poisoned by thoughts that originate from the evil one that are sinful and directly opposed to the purity of God and his will in this world.  Words and actions that are contrary to the will and purity of God lead to destruction for oneself and for others who surround us.  As Christ's followers, we cannot allow our minds to run loose, thinking thoughts that will eventually lead to evil and destructive actions.  We are to be servants of God, his ambassadors of his loving kindness and tender mercy.  We are not to show forth a self-willed, hedonistic attitude or to be full of thoughts of revenge and harm toward others.  We are not to seek life merely for its pleasures or to seek to destroy others because we feel they have wronged us.  Instead, we are to be sinless in thought and actions, forceful in doing the will of God by displaying his mercy and grace.  People know us by our deeds.  Jesus said, No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.  (Luke 6:43-45)  

Now, all of us are susceptible to a corrupt spirit under certain circumstances.  But thankfully, these situations should be rare in our lives.  When they do come, we should turn quickly to the Lord for strength to overcome our adversary the devil.  Most of the time when our lives are normal and stable, we display the Spirit's attributes, the mind of Christ.  We do the will of God rather than the will of the flesh.  However, life has its times of temptation and trouble.  During those times we must submit our thoughts and actions to God's will.  Even when we feel life is unfair and hurtful, we must remain faithful to his words, to his expectations.  We are not to venture out on our own, hurting others because we believe we have been hurt.  We are not to fight flesh with flesh, destroy rather than build up.  When our spirits feel malevolent, we need to let Christ come along side and tell our "hearing ear" that He is with us and knows our struggle.  These times of malevolence can be times of great healing and supernatural intervention in our lives if we yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Wonderful Guide and Counselor sent from heaven to dwell within us and to keep us strong in faith and able to withstand the snares of the enemy.  The same is true with the other sins Jesus mentions to the crowd.  He understood the hearts of the people: He knew that out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  Yet Jesus came to provide a new and living way of escape when these temptations of the sinful nature come to seek and to destroy, when we feel helpless to stand in our own strength.  These are times when we can truly understand Jesus' mission on earth to redeem mankind from its sinfulness and despair, for Christ came to redeem, not to destroy.  In describing our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  Paul tells Titus, Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  (Titus 2:13)  Paul understood the grace of God and often spoke of God's strength.  He wrote: That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Corinthians 12:10) 

The Spirit's contention with us always revolves around perfecting Christ in us; conforming us to his image; bringing forth a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives; making us more loving, joyful, peaceable, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  When these attributes permeate our thoughts, words, and actions, we are a healing balm, bringing Christ to a sick and dying world.  People hear the voice of Jesus, saying,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am GENTLE AND HUMBLE in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)  As the Holy Spirit guides us, we become more gentle and humble.  When we take his yoke upon us, Christ in us is gentle and humble, and we will find rest for our souls.  With his perfect rest, the burden of life does become easy and light, for we are no longer caught up with our selfish and hedonistic ways of living: doing evil, thinking evil, fighting evil with evil.  As we walk with the Lord in the light of his love, we will combat the troubles and the trials of the world with the goodness and the strength of the Lord.  When Paul described learning to depend upon the Lord in all situations and being contented with God's sufficiency, he wrote, I can do everything through him (Jesus) who gives me strength.  (Philippians 4:13)  This is our cry of hope, our anthem: Christ is our everything, our total sufficiency.  We do not have to wallow in sin without any hope.  We do not have to render evil for evil to free our hearts from thoughts of revenge.  We are no longer captive to sinful desires that defeat us, hurting us and others.  WE ARE FREE!  And we know the Bible says: So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)  Consequently, dear brothers and sisters, walk as free men and women, showing forth the mercy and grace of our Lord.  Do not fear what you take into your body; rather, concern yourself with what comes from your mouths.  Confess Christ: with your deeds and in your conversations.    

  

Mark 7:9-13  And he (Jesus) said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!  For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’  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), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.  Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.  And you do many things like that.”  

Jesus tells the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that their traditions, teachings, and lifestyles do not reflect God's light or image to the world when He says, You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!  In fact, He knows their ideas and their ways of living hinder the revelation of the one, true God to the people of Israel.  They are actually obstructing the path to eternal life.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.  You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.  (Matthew 23:13-15)  Even their interpretations of the Pentateuch distorted the truth of God's message to the Israelites.  Rather than bringing people closer to God by advocating his commandments above and beyond all other truth, they decided to elevate their manmade traditions and to place the rationality of their minds above divine scripture.  By doing this, they hid the truth, rather than propagating the truth of God's holy written commands.    

In our modern generation, we too must be careful not to elevate our personal desires, religion, and rational thinking above the Word of God.  We must strive not live our lives in the flesh, placing our willful purposes above the supernatural commandments and plans of God.  If we New Testament Christians accentuate the carnal nature's ways of living above God's desires for us to be like his perfect Son, we are abrogating the Word of God.  We are striking directly against his divine commands that are all fulfilled in loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and in loving others as we love ourselves.  To live for ourselves is to strike against God's intentions for us to be servants to all.  If we are not servants, we will not take up the cross of Christ: we will not take care of our parents as Jesus indicated in the above scriptures.  We will first serve ourselves, even justifying this self-willed choice by proclaiming our good reasons for such a life.   Jesus declares the commands of God are far more important than man's self-willed ways of living, even if we think we can justify our lifestyles.  Of course, obeying God means we lose our will to God's will.  We die to ourselves, and as Christ is alive in us, God lives his will through our lives.  When we follow his will: meditate, pray, and sing songs of worship and praise to our God, we are storing up treasure in God's economy.  When we serve the least in this world by being a servant to them, we are storing up treasure in heaven, for we are serving the King of all things.  

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

  (Matthew 25:40)  

By our service, we show the world God's unconditional love for people by loving others, such as our parents, more than ourselves.  We show the world God's nature by displaying the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  This is not the fruit of a life lived for self; this is the harvest of the Spirit from a life surrendered to the Lord.  Because we love Christ as He loves us, we willingly do unto our neighbors as we would want them to do unto us.  We choose to go the second mile with people as Jesus directed us to do.  We give mercy and grace because we have received the overflowing compassion of Jesus.  We are generous: we don't hold back in giving to the poor and the needy.  Our empathy for others who are in difficult situations motivates us to action: we cry when they cry, we rejoice when they rejoice, for we are tenderhearted, full of mercy and grace.  We are not double-minded because we are the light of the world through Christ in us.  This kind of committed living is a culmination of fulfilling all the commandments of God through Christ Jesus, the resurrected One.  Because of Jesus, we love God with all our hearts and we love our neighbors the same way.  The Pharisees and the teachers of law were obliterating this restoration message of God that we hear in the shepherds' field:  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  (Matthew 2:13-14)  Because the religious leaders were hindering the truth of God's grace and mercy, Jesus criticized them harshly and warned them sternly of God's coming judgement.  They chose darkness over light. 

 

We are to be the light of world, the salt that brings savor to the world.  We, who are IN CHRIST, are called to REFLECT the image of God to the world.  We are known as the body of Christ.  Because Christ is the same today, tomorrow and forever, our attitude should be consistently his attitude.  Our words should be his words.  Our desire, his desire.  Jesus chose the Father's will over his own will, always saying, Not my will but yours, Father.  He could have had everything in this world for his own grandiosement and comfort, but He set his needs aside for God's purposes.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  (Philippians 2:5-7)  Our likeness in this world should reflect Jesus' likeness as He walked on this earth, full of love, mercy, and grace.  Any other purposes for our lives skew our paths in the wrong direction.  The Pharisees and teachers of the Law thought they could construct their own lives and the lives of others on their manmade traditions, traditions that elevated themselves in the eyes of the people.  Jesus said they were completely wrong.  They were not to honor themselves, but to serve the people around them.  Their lives needed to be subservient to God's will, by loving others, caring for the needs of others, and going the extra mile.  They were to lose their lives in serving, not to construct them for their own glory.  Living for Christ is a daily challenge for each of us.  Today, let us all ask God to help us portray his image by serving a sick and dying world.