Mark 6:45-52 Jesus Said, "Get in the Boat!"

Mark 6:45-52  Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.  When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.  He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.  About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake.  He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.  They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.  Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.  They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 

Christians should never forget about the loaves, the miracles, in our past experiences.  In the above passage, we see the disciples had already forgotten about the great miracle of feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish.  Just hours before, they had fed 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fishes, but now in the darkest part of the night as they were straining at the oars, because the wind was against them, they were fearful, wondering if they would ever make it across the lake.  Definitely, they had been struggling all night, fighting against the waves and wind, for it was the fourth watch, just before dawn.  Certainly, their strength had greatly dissipated by this time.  Maybe some of them were fearful of drowning that night, for they had been on that lake a long time, far beyond the time necessary to cross the lake in good weather.  Probably, the further they rowed out on the lake, the more threatening the waves became, for the wind would be even more fierce without hills to curb its velocity.  Finally at a certain point, there was no turning back: the only solution to their precarious situation was to strain at the oars, to fight against the wind, to advance with all their might towards their destination, to persevere.  After Paul explains the full armor of God and tells the Ephesians to put it on, he then tells them that with their sword of the Spirit and their helmet of salvation, they should be praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.  (Ephesians 6:18)  Surely, the disciples prayed as they strained against the oars. 

How many of us today find ourselves straining against the wind and waves in difficult situations?  We find ourselves in the middle of the lake where there are no good options to the left or to the right, knowing we must proceed straight ahead regardless of the danger.  So, with much trepidation, we face the turbulence head on, hoping we will reach the other side.  In some situations, as with the disciples, we are trying to carry out Jesus' direction for our lives: we simply know He told us to  get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida.  We are trying to reflect Jesus' will for our lives by following his orders.  Sometimes doing good, choosing to follow Jesus, seems an impossible task.  Conforming to his image and loving as He would love oftentimes leads to heartbreak and discouragement, but Jesus asked us get into the boat of life and do what He wants us to do.  This calling of taking up the cross and following Jesus can mean risking your life for his sake.  When we love people unreservedly and prefer others before ourselves it costs us some of our personal happiness.  God asks us to love the lost as He loves them.  He asks us to forsake the allure of sinful pleasures, to reject the self-centered life.  We read in his Word, Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  (1 John 2:15-17)  This loving commitment requires getting in the boat and crossing the lake even when the wind and waves are against you, even when you cannot see the other side.  By faith you trust God to see you through the stormy seas. 

When Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars in the midst of the angry storm, he went out to them, walking on the lake.  He did not cross out of their sight to another area; no, He went near them.  He was so near that they saw him, thinking He was a ghost.  They were terrified by this image of a man walking on the water.  How often do we pray for the Lord's intervention in our lives, but we fail to see his hand extended when He begins to move in our behalf.  Jesus is not thwarted by their unbelief or their fears: He immediately responds to calm their fears, “Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  This hope from the Lord is our encouragement today when we face troubles:  Jesus our Lord and Savior, the Good Shepherd of the sheep, is with us no matter what the struggle in our lives.  Jesus is always with his beloved whether we believe it or not.  Because of the resurrection, we are IN CHRIST and HE IS IN US.  We  always have Jesus in the boat with us.  We were raised in newness of life with him.  We are no longer strangers on the sea, alone in the tempest: no, He is with us at all times.  The still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaks truth and comfort to our spiritual ears.  Can we hear that voice today?  Or, have we already forgotten the loaves and the fishes, not understanding what a big God we serve.  Of course, the sounds of adverse winds and waves are great, but our God is greater.  If by faith we will allow our ears to hear his voice, we will hear him say, "Peace, be still."  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  (Mark 4:39)  No other voice brings the comfort that Jesus brings.  No one else can calm the discord and chaos in our lives.  Jesus wants to speak into your life right now, this very minute.  Where there is strife, anger, discord, malice, confusion, or any other storm of life, He will bring peace that passes understanding.  He says, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."  (Psalm 50:15)  

Mark 6:39-44 Give Thanks For the Loaves and Fishes

Mark 6:39-44  Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.  Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people.  He also divided the two fish among them all.  They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.  The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. 

In every home, in every situation, and at every meal, Christians are to give thanks for what God has given them, no matter how insignificant the resource or ability seems, just as Jesus looked to his Father in heaven as he gave thanks and broke the loaves.  Jesus took little this day and made it much through faith in God.  He presented this insufficient amount of food to God to feed 5,000 people.  He gave thanks for it, allowing God to bless what little was there that day, and He expected a miracle.  As people of faith, we are to give thanks for everything we possess.  We give thanks even when what we have looks insufficient to meet our daily needs.  We give thanks even if our strength or our abilities seem not to be enough for the responsibilities and the needs of the day.  Giving thanks to God for everything in our lives is fundamental to a Christian.  When Paul gave instructions to the church at Ephesus about walking in the light, he included giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Ephesians 5:20)  In today's passage the disciples gathered up twelve basketfuls of bread and fish after feeding the 5,000.  Can we believe there will be sufficient leftovers in our lives if we present everything to God with a thankful heart?  When we give thanks for what we have, we are asking God to receive our offerings and to bless our lives.  Do we believe that we will have enough left for us after serving God wholeheartedly?  Or are our lives so jaded, so dismal in faith, that we do not even pray about everything anymore?   

Jesus gives thanks for what He has, not complaining or asking for that what He does not have.  God provides abundantly that day, even to the point there were leftovers.  This reminds us of the children of Israel in the wilderness.  God provided for them, even with leftovers on the sixth day of the week to meet their Sabbath requirements.  He provided water even when their situation seemed hopeless in a desert land.  God's servant of faith, Moses, became angry with the people because they were always complaining about what they did not have rather than rejoicing about what they had, which was deliverance from Egypt, the land of sorrow, pain, and death.  Moses reminded the people that they must not forget all that God had done for them when He led them out of Egypt.  He said,  "(Remember) your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna."  (Deuteronomy 8:14-16)  As Christians, we have been delivered from the land of sin and death.  Presently, we possess eternal life with our elder brother, Christ, and our Abba Father; in addition, we have a home forever because our Father sent his Son to pay for our right standing with him and our eternal home.  Why should we complain about our everyday needs, for God has won the victory for us, cleansing us from all unrighteousness.  Paul suffered all kinds of trials and tribulations, yet he could say: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35-39)

We know in the practicalities and realities of life, not everything here on Earth comes out the way we desire.  In our understanding, not all things are expanded from little to much as in the feeding of the 5,000.  In this world, we see injustice, pain, and death.  According to our rational thinking, John the Baptist should not have been beheaded; the apostles should not have been killed; the church should not have been persecuted; Paul should not have hurt Christ by hounding Christians.  Still today, we know good people are sometimes martyred for their faith; we know many Christians have faced the pain of sickness and death before their bodies wore out in old age; we know of the cruelties and the unjustness of this wicked world.  But in and through it all, God desires us to bless that which we have in life so that He might use everything we have and all we have experienced for his glory.  God's purpose for our lives is to provide an abundance for others, but He also will supply miraculously for us and our heirs.  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.  But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children — with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.  (Psalms 103:8-18)  God's provisions are great when we place our lives into his hands, when we ask him to bless everything, even the most difficult times.  Amen!  Today, give him your loaves and fishes and see what He will do!  

    

Mark 6:35-38 Take Inventory and Feed the Hungry

Mark 6:35-38  By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him.  “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.  Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”  They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages!  Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”  “How many loaves do you have?” he asked.  “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five — and two fish.” 

In the above circumstance, Jesus asks the disciples to do something that seems nonsensical: You give them (the 5,000) something to eat.  Of course, the disciples responded very rationally, very humanly: That would take eight months of a man’s wages!  Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?  The disciples knew Jesus was asking them to fulfill an impossible command.  No person, no organization, could immediately feed 5,000 people on the spur of the moment.  None of them possessed the money to feed this crowd.  The disciples must have felt Jesus was asking them to do something that only a madman would ask them to do.  Compounding the disciples angst, Jesus instructed them to take inventory of the amount of food the crowd possessed.  This was a bizarre request.  Obviously, since this crowd had been with them all day, most of the food they had brought with them would have already been consumed.  But his faithful disciples obediently carried out his order and came up with the impressive sum of five loaves of bread and two fish--a meager pittance, considering Jesus was asking them to feed 5,000 hungry people.  This must have been a frustrating and confusing time for the disciples, but Jesus was teaching them an important faith lesson: always take inventory of what you have, not what you don't have.  Once when the disciples asked Jesus why they could not set a boy free from demon oppression, He said it was because of their lack of faith.  He went on to say, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  (Matthew 17:20)  Jesus was continually teaching his disciples that faith is what matters most.  As the saying goes: little is much when God is in it.  

A proper inventory, regardless of the impossibilities of any situation, remains very important.  As Christians, walking by faith, we are not to fixate on what we don't have but on what we do have.  As the above story develops, we will see God blessing and expanding a small bit of food for the benefit of many.  Jesus fully understood the realities of the situation, yet He told the disciples to discover how much food was actually in the possession of the people.  They obediently took inventory and came back with a discouraging account, but those five loaves and two fishes eventually fed 5,000 people.  In our lives as people of faith, we should always realistically comprehend the situation; but simultaneously, we should know God's power trumps every circumstance.  He can make much out of little when we give the situation to him.  In our lives, He will do great things when we by faith obey his request: You give them something to eat.  God desires that our lives be fruitful.  He has given us talents and resources to make our lives fruitful, but we must obey his commandments to love him with all our heart, mind, and strength, and to love others as ourselves.  In the above passage because of the reality of the situation, the disciples said, Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.  Otherwise, let them fend for themselves.  But Jesus said, you feed them, you do good to them, you provide for their needs.  You love them as you would want to be loved.  He was asking his disciples to put their own lives on hold for the needs of others.  They probably were exasperated with Jesus, thinking that this whole situation is out of control and Jesus was asking the impossible; but to their credit, as followers of Christ, they did what Jesus told them to do.  By fulfilling Jesus' orders, they saw a miracle that day.  The inventory of food was infinitesimal, but God's abundance was beyond belief.  We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)  As the disciples put that faith to the test, they saw a mighty miracle of God! 

What we commit to God in our lives can be blessed beyond our imaginations.  If we are willing to bless others with the little we have, He will make our lives fruitful for many.  Every day Jesus asks us to take inventory of our lives.  He asks what we have not what we don't have.  In this process we should be careful not to limit Jesus by accentuating what we lack.  Instead, we must ask him to bless the realities of our lives, what we do have.  If we have only five loaves and two fishes to feed 5,000, then we ask Jesus to bless them for others, that we might use every resource and talent we have for his glory.  If we assent to his will in our lives, our lives will be a blessing to many.  Living water will pour from our innermost being to bless a sick and dying world.  We will be experiencing an abundant life in the eyes of the Lord.  None of us are bereft of talents and resources.  We all have something to give to the Lord.  God gives his children good gifts.  Jesus said that if people who are evil give good gifts to their children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.  (Matthew 7:11)  Jesus desires for us is to have fruitful lives, even if at times we only have 5 loaves and two fish to feed many.  Today, take inventory of your life.  Look for the good and ignore the bad.  Look for the place where you can share with someone else who is hungering for what you have to give.  Take a loaf of bread--the bread of life--and share it with a hungry friend.  God will do the rest.  He will multiply the offering you share in faith and bless you abundantly.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  (Luke 6:38)  

Mark 6:30-34 Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant!

Mark 6:30-34  The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.  But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.

In the above account we see Jesus concerned about his disciples' weariness.  We know Jesus the man of flesh was also susceptible to weariness: Now he (Jesus) had to go through Samaria.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, TIRED as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  (John 4:4-6)  But, his first concern was for his disciples, for others.  We see this theme carried out throughout Jesus' ministry: Jesus exhausting himself for the sake of others.  Later on in Mark, chapter six, after He feeds the 5,000, we will see Jesus directing his disciples to go across the lake while He stays to say goodbye to the people.  The disciples proceed to the boat, but Jesus stays around to deal with the crowd.  Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.  (Mark 6:45-46)  After a day of ministry to the people's needs, Jesus must have been bone tired.  But Jesus does not go with the disciples to rest on the other side of the lake; neither does He go up on the mountainside to lie down and relax.  No, after dealing with the people, He immediately begins to pray.  Fervent prayer alone can be exhausting.  How many times have you fallen asleep while praying, especially if you prayed for an extended period of time.  Many of us have trouble finishing our abbreviated nighttime prayers before somnolence arrives.  Sustained prayer in the Spirit is most often fatiguing.  As we look at Jesus, we see his concerns for others as more important than the needs of his body.  As He said: For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

How many of us approach life with the focus of loving others first before meeting the needs of our bodies, our own personal needs?  How many of us are willing to be servants as Jesus describes in Luke 17.  Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep.  Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, "Come along now and sit down to eat"?  Would he not rather say, "Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink"?  Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?  So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty."  (Luke 17:7-10)  Are you looking after your master's concerns first before your needs?  Jesus willingly sacrificed his life for us, and we too are to place our lives on the altar for our brothers and sisters.  We are to be ready to manifest the goodness of the Lord to the world by serving the needs of others.  This word is difficult for anyone of us to swallow wholeheartedly, for we have only one life to live, and we have many hopes and dreams for ourselves.  If we live our lives for others, what about our physical and emotional needs?  What about our rest?  Consider this: the Lord has given each of us a life to live, talents to use.  If we use our energy, giftings, and strength for him, we will please the Lord; consequently, we will find great joy in living each day, for our lives will be purposeful and rewarding.  However, If we hide ourselves among the lethargic, self-serving, and hedonistic, we will miss out on God's purpose for us.  We will also see that in the midst of living for God and committing to him, He provides what we need.  That is why Jesus told the people not to worry about what they would eat or what they would wear because God would take care of them.  He said, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  (Matthew 6:33 KJV)   

Jesus is our example.  He had experienced yet another exhausting day, but when He saw the crowd waiting for him, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.  He could not ignore the needs of the people--they had his heart.  When we are exhausted and weary of doing good, we must remember what Paul wrote: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  (Galatians 6:7-10)  Breakfast companions, catch your second wind; hear the Spirit.  Let him direct your steps to the next task, the next person needing your love, encouragement, and gentle care.  You will find your life fruitful; you will be a blessing to many.  Jesus in you is your hope of glory: through your servanthood, Jesus will be revealed as the Shepherd of the sheep.  And one day you will be blessed to hear the Lord say, Well done, good and faithful servant!  Until that glorious day, we offer you Paul's prayer: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.  (Ephesians 3:16-21) 

Mark 6:14-29 Prepare the Way of the Lord!

Mark 6:14-29  King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known.  Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”  Others said, “He is Elijah.”  And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”  But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”  For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.  He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.  For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him.  But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.  When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.  Finally the opportune time came.  On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.  When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.  The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.”  And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”  She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”  “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.  At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”  The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.  So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head.  The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter.  He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.  On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus said of John: among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.  (Matthew 11:11)  We know Jesus sorrowed over John's unjust execution.  Jesus and John were undoubtedly close friends all their lives because of Mary and Elizabeth's close relationship.  Yet, we see the greatest among men and most loved by Jesus, dying at the hands of sinful men because a cruel and vindictive woman asks for his head.  Was John's death a surprise to Jesus?  Probably, for we see no indication in the scriptures that Jesus was prepared for John's sudden demise.  Yes, Jesus was God, but He was walking as a man, led by the Spirit to minister to people.  He was doing the work of God, and his divine clairvoyance came within the domain of his ministry such as directing his disciples to a man who would give Jesus a young donkey to ride into Jerusalem.  We know Jesus loved John, yet John died unexpectedly so King Herod could keep a promise and not lose face.  While John was alive, he fulfilled the mission for which God had prepared him.  He completed the work that God had ordained for him to do.  Yes, we see wickedness in the form of Herodias seemingly win a battle over righteousness, but wickedness is never truly successful over God's righteous, eternal plans.  God always wins in the end: eternal victories are his alone.  Because of John preparing the way for the Spirit to inhabit Jesus completely by baptizing Jesus, we have seen millions entering into the kingdom of God through Christ's miraculous works on Earth and through his death, burial and resurrection.  John explained it first when he said: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.  (John 1:6-9)  

Are you suffering?  Has death or severe pain entered your domain?  Has unrelenting sorrow or despair of the circumstances of life overcome your spirit of joy?  As a child of God, bought by the blood of the precious Son of God, you are not alone, you are not abandoned.  Fix your eyes on Jesus, the One who told his disciples, Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  (Matthew 28:20)  When John was imprisoned, he sought good news; so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He were truly the Messiah.  John needed a steadfast hope; a renewal of what he experienced at Christ's baptism.  Jesus told John's disciples to report the following to the imprisoned John: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.  Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”  (Matthew 11:4-6)  Jesus was telling  John, Do not believe because of your personal knowledge of me, but know that I am doing the work of the Messiah prophesied in God's Word.  I am Messiah!  As with John, many of us need that powerful message to arrive in our hearts: Yes, Jesus is Messiah, Redeemer, Son of God.  He has a mission for you on Earth.  He has not abandoned you or your family.  He intends to work through you and has given you work to do.  Sorrow comes and unexpected adverse situations happen to all of us, but we who are ALIVE IN CHRIST know his loving kindness and tender mercy.  He has an eternal work to fulfill in each of us.  We are not alone, neither are we like the world.  When John was in prison, God knew where He was.  God knew his life would be taken, but God determined that John's life would be so profitable that we would be talking about it two thousand years later.  Dear ones, you have relatives and friends who can benefit from your life as you draw closer to God instead of falling back in hard times.  As Paul wrote: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.  (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)  He is our Creator God, and He has a life for each of his children to live.

Sometimes in life when we struggle, we want God's visage to be seen or a miraculous work to be done to give us faith to believe God is in control or to give us hope to believe He will see us through the hard times.  Occasionally, God allows such divine intervention.  We see a miracle or someone shows up with an encouraging Word, just the right scripture to give us the will to continue to serve God with confidence.  But what pleases God most is child-like faith.  When little children fall down and are hurting, they do not want a stranger or even a close relative helping them, they want their Mom or Dad to comfort them.  We are little children in God's eyes.  He calls us his children.  When Jesus prepared to go away, he expressed his love for his disciples and said, My children, I will be with you only a little longer.  (John 13:33)  We are God's darlings.  Run to him little children: cry in his arms if you are tearful; rejoice with him if you are thankful.  Know that He alone has the ultimate purpose for our lives in his hands, and He sees the beginning and the ending and everything in between.  In the song, "Something Beautiful," there is a line, "Something beautiful, something good, all of my confusion, Jesus understood."  Everything you have today, all that is within you, good or bad, bring it to him, and lay it on the altar before him as an offering.  WE CAN TRUST HIM.  When they placed John's body in the tomb, Jesus must have sorrowed greatly, and the Holy Spirit would have ministered to him.  But Christ must also have greatly rejoiced as He knew millions of people would learn of The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  (Mark 1:3)  May each of us carry forth the Good News with renewed strength today!   

 

Mark 6:14-15 The Christ, The Son of God

Mark 6:14-15  King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known.  Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”   Others said, “He is Elijah.”  And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”  

Matthew 16:13-17  When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

The belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God provides the foundation of Christianity.  For Christians, Jesus walked this Earth not just as good man who did wonderful works; neither was He simply a wise man who did acts of kindness out of his deep love for humanity, nor was He a mere reformer who wanted to change the world by teaching people about God's great love.  No, Jesus was and is the Son of God who created all things, and because He created all things He has the authority and power to create new life in all who place their faith in his redeeming sacrifice at the cross.  He alone can make all things NEW.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  (John 1:1-3)  Jesus said we must be born again: we must have new life in us if we are going to experience eternal life with God.  Jesus through the Holy Spirit is the giver of that life.  Through his redeeming power, Jesus produces new life in us.  The breath of the living God rests in Christ Jesus.  We Christians believe that fact: we know that in him we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17:28)  All other claims of knowing God, every theology that excludes Jesus as the Son of God, are antiChrist spirits.  These false religious theologies do not lead to freedom from sin, a transformation of the old self, and eternal life with God.  They might make people better in certain aspects of their human existence: more loving, more caring, more sensitive to other people's problems, but they spawn no born-again life within their adherents.   New life, born-again life, comes from knowing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as THE LORD, as the giver of all life and in accepting all He has to offer as Lord of All.  HIs works of righteousness are what is important.  He died for us, He was raised for us that we might die with him and be raised with him in newness of life.  We who trust in him by faith have no more debt to pay for our sins.  He paid it all freely with his own life.  Eternal life with him is ours, for we are his new creation, seated with him in God's presence.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  (2 Corinthians 5:17)   

If someone tells you that your goodness, dedication to God, and wholesome worship will get you to heaven, you must take a step back and consider the source of such information.  The new birth in you did not come about by your efforts: it is a gift from God.  Your responsibility is to believe that fact by placing your complete trust in God's work through Jesus Christ's life and death on Earth.  He paid the complete price for your salvation.  Metaphorically, there are no other cards to place on the table; the winning card has already been placed on the table by Christ.  You win!  If  you try to add anything else to insure your success, you lose.  Nothing can be added to the Son-of-God card.  So many times we Christians will try to place something else on the table to insure our success.  We try to play our own self-righteous card to make sure eternal life is ours.  When we try, we evolve into an antiChrist spirit.  We are telling God that his plan is imperfect, that we finite beings have a better, more sure, salvation plan.  We want to tweak God's plan just a little bit.  But nothing can be added if we truly believe what Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God; the Creator of all things.  In you we place our trust.  Paul understood his position in Christ and expressed it well: 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.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!  (Galatians 2:20-21)  He told the church they were foolish to think they could begin in the Spirit and then return to the flesh to perfect their lives.  The same Spirit that worked to bring them to salvation was the Spirit that worked in them to perfect their lives.  We must not ever set aside the grace of God or frustrate the grace of God with our foolish attempts to add to what God had already done through his Son by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Instead, we must yield to the Lord and allow him to use us to bring others to him.

If we want a victorious life so our lives will shine in a dark world, we must answer clearly and emphatically the question, Who do you say I am?  If we in our human condition truly acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the enticements of this world will fade dramatically.  Compared with the brilliance of Christ, the bright Morning Star, the world's attractiveness loses its hold on us; sin loses its hold.  If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7)  When we are in his light, we will dedicate our lives to Christ rather than following after our own fleshly desires.  We will willingly face hardships and ridicule because of our Christian stand, BECAUSE WE KNOW JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD.   Now, if you have any doubts about who Jesus really is, think on the words of Peter who lived with Jesus for three years and who died for him as a martyr.  We did not follow cleverly INVENTED STORIES when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were EYEWITNESSES of his majesty.  For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  We ourselves HEARD this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.  (2 Peter 16-18)  Peter was willing to follow Jesus all the way to be crucified upside down on a cross for the one he called Jesus and Lord.  He knew Jesus not only as his friend and Lord but as the Son of God.  There was no backing down for Peter.  HE BELIEVED, FOR HE HEARD GOD PROCLAIM JESUS AS HIS BELOVED SON.  He could say with Paul: I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  (2 Timothy 1:12)  Today, believing that truth, you can expect to see Jesus, the Son of God, in your near future, for to God, in the eternal reality, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  (2 Peter 3:8)  God is near you NOW.            

Mark 6:7-13 Jesus Sends Out Missionaries

Mark 6:7-13  Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.  These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.  Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.  And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”  They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Jesus sent the disciples out to minister without what we would consider the necessities of life.  He instructed them to take no food, no bag to carry anything, no money to buy supplies, no extra tunic to keep them warm, and no dependable housing plan.  They went out by faith, totally dependent on the mercy of others to supply their needs.  What an evangelism plan!  Would we consider this a good way to develop a ministry in any land?  Would any modern-day missionary organization send out its people with such a commission?  Definitely not!  Missionaries nowadays must raise their support before they leave for the field.  But Jesus sent the twelve out with nothing extra except the assurance that God would provide for them.  The only protection He gave them was the authority over evil spirits and the power to anoint the sick for healing.  The disciples were going to rely on God for the essentials of life.  God would have to line up the people who would provide the basic necessities for them as they were needed.  We learn later, their missionary venture was a huge success; therefore, we know God provided for their daily needs or they would not have been able to complete their journey.  The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."  (Luke 10:17)  Their dependency on God's provisions brought a great deal of excitement into their lives, for they realized God not only subdued the demons of the spiritual world but also was intimately involved with their daily needs in this physical world.  Another time when Jesus told his disciples not to worry about tomorrow--what they would eat or what they would wear because their heavenly father would take care of them, He went on to say, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  (Matthew 6:33)  Jesus wanted his followers to know the most important step was to yield totally to their heavenly Father who loved them unreservedly.

Jesus' instructions to the disciples were pivotal to their success.  He was asking them to become men of faith in all their actions and reactions.  He wanted them to rely on God for their sustenance, for their existence.  We see this scene carried out in the Old Testament in numerous situations where the patriarchs and the prophets as men of faith followed God's commands, his words, rather than doing what their senses told them to do.  They felt God's words were more real and reliable that their rational thinking, their ideas based on what they knew.  As Christians, we are people of the Word, people of faith, people who trust the will of God.  We believe God made everything out of absolutely nothing.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  (Hebrews 11:2)   Metaphorically, we believe there were no articles of clothing for God to make a new garment.  A garment did not exist; He spoke it into existence.  The world came into existence by his powerful Word.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  (John 1:1-3)  The disciples in the above account had to believe in this God of creation.  They had to believe that God through Jesus Christ made everything, and He could take care of them even if their rational minds said this kind of mission was impossible without adequate preparation.  But they found out in their journey that God is faithful: He keeps his promises.  He was not only faithful to drive out demons and to heal the sick: He was faithful to provide for them daily as they took up their tasks and obeyed his will.  Obviously, this experience and others like it helped them to face life after Jesus' departure from this world.  They learned to depend upon the leading of the Lord.  

We too in the twenty-first century must believe that the God of creation is more real than anything our senses perceive.  We must believe the Word of God rather than the hopelessness of the society around us.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away.  The Bible says: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)     God will always exist; He will always be in charge; He will always take care of his people.  The disciples learned this on their mission trip.  They learned God was in control of the spiritual world; He was in control of the natural world; He was also in control of their lives.  God is the overriding power of all things, the ultimate authority.  The demons might take some authority for a while in someone's life, but they will never have eternal authority over anyone.  Only God has that authority.  We might faint from weariness for a time here on Earth because of our troubles and needs, but God is the final arbitrator of every circumstance.  He decides.  In the midst of our weariness, sorrow, and pain, Jesus still says, 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)  Jesus told his beloved disciples to go out and minister as people of faith.  We too are told to go out and minister as people of faith.  No, we don't have to go with one set of clothes and a staff, without provisions; but we must go in faith, believing God will provide our every need and that He will set people free from their slavery to sin.  We must believe we are his children: HIS DISCIPLES.  Let us embrace lives of faith.  Let us follow his words for our lives, believing that just as Jesus did with the twelve: He has called us; He has sent us out!  Bless you!