History Repeated...

 

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

As mentioned yesterday, Stephen had been arrested for boldly sharing his faith - something Christians had become know for in that day.  During his defense, he went back into their history of faith to show this repeated pattern.  Joseph was given a special dream and promise by God, but his brothers (greatly outnumbering him) became jealous and sold him into slavery, hoping to get rid of him later.  Moses was sent by God to deliver them from Egypt, but when he was gone too long on the mountain, giving up on him and turning to the golden calf.  When they were settled in the promised land, God finally allowed them to build a permanent temple, but soon they left Him there as if in a box, where they could walk away and do whatever they wanted to do. They had a history of resisting God's plan, persecuting His deliverers, and breaking His covenant.  They were now doing it all over again. How often do we repeat such history?

Transitional Statements...

 Acts 6:7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

The book of Acts records a balance of the extremes of the early Church: her struggles and her successes. Most are familiar with the account at the beginning of the chapter, and how that church resolved the issue of under-supported widows. It was a great success in unifying and strengthening the church, impressing the world around them, and drawing more to the Gospel.  This simple statement above is an understatement of the great power and influence of the church impacting her culture as we wish we could. It also serves as a transition into the sad-but-true account of Stephen, who was very vocal about his faith, which brought extreme opposition and imprisonment.  The picture is this: for the church to do what she needs to do and grow as she ought to grow, there will be challenges and opposition on an ongoing basis. There are no transitional statements like this when "all seems to be going smoothly." They are simple pauses to breathe in between the challenges and battles we are called on to face in the name of Christ. 

A Perplexing Problem

 

Acts 5:17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 

This chapter opens with the account of Ananias and Sapphira, trying to trick the apostles (and God) about how much they received from selling land and giving the proceeds to the ministry of the church. Their lie was no match for the Holy Spirit or the apostles whom He filled and directed. The incident was no problem. The ones who did have the problem were the Council of religious leaders. Every day the twelve would go to the temple and preach the good news of Christ and heal in His name, even though they had been warned to cease and desist such activity. The council tried putting them in prison, but the Holy Spirit delivered them.  The passage goes on to say there was much debate about what to do with them.  Some wanted to kill them; others wanted to wipe out the church.  But the church had already become too popular for the people to allow such things, let alone any reaction brought by Rome if there was too much commotion. Wiser heads gave counsel, giving examples of similar movements which had just fizzled out, saying: 

38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”  So they did, beating them, warning them not to do it again, then sending them away.  But as we will see, the movement did not go away, but grew and remains today.

The Contrast...

 

Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
    there is none who does good,
    not even one.

Above we find the closing words of Psalm 13, followed immediately by the opening words of Psalm 14. David began Psalm 13 by repeatedly asking "How Long, Lord?"  He kept seeing evil men and nations seem to triumph and prosper, while he and his people struggled and suffered. On the other hand, the fools all around him could seem to care less; they lived as if God does not exist and never brings about His righteousness.  David closes Psalm 14 by calling his people to trust and rejoice in their God, because they know He is their refuge and will restore and bring justice, no matter what the fools around may think.  There is a God; He is good; He will judge. 

God is a Firm Foundation; Man? Not So Much...

Psalm 11: 4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord's throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The Lord tests the righteous,
    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Psalm 12:5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

In these successive psalms of David, he continues to cling to the righteousness of God (see the end of Psalm 11).  Though everyone around him tells him to "run for the hills," David chooses to look to the Holy Hill of God.  He calls out to Him once again while surrounded by evil men.  He clings to Him as the one who looks down on those who are being wrongly mistreated, who then says "Enough of this: "I AM going to do something."  David clings to the words of God as true, trusting Him to do as He says He will. It is the very character of God that assures us God hears, He cares, and His righteousness will prevail in the end. 

Moved by God

Acts 4:23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers were gathered together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

We saw yesterday in chapter 3 that Peter and John were directed by God to heal a lame man in the temple. This drew a lot of attention, giving them opportunity to share with many people more things about Jesus Christ as God's Messiah, Whom they had rejected. Things got quite loud in the temple, leading to the arrest of Peter and John. After an intense interrogation they were told "stop doing that" and sent away. This lead to the report above and to this prayer of praise and commitment. They knew that they were doing what God wanted and asked for courage and boldness to continue to do so. They also knew that God had called them to stick together, leading to a sense of care and community in which generosity and sacrificial love was common, furthering their witness to a watching world. May we emulate such a commitment to prayer, community, and intentionality in sharing the Gospel today.

By HIS Name...

 

Acts 3:11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

As we saw yesterday in Acts 2, the first Day of Pentecost after Christ's ascension was a big blast of answered questions, both for the followers of Jesus, and those who would join them in following Him. This chapter records the answer to the next question: will this continue? Had everyone in town who was going to believe already done so? Not by a long shot. Peter and John had come to the temple, where they and other believers continued to come and worship God. Upon entering, they encountered this lame man, who was asking for money.  Peter and John knew exactly what they had to do: heal Him in Jesus' name. Here, when they drew a crowd, they again knew what they needed to do: tell them all about Jesus, whom they had crucified. They bring out even more truths about Christ: The Holy One, the Author of Life, the One with the Power of God.  They go on in the rest of the chapter to tell how all the prophets from Moses forward had told of His coming, and that they needed to Repent and trust in Him. We never know each new day who God will bring our way, but He will make a way to tell them about Jesus, the Name above all names. 

New People, New Questions

Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

We have seen at the end of  the Gospels and the beginning of Acts that all of the questions the followers of Christ had were answered.  Things had changed drastically from the crucifixion with it's big questions: "Is that the end? What do we do now?" to having the resulting questions about their future answered both one by one and in big bunches.  The days after the ascension included the answer to the question: "Who will replace Judas?", but were by and large a quiet time of preparation for the day of Pentecost. On that day, these followers saw how the Holy Spirit would come and God would begin to use them to take the good news of the Gospel to every tongue and nation. They began too see how Christ would keep His promise to build His Church.  That day also brought a lot of new people who questioned what was going on. After Peter answered a lot of their questions in His sermon, they came to one big question of the day: "What shall we do?" They didn't have to wait for the answer:  38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So many of them did. The answers to the questions of what they should do became obvious as they began to spend time in worship, fellowship, study, and prayer.  Once we have the big question of life answered, the others begin to fall into place. 

More Questions Answered

 

Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Throughout His ministry, and especially during the last week of it, Jesus had made a lot of statements about the future.  As we saw last week, when He died there were all sorts of questions in His followers' minds, not the least of which was "Is this the end of our hope?"  That was answered promptly when He rose from the dead.  In the days following He answered many more questions about how His coming had made the way for our salvation.  But there were a few more questions which needed to be clarified, like all the statements He had made about going away and going away again, as well as when His kingdom would be fully established.  Those were things He clarified at the ascension. He was going away and coming back again.  He was going to send them the Holy Spirit He had talked about so much in the upper room. They would stay here and carry on the work He had begun - not just in Israel, but all over the world.  In the verses that follow, God continued to guide them one step at a time, answering the question of who would replace Judas, and how.  That's the way God leads: answering our questions at times in bunches, while at others handling one decision at a time.  Let's listen at all times to His voice. 

Questions Answered

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The women who had observed Jesus' death and burial returned after the Sabbath to properly prepare His body, as women often want to do things the right way after the men had done it quickly.  Besides all the questions they had about "What happens next?", they didn't even know how they would move the stone to get inside the tomb. Their questions were quickly answered in reverse: the stone was moved; Jesus was no longer dead, and their next step was to go tell the disciples and get them to go together to meet Jesus in Galilee.  We know from the few details in the following verses and the other Gospels that all the questions they had were soon answered in meeting places in Jerusalem and on the mountainside in Galilee. But all the needed for now were those first few answers.  The same is true for us: we don't need to know all the answers all at once - only a few to show us the first steps of the path we need to take. 

A Call for Justice

 

Psalm 10:12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
    forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
    you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    call his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

As we saw yesterday, God is Righteous, and it is His righteousness that moves us to call out to Him. The psalmist here begins this Psalm with a cry: Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? He then proceeds to describe all the unrighteousness he sees around him: arrogance, wickedness, scheming, boasting, greediness, cursing, deceit, oppression, murder, taking advantage of the poor and helpless.  This is all done with an attitude of rebellion against God.  So this psalmist calls out: God does see, God has helped before: He is the King Who cares for His people. He is the righteous One Who does justice.  Let us remind ourselves of Who God is and what He is like, as we call out to Him and ask Him to bring justice on the earth. 

His Righteousness Is Always There

 

Psalm 9:1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
    you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness.

David was full of thanksgiving to God - more than a lifetime's worth.  He could go on and on talking about how much God had done for Him.  What stood out the most to Him? God's Righteousness. David could see that God had always been there, even when it seemed like evil men - even whole nations - were getting away with terrible evil. God's Righteousness always prevailed.  David goes on to say in the second half of the Psalm that eventually a lack of righteousness became the snare that trapped evil men and nations and brought them to an end.  Having remembered God's faithful righteousness, David once again calls out to God both for the needs of this life, and ultimately, His righteous judgment on all men and nations at the end of History. His righteousness will prevail. 

Hanging Questions...

Mark 15:27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.[e] 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

Yesterday, we saw in chapter 14 that everyone had either turned on or abandoned Jesus, leaving Him to fend for Himself before the Jewish and Roman leaders.  All sorts of accusations were made against Him, but when Pilate asked Jesus to defend Himself, He would not.  When Pilate asked they people why He should be killed, they did not answer, only yelling "crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Here, when He is put on the cross, they asked Him why He did not save Himself and get down from the cross.  When He died, the centurion in essence asked "Why should the Son of God die?"  As Jesus was buried by his friends, surely the question of these men and the women watching on was "Is this the end?"  All of these questions were just hanging there, unanswered, yet the answers had already been given.  Jesus chose to give His life; He was not worthy of death; He refused to abandon His task; He died for His friends; it was far from the end. 

Betrayed and Abandoned

 Mark 14:66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

This chapter shows how quickly things went downhill.  Having been thwarted in every plan they had to get rid of Jesus, the religious leaders finally got the break they were waiting for: an inside man to betray him.  Meanwhile, Jesus was preparing Himself for His death: allowing the woman to anoint Him for burial and giving final instructions to His disciples, giving them His Supper and His Spirit to help them remember. Jesus then handed Himself over to his enemies, enduring mistreatment and injustice.  Peter, the only holdout of the disciples, eventually abandoned Him as well, without speaking a word on His behalf. Jesus willingly faced alone both the evil and the apathy of man. 

Things to Come

 Mark 13:3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

In our last chapter, we saw that Jesus began His last week of ministry by making people ask hard questions about their relationship with God, only giving confidence that the poor widow was doing it right.  This chapter is full of proclamations of things to come, and they were also hard to hear.  The temple was going to be destroyed and there would be all sorts of supernatural disasters.  Rather than turning to God, many would turn and run from Him.  Persecution against His true followers would intensify.  False teachers and spiritual darkness would overshadow the earth. But Jesus did not stop there. There was good news as well.  Christ was going to return to make everything right, and though it would often seem like it would never happen, suddenly and gloriously He will gloriously return.  Such warnings and promises call for an alertness and preparedness beyond any other threat imaginable.  Are we watching and getting ready?

Stop and Think

Mark 12:24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong."

At the end of the previous chapter, Jesus had left His critics speechless.  Since He was approaching the end of His ministry, He was challenging everything to stop and process everything He had said, done, and stood for.  Sometimes it was the questions He answered; other times it was the questions He asked.  First, to those He had silenced He asked them to consider if He might not be the cornerstone of faith God had been promising to send.  Then, he foiled them in their attempt to trip Him up over their question about taxes: "Why did they have Caesar's coin in the temple in the first place?" In the verses above He forced the Sadducees to see the inconsistency in their denial of the resurrection. Next, He interacted with a man who got the answers to His question about the greatest commandment right, yet He concluded their discussion with the phrase: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." In other words, not - quite - yet. Finally, He focused in on the poor woman giving all she had to the poor as an example of the only one he had talked to that day who really did get it.  He gave His disciples, and us all, a lot to stop and think about.

A Quick Summary...

 

Mark 11:27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Having told His followers for the third time of what was going to happen to Him, it was now time for a quick review.  The triumphal entry reminded them of everything they had learned about Him: He was the King, the Son of God, the Savior they had been waiting for to deliver them. His example of the withering fig tree was a reminder of everything He had taught them about prayer: God cares, He can, & He does.  The repeat of the cleansing of the temple reminded them that their manmade system of holiness did not work and was about to be replaced.  Finally, He once again reemphasizes His authority by leaving the religious leaders who challenged Him speechless.  Like everything else in this gospel, this summary is fast-paced, but it also is more than a review; it is preparation for what would happen His last week of ministry. 

The Lord: Righteous and Majestic

 

Psalm 7:18 The Lord judges the peoples;
    judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God!
10 My shield is with God,
    who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
    and a God who feels indignation every day.

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

    to still the enemy and the avenger.

Many of us are familiar with this second Psalm, which goes on to proclaim wonder at God's awesome creation, especially of man.  It is one of the most foundational truths of faith.  But notice the connection here between these two psalms and what we have seen in the first six:  The Psalmist calls out to God for deliverance, especially from the wicked who surround Him.  He can make this plea to a God who is righteous, which separates Him from man.  As the Righteous One, God is able and entitled to judge, and to still the accusations of the enemy, the avenger, the wicked one who attacks the righteous one.  It is God's righteousness that moves Him to act, and His infinite, creative Power which enables Him to do so.  So, may we too cry out to God in His righteousness and power, and trust Him to deliver us from evil. 

Knowing Where You're At

 Psalm 5:For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

Psalm 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

In both of these Psalms we find David, as he did in the previous psalms, in distress, calling out for God to deliver Him.  He knows God hears, but he also knows God sees and knows - both him and those around him.  He is surrounded by evil, proud men, who really do not care for God, and their lives show it. He also realizes, as we saw in the opening Psalm, how much those around us can impact us. He wants to be able to focus on worshipping and fellowshipping with God, and not be distracted by all the evil around him. It is not always easy to do so, but he so much wants to be in God's presence that he devotes himself to turn completely away from the evil and him to Worship and listen to God.  May we do the same as we come to talk with and listen to Him.  

Third Time's a Charm?

 

Mark 1032 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

As Jesus headed towards Jerusalem on His final journey, he fielded a lot of tough questions from both friends and foes.  The religious leaders tried to trick Him with a question on divorce.  The place of family repeatedly came into question.  Moral people who were financially stable citizens were not guaranteed eternal life. Making these statements, Jesus walked ahead leaving his followers to follow in amazement with even more questions.  Jesus then turned to make His third, and more detailed, pronouncement of His death and resurrection.  To be sure, at the time, this third announcement may not have clarified things at all. If it had, we would not have the next event of the Sons of Thunder asking for the closest places to Him in His kingdom.  Yet, Jesus continues to add followers.  Healing the blind man, he then told him he could "go his way," but instead he began to follow Jesus.  This is in sharp contrast to the rich young man who would not give up his easy life to follow Him.  May we not be slow to answer His call or accept His death for us. 

O Faithless Generation!

 

Mark 9:17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 

Jesus had been performing miracle after miracle, demonstrating His power and authority over illness, demons, and even the forces of nature.  Still, some were doing everything they could to deny His power and find reasons not to believe and follow Him.  At times, even his followers struggled to trust Him.  The demonstrations of His power and glory in a sense climax here in this chapter with His transfiguration - so powerful and overwhelming only the faithfulest (yes, I made up that word) of disciples could handle it. Then they came back down to reality. This event demonstrates our slowness to believe and trust Him fully. Just as in the last chapter this increasing demonstration of authority led to His telling Him about his coming Passion, so does the transfiguration.  It also leads to further challenges to their faith: trust Him to decide who is in authority; let Him decide who the good and bad guys are; allow Him to purge our lives of anything that hinds us in following Him.  True faith never stops growing and stretching. 

Do you get it now?

Mark 8: 27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

The crowds had been building and building. Jesus had been performing miracle after miracle. What were they really learning following after Jesus? This chapter begins with Jesus feeding the 4000 at a time after feeding the 5000.  Later on, the disciples are squabbling about who forgot the food.  The Pharisees keep on asking for signs, which were never enough because of the hardness of their hearts.  Finally, Jesus presses the point with the disciples: Who do you say that I am? All of the signs were meant merely to make it perfectly clear that He was the Christ, the Son of God, who was to be trusted, not challenged; obeyed, not ignored.  The chapter ends with another test, as Jesus shares with them His upcoming passion: He was going to die. When Peter heard this - the same one who had made this great statement of faith - he rebuked Jesus; he challenged His plan.  Jesus reacted strongly to this: "Get on board or get out of the way."  As much as Peter's words showed he "got it," his reactions showed he still had a way to go. How about us? Do you get it now?

Tradition!

Mark 7: 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

This chapter begins with the Pharisees criticizing Jesus' disciples for not following their rules for clean and unclean hands when eating.  Jesus promptly points out that all of their traditions were man-made rules which in no way revealed the holiness of a person. Here he then points out a major flaw in their actions that showed their traditions to be unbiblical.  From this point he goes on to instruct the people, and especially the disciples, on what it means to be clean before God: it is not by outwardly keeping rules and traditions, but by having an inward transformation by God.  Jesus further demonstrates His point by going to a Gentile area, talking to a Gentile woman, and healing her daughter.  This was a slap in the face to "tradition."  Upon returning to Galilee, Jesus heals many, telling them to be quiet about it, but they cannot retain their joy, "breaking the rules" and telling everyone what Christ has done for them. 

Too Much Going On...

 

Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Sometimes following Jesus can seem a little overwhelming.  If I were to have just said Mark 6, without reading any of it to you, what of the many things that took place here would you remember? His rejection in His own hometown, where people couldn't handle the news of everything "little Jesus" had been doing? The twelve disciples going out two by two, multiplying the work and words of Jesus throughout the land? The tragic death of John the Baptist at the hand of Herod and the confusion over how Jesus fit into the picture? The two great back-to-back miracles of feeding the five thousand and walking on water, which left the disciples speechless?  The fact that after all that business, and vast array of responses, Jesus could go on and minister to people one by one and still care for them all?  Peter, through Mark, wanted to make it clear to all of us: "Yes, Jesus really is that overwhelming. After all, He is the Son of God."  That means even if a lot is going on, He can handle it. 

The God Who Answers

Psalm 3:3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

Psalm 4:1 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

A very common element of many of the Psalms - especially those of David, the writer here - is calling out to God in times of distress.  David was often on the run, from either Saul or the Philistines or both, and found himself trapped, alone and fearing for his life.  He would call out to God.  Since he could not go to the temple to pray, he would often imagine in His heart and mind God on His Holy Seat there.  No matter how bad things were, but the end of the Psalm, David knew God had heard and was in the process of answering his prayer.  He wanted us to learn from his experience and wrote these psalms for our hearts.  Think about how God has heard your cries; continue to call upon Him. 

From Two Perspectives

 

Psalm 1:Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Psalm 2:Why do the nations rage

    and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

    and the rulers take counsel together,

    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

    and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

    the Lord holds them in derision.

Psalms 1 & 2 examine the relationship between God and man from two perspectives. Psalm 1 examines how a person lives by looking at his/her lifestyle here on earth. How seriously does he/she take his/her relationship with God and His word?  Psalm 2 begins from a heavenly perspective, with God looking down on rebellious people, thinking they can run their own lives and the whole world on their own.  Both have a long-term perspective: the humble will stand; the wicked will fall.  Fools will rebel; the wise will humbly submit before their loving King. 

The Man Who Makes You Marvel

Mark 5:17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

One might ask what - if anything, could outdo seeing Jesus calm the storm on the sea instantly.  The back-to-back miracles that followed did not necessarily overshadow it, but they definitely added to it. These verses from the middle of the chapter conclude Jesus' casting out the demons that went into the pigs, only to run off the cliff and be drowned.  Everyone marveled, but that marveling led to different subsequent reactions.  The man wanted to go with Him; the majority wanted Him to go away.  Next, Jesus healed the woman with internal bleeding, which was a miracle in passing.  How many people later connected the dots to her healing and the encounter with Jesus? That's because many were pressing on Him to see what He did with Jairus' daughter, but very few got to actually witness Jesus raising her death.  Even those closest to the situation thought it was hopeless.  Many marveled, but soon turned away to living life business as usual.  How many things do we need to see Jesus do in history and our lives before we do more than marvel? What does it take for us to trust Him?

The Power of Parable

 Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
    and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

In this chapter, Jesus began to teach in parables, beginning with the parable of the Sower, the seed, and the soil.  These were short and simple stories with strong spiritual lessons.  Yet, many seemed to struggle to understand what the most child-like could.  Parables had the power to divide true seekers from those who wanted to "get it", but not really change.  The seed is planted to grow into something different, just as lamps are meant to shine not to draw the attention to themselves, but to what is really there. After saying the same things a few different ways with parables, Jesus then calms the storm.  His demonstration of such power was to add punch to His words, His parables.  They were to be heeded and obeyed just as the sea did. 

Crazy or Courage?

 Mark 3:20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

In this chapter we find a few ways that it seems maybe Jesus was not thinking well.  The chapter begins with Him healing again on the Sabbath, when He had just gotten in trouble at the end of the last chapter for doing so.  Why push His luck?  Next, we find him traveling around, letting all these "unclean" people touch Him - those with diseases and with demons.  After that, He chose twelve "losers" as team members. It is at this point that, as we read above, His family wanted to have Him committed as being out-of-control."  At the end of the chapter their concern seems justified when He seems to shut them out of His life.  But in between we get a clearer picture of what is going on.  There is a spiritual battle taking place. Rather than Jesus being crazy or driven by demons, He is the only One willing to take on the enemy - to deal with the unseen forces behind all the evil going on.  He knew exactly what He was doing, and was the only one with the courage, and the Authority, to take on the enemy and win.  You don't have to be crazy to follow Jesus, but it will require courage.

What Right Does He Have?

Mark 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

In Mark 2 we find that early in His ministry Jesus experienced pushback.  Here, the religious leaders doubted His ability to forgive sins, so He healed the paralytic to demonstrate His power and authority.  The chapter goes on to show that He had the authority to penetrate a world of sin, receive worship, and call the shots about the Sabbath. Why? He is the Son of God. So the question is: "What right does Christ have to walk in and make demands on my life? Every right indeed. 

Do It Now

 

Mark 1:16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

When we read through Mark's gospel, something that immediately sticks out is the word "immediately." Coming from Peter's perspective, it is not surprising that we find an "impulsiveness" to the account, but there is much to be said for "doing it now" - not hesitating to respond, overcoming our tendency to procrastination.  John Mark is presenting to us the Son of God Who came, whom we should promptly receive as Savior and follow as Lord.  It is not a call to irresponsible recklessness, but to do the right thing while we still have the opportunity.  How many things have you let slip by in your life that have never again been repeated, and probably never will again? To witness for Christ? To learn something new? To serve someone in need? Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, don't watch many more opportunities fly by without your response.