What Will God Do Next?

 

You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.  --Oswald Chambers

What is the single most amazing thing God has done for you?  Every answer will be personal, and some stories may not seem so amazing to those who did not experience it first-hand.  When we get to Heaven, we will be able to share our own amazing God stories to Christians we have not met, and I believe we will be amazed even more at how God's plan in our own lives intersected with His plan working out in others' lives.  The list of God's astounding works will have many "but wait, there's more!" moments.

God's work is never stagnant or stale, and when we see what happens next (after seeing the groundwork that He has already laid) we cannot help but praise Him more.  This truth is evident in our study of Mark 6.  You will recall the story in verses 7 through 13 of how Jesus commissioned His disciples to go, two by two, and preach the Good News to villages and towns, and to heal the sick and cast out demons as they went.  Verse 30 brings us back to that episode, and leads us into the next miraculous event in the ministry of Jesus through the twelve disciples.

Come Away With Me

The apostles returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.  And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while."  For many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat.  And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.  --Mark 6:30-32

What great joy and encouragement these men must have shared as they recounted their time of ministry and healing in the Name of Jesus.  Each one must have had a story more amazing than the last.  Jesus, not wanting them to burn out, suggested that they get away for a time of R&R.  They could still fellowship, but many of them must have been too excited to sleep, and the Bible says there was so much going on that they could not even grab a bite to eat.

Self care is very important.  I remember when the pastor and staff of a church I attended would always take a retreat in January.  After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the ministry team would go to a hotel or conference center in another town to get away, relax, put the prior year into perspective, and plan for the upcoming year.  Some members of the church must have grumbled and complained about the cost of the retreat, although I am sure they were more upset about having to listen to a guest speaker on that Sunday.  Anyway, the pastor mentioned from the pulpit the rationale for getting away, and also pointed out that Jesus also went away by Himself, even though there were people with needs at the time.  In His human form, Jesus could not be everywhere at once, and we certainly can't, either.  We must take time for ourselves even while doing His work. 

No Rest for the Weary

Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.  When He went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  --Mark 6:33-34a

Did you know the word pastor means shepherd?  When your pastor is away tending to his own personal needs, he does not stop being your pastor, just as Jesus did not stop showing compassion for the crowds.  People are often called sheep in the Bible, because we tend to follow the herd.  When we stray away, we place ourselves in danger of predators.  We also, like sheep, are prone to wander into desolate areas without food or water.  We desperately need a shepherd, someone to tend to our needs even as the one who shepherds us may go without sustenance.  We see the contrast in this passage--the disciples did not have time to eat, while the multitudes that followed them had no food to eat.

Logistically Lacking, Providentially Packing 

And He began to teach them many things.  And when it grew late, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.  Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."  But He answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"  And He said to them, "How many loaves to you have?  Go and see."  And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."--Mark 6:34b-38

The disciples had to be exhausted and hungry themselves.  They may have been truly concerned for the welfare of the multitude, or they may have asked Jesus to send them away so that they could have the rest that He had promised them.  They made the point to Jesus that they were not prepared to feed so many.  In my life I have been to many different conferences and seminars.  Some would take a break and ask the attendees to go find a restaurant or diner nearby and be back in two hours, while some would provide lunch for us.  Generally, the cost of the seminar would be higher if a meal were provided, because as the saying goes, "There ain't no free lunch."

Jesus wanted to show the disciples God's Providence.  Had He not told them in verse 8 to take nothing for their journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in their belts?  He wanted them to place the needs of the crowds above their own needs.  "You give them something to eat," He commanded.  They responded by estimating the cost: a little bread for each person in a crowd this size would have cost nearly a whole year's wages (a denarius was a day's wage, and they estimated 200 denarii).  He wanted them to focus on what they had, not the limits of it but the potential.  They took stock of the food on hand, and it came to five rolls and two fish.

He Is More Than Enough

Then He commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people.  And He divided the two fish among them all.  And they all ate and were satisfied.  And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.  And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.  --Mark 6:39-44

The Greek word for "blessing" here is eulogeo, from which we get the English word "eulogy".  It means to praise, or to celebrate with praises.  It also means to invoke God's blessings--to ask God's blessing on a thing, to pray God to bless it to one's use.  Finally, it means to pronounce a consecratory blessing (to consecrate it to God) to cause it to prosper, to make happy, to be favored of God.

What a great pattern for prayer this is!  First and foremost to praise God, to celebrate Him with our praises.  Next to invoke His blessing on us, that God may bless us to His use.  Last, to consecrate ourselves to Him, so that when we prosper, He prospers; when we are made happy, He is made happy; when we are favored, we are favored by God.  To see it in another way, when we are faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem, we ought not to despair.  Rather, we should take stock of what we have (since it was provided to us by God in the first place) and to praise God for it, to ask Him to bless it for His use, and to consecrate it for joy and prosperity.

There was bread and meat enough to satisfy 5000 men, with enough leftovers collected to fill twelve baskets.  I think that twelve represents the twelve tribes of Israel, meaning that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is enough for the entire nation.  In the coming weeks when we study Mark chapter 8, we will see a similar miracle for the Gentiles, the feeding of 4000 men, with leftovers filling seven baskets.  The significance of seven in that story is that He is enough for all, since seven represents perfection, the sum of God (represented by the number 3) and Man (represented by the number 4).  The two stories together show that Jesus was not only sent to the Jews, but also to the entire world.

He is enough.  We must look to Him for our provision, for our sustenance, for our blessing.  We must look to Him for our past, our present, and our future.  We can only marvel when we see His handiwork, and wonder, "What next?"

Reverse Chronology

 

For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him.  --Colossians 1:16

Most stories are told in chronological order, with a definite beginning, middle, and end.  When we read to small children, often we hear then exclaim, "And then what happened?"  We are conditioned to appreciate narratives, especially historical narratives, that move from one point to the next to the next until the final scene unfolds.  It's how we learn cause and effect.

Skilled storytellers sometimes tell their story backwards.  This is a technique called reverse chronology.  According to Wikipedia, "in a story employing this technique, the first scene is actually the conclusion to the plot.  Once that scene ends, the penultimate scene is shown, and so on, so that the final scene the viewer sees is the first chronologically."  It is often done to make a point, or to emphasize the motives or the way of thinking of the narrator.

Our passage today, Mark 6:14-29, is told in reverse chronology.  The same story is told in a similar way in Matthew 14:1-12, and to a limited extent in Luke 9:7-9, but no one has more backstory than Mark when relating this tale.  I want to break up the narrative Mark lays out with a little commentary between just to emphasize the technique (and also with a bit of backstory myself).  

You will recall that we have, up to now, heard Mark tell of Jesus preaching the gospel, urging people to repent, but also meeting their needs through miraculous acts of healing and driving out demons.

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. --Mark 6:14a

Never having seen Jesus personally, Herod must have had discussions with his friends and advisors about the source or cause of these miracles.  "How can these things be?" was a question on everyone's mind, not only Herod's.

Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.  That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."  But others said, "He is Elijah."  And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."  --Mark 6:14b-15

In trying to explain the unexplainable, some were superstitious, saying it was the ghost of John the Baptist.  They remembered John had come preaching the same message of repentance and gospel of forgiveness that Jesus was preaching.  It was only natural that they would think of John, because the message was the same.  However, the acts that were being done were definitely supernatural.  John had been known for preaching and for baptizing the repentant, not for miracles; therefore it had to be his ghost.

The less superstitious among them were apparently more religious, because they called Jesus a prophet.  One of the most famous prophets in Judaism was Elijah, and they remembered that Elijah had performed many miracles while he was alive.  They also remembered the last two verses of the Hebrew Bible, Malachi 4:5-6, where it was prophesied, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."  Therefore, they believed that Jesus was Elijah--either literally reincarnated or figuratively a prophet of the same caliber.

But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."  --Mark 6:16

Herod, being overcome by guilt, believes those who had said it was John the Baptist.  Mark, the narrator of the story, then tries to explain why Herod felt so guilty.

 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.  --Mark 6:17

Here Mark feels that more backstory is needed.

For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted him put to death.  But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.  When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.  --Mark 6:18-20

John spoke truth to power.  Herod was convicted of sin, "and greatly perplexed."  Herodias wanted John dead for speaking out against the king.  Herod put John in protective custody, in prison but close enough that he could have John brought out from time to time so he could speak (remember this was before television or the internet.)  So how did John die, if Herod had protected him?  More backstory.

But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.  For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests.  And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."  And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."  And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.  And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head.  He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.  --Mark 6:21-29

So we know why John the Baptist died, but the story is not about John the Baptist.  We know that Herodias hated John the Baptist, but the story is not really about Herodias.  We know that Herod had John killed, and felt sorry because he really liked John, but that's not what the story is about, either.  The story is not about any of these people, but about Jesus.  That's why I think it was told in reverse chronological order.  

If Mark had started with John the Baptist calling out the king for taking his sister-in-law as his wife, then the story would have been about John being a martyr, and Herodias being a jealous queen.  Although we find out about all of this in the backstory, the real narrative is about Jesus.  Luke tells the story much more succinctly:

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.  Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?"  And he sought to see Him.  --Luke 9:7-9

As you can see, Luke makes this passage about Herod, but he compresses the story so that he can get back to telling about Jesus.  Mark, on the other hand, starts with Jesus, because that was the main character of the story.  In telling the story in reverse chronology, Mark makes us realize that Jesus perplexes the powerful because He defies explanation.  Mark shows us that Jesus empowers men like John to speak truth to power, and the message of repentance can cause kings to feel conviction.  His story encourages those who may be persecuted or martyred to remain faithful, and to hold to the message even unto death.  Above all, Mark reminds us that it's all about Jesus.

Set the captives free

 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.  --Luke 4:18-19

Einstein said, "Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."  Aung San Suu Kyi said, "The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear."  The Apostle Paul said, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

Paul mentored young Timothy, who eventually led the Church at Ephesus.  In the same way, Jesus mentored His twelve disciples, eleven of whom went on to be great leaders in their own right.  A great mentor will know when it is time to send their protege out on his own and be successful.  This is what happened in our passage for today, Mark 6:7-13.

And He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in their belts--but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.  And He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.  And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.  So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The making of an apostle

When Jesus called the twelve disciples together, he gave them authority over demons and disease.  He also gave them strict instructions about how to proceed, which we will discuss later.  The important thing about verse 7 is, I think, the verb "send".  He sent them with a mission and a message, with an appointed purpose.  The Greek word translated "to send" is apostello.  The noun with the same root word is the source of our English word "apostle."

Many times we see the word "apostle" and think it is a title bestowed upon a great church leader.  In fact, many denominations will nominate and appoint some leader in their church to the title and the office of "apostle."  It is good for us to remember that the original word "apostle" as used by Jesus meant someone who was sent forth to proclaim the gospel, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.

According to Strong's, the word apostello means to order (one) to go to an appointed place, or to allow one to depart, that he may be in a state of liberty.  Just as Jesus had been sent by God to preach repentance and heal diseases and set people free from demonic possession, so Jesus gave this same authority to the disciples.  They had jurisdiction in the physical and spiritual realm imparted to them by God Himself.  He gave them leave to command sickness and spirits to depart.

Think about this.  If you go to a bankruptcy judge and ask him to prosecute or pronounce sentence upon a thief, the judge will tell you he has no authority or jurisdiction in this matter and send you to the criminal court.  Similarly, a Federal judge does not have jurisdiction over State laws.  Similarly, the disciples may have thought they had limited jurisdiction over their own affairs, but not over others', and certainly not over spirits or sicknesses.  Jesus set them free from all such constraints, and gave them authority.  They were set free to serve.  They were commissioned to contend against demons and death (both physical and spiritual). 

Being vulnerable

Jesus sent the disciples in pairs, probably in part for protection.  However, He commanded them not to take anything by way of resources: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; not even an extra tunic.  They were to go in the power and protection of the Spirit alone, without any other means of support.  How many of us say to ourselves, "When I retire I might be a missionary," or even "When I meet certain financial goals I might use some of those resources to spread the Gospel."  We forget that God will accomplish His purpose to His good will and for His own glory.  He doesn't need our wealth or patronage.

The companion passage in Matthew 10 sheds more light on this.  On the one hand, rely on God's grace for your physical sustenance, "for the laborer deserves his food." (Matthew 10:10b).  On the other hand, do not go into this with the idea of profiting from it financially: "You received without paying; give without pay.  Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts." (Matthew 10:8b-9).  For us, I believe it is a warning against those who proclaim the Name of Jesus from their mansions or their personal jets.  Remember, Judas was among the twelve who were sent out--this same Judas was described as the group treasurer (John 12:6 and 13:29).  Judas eventually fell away and betrayed Jesus, but not before being commissioned as an apostle and given authority over demons and diseases.  The same Jesus who declared that "even the rocks will cry out" praises to God if we are silent is the same One who can use a Judas for His glory.

There is a passage in Acts chapter 3 that illustrates what it must have been like to be sent out in pairs to meet human needs in Jesus' Name.

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.  And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.  Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.  And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.  In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  --Acts 3:1-8

 Be like Jesus

Verses 10 and 11 encouraged them to stay where they were welcomed and to leave where they were not welcomed.  This implies that the Spirit of God went before them to prepare hearts, and those who were receptive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit would invite them into their homes.  We should trust that the Holy Spirit goes before us when we are doing the will of the Father by proclaiming the Son.

There was a Jewish custom to welcome strangers to stay in homes with families.  This was before there were commercial hotels and inns.  You will recall the story of Lot in Genesis 19, where he sat in the city square, and if he recognized any strangers he would offer them room and board in his own home.  In the evil city where he lived (Sodom), he also offered protection from the evil men there.  Similarly, we know that Jesus went from town to town preaching, and He was always taken in by a local homeowner who showed Him hospitality.  Therefore it was not so strange that He would instruct His disciples to stay with the locals in whatever towns they traveled to.  If their message was not accepted in the town (just as Jesus was not accepted in Nazareth--see Mark 6:1-6), then they were to shake the dust from their feet and move on.

Verses 12 and 13 indicate the success that the disciples had in following their Master.  They proclaimed that people should repent (as Jesus had in His early ministry--see Mark 1:15).  They cast out demons and healed many who were sick, just as Jesus had modeled for them.  They were fulfilling the mission and work of Jesus, and would continue even after His crucifixion and resurrection.  We, too, have a purpose as a Christ follower.  We have been sent out in the world to model Him.  We are given power to do the works commissioned for us by Him.  We are set free from restraints that the world would place upon us, to His glory.

Jaded hearts--hard as a rock and green with jealousy

 

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  --Ezekiel 36:26

How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus?  I remember when I was ten or so, and my dad called me aside and said, "Son, you can't let on that you don't believe in Santa, because your sister still believes." My sister was three and a half years younger than me.  Then he stopped; I guess he saw the look on my face.  "Wait," he said.  "You don't still believe in Santa Claus, do you?"  I replied, "Well, I thought I did!"

I wasn't stupid; it's just that I had never considered it before.  The evidence was all around:  how could Santa be at the mall and at the Salvation Army kettle and at the parade on television all at the same time?  How could he fly through the air magically with enough toys in one sleigh to give every child on earth what they wanted, all in one night, never mind how did he know what they wanted?  Logically, it didn't make sense.  Fortunately, children don't think logically.

Before the legend of St. Nicholas even existed, there was a tradition carried out by the Jews every Passover.  You remember that Passover was a celebration of when God sent the Angel of Death to those in Egypt who had enslaved the Jews, and took every firstborn son.  It was only the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the doorposts and lentil that made the Angel pass over that house, so that the firstborn was saved.  It is celebrated every year with a big meal that is specially prepared.  The tradition is that the adults will pour a glass of wine for Elijah, and the children will open the door for him, sometimes looking up and down the street to see if he has arrived yet.  The reason is transformative, according to Yaakov Paley of the Jewish Learning Institute, 

The Exodus launched a millennia-long journey that will culminate in the Messianic era. Until injustice, violence, and greed disappear, we remain enslaved. Until G-d makes His home on Earth, we have not truly left Egypt. Each Passover empowers us to complete what was begun so long ago. The last of the biblical prophets declared that Elijah will herald the ultimate redemption (Malachi 4:5-6). His cup at our Seder encourages our march from every form of internal and external slavery and re-inspires our faith in the coming of Moshiach (Messiah).  --https://www.myjli.com/why/index.php/2016/11/21/why-is-elijah-the-prophet-invited-to-the-seder/

What happens, though, when the Jewish children realize that Elijah never comes?  Does their hope mature, or do their doubts overwhelm them?  Like some Christians who outgrow the Santa legend, some may become jaded, and reject the entire message.  I think this may be what happened in Mark 6:1-6 when Jesus went to Nazareth where He had grown up as a child.

He went away from there and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him.  And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things?  What is the wisdom given to him?  How are such mighty works done by his hands?  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?  And are not his sisters with us"  And they took offense at Him.  And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household."  And He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hand on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  --Mark 6:1-6a

Shocked and appalled

 We don't understand the visceral and violent response to heresy that the ancient Jews had, because today our society is so eclectic and tolerant.  If someone voices an idea or opinion that we don't believe, we dismiss it as "just one opinion" or "everyone has the right to be wrong."  If someone spoke up in our church with a view that many think is heretical, we may question their theology, maybe calling them aside for a discussion later, or even decide to go to a different church.

In this passage, however, the word translated "astonished" is the root word for "to drive away; to cast out with a blow; to expel with panic or shock."  In fact, the parallel passage in Luke says that they physically took hold of Him and carried Him outside with the intention of throwing Him off a cliff.  (See Luke 4:16-30).  Clearly their hearts were hardened within them, and they saw Him as a threat because His teaching opposed their orthodoxy.

Scandalized

Why did they take offense (Gr. skandalizo)?  Well, they had seen Him grow up.  They thought they knew Him.  They denied His divinity, because they knew Him only as a human--the son of Mary, brother to James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters.  They denied His authority, because He had been trained and apprenticed as a carpenter, not as a rabbi or theologian.  He claimed to be the Son of God, but they remembered Joseph, the man who had raised Him.  Had Jesus forgotten where He came from?

Logic often suffocates faith.  What they had seen with their eyes contradicted what they heard with their ears.  When He spoke, they did not hear His message.  Instead, they heard Him deny His paternity and turn His back on family.  In their hearts, this was blasphemy, and had no part in Jewish culture, much less in the synagogue.

Sidelined

Jesus' purpose in going to Nazareth was the same as His purpose in Galilee, Jerusalem and other places--He wanted to preach good news to the people there, and to heal them of their diseases.  However, because of their unbelief, they did not subject themselves to Him.  It's not that He could not heal them, but that they would not be healed by Him.  He was able to lay His hands on some and heal them, but only those who were not intent on casting Him out and killing Him.  It has been the same throughout human history:  God has always had the power to save, but people's refusal to submit to Him, to allow Him to come near to them, condemn them to an eternity away from His presence.

People try to use logic in this case:  if God is all powerful, and if He loves all mankind, then why does He send them to hell?  Their logic is flawed, in that it does not account for people who reject God, who will not allow Him to come near enough to heal them spiritually.  Hell is not filled with people whom God rejected, but with those who never wanted to be near Him at all.

We speak of those who harden their hearts as people who are jaded.  Jade is a hard stone, most often green in color.  Green is associated with envy and jealousy.  We are jealous of our own autonomy, unwilling to submit to another even if that other is given for our good.  We are envious of God's power and grace manifest in others' lives, yet we are unwilling to soften our hearts.  Ezekiel 11:19 speaks of those who benefit from God's transformative grace in their lives: "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them.  I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."

Where there's hope, there is life

 

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  --2 Corinthians 12:10

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman consul and orator who said, "Where there's life, there's hope."  Unfortunately for  him, he was beheaded on the orders of Marc Antony in 43 BC.  His writings, however, were read extensively in the 18th century and were influential in the philosophies of John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu, and Edmund Burke--all of whom had a direct influence upon Jefferson and Madison, framers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

While some may lose all hope when life is lost, we know that it seems darkest just before the dawn.  This is most evident in the life of Jesus as recorded in Mark 5.  We have already seen where Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, came to Jesus and begged Him to come heal his daughter.  After an interruption from a woman who'd had issues for 12 years and Jesus taking time to heal her, a message came from the home of Jairus.

While He was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  --Mark 5:35

They knew Jesus to be a great teacher with healing ability.  Hearing the bad news that the girl had passed away, Jesus observed that they had no hope at all of her recovery.  His words were meant to rekindle hope in their hearts; some heard Him, others derided Him.

But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."  And He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.  They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.  And when He had entered, He said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping?  The child is not dead but sleeping."  And they laughed at him.  But He put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with Him and went in to where the child was.  --Mark 5:36-40

 Jesus' words of hope may have been overshadowed by the young girls parents' sense of despair, but they allowed Jesus and His three closest friends to follow them home.  As they approached the house, however, the noise from the mourners drowned out everything else.  Jesus quieted them, and spoke words of hope to them, but they laughed Him to scorn.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  Those without hope had no faith in Jesus' words or ability, and they were shooed away quickly.  In the deafening silence that was left, the child's father and mother were left with their own thoughts, memories, and grief.  Their only hope was in Jesus.  The only assurance they had was His words.  Jesus bade them to believe, but I imagine their faith did not cast a long shadow.  Whatever amount of faith you have, it is enough when Jesus is there.

 After the doubters were sent away, Jesus did what he came to do.

Taking her by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.  And He strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.  --Mark 5:41-43

 Jesus didn't do this for fame and fortune.  He often told those whom He had healed to not tell anyone.  I can't imagine, however, keeping quiet if my daughter had been raised from the dead.  Imagine the reaction of those from the town who had been weeping and wailing at the house when Jairus's family arrived at synagogue the next Sabbath.

This was the second person whom Jesus raised from the dead, the first being the son of the Widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17).  There was one other, the raising of Lazarus (John 11).  Interestingly, this corresponds with the three accounts of people who were resurrected in the Old Testament: Elijah raised the son of the Widow of Zaraphath (1 Kings 17:17-24).  His successor Elisha raised the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kings 4:18-37).  There is also an account of a soldier who died in battle being thrown into Elijah's grave and coming back to life (2 Kings 13:20-21).  There are correlations between each of the resurrections in the Old Testament and the three people that Jesus raised, and it further testifies to His divinity.

I want to look at one more aspect of this passage, one further facet of the scripture.  It has to do with the names given to the young girl.  We do not know her given name, but there are three different words used to designate her.  The first is the Greek word paidion, which is the diminutive form of the word pais.  This literally means a child, whether son or daughter (in relation to law), or a boy or girl (in relation to age).  In a legal sense, it is their child, their legal heir, their responsibility.  This was the girl's status before she had an encounter with Jesus.

The term that Jesus called her when He took her by the hand was Talitha, meaning "Little lamb."  It is a term of endearment and of familiarity.  It also foreshadows His own death, as He became the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world.  Mark glosses over it, translating it as "Little girl"--it was not the main point of his story.  I think God included it in the narrative so that we could identify with it.  Jesus called her "Lambkin" or "Little lamb" when He called her from death into life.  What does He say to you and me when He calls us out of spiritual death into eternal life?  He knows our name, and Revelation 3:12 implies that He has a unique nickname for each and every one of us.

The third term designating the young girl, and seen in the passage exclusively after Jesus raised her is the Greek word korasion.  It means young girl or maiden, it is a term of endearment, and is the diminutive form of the word kore which is the root of the word korizomai, meaning to caress, to care for.  I don't know if there is a direct correlation, but it makes me think of the Spanish word corazon meaning "heart" and often used as a term of endearment.

Before we meet Jesus, we are little more than legal liabilities.  Then when we do meet Him, He calls us by name, a name given exclusively to us.  From that point forward, we are called by His name; we are endeared to Him; He holds us in His heart.  There is no better picture of love than that, and no better evidence of our hope of eternal life.

What does faith look like?

 

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.  --Hebrews 11:6

Where were you twelve years ago?  How is your faith different now than it was then?  Twelve years ago was the beginning of "The Great Recession" in America.  Twelve years ago my son graduated high school.  Twelve years ago the United States elected its first African American president.  Twelve years ago my daughter got her driver's license.  It was a time of great political, economic, and personal change, and it affected our lives in ways that only now (in some cases) we can fully appreciate.

In our Bible passage today, we see two individuals whose lives had changed dramatically in twelve years' time, and culminated in both of them encountering Jesus at the same time.  We will meet a very public figure, the father of a 12 year old daughter who is deathly ill.  We will also see a woman who had endured a very private malady for 12 years.  Both of them sought out Jesus.  They both had faith.  Jesus answered their prayers and made them both whole.  As we look closer at these two very different people, perhaps we can identify with one or the other of them.

The Religious Leader

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about Him, and He was beside the sea.  Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing Him, he fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."  And He went with him.  --Mark 5:21-24a

Jairus was a devout Jew and public figure, identified as one of the rulers of the synagogue.  Perhaps he had seen Jesus teaching in the synagogue.  He might have even been a witness to one of the healing miracles Jesus had done on the Sabbath we have discussed in prior studies (see Mark 3:1-6).  As a religious leader, Jairus would certainly have prayed for his daughter when she became ill.  In all probability he had asked for others in the synagogue to pray for her.  He may have even been to the Temple to offer sacrifices on her behalf, in case the illness was caused by sin.

We do not know the nature of her illness.  We do not know whether Jairus had other children.  We do know that he loved her enough to seek out Jesus publicly and ask for His help.  If he had not exercised his faith in this way, his daughter would not have had a chance to marry or to bear him grandchildren.  She would not have been able to comfort him in his old age.  Because of this, Jairus sought out Jesus at the earliest opportunity, and begged Him to come lay hands on her so that she would be healed.  We, too, should intercede for those we love.  We ought to pray, and to seek out Jesus at the most opportune time.  Jesus brings hope, healing, and life.

The destitute outcast

And a great crowd followed Him and thronged about Him.  And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.  She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well."  And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.  --Mark 24b-29

We now meet an unnamed woman who also sought out Jesus.  Like Jairus, she had a need, and sought out Jesus believing that He could meet that need.  Unlike Jairus, this woman was poor.  She had no standing in the community.  We do not know for certain, but she could have had this condition for half her life.  Most commentators agree that her malady was most likely related to a heavy menstrual flow, or menorrhagia, that could have been caused by issues such as uterine cysts.  It probably caused her to have chronic anemia and severe pain.  It would have made her unable to bear children, so she was likely unmarried (or if the illness came on after she was married, the man most likely would have divorced her in order to carry on his family name.)

She may not have been religious at all, but if she were raised in a strict Jewish household, she was thought to be perpetually unclean.  Levitical law prohibited women to go to the Temple while menstruating, and even if she stopped for a short while, the law said she remained unclean for seven days (see Leviticus 15:19-23).  Therefore, we know she had not been to the Temple in at least twelve years.  She was likely not active in the synagogue, because devout Jewish men were not to touch her without becoming unclean themselves.  She took a great risk even being out and about that day because her malady would have made her a social pariah.  Yet she sought out Jesus, desiring a connection with Him.  Prostrating herself behind Him, she believed that by touching even the hem of his garment she could be healed.

Not to get too technical here, but when I was studying for this lesson I noted that there is a word in the original Greek text that is a form of the verb "to be".  The word is οὖσα (ousa) and it is translated "there was" in the ESV (the word is skipped in the KJV because it does not flow in English--it is implied but not stated).  This form of the verb εἰμί (eimi--to be) is in the feminine accusative case, meaning there is no doubt about who we are talking about.  This stuck out in my mind, because this woman was known by her condition, the illness causing a flow of blood.  How often do we feel we are defined by our circumstances, by our limitations, by our sin?  Yet Jesus can change our circumstance, eliminate our limitations, cleanse our sin, if only we seek Him out and desire a connection with Him like this woman did.  Her faith may not have been perfect, but it was effective.

Jesus prompted a public profession of faith

And Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone out from Him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"  And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, "Who touched Me?"  And He looked around to see who had done it.  But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."  --Mark 5:30-34

The woman would have probably preferred to have met with Jesus in private.  She was instead forced to a public encounter for God's glory.  I like the way the commentator on bibleref.com put it:

Even today, some medical conditions are seen as more honorable than others. A broken arm is less socially embarrassing than hemorrhoids, for instance. In the same vein, women are taught from a very early age to hide any hint of menstruation. Once again, Jesus shows that He doesn't care about social convention. He doesn't care if it's an injury, an illness, something we're born with, or even something that would make us ritually unclean if we were still under the Mosaic Law. In fact, sometimes God will even use the ignoble physical conditions to bring us closer to Him—to help us in our journey toward spiritual maturity.  (https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/5/Mark-5-25.html)

If Jesus is able to meet us at our most basic--and sometimes most embarrassing--need, then we should not be shy in sharing His blessing with others who may have the same need.  Their need may be unspoken, or kept private or hidden away, but it is a real need nonetheless, and one that Jesus can meet.  Therefore it is our duty, even our honor, to proclaim it in the light.  "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."  (Matthew 10:32-33) 

Do not lose heart, but keep the faith

While He was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."  (Mark 5:35-36)

Just as there is no need too personal or private to bring to Jesus, neither is there a situation that is too far gone.  Jesus was present at creation, when God breathed life into Man.  He can create a new life in you, even after you are dead in your sin and shame.  2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (NKJV)

When it seems Jesus is distracted, or blessing others before He meets your needs, fear not.  When your hope of healing dies, fear not.  When others urge you to give up, fear not.  "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)  He will supply them in His time, by His power, for His glory.  Have faith! 

What does mercy look like?

 

Never is a man in his right mind till he is converted, or in his right place till he sits by faith at the feet of Jesus, or rightly clothed till he has put on the Lord Jesus Christ. --J.C. Ryle

On February 14, 2020 a singer/songwriter Eddy Mann released an album entitled Love Strands, which included a song called Grace is Not a Blue-Eyed Blond.

Grace finds me when I'm not looking
Grace loves me when I'm not worthy
Grace visits me when I don't deserve it
Grace is not a blue-eyed blonde

I can't think of any better way to start our study of the fifth chapter of Mark, and to answer the question, "What does grace look like?"  

Going outside your comfort zone

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.  And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.  He lived among the tombs.  And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces.  No one had the strength to subdue him.  Night and day among the tombs and the on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.  --Mark 5:1-5

We already saw last week that it was late in the day when Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Then a storm hit, and likely delayed them even further.  My point is that it was very likely after dark when they came ashore in the area of the Decapolis, a Gentile region of ten cities bound together by culture and commerce.

The disciples were mostly good Jewish boys who were taught not to associate with Gentiles.  They probably had not spent much time outside of Israel, and I'm pretty sure they didn't hang out in or near the cemetery.  They certainly would not have been there after dark looking for a man with an unclean spirit that had broken chains and shackles hanging from his wrists or ankles, but that is who Jesus sought out immediately.  It was like a scene out of a horror movie, but Jesus was more concerned with the person who had put himself in this predicament.  Jesus knew that mercy required going to where the need is, not waiting for the needy to come to Him.

Looking beyond their faults, hearing their heart and not just their words

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before Him.  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I adjure you by God, do not torment me."  For He was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"  And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"  He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."  And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.  --Mark 5:6-10

If this man had any human interaction at all, he had likely heard of the ministry of Jesus.  After all, it was all people were talking about at that time.  When Jesus appeared on the shore near the graveyard where he stayed, the man may have had some understandable fear and trepidation.  After all, all the other people in authority had tortured him, trying to subdue him with chains and shackles when they could not confine him in prison.  Naturally, when a famous Rabbi shows up, the man thought He was there to condemn him.

The spirits who possessed him certainly knew who Jesus was.  They may have discussed it among themselves, and the man may have heard their voices in his head.  Jesus had already told them to leave the man, because Jesus was concerned about the man himself, not with the demons who had made their home in him.  It is difficult to discern who is speaking the words, the man or the spirits, but Jesus heard his heart.  "What have you to do with me?" was a question both in the heart of the man and in the thoughts of the spirits.  Jesus responded by asking the man his name.  The answer came instead from the spirits inside him.  "I am called Legion," the man said, "for we are many."

The man asked not to be sent away again; the spirits feared that the end of the age had arrived, and that they would be sent forever to the lake of fire.  Jesus heard the words he spoke, and discerned their meaning on both the physical and spiritual levels.  I pray that we can do that when we speak to people--when we hear their words, I hope we can listen to their hearts.  I am comforted to know that when I speak to God in prayer, he sees beyond my speech and hears my heart.  He certainly knows our needs.

Prioritizing people over profits

Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."  So He gave them permission.  And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.  --Mark 5:11-13

Jesus had to know that the pigs were somebody's business.  Not only were there herders there who witnessed this event, but there were the pig owners in the town who were raising them for profit.  Two thousand head of swine had to represent the livelihood of dozens in the town.  The meat from those pigs would have fed thousands of meals to hundreds of people.  A short-sighted person would have seen the economic loss, the good that those animals would have done to a great number of people.

Fortunately, Jesus valued this one man's life--both physical and spiritual, temporal and eternal--above the few dollars profit and the few meals provided by these pigs.  If you think about it, the profits would be spent and more would need to be made; the meat would have been eaten, and the consumers would have been hungry again.  This man, this one man, would receive abundant, everlasting life in exchange for the lives of the unclean animals.

To risk being misunderstood

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country.  And people came to see what it was that had happened.  And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.  --Mark 5:14-17

Strange things had just occurred in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning.  The herdsmen had witnessed the physical manifestation of spiritual warfare, and did not understand all that they had seen.  They went and told the townspeople, perhaps waking the owners of the pigs as well as the priests and other spiritual leaders.  They may have been thinking, "We have just seen some strange voodoo here today," evidenced by this man who was known around town as running naked through the countryside, dwelling in the tombs, cutting himself and talking to himself, now clothed and in his right mind.

Taking stock of the situation, the town leaders saw that the pigs were missing, the demon-possessed man possessed no longer, and hearing the first-hand witness of the herdsman that Jesus was the cause of removing the demons from the man into the swine before the pigs committed mass suicide.  Fear overtook them.  This fear was directed at Jesus, who had exhibited authority over the demons, the man that they had been trying to subdue for some time, and two thousand head of livestock.  Rather than invite Him to their temple to explain His abilities and purpose, they respectfully and fearfully asked Jesus to leave.  They did not understand mercy so they ignored it, looking instead at their losses.  Mercy comes at a cost, and most are not willing to bear it.

Seeing the beneficiaries change, grow, and share

As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him.  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."  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.  --Mark 5: 18-20

It is only natural that the man freed from spiritual bondage would have wanted to follow Jesus, to hear Him teach, to grow spiritually from the One who had authority over dark demonic forces.  Jesus forbade him to come, because he would do more good as a missionary among the gentiles than he would be as a close disciple.  He did not need a seminary education to tell what had happened to him.  People would see the man whose reputation as a crazed lunatic turned evangelist, and would relate to his story.

No longer were the demons speaking through him, limiting him to graveyards and wildernesses.  Rather, he told the good news of Jesus throughout the ten cities in the region.  When we receive grace, we can do nothing less than praise the giver of grace to all who will listen.  This is what mercy looks like.

Who is this man called Jesus?

 

You can't throw too much style into a miracle.  --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

I confess that sometimes I get caught up in television series, especially the action ones where the hero or heroine are constantly put in peril.  A well written plot can have you on the edge of your seat, hoping against hope that the title character will survive.  Then after he or she lives to fight another day, you realize that without that title character, there would be no plot, no episode, and certainly no series.

Some of us can get as jaded reading the Bible as we do about TV or movies, because the stories are told to us in scenes or episodes that always show that right will triumph, that good overcomes evil, that God's on His throne and all's right with the world.  Today's passage is often judged in just that way: Jesus gets into a boat with His disciples and falls asleep; a storm pops up, almost swamps the boat; the disciples fear for their lives, and wake up Jesus, who speaks to the storm.  The storm stops as suddenly as it started, and Jesus questions the disciples about their faith.  As an outside observer, sometimes we become so jaded that we also question the disciples' faith.  With the benefit of hindsight, we yell at them in our heads, "Don't you know God wouldn't allow Jesus to die in that storm?  There's no way that boat would have sunk, so you shouldn't have been such babies about it!  Get a life!!"

On the other hand, when we are living through our own perils and pitfalls, self-preservation gets in the way of our faith, as well.  We don't want to judge the disciples too harshly, because maybe we would have reacted in much the same way, forgetting our faith and fearing for our very lives.  As we read the text in Mark 4:35-41, I want us to look for answers to the question the disciples asked: "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."  And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was.  And other boats were with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.  And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"  And He woke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace!  Be still!"  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  He said to them, "Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?"  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"  --Mark 4:35-41 

Fully human and fully divine

Jesus had been teaching most of the day.  He had taught the crowds in parables, and then spent time explaining the parables to the disciples.  It was late in the day.  Mark said it was evening, a term that could have been used for late afternoon (from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm) or early evening (from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm).  He was tired; He needed rest.

Suddenly, He tells them He wants to get in the boat and go to the other side.  The disciples know it will be dark soon, but at least four of them are fishermen by trade, and therefore experienced on boats in these waters.  Jesus is exhausted.  Notice the phrase, "just as He was" when they took Him with them on the boat.  He didn't make any preparation for the voyage.  He didn't say, "Let's get some rest and then go."  He said go, and they went, just as they were.  Jesus calls us just as we are.  We don't all need a seminary education, or a huge fortune, or even a love for people.  We are to go just as we are, and let Him work through us.

Anyway, fatigue shows His humanity.  He was sleeping so soundly that the sound of the wind did not wake Him.  The pitching of the boat up and down did not wake him.  The boat taking on water, soaking the cushion on which He slept did not wake Him.  He was that tired.  The disciples had to shake Him awake, physically putting their hands on Him to rouse Him from slumber.  Not only that, they also woke Him with rebukes: Don't you know there's a storm?  Don't you care about us?

While the human Jesus needed rest, the divine Jesus had power over creation.  He did not need a cup of coffee to rebuke the winds and speak power over the sea.  This is another side of taking Jesus just as He is.  Not only do you get the flesh and blood man who felt fatigued, you also get the God who never slumbers, neither does He sleep (Psalm 121:4).  His power is evident at all times.  He who spoke the world into existence had authority to speak to the wind and waves.  He also showed divine forgiveness to the disciples there whose fear had overcome their faith, whose concerns for personal safety had made them forget the miracles they had seen revealing who He truly was.

The question, "Who is this man, that the winds and sea obey Him" was answered in their hearts: He was a man who walked among them, but He was also able to show the power of God in Himself.

One whose purpose will be accomplished in His time

Next time we will see what Jesus was in such a rush for, as He had an appointment with a demon-possessed man who was ready to meet Him in Mark chapter 5.  For now, let's go back to Jesus being ready to go "as He was."  Like I said before, He didn't stop to rest, but started the journey to chapter 5 right away.  It was getting late in the day, but He didn't wait until morning to go to the other side of the lake, probably because it would have been a missed opportunity--the demon possessed man may not have been there in the morning, or he may not have been as receptive as he might have been that night.

For those with the true gift of evangelism, you know you have to go where the lost are.  To be like Jesus, you may have to go to the dive bars in the seedy side of town instead of waiting for the lost to come to you.  When you go, make sure you don't blend in--Jesus came to eat with sinners, but not to sin with them.

Nothing was going to keep Jesus from His purpose--not fatigue, not the crowd, and certainly not the weather.  Whether the storm was sent by Satan to divert Jesus from His purpose, I don't know.  It is as likely that the storm was sent by God the Father to allow the Son to exhibit His divine power.  It could have just been a random storm, but it is worth noting that there are very few random storms that could have frightened the experienced sailors among the disciples.  Whether it was sent to test their faith, or to divert Jesus from His mission, it was significant enough to be included in the three synoptic Gospels because of Jesus' reaction to it.

One who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies 

In preparing for this study, I saw a commentary that compared Jesus being asleep in the bottom of the boat to the story of Jonah.  You remember Jonah's story, how God called him to preach to people not like him just as Jesus felt called to the demon possessed man.  Jonah chartered a boat going in the opposite direction, although Jesus went just as He was toward the person who needed the message.  Jonah fell asleep in the bottom of the boat, just as Jesus did.  The storm hit, just as in our story.  The experienced sailor in the Jonah story woke him up, frightened to death, begging Jonah to call on his God in hopes that the people might be saved.  The disciples who were experienced sailors woke Jesus in hopes He could save them as well.

I think this is a pre-cursor to the time when Jesus compared Himself to Jonah as one who would spend three days in the abyss, so would the Son of Man spend three days in the grave (see Matthew 12:40).  Jesus identified Himself with the prophet Jonah to show that He was simultaneously Prophet, Priest, and King.  I'm sure there are those who would interpret this passage to say that Jesus knew beforehand that the storm would blow up around them, and that's why He dealt with it so calmly.  I don't know that this is true.  

Mark Twain wrote a fictional story about a modern student of history who was suddenly thrust into a time warp, finding himself in sixth century England.  Realizing the time and place in which he exists, he "predicts" a solar eclipse with much fanfare, making a great impression on the people there.  If Jesus had done this, it would have been little more than a glorified parlor trick.  HG Wells wrote a short story in 1904 called The Country of the Blind in which a sighted man finds himself in a valley where everyone is blind.  Thinking his sense of sight might give him some advantage (reciting the adage, "In the country of the blind, a one-eyed man is king"), the protagonist finds this not to be the case at all.  The inhabitants of the valley think him mad because he uses terms such as "sight" and "seeing".  He falls in love with a woman there, but is told he must have his eyes gouged out in order to have her.  He escapes, but without convincing any of the valley people that being able to see is acceptable, much less an advantage.  He proves the adage "there is none so blind as one who will not see."

The Gospel account is so much more authentic than these and other works of fiction.  God knows human nature so much more than Twain or Wells or other fiction writers, who are hampered by their limited frame of reference.  This is because God created us, and not only that, He became one of us.  Scripture tells us Jesus was tempted in every way, yet was without sin.  Who is this man?  He was fully human and fully divine.  He fulfilled the purpose of God on earth.  He prophesied that like Jonah, He would emerge alive after three days in the abyss.  He is so much more, which a further study of the Gospel of Mark will show.  This passage is so rich, shows so much of the character and purpose of Jesus that it warrants our meditation to determine who Jesus is so that we can accept Him, just as He is.

Let there be light, but tone it down some, will ya!

 

At the beginning God expressed Himself.  That personal expression, that Word, was with God, and was God, and He existed with God from the beginning.  All creation took place through Him, and none took place without Him.  In Him appeared life, and this life was the light of mankind.  The light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.  --John 1:1-5 (Phillips)

 I'll never understand those people who wear sunshades at night.  Is their sense of style so powerful that they must project a cool image even at the risk of stumbling over obstacles in their path?  I'm always suspicious that they are trying to hide something that their eyes might reveal, namely bloodshot eyes that would show how tired they were, or maybe dilated pupils that would reveal that they were under the influence of some mood altering substance.

Shades do have a purpose during the day.  They might help us see more clearly when looking at the direction of the sun, the brightest natural object on Earth.  They help reduce glare and focus more clearly on the thing which holds our attention.

When Jesus was on earth, He was the center of attention wherever He went.  Jesus said in John 18:12, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."  Those who followed Him were bathed in that light, but may not have fully appreciated the light because of His brightness.  Therefore He gave them "spiritual sunshades" in the form of Parables.  When understood in their proper context, parables will reduce the glare of misunderstanding and help bring His message into clearer focus.  At the very least, they were intended to help avoid pitfalls and stumbling blocks in their spiritual path.  For those who did not follow the light so closely, who lived in darkness, the "spiritual sunshades" blinded them further, so that they fell prey to the pitfalls and stumbled over the stumbling blocks.  I think this is why Jesus said in Mark 4:11-12, when the disciples asked Him about the parables, He said, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven'."

Mark continues this theme in chapter 4, verses 21 through 23:

And He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?  For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." --Mark 4:21-23

As we delve further into our expository study of the book of Mark, we come to three pivotal parables that Jesus shared with His disciples about sowing seeds and reaping spiritual fruit.  It was broken down to them in ways they could understand, but when told to the Pharisees, they could not stop Him from introducing a New Covenant (holding fast to the Old Covenant as they were) because His words were about simple farming practices--sowing seeds, the germination and growth of those seeds, and reaping the harvest.  When taken literally, His words were harmless.  When seen through spiritual eyes, however, His words were powerful and profound.

Sowing the Word

And He said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.  For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."  --Mark 4:24-25

A lot of people misinterpret this passage, and use it to promote a prosperity gospel.  The more you give in the form of money and possessions, they say, the more money and possessions you will get back.  This is not what He was saying at all.  Look at these same words in Matthew 13.

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  This is why I speak to you in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear.  --Matthew 13:11-13

This is spiritual form of the adage, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer," but it is not speaking of monetary wealth.  It is focused on spiritual truth.  The more spiritual truth you have, the more you will get; but if you allow lies and deception to rule over you, even the tiniest bits of truth you may have acquired over time will be plowed under.  In essence, the Pharisees were burying the light that they did have under traditions and misinformation.

Do not be deceived by the lies that the world throws at you.  Instead, accumulate biblical truth and apply it to your life, so that truth can be multiplied in you.  "Give, and it will be given to you.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38). 

Seeds will grow--Promise!

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.  He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.  The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  --Mark 4:26-29

Farmers in that day probably did not know how seeds germinated and grew.  Science has advanced over the last 2000 plus years such that grade school kids are now taught that a seed, properly cared for, will break open and divide, sending roots downward and green stems upward.  Flower seeds will produce flowers, wheat seeds will produce wheat, and bean seeds will produce beans.  It really is miraculous, if you think about it.

The cycle of seed germination cannot be rushed.  It will happen in the time that God ordained at the creation of the world.  In the same way, baby Christians do not become mature in Christ overnight.  They must be fed, first with the "milk of the word" then with "meat" (see 1 Peter 2:2, 1 Corinthians 3:2).  They must be discipled and taught so that they can eventually feed themselves.  Only then can they be expected to be ready to feed and grow others in the faith.

Another thing to remember is that God is in charge.  We are told to sow good seed.  Whether it takes root, we cannot tell.  How long it will take to bear fruit, God knows.  What joy we experience when we share the word of God with someone, then watch them grow and bear fruit and share the gospel with others.  However, we are to remain faithful, and keep sowing, even if we do not see the results we want to see.

There's a tree in that seed

And He said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."  --Mark 4:30-32

Your voice can change the world.  We have recently heard a lot of messages about politics, because Election Day in the United States is next Tuesday.  We may think our one vote is insignificant, but the message we have been barraged with over the last two months is that our vote matters.  In the same way, you sharing your faith matters.  Who can tell whether the person you share your story with might one day become a great pastor or author, influencing hundreds and even thousands for the Lord.

On a more personal level, this underscores what Jesus was saying about the light.  You know you are called to be a light to the world, but it may seem that the world has buried you and hidden your light.  Do not be discouraged.  We have already seen where Jesus said "Nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light."  On one level, this may refer to our secret sins being brought to light on Judgment Day.  On the other hand, couldn't it also apply to a single, solitary light faithfully shining, by God's power breaking through and shining for all to see?

In Joseph Haydn's oratorio "The Creation", there is a moment where the composer was trying to make a point.  The soloist sings very quietly the text from Genesis 1, setting the tone of overwhelming darkness. "In the beginning," he sings, "God made heaven and earth; and the earth was without form and void."  The orchestra eases in, again very quietly, as the soloist continues. "And darkness was upon the face of the deep."  The chorus adds their voices, pianissimo, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said Let there be light.  And.  There. Was."  The chorus takes a collective breath, and the orchestra pauses, just before the loudest possible dynamic while still sounding musical, the chorus and orchestra emphasize the word together: "LIGHT!!!"

The stark contrast of dynamics (softest, then loudest) in Haydn's piece was meant to emphasize that where once there was utter, overwhelming darkness, now there is light--a light that cannot be hidden, cannot be contained, cannot be ignored.  The only way you can not be profoundly moved by this piece of music is not to hear it.  In the same way, the only way you can not experience the overwhelming Light of the World named Jesus is to turn your back, wear blinders, and bury yourself in utter darkness.

It is only by the Providence of God that you are given a chance to see this Light, to hear this Word, to know this Salvation.  Mark concludes this section on parables with a summation. "With many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.  He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples He explained everything." (Mark 4:33-34)

I pray that God will open your eyes to see, your ears to hear, and your heart to respond to this message.  "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves--it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8-9)  If you harden your heart, God will set you in utter darkness.  The "spiritual shades" He provided to the chosen disciples to help them focus on Him will make you stumble and fall to the point you will find yourself in a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

Bearing fruit requires deep roots

 

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  --John 15:8

A fellow once came up to a Baptist preacher in the market, and started teasing him.  "You Baptists," he said.  "You think that you're the only ones going to Heaven."  The wise old preacher replied, "It's even worse than that, Friend.  We believe that a lot of Baptists won't make it to heaven, either."

I grew up in the Baptist church and must have heard that joke a hundred times, but you can really insert any Christian denomination in there and it will be just as true.  A wise evangelist knows that of the millions that went to hear Billy Graham preach back in the day, not all of them responded to the Gospel.  Of the thousands that responded to the altar calls, not all of them became true believers.  Of the hundreds that fill every church in every community in every town across this nation and around the world, only a tiny fraction will come to know God on a personal level.  Nevertheless, a wise evangelist keeps on preaching the word of the Lord.

Jesus knew this when He preached to the multitudes by the sea.  We see in the fourth chapter of Mark,

Again, He began to teach beside the sea.  And a very large crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.  And He was teaching them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them: "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seed fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."  And He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."  --Mark 4:1-9

I have been told that the Sea of Galilee is a natural amphitheater.  People who have been on a Holy Land tour are amazed that sound travels so far in that particular area that when Jesus sat on the boat a few feet from the shore, everyone in the multitude could hear His words.  That does not mean, however, that they understood what He was saying.

And when He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve asked Him about the parables.  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, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven'."  --Mark 4:10-12

Jesus was explaining to His disciples that they would carry His message forward, but that the message would not be accepted and they would face ridicule, persecution, and even death.  His reference to Isaiah 6:8-13 was meant to encourage them to keep on preaching the Word, no matter what.  The disciples knew the story of Isaiah, how God asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go out for us?"  Isaiah promptly responded, "Here I am!  Send me." (Isaiah 6:8).  You may have heard sermons based on this verse, but like Paul Harvey used to say, here's the REST of the story.  God told Isaiah, "Got and say to this people, 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but doe no perceive'." (Isaiah 6:9).

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, and He commissioned the disciples to carry on with His message and purpose, even to the point of death.  He then explains the parable to them.

Vandals

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them." --Mark 4:13-15

Satan will vandalize the beautiful words of Christ so that they do not take root in the lives of many who hear.  He will steal the message of joy and healing, so that it sounds like foolishness to them.  I Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  It was not bad seed that was sown.  It is not the fault of the sower that the ground was hard and the seed did not take root.  If the seed was good and the sower did nothing wrong in sowing it, why was it not fruitful?   1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Scandals

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.  And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  --Mark 4:16-17

 The word translated here "fall away" literally means to be caused to stumble.  The Greek word is skandalizo, from which we get our word "scandalized".  In our current culture, we have an idea that tribulation or persecution means beheading Christians for their faith.  What we don't link to persecution is creating a scandal such as a church meeting in person during a pandemic.  Those who fall away because of the danger of persecution or tribulation or scandal were not in the faith to begin with.

Brambles

Now these are the ones sown among thorns: they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  --Mark 4:18-19

Many theologians struggle over this part--some say these are carnal Christians but Christians nonetheless, while others say these were never saved to begin with.  In the Jewish world from which the disciples were chosen, there was no sin greater than idolatry.  Remember the story of Lot's wife?  God called Lot out of the city of Sodom before He destroyed it completely, but his wife looked back longingly, missing what she had left.  She did not receive grace because she looked back, so she was destroyed along with those in the city.  John 15:6 says, "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."  So even though these people receive the word and take root and grow, if they allow the thorns and weeds to choke them and make them unfruitful, they are gathered up and cast into the fire.

Let me reiterate--if you call yourself a Christian, but place more importance on what people think, or wealth and riches, or any other created thing over the Creator, then you are as much a child of hell as any murderer on death row.

Examples

But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.  --Mark 4:20

There are people who are ready to hear the word, whom the Holy Spirit has prepared, whom the Father has chosen by divine election, for whom Christ died.  It is our job to sow the seed, spread the word of God, in hopes that the seed will fall on this good ground.  1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  In other words, be an example by bearing fruit, which can only be done with deep roots grounded in good ground.  Bearing fruit does require deep roots.

 

A house divided

 

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  --Matthew 12:30

Back in the days before the internet, young people used to play a game called "telephone."  As telephone service improved and fewer people had party lines (look it up), the name changed to "gossip."  In this game, one person would whisper a phrase into the next person's ear, and that person would whisper the same message to the next person, and so on until the last person would say out loud the phrase that he or she heard.   A message that started out, "Tom says why can't we be friends today" would degenerate into the phrase "Mom says my Aunt Phoebe has the bends, but she's okay."  Each person in line would mis-hear the message, try to reconcile it in their minds so that it becomes a coherent phrase, and then share what they thought they heard.

This game is a lot like the messages going around today about the U.S. Presidential election, but magnified a thousand times.  There are spin doctors and fact checkers, and television and radio commercials that try to crystallize a candidate's position in just 30 seconds.  Most of the electorate don't like the candidate for their own party very much, but they absolutely can't stand the other guy.  We have internet platforms like Facebook and Twitter that magnify messages out of proportion.  That message is posted multiple times, followed by a muted message by some fact checking agency that says something like, "Partially untrue, lacks context," or, "Mostly false."

Solomon once said, "There is nothing new under the sun."  Even back in the days that Jesus walked on the earth there was mis-information.  We see that clearly indicated in the book of Mark, chapter 3, starting in verse 21:

And when His family heard it, they went out to seize Him, for they were saying, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "by the prince of demons He casts out the demons."  And He called them to Him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.  But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  Then indeed he may plunder his house.  Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"--for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."  --Mark 3:21-30

The Family Divided

Let's start by looking at verse 21, and try to understand the context of it.  Word had gotten around that Jesus had the power to cast out demons, to free people of unclean spirits, and to heal physical maladies.  Crowds gathered to witness Jesus in action, and many came for healing and deliverance themselves.  The masses of people gathered to be near Him got so large and so out of control that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat (see Mark 3:20).

At the same time, rumors started circulating that Jesus was not who He said He was.  The scribes and Pharisees started spreading false rumors about Him because they could not reconcile His message and miracles in their own minds.  Here are three memes or viral messages that they started:

He is possessed by Beelzebul (or Beelzebub).  This is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshiped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon.  The name is associated with the Canaanite god Baal (or Ba'al).  I believe this line of thinking implies that the religious leaders were shaking their heads, saying that this phenomenon was the same thing that the Jewish people had been fighting since the time of the Judges (see Judges 2:13).

By the prince of demons He casts out the demons.  This twist of logic assumes that since Jesus stood up to the religious leaders of the day, that He must not be a messenger of God, but of Satan himself.  They did not understand the authority given to Him, so the source of that authority was questioned.

He has an unclean spirit.  This is a kinder, gentler rebuke but it still denies the deity of Christ.  It assumes a sin nature shared by all humanity.  All humanity needs forgiveness of sin; Jesus was human; therefore, Jesus needed to humble Himself before God and seek forgiveness.

When these rumors and accusations reached the House of Joseph, their reaction was alarm.  "He has lost his mind!" they thought.  Tradition tells us that Joseph had passed away by this time, because later in the passage it says His mother and brothers came to take Him away.  I think that Mary may have been confused a bit, but she had to have believed in the deity of Jesus.  Remember the angel who appeared to her before He was born?  His half brothers, however, must have had other ideas, ranging from "He is a disgrace to the family" to "He has desecrated the synagogue and broken the Law of Moses" to "He has lost his ever loving mind."  Jewish law demanded that the sons would take care of their widowed mother when their father died, and Jesus was apparently contributing nothing to this task even though He was her firstborn.  They looked at Jesus through the lens of shame, betrayal, and blasphemy.

The Spirit World Divided

Jesus spoke out about these three accusations and rumors using logic, persuasion, and passion.  Since there is no better commentary on Scripture than Scripture itself, let's look at how Matthew described the sermon.

Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.  And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  Then indeed he may plunder his house.  Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."  --Matthew 12:22-32

Jesus used logic to show that He was not in league with Satan, because Satan would not turn against himself.  Then He aimed the accusations back against His accusers.  If Jesus was sent by God and these religious leaders were attacking His Spirit, then they were committing the unforgivable sin.  It was they who had lost their minds, who had succumbed to evil spirits, and who were beholden to Satan. 

A New Unity of Family and Spirit

And His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside they sent to Him and called Him.  And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you."  And He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"  And looking about at those who sat around Him, He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."  --Mark 3: 31-35

Jesus officially cut ties with His family, who were at odds with His mission.  Think about that for a minute.  I want to urge those who believe in the veneration of Mary to hear this.  Mary is not some co-equal with Christ, she has no divine powers, and she certainly is not the "Mother of God."  God pre-existed Mary, but He used her to accomplish His purpose in carrying Jesus in human form.  Jesus was sinless; Mary was a sinner, as we can clearly see in this passage.  Mary and her other sons James, Joses, Judas and Simon were ready to take hold of Jesus, quiet His message, stifle His mission, and perhaps even kill Him.  In fact, two of those brothers, James and Joses, were at the crucifixion (see Mark 15:40) where Jesus entrusted the care of His mother Mary to His beloved disciple John.

Mary repented.  So did James, who tradition says wrote the New Testament book of James.  They helped Jesus gather His flock together, so that His followers could call one another brother and sister.  Sadly, Joses, Judas and Simon fell away; they rejected the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and were thus cast into utter darkness.

The family of Christ Jesus is not limited to His mother and four brothers.  On the other hand, the family of the Holy Spirit does not include the entire world.  The ones included in God's family are limited to those that do the will of God, repent and believe.  The rest have denied God, rejected Jesus, and have thus blasphemed the Holy Spirit.