Mark 11:4-6 - October 2, 2010

Mark 11:4-6 “They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.”

Mark 11:4-6 is a small segment of this overall story but there is a little glimpse of the prophetic in action that takes place in this passage. Sent on a mission to retrieve the colt that will be used for Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, the disciples have been told where to go to find this colt. The only thing that is really required of them is boldness and faith. They are told by the Lord to take this colt without asking permission. They are only given the words to say when they are asked about their actions.

How awkward this may have seemed to the disciples to begin untying the colt without permission. Fear of accusation as thieves may have tugged at their hearts as they went forward, but faith and obedience carried them forward. Their confidence in the prophetic ministry of Christ was sufficient to move them on. They knew from experience that the things Christ foretold would come to pass and so they stepped forward in faith. They find the colt just where it has been prophesied to be and speak the words that the Lord in his foreknowledge gives them to speak. And with these words the disciples find favor and are able to complete their task.

This demonstration of the practical application of the prophetic increases our grasp of the many ways that God uses this wonderful gift. This word does not involve a word to a person. It does not involve the release of some great miracle. This prophetic word simply prepares the disciples to accomplish their task and to find favor with the other people who will be involved in this exchange. This passage gives us permission to expect God’s participation in the practical moments of our lives. He can give us direction that leads to both provision and favor. Our part is bold faith and humble obedience. Take the word of Christ with you and go out expecting God to meet you on the road side!

Mark 11:1-3 - October 1, 2010

Mark 11:1-3 “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" 

Though this passage is the introduction to one of the more celebrated stories in the gospels there is so much to enjoy in it beyond the well-known triumphal entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem. As the disciples are approaching the area surrounding the Mount of Olives Jesus sends two of His disciples on a mission to retrieve a colt that He will use to ride upon as He enters the city. What is interesting in this passage is the reality of God’s preparation for the fulfillment of His purpose.

Jesus is about to fulfill the messianic prophesy found in Psalm 118:26 and referenced by Him in Luke 13:35 where he reminded some of the Pharisees of the triumphal greeting “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The events that are about to take place have been in the heart and purpose of God from ages past. They were declared through the Psalmists of old and here at this moment the purpose of God is about to be realized. In the midst of this setting what is truly amazing is that there, at the crossroads of history, God has already provided a colt upon which the king will enter Jerusalem. He has already revealed to His Son where this colt is waiting and how to go about accessing this resource, down to even the right words to say! This truth needs to speak to every person who will attempt to do the works of God.

What is so evident within these first verses of Mark 11 is the reality that God has already provided for His purposes. Where God ordains, God provides. This story in Mark 11 was the fulfillment of something in God’s heart from the very beginning of His plan and yet there at the appointed time the need was met. This must be the confidence of every person who will do the work and will of God. When we have the need we will find the colt tied at the side of the road and we will be given the right means to access that provision.

The roll of the disciples was simple in its expression. In this situation the disciples were not asked to do anything of great merit. They were simply given the direction of God and asked to walk out the process of acquiring God’s provision. How uncomplicated God made it for them to participate in this miraculous provision to fulfill God’s plan and purpose. Many times we overcomplicate the mission that God has assigned to us. We strive to acquire and to make things happen that would happen with a natural sense of flow and ease if only we would wait on the divine direction that will lead us to what God has already provided. This is not to say that there is no work involved in fulfilling the purpose of God but there is a way of obedience that greatly lessens man’s need to strive and walk in anxiety of heart as we do God’s purpose. May each one of us find that place of restful, attentive obedience that we might find God’s leading as He directs us to the colt at the side of the road!

Mark 10:51-52 - September 30, 2010

Mark 10:51-52 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”

These next two verses in Mark 10 are a fascinating glimpse into the way of Christ. Here He is faced with a desperate blind man who has been crying out above the din of the crowd. There is a multitude of observers who know this man and who have been following after him and as the blind man is brought to Him Jesus does not greet him with any form of assumption. Instead Jesus asks the blind man “what do you want me to do for you?” To us this may seem like a strange question in light of the obvious answer but in the midst of that setting perhaps there was much more going on than the asking of a simple question.

We as modern readers of this story, knowing already its outcome, would seemingly project the obvious onto this situation but our Lord is the master orchestrator of every circumstance. In almost every circumstance the questions of Jesus are provocative. They are searching. They are tests of the heart and revealers of the thoughts of men! As Jesus asks this simple and obvious question the heart and attitude of this blind man is revealed.  There is no attitude of resentment revealed, no criticism of the treatment he has received only a humble cry for help.

It is not only the heart of Bartemaeus that is spoken to by this question. As Jesus inquires of Bartemaeus every person who has judged him as a sinner, every person who has pushed him aside as an outcast receives a new revelation of the love of God. There is no rejection in the words of Jesus. There is only openness. There is only welcome! The question of Jesus reveals the heart of God to a critical society.

The question of Jesus comes seemingly with no limitation. In much the same way that He has taught His disciples that their prayers have no boundary but the will of God, Jesus extends to Bartemaues an open invitation to ask and ask BIG! “Rabbi, I want to see!” Let that prayer be the cry of all God’s people. Open our eyes to see!

There is no hesitation in the response of Christ to the request of Bartemaeus. Jesus’ response is swift and confident as He declares over the blind man “Go. Your faith has healed you!” Jesus answer is an affirmation of Bartemaeus’ faith. There is no profound statement. There is no outward demonstration, only an affirmation of his faith. And that faith was enough. Faith drove Bartemaeus to cry out. Faith drove him to persevere in the face of opposition. Face compelled him to shout even louder in the face of opposition and it was this faith, an overcoming faith that brought forth the healing that he sought! Jesus simply affirmed the work of faith that had already taken place in his heart. The question of Jesus simply put words to Bartemaeus’ faith. It made that faith specific! Perhaps that was the real motive for Christ’s question towards Bartemaeus. Could it be that Jesus was helping him to get specific before God and teaching us that same principle? It is time to get specific as we stand before God. Ask boldly and ask clearly as you stand in God’s presence with a heart of specific faith!

Mark 10:48-50 - September 27, 2010

Mark 10:48-50 “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.”

Imagine being Bartemeaus on this particular day in his life. The possibility of healing, of freedom is passing by. It is close enough to reach out and touch if only he could be heard above the crowds. He lifts his voice only to be rebuked by the merciless crowds of people who have gathered around Jesus, each with their own agendas for reaching Christ! Here he is, powerless in the natural realm and yet the marriage of faith and desperation that is coming together in his life causes him to cry out! When rebuked he cries out all the more, and his cry is one thing; a cry for mercy!

This prayer is a prayer that moves the heart of God; “have mercy on me!” This prayer is a prayer that penetrates the presence of God. This one cry that could have been so easily overlooked in the midst of such a crowd and such chaos somehow rises up above the confusion of the circumstances and pierces the ear of Christ and His attention is drawn. What a picture of the power of faith! It rises up above all that we are going through to penetrate into the throne room of God where every answer is born!

I love the response of Christ as His attention is drawn towards the roadside and the cries of this blind man. Not only does Jesus make room for this desperately broken soul. He has the very ones who had been seeking to silence him become the ones who are sent to get Bartemaeus. There seems to be a subtle correction present in this action as Jesus demonstrates to the very ones who sought to push the blind man away that this man is welcome and loved by the Father and the Son!

It is apparent from the words of those who come to him that the emotions of the blind man must have been reaching their breaking point. He has cried out. He has been resisted. He has persevered even in the midst of this and raised his voice even louder but these final cries must have been the cries of a heart desperate and in pain. His demeanor was such that when the crowds turned to offer to him the invitation of Christ their words begin with cheer up. How strange that those who sought to silence him are now his comforters. Perhaps there is a lesson for us concerning the attitude of God’s people towards those we perceive as social outcasts and the broken of society. Perhaps those that we have rejected in the attitude of our hearts are the very ones that God is seeking to turn our hearts towards.

As Bartemaeus is called to come to Christ it is with great energy and zeal that he rises to stand before Jesus. There is no casual reluctance in his response to this invitation to come. Bartemaeus leaps to his feet, throwing aside the cloak that he has used to shelter himself from the cold of both the environment and seemingly the hearts of the people. In many ways Bartemaeus seems to be a picture of the harvest. Perhaps the most broken turn out to be the most passionate when they have been welcomed by the grace of God!