Mark 2:1-4 - February 20, 2010

Mark 2:1-4 “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.”

Most people think of Jesus returning home to his home town and not doing many miracles because of the unbelief of the people. This passage is a portrait of the difference between where we grow up and where we serve. Many times in both the pages of scripture and in the history of the body of Christ God has seen fit for his servants to grow up in one place and serve in another. So many times people resist receiving life training from someone that they have grown up with. To let someone move from the place of being a peer to being one you teaches you or leads you is a great challenge and test of humility that many people fail.

Jesus is returning home in this passage, but it is not the home of his youth, it is the home where he has lived during the time of his ministry. In this setting the faith of the people was so much different from the response of the community that knew him during his years before the anointing of the Holy Spirit came upon his life. There the people stumbled over the work of God in his life. Here in Capernaum the people responded with such faith that friends of an invalid broke through the ceiling of the house to find a way to get their sick friend to a place where Jesus can see him and perhaps reach out to him with mercy! Talk about faith, these men believed with enough faith that they laid aside conventional protocol to reach the Lord.

What is truly fascinating in this passage is that the house that these men destroy to reach Jesus is Jesus’ house!!! He has come to his own home and the crowds have followed him there. In the midst of the moment these desperate men break through the roof and remarkably Jesus responds with joy to their faith filled act. For many people the moment someone broke a hole in their ceiling to get in, the emotional distraction created by the damage to their possessions would distract them from the need. There is no mention of the need, only a response to their faith. God is looking for people who will reach out to him with this same resolute, determined faith. These men were willing to risk reproach. These men were willing to face the possibility of rejection because they saw in Jesus the power to restore their friend to help.

What stands between you and the answer to your prayers? Will you break through with the same faith that compelled these men until you can reach Jesus for the answer you need?

Mark 1:43-45 - February 19, 2010

Mark 1:43-45 “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Can you imagine receiving a supernatural miracle of healing and then the Lord instructing you not to tell? In this passage that is exactly what happens. Here is a man that has gone from being amongst the outcasts of society because of his leprosy, to being free! He no longer has to live in the light of social shame and the loneliness of rejection. He no longer has to spend his days wishing for a miracle. He has found one through Jesus Christ! How could he stay silent?

Jesus instructs this man strongly to focus simply on going to the priests and having the religious ban lifted from his life that has destined him to life as a leper but he cannot hold back his joy. Jesus’ sought to use this healing as a testimony to the priests but instead it became a testimony throughout the entire community. This was both good news and bad news. Had the priests been the ones to hear the news first they might have been able to receive Jesus with greater acceptance because they saw his respect for the religious practices but instead they hear about it through the mass of followers that are now looking to Jesus and not to them. This one event most likely served to elevate Jesus dramatically within the community but attract future persecution from the priests and religious leaders.

The fruit of this miracle was momentum. The pace of Jesus fame accelerated rapidly because of the joy filled praises of this man who had been healed. As he spread the news of his healing the crowds gathered but not every crowd creates ideal circumstances. Now crowd management becomes a tension that comes along with all of the issues. Jesus was still ministering within a nation that was under the dominion of Rome and large crowds gathering around him within the cities would have certainly gained him unwanted attention and suspicion. As a result Jesus had to withdraw and let the people come to him outside the communities in “lonely places.” Even there the people gathered to him.

This reality is a great encouragement to all of those believers who are serving the Lord faithfully in lonely places. Even there God can do great things. You may live in a small town or a region where there are few believers but be encouraged. If the power and presence of God is with you then God can gather the people! Let your focus be on the presence of God not on the crowd. Seek HIM and let HIS presence gather people. This is a generation that is highly mobile and the multitudes are hungry for something real. As a result focus on having the supernatural reality of God with you and the people who are hungry for more of God will find you.

Mark 1:40-42 - February 18, 2010

Mark 1:40-42 “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”

This passage from Mark chapter one is such an image of the heart of God. Jesus is ministering from town to town in the midst of a culture that rejected the afflicted members of the community. In the name of disease control an environment where many of the most hurting were rejected was created within Israel. And yet this leper somehow sees within the life and ministry of Jesus something that says to Him “you are safe here,” you will find compassion here.”

In the time of Christ if a leper was seen on the streets he would be driven away. And yet Jesus not only allows him to stay in the presence of the people, His heart is moved with compassion by the sight of the man. Jesus does not turn His head away and look elsewhere to avoid the painful cries of this desperate man. Instead Jesus reaches out and touches the man. I wonder how long it had been since he felt a compassionate touch. Everyone would have been afraid of him because of their fears of contamination and yet Jesus reaches out with the warmth of divine love and touches this man in a way that he had never been touched before.

The man came with a heart of faith. He had confidence in Jesus’ ability to heal him but he was uncertain of Christ’s willingness to heal him. This is the fruit of his wounded conscience. His sense of guilt and shame, his feelings of rejection and lack of personal value because of his condition almost certainly poisoned his understanding of the love of God. This is a picture of so many people. So many believers are confident of God’s power but do not live in the knowledge that God delights in them. They see their imperfections as a convincing proof that they are not worthy to be loved or to receive from God.

This passage introduces us to a different view of God. The leper has done nothing to deserve his healing except turn to Jesus in faith. “I know that you CAN, but are you willing?” The life of Jesus was intended to reveal the will of God to every generation for all times! The answer of Christ to this broken man is simple, “I am willing… be clean!” This is the word of the Lord to the leper and this is the word of the Lord to you and I today. God is willing to heal! God is willing to forgive. God is willing to provide. Only believe! Place your trust in a love that is deeper than your sins are powerful! Place your confidence in a forgiveness so all encompassing that all who turn towards the cross in repentance will find a compassionate hand reaching out into their hearts to answer the cry lifted up in faith! It’s time to believe!

Mark 1:36-39 - February 17, 2010

Mark 1:36-39 “Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”

This passage is a very revealing look at the priority system of Jesus. He is not attracted to the crowds for the sake of His identity. He is not addicted to His own fame. When His disciples come and tell him that everyone is looking for Him this is not a source of excitement, nor something that compels Him to feel the need to respond to their demands. It is obvious by this response that it is not just the gathering of crowds that moves Jesus to action. He is driven by a clear sense of the purpose of God behind His actions.

When the disciples come with the news of the pressing crowds Jesus’ answer is “let’s go somewhere else!” He doesn’t rush out to meet His fans, nor does He feel the pressure of their needs driving Him to some heroic, pressure filled sense of responsibility. Jesus understands that their real needs are deeper than one ministry opportunity can ever fulfill. The Lord is clear about His purpose and is able to place the larger scale goals of His life above the immediate sense of need that is reaching out from the crowds of people.

If Jesus fails in His primary mission of introducing the kingdom of God to every town and village and of laying the foundation for the local church to be established that will endure long beyond His own natural life span then the real purpose of His coming will be defeated in the name of a false sense of heroic responsibility for the needs of the moment. This passage so clearly establishes the fact that we must live according to our long term priorities not our sense of immediate needs.

Do you think the disciples in their emotional appeal to Him to meet the needs of the moment were shocked or offended initially by His response? Consider this: the disciples come saying, “the people need you” and Jesus responds by saying “let’s move on to the other towns that I haven’t been to yet!” What a lesson for His young disciples in the reality of living a purpose centered life. Throughout His ministry Jesus emphasized two priorities: introducing the kingdom of God and building the local church that would be the structure through which the kingdom of God would be demonstrated. This was His mission. Because He understood this He was able to walk away at times from the needs of the now for the sake of the greater vision.

There was so much need in each local community that Jesus could have easily gotten caught up in just touching every person within one local community and then slowly moving to another community. The work would have gone deeper in one area for one generation but He would not have built something that touched the entire earth for all generations. Jesus informs His disciples that He has come to touch every community not a community. He clearly states “that is why I have come.” Are you clear about your purpose? Can you say no to the urgent for the sake of the important? Are you secure enough in who you are that you can be at rest even when the circumstances and needs are pressuring you to do something and you have to say no and walk on to your real priorities? Learn from this moment in the life of Jesus and focus on the high priority goals of your life.

Mark 1:35 - February 16, 2010

Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

What are you doing very early in the morning? During the last 17 years of pastoral ministry I have heard many men say “I am too busy to have a prayer life.” But what I know to be true is that a life of prayer is a matter of choice and priority not how busy you are. Jesus understood the value of solitary prayer.

Jesus was as busy as any man has ever been. The crowds were constantly pressing him to meet their needs. The atmosphere around him was so demanding that at times He found it necessary to escape by boat or slip away with His disciples so that they could decompress for a bit before the crowds found them again. They lived on the move, going from town to town every few days or so and the work was so constant the Apostle John wrote in his gospel in John 21:25; “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” In all of this Jesus still placed prayer as a priority!

The gospels repeatedly emphasize the prayer life of Jesus. In this passage from Mark that we are considering Jesus is rising early to pray. In Lu. 6:12 Jesus is seen spending the whole night in prayer. In John chapter 17 we are given a glimpse of that prayer life as He talks to the Father about the resurrection of Lazarus that He is about to perform. In Mt. 14:23 Jesus goes off into the mountain to pray and is still there alone when the evening comes. These passages and so many more establish the centrality of prayer to a spiritual life and specifically to the life of Christ.

Jesus’ entire ministry, its power, its effectiveness and its timeliness were the outflow of His life of prayer. While ministering to a group of Jews who had placed their faith in Him Jesus reflects on the nature of His ministry by saying in John 8:37-38 “I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence.” Jesus is not ministering out of his education, his emotion or his intellect. Jesus is ministering out of the presence of the Father. His words are actions are the direct result of what He has received from the Father through his intimate life of prayer.

How much wasted effort could be prevented in each one of our lives if the things that we spend our time on would more consistently find their origin in the Father’s presence as we seek Him in prayer? Jesus is the supreme example of both intimacy with God and fruitfulness in life. He found the time to pray and the life of prayer that He lived enabled Him to live every day to the fullest, bearing fruit in all things. Paul prayed a prayer over the Colossian church that reflects this principle and is a pattern for us to follow as we build into our lives a rich life of prayer. Let this become a part of your prayers. Col 1:9 “We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Mark 1:32-34 - February 15, 2010

Mark 1:32-34 “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”

Talk about a full day! Jesus Sabbath day begins with a time of teaching in the synagogue. He transitions into a time of deliverance ministry when a demonized man interrupts his teaching. After the message and deliverance session are finished he goes to do home visitation ministry at Peter’s house and heals Peter’s sick mother-in-law. Words of life, deliverance ministry and a miracle of healing all before dinner time! And the work is not yet done for the day. How do you spend your Sunday!?

This passage and the preceding verses depict the reality that the work of the kingdom of God is not just found inside the walls of the church. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to the people. He went out where the need was and ministered life everywhere he went. His ministry and the freedom that he brought to people as he demonstrated the power of God brought hope to many, many people. He was in people’s homes, He ministered on the streets, and in the public markets. Wherever the Holy Spirit led Him He responded to the needs in the lives of people and met them where they were.

The home was one of the primary avenues of the ministry of Christ. Every neighborhood represents a network of relationships and as the Spirit of God begins to be demonstrated within a particular community word of divine happenings spreads and people’s lives are changed. The healing that Jesus ministered to Peter’s mother-in-law during the day and the deliverance that he ministered to the demonized man at the temple were enough of a display of the power of God that by evening time a crowd had gathered at the house that was so big that they had to stand at the door to hear, see and receive from Jesus. The works that He had done previously filled the town with such an atmosphere of faith that the people brought their sick and demonized family and friends with a hope that the power of God would reach their place of need.

Faith was in the air and the power of God was moving in response to faith! For the rest of the evening the word says that Jesus healed many of a variety of diseases and that He cast out many demons! Not one or two but many! When people come with faith the work of God is accelerated. When the ministers have a servant’s heart the way Jesus welcomed all and ministered to many great things can happen for God. Jesus made himself very approachable. He did not distance himself from the people but allowed them to draw near and interact with Him. He did not present himself as a superstar that smiled and waved but kept a safe distance from the people behind a crowd of barriers. In fact he was so welcoming that a number of times he rebuked his disciples for keeping certain people away. In particular he called the children to himself and blessed them. He was not inconvenienced by their childish ways. Oh that the people of God would come to this place where we have both the power of God and the love of God! This is the need of the body of Christ. Let your life be marked by God’s power and motivated by God’s love and great things will happen to you and through you!

Mark 1:29-31 - February 14, 2010

Mark 1:29-31 “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”

Mark 1:29-31 is powerful in its simplicity. Jesus has finished his encounter in the synagogue and is going to rest at the home of one of his disciples. There is no sense of agenda in this act, only a relational moment in the life of their faith community. What makes this so powerful is that it communicates that Jesus is the same Jesus in the home of a friend that he is in the public place of ministry. He does instruct the disciples to bring Peter’s mother to the meeting tomorrow night. He doesn’t have any pretension of a perfect setting with the right music playing. Jesus sees a need and meets it! In faith… in power… with mercy; when Jesus hears about the need he responds.

There is nothing dramatic about this healing. Jesus hears that Peter’s mother-in-law is sick and goes to her. He doesn’t shout, nor speak in tongues. He doesn’t do anything that indicates anything more than the simple expectation that she will be healed because he is there. He reaches out her hand and helps her up and the fever simply disappears. A simple act of faith manifests itself with an expectation that the fever must go, because Jesus has come! That’s authority!

In addition to being a beautiful demonstration of simple faith this passage illustrates the heart of a true disciple. How does Peter’s mother-in-law say thank you? She serves. There is no fanfare. Peter’s mother-in-law simple rises up and turns her gratitude into service. This passage says that “she began to wait on them.” Oh, that every person who ever receives a touch from God would respond with the same devotion. When He comes and lifts your burdens then wait on Him. When He comes and heals your body… wait on Him. When He comes and you experience the forgiveness of your sins, wait on Him. Listen to His voice… look for the opportunity to serve Him that will always be there if He is there as well. Make yourself available to God and give thanks with more than just your words.