Mark 8:31-32 - June 2, 2010

Mark 8:31-32 “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” NIV

Have you ever told somebody something that they didn’t want to hear? This is the extreme version of one of those moments. Imagine this scene. Jesus has just completed taking the disciples through an exercise in discovery. He has led them all to the dramatic conclusion that He is the Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Imagine their hearts bursting with this revelation and this sense of destiny. It is certain that every tradition, all the mixture of legend that surrounds a promise that has been awaited for centuries, is now flooding their minds and here they are positioned as primary leaders in this new Messiah’s coming kingdom, or so they think!

Each one of them had been raised on the stories about that day when the Messiah would come. Each one had probably filled their mind at times with the possibilities or deliverance from Roman rule, of the hope of a new independent and powerful kingdom for Israel like in the glory days of David. Here they are now standing in the presence of promise. They can see themselves in triumphant procession with Him, each one imagining their own position of greatness. We know this was in their hearts because of their arguments over who amongst them was the greatest. Their focus was on the promotion and blessing that would come to each of them because of their affiliation with the Master.

Jesus is so good and confronting the vain imaginations in our hearts and replacing them with a kingdom minded reality! He has given the disciples very little time to enjoy the rush of self-importance that is flooding their minds as they let the knowledge that He really is the Messiah take root in their hearts. Jesus wastes no time transitioning to a new topic that shatters their idealistic imaginings. Verse 31 tells us that shortly after concluding His lesson on His identity, Jesus crushes all of their false thinking by shifting to the topic of His destiny. They have been picturing a glorious king. Their minds have been filled with cheering crowds, victorious conquest, Roman overthrow and Jesus replaces all of that with a new image. In place of cheers He warns them of jeers, in place of victory He describes suffering and death, in place of Roman armies vanquished and fleeing, He describes Roman soldiers with hammers in their hands, nailing Him to the cross. And vanity is blown away like spilled flour on a windy day.

Verse 32 describes Peter’s reaction. I am sure that ours would not have been that much different. Peter is compelled by this abrupt shattering of their false perceptions to try and correct Jesus. Perhaps the master is being melancholy. Peter is so moved by His concern for Jesus that He pulls Him aside. Peter would never correct Jesus in front of others. And so Peter begins to rebuke Jesus. The question is, is Peter really concerned about Jesus or is He speaking in a panicked reaction to the shattering of his false dreams. It seems that all of the fantasy that has been accumulating in Peter’s mind is so upended by this announcement of Christ’s sufferings that Peter doesn’t really know how to act or what to say, so he begins to fight to hold on to these lying thoughts as the pain of losing them becomes too much to bear. This is how most of us are when confronted by painful truth. Are we ready to let the Lord tear down our religious fantasies and allow Him to replace them with the sobering realities of a life of sacrifice, a life of true surrender to the cross of Christ? Jesus did not call us to Himself to bring about our personal fame and prominence. Jesus calls us to the cross. He calls us to the valley of service and the Garden of surrender where we yield as He did to the Father’s plan and declare “not my will, but yours be done.”

Mark 8:27-30 - June 1, 2010

Mark 8:27-30 “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.” NIV

Mark 8:27-30 is an intriguing moment in the lives of Jesus and the disciples. It is an example of the heart probing inquiry of the Lord. When Jesus asks a question it can always be assumed that the answer has many layers and is being asked to accomplish a variety of purposes. This example is no different. Jesus possessed a unique capacity to utilize the moments between events. His life was busy with one miracle, public teaching or dramatic confrontation after another but it was often the moments between the moments that created some of the most compelling insights.

In this case they are simply in transit, walking on to a new set of villages in which to minister. As they were walking it might have seemed that He was just making conversation with His disciples to kill the time as He inquired “who do people say I am?” But with Jesus there is something much deeper going on. Jesus is pushing the disciples to think more deeply about the man they are walking with. On more than one occasion the gospels reflect on this perplexing question. After calming the storm in Mk. 4 the disciples sit in amazement as they ponder this same issue “who is this man that can calm a storm by a word.” In Mt. 11:11 John sends his disciples to ask “are you the one?” not for his sake, but for theirs. In many passages the religious leaders of the day and others who heard His words asked amongst themselves who He was that gave Him the right to teach things that contradicted the teachings of the Pharisees. This time however, it is Him who is stirring up the subject.

In Mark 8 Jesus is causing His disciples to consider what they have seen and heard. He has never before really pressed this issue to bring them to a place of firm conclusion but the time is now. It is fascinating that these men have walked with Jesus for many months now and He has yet to put them on the spot to conclude about who the man they are walking with really is. This is a very powerful teaching point. Jesus allows them to relate to Him and learn from Him without pressing this main issue until He senses the specific moment to make them form concrete conclusions, as if to say “all right, you have seen enough now. Make a decision!” With this one set of questions Jesus pushes them over the edge to a place of commitment. “State your belief and stand by it!”

When Jesus asks them to reflect on what people are saying it is to press them close to the subject of who He is without having to start with such an abrupt personal confrontation. He allows them to reflect on what others believe and are saying before He presses them to conclude about their own convictions. The disciples give a few diverse opinions about how others think and then Jesus brings the point home! “What about you!?” Now they must form concrete opinions. Now they must point themselves on the line for what they really believe. Until this moment they could avoid the charge of heresy or deception because they had never stated a firm conviction regarding who He was. They could always bow out gracefully by saying “we thought he was just a good teacher or some such thing.” They were never asked to make a commitment before now! From this moment on the consequences of following Christ have multiplied greatly, the disciples are now on the line. No more maybes! Their confession has now condemned them to whatever fate He endures.

Jesus takes every believer through this same process. He attracts us first as followers. He brings us in and exposes us to the reality of His words, His presence, and His power. But He doesn’t ever stop there. He is searching for full commitment, total abandonment to His cause! It is only a matter of time before the pressure of His questioning begins to touch every life. He will always bring you to the point where you have to choose to identify with Him as the Son of God, the Messiah. He will not allow you to hang around the edges of faith. Sooner or later He will always turn you away from the opinions of others to ask with glaring intensity “What about you!?”

Psalm 67:3-7 - May 31, 2010

Ps 67:3-7 "May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.:" NIV

Oh, how the earth longs for just government! It is man’s injustice towards his fellow man that is the source of so much of the division and conflict that is raging throughout the earth. As men corruptly pursue their own ends in the various nations of the earth heart after heart is filled with a longing for truly righteous and just leadership to arise in the nations. Instead of one nation rising up against another, the hearts of simple men and women are longing for a day when we may all enjoy peace and love in the context of mutual blessing. This is the cry of hearts throughout the whole earth. Man’s selfishness is at the center of division in families, communities and nations. The Apostle James diagnoses the problem clearly in James 4:1-3 when he says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Psalm 67 gives us hope of a better day! There is a time coming when the Lord our God will rule the earth with justice and righteousness. The day is declared when the Lord will establish a righteous rule over all the earth in complete love in complete trustworthiness. Imagine leadership that can be truly trusted to not act with any seed of jealousy, self-promotion, greed or lust. Imagine a government that will bring forth abundant blessing for all. This is the hope of the millennial reign of Christ. This is the vision of a better day. Our hearts cry how long as we watch the nations decay into greater and greater chaos. But Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return. And so our hearts are destined to live in hope, in faith of a better day.

However, we are not without hope in this life as we await the Lord. There is great blessing promised to those who will live for the kingdom of God. For those who will fix their eyes on the heavenly kingdom of God and live with a whole heart for God’s purpose there is great promise, great reward. Jesus said in Matt 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” As God releases blessing on His obedient servants, the result is a testimony that goes throughout the earth to speak into the hearts of those who would listen to make known the goodness of God. As we praise God through the voice of an obedient life God’s blessing accompanies us and world discoverers the living God.

Mark 8:22-26 - May 30, 2010

Mark 8:22-26 “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" NIV

24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." ‘

For every activity there is a right place, a right time and a right way, but can you tell what those are? This passage from Mark 8 is a complete paradox in the context of conventional thinking. Even the Lord’s own brothers had a philosophy the common wisdom of the day. John 7:3-4 “Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." This exchange reveals something very simple but very powerful. It was not Jesus who was seeking to become a public figure. It was the Father who was determined to make Him one.

What this passage demonstrates is that when your heart is free from self-centered agendas you can obey God and let Him worry about the consequences. Because Jesus’ primary motive was to please the Father, not to build His ministry, He was able to step outside of the realms of human reasoning and minister from a place of consecrated obedience. He embraced the concept that if it was the Father’s will for Him to become well known this would take care of itself provided He remained in a place of obedience. We never see Jesus striving for prominence. The prominence followed after Him and sought Him out everywhere He went. As a result we never see Jesus striving or becoming manipulative to reach the goal of being known.

In the case of Jesus the fruit of a life committed to obedience was a variety of choices that did not reflect logic but rather inspiration. Jesus’ own words were that He only did what He saw His Father doing, Jn. 5:19. In Mark Chapter 8 Jesus is visited by a crowd seeking a miracle of healing for a blind man. Jesus’ first decision is to remove Him from their midst so that the miracle is a personal exchange between He and the blind man. He doesn’t turn this opportunity into a show before the crowd. Instead He takes the man outside of the village. He knew the right place to reach His goal. Once He has found the right location for a more discreet encounter Jesus then does the unusual. Can you do the unusual if God asks you to? Jesus turns to the man and begins this time of ministry by spitting on Him! Now that is a sure way to win someone’s heart! If you are going to spit on somebody in a time of personal ministry, you had better be hearing God!

Jesus spits and then lays hands on the man. This is a great starting place for a conversation and it is interesting to note that Jesus steps into a different ministry model than most other occasions. Many of the Lord’s miracles flowed out of a powerful command where there was only the expectation of the person’s body immediately obeying. In this case Jesus chooses a different approach. The Lord chose to interview the person during His time of ministry. “Can you see anything?” Never before do we see the Lord asking the person if there has been any change in their condition. But here a new ministry model is established for inquiring of the recipient as to the progress of their healing. It is important to note that this interview also reflects the fact that this person’s healing was neither immediate nor initially complete. It was only after a process of ministry that this person was brought to complete healing! Through this Jesus exposes us to the reality that God may choose diverse means to reach similar goals and therefore we must keep our hearts open to the Lord’s voice. Many people fall into patterns of routine method in doing the work of the Lord. These patterns rob the ministry of a sense of relationship and the possibility of inspired direction that could bring about a supernatural encounter. Jesus didn’t assume a method He listened and did what the Father showed Him to do! And in this case it was strange but effective.

In the conclusion of this unusual exchange there is an additional feature that provokes thought. Jesus brings this blind man to complete healing and then instructs him not to go back into the village but to go straight home. Jesus has a goal of quietly slipping away to another village to minister rather than a goal of using that miracle to draw a crowd. For most ministers today one miracle of healing from blindness would be enough for us to set up a tent and take an offering! Immediately the question would be, “how can we turn this event into something more?” “How can we capitalize on this healing to build something big?” “Should we write a book, or maybe start a talk show!” Jesus was simply focused on quietly moving on to touch the next town. He was not after hype and publicity. He was on His Father’s mission. May we possess this same heart as the Lord directs us into seasons of favor and fruitfulness!