Mark 9:8-10 - June 16, 2010

Mark 9:8-10 “Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Imagine this day in the lives of James, Peter and john. They have just experienced one of the most extraordinary divine encounters ever recorded. They have seen Jesus in all of His glory. They have witnessed the appearance of Moses and Elijah. They have even heard the voice of the Father speaking audibly to them of the Son-ship of Jesus. Their entire perspective concerning who Christ is and the hierarchy of heaven have been radically altered. And now Jesus gives them orders not to tell anyone! Can you say “not fair”?

Not only does Jesus forbid them to tell anyone what they have experienced until after Jesus has risen from the dead, in doing so He also introduces another totally foreign concept; that He will die and rise from the dead. Imagine what Peter must have said to his wife when he got home. (We know he was married because of Paul’s commentary and the miracle healing of his mother-in-law.) “Did you do anything special today Peter?” “Oh. Not much!” Imagine having to restrain yourself from telling of what Jesus had done that day. Yet this is the way of God. He teaches us self-control and introduces the concept that some of the things that the Lord may show us are for an appointed time and not for immediate disclosure. This principle calls for the maturing of the saints. Can we receive something special from the Lord without having to go and tell everyone right away? It seems to be the way of God to reveal things that create tension within us. And this tension causes us to grow.

For the three men who were entrusted with this profound experience there also came a distinct accountability. First their lives were forever shaped by an experience of the Christ that no one else would ever know in this life. This would have eternally altered how they lived. This experience not only confirmed all that they suspected about Christ and more, it also demonstrated the truth of the Old Testament foundations that they had been raised upon. With the appearance of Moses and Elijah the writings of the Torah and the Prophets were all confirmed and it was clearly demonstrated that the life of Christ was the continuation of that same story. All of this was poured into their hearts in this one encounter and yet Jesus instructs them to say nothing! Why? The answer is assuredly “the timing of God.”

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that for everything there is a time and a season. This is true even for supernatural revelation. Jesus wanted these men to grow in the depth and impact of this experience for an extended time prior to becoming the heralds of it. The circumstances in which this story could be told and received needed to be created first by the death and resurrection of Christ. It is vital that we recognize that many things the Lord shares with us are intended first to do a work in us, before we ever share them with someone else.

The second trust they have been given is that in due time they “will” tell their story. In due time they “will” declare the glory of Christ and tell of hearing the Father endorse His Son. In due time these three men will be ready to face the pressure of making such declarations as they are preparing to make, in due time! Each of these men are introduced into a new training program called “divine restraint.” Can we have a promise in our hearts, or a revelation in our spirits and simply hold it there in stillness until the time of God’s choosing? This is the price of revelation. This is the price of experience with God. Jesus taught this principle this way, Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” What will you do with what you have been given in God?

Mark 9:27 - June 14, 2010

Mark 9:2-7 “After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

There are times in our lives when one experience can reinterpret everything that we believe in a certain area. In Mark 9:2-7 Peter, James, and John are confronted with just such a moment. Invited by the Lord onto a high mountain for some personal time with Him, I would expect that they were both excited and honored to be there with this great prophet and teacher. They were growing in their certainty that He was the long awaited Messiah. But it seems from this experience that they still had little idea that Jesus was the central piece to God’s plan of redemption for the human race.

These three men accompany Jesus to the mountain top. He has brought them to a solitary place where there are both no distractions and no witnesses. Once they are alone Jesus exposes them to an experience of a life time. Suddenly the Jesus that they had always known was completely transformed in front of their very eyes. This was no magic trick but rather and unveiling of what had been right in front of them the entire time. They had walked with Jesus for years now but had never been allowed to see the real Jesus until that moment. Like a person wearing a full length coat and hat who never shows you the outfit underneath, Jesus concealed the real measure of His glorious person from them until this moment.

It is fascinating to notice that even in this moment of glory at first Peter still manages to miss the true message of this experience. Jesus is not alone but is met in this experience by Moses and Elijah. The problem with this is that Peter interprets this fact as a statement placing the three men on a peer level rather than recognizing that the point of it is the elevation of Jesus above the other two in the view of heaven. For so long in the Jewish culture the people reverenced Moses and Elijah as two of the primary leaders of their faith along with Abraham. Yet even at the moment that Peter is misinterpreting this revelation the voice of the Father comes and leaves no room for doubt.

The Father has not sent these two historical saints with the goal of establishing Jesus as their peer. In the Father’s heart is one goal, to lift up His son! Peter’s initial response is to build three huts for the purpose of revering these three men of renown only to be interrupted by the booming voice of their heavenly Father. “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him.” With this one sentence everything that these men have believed is reinterpreted. Already greatly shaken by this mystical experience, their doctrine is now blown apart. In two short phrases the Father elevates Jesus to the status of Son-ship, exalts Him above Moses and Elijah positionally and directs them to value the teachings of this man of mystery and wonder above the teachings of Moses and the miracles of Elijah. “Listen to Him!”

The teachings of Moses were the central pillar of the Jewish belief system and with one short experience they are brushed aside as secondary to the message of Christ. In this short window of time, the landscape of their faith was completely altered and now everything they believed had to be reinterpreted through this new lens. Now instead of interpreting the teachings of Christ through the lens of what Moses said, essentially they are being asked to reinterpret the teachings of Moses through the lens of what Jesus has been saying! This is the way of God. This is the glory of Jesus.

Mark 9:1-10:1 - June 13, 2010

Mark 9:1-10:1 “And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." NIV

Consider for a moment the teaching style of Jesus. One of His means of emphasizing topics of great weight and concern is by use of the phrase “I tell you the truth.” The implication of such a phrase is that each time it was in use Jesus was confronting a false belief in the lives of His disciples. The underlying sentiment is the concept that by saying “I tell you the truth,” He is also saying that others who have taught them previously have not! Each time that Jesus identifies the fact that this new teaching is the truth He is in essence exposing a false belief that they have been handed or concluded on their own. Through this Jesus is progressively reorienting His followers to a different world view and a different religious interpretation of the things that they have been taught all of their lives. Therefore, each time this phrase appears the subject that is being emphasized should be considered in the light of the wrong thinking that it is intended to correct. These teachings on not areas of incomplete thinking where it is intended to be added to the understanding but rather it is intended to replace the existing beliefs!

Because this principle is true the things Jesus presents in Mark 9:1 must be interpreted as intensely disruptive to the thinking of those who are hearing Him. It must be interpreted that each person hearing these things is being brought into an abrupt theological confrontation with what they have always believed. Jesus is so good at that! One of His primary themes throughout His entire ministry has been the topic of the Kingdom of God. The hope of the coming kingdom of God has always been the great hope of the Jewish people. What this passage confronts in the minds of those who hear is that typical pattern that many people with a promise from God fall into, and that is the habit of believing the promise but not expecting the promise. It is very easy to fall into a habit of intellectual belief that our heart is no longer engaged in. We can say, “I believe in healing” but never act as if we expect God to heal us. We can say “I believe God will provide for all of my needs” but live in chronic striving and anxiety over our financial future as if it is totally up to us to provide for our family. When Jesus speaks these words in Mark 9:1, he is rooting out this kind of habit within the people. He is saying to them “it is time to live with expectation. The work of God is closer than you think!”

For each believer there are times and seasons; times when all we can do is endure the desert, times when the answer we are waiting for is just around the corner, and times when the purpose of God springs forth upon us like a sudden rain. What seems to be an emphasis in this passage in Mark 9:1 is Jesus coming to announce to them a change of season! “You have waited hundreds of years as a people. You believe but don’t expect. And it is time to change how you wait!”

Often times when we have a long wait for someone to return home we become busy about other things because we do not expect them soon. But as the time draws near we change the focus of what we are doing because we now expect them any moment. We act differently both mentally and practically because we expect them soon. This is what Jesus is after in the lives of the people. His appeal is simple. It is time to prepare yourself because the work of God is upon you, watch for it, expect it soon. And this is God’s message to us as well. Live with expectation of God. Guard your heart from the temptation to get comfortably dull in how you live. Live as if you are sitting forward in your seat expecting a knock at the door any moment. The movement of God in your life is closer than you think. Watch for it!

Mark 8:38 - June 11, 2010

Mark 8:38 “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Will you take a stand for Jesus? Mark 8:38 addresses one of the chronic deficiencies within the church; the fear of man! Many people believe the words of Jesus, they even embrace the message of Calvary and the death and resurrection of Christ and yet will not acknowledge their belief in front of others because of fear of reproach.

Jesus is calling all men to take a stand. The context of this exhortation in Mark 8:38 is within a social climate that Jesus defines as adulterous and sinful. It is this climate of sin that becomes the pressure point for the life of the righteous. The words of Jesus in this passage make it clear that it is not enough to simply believe. One of the primary roles of God’s people within the culture is to stand up and be a voice against the tide of sin. Confrontation is the ministry of the people of God.

This passage leaves no question as to God’s intention. In the midst of a corrupt and polluted generation it is God’s intention that the stand that Jesus took, the voice of opposition to this tide of sin that He boldly raised, continues to be raised by those who claim to be His disciples. This verse reverberates with a mandate that is placed upon the church to be bold about who we are and what we believe. No room is left for doubt. No room is left for questioning. The verdict is clear. If we are ashamed of Christ and His message before people, Christ will be ashamed of us before the heavenly Father. To receive the acclaim of heaven we must be willing to face the rejection of men.

Throughout much of Mark Jesus is seen raising a standard for the believers. Though many people present the message of the gospel in a context of grace alone, which is indeed the path to salvation, the message of Christ continues beyond the gift of salvation to the cost of discipleship! Again and again Jesus identifies the standard or expectation that is placed upon every believer and Mark 8:38 is such a standard. “Do not be afraid of men… stand up for the holiness of God… stand up for the work of Christ!” With this one verse all men are robbed of any excuse concerning their responsibility to identify with Christ in a public way. With this one verse all men are expected to triumph over the fear of man for the sake of Christ and His truth! With this one verse all men are called to take a stand for the Lord Jesus and the gospel. What will you do with this one verse and all that it implies!?

Mark 8:36 - June 10, 2010

Mark 8:36 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

What is the value of a soul? How do we determine the worth of an individual? Mark 8:36 provides a unique contrast by which a life can be measured. Many people invest their entire lives in pursuit of wealth. The false assumption that more money equates with more happiness, more security or more peace becomes a snare to how many people spend their lives! But this verse is an arresting insight into what really matters in life.

In Mark 8:36 Jesus states simply “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” This one verse elevates the inner life far about all of the externals that most people spend their lives focused upon! We wrestle for more comfort, more pleasure, more prestige, and yet miss the fact that all of these things fade away and cease to be of any value. In this passage the Lord is turning out attention to that which is eternal to make clear what our priority in life should be. Jesus is calling the attention of all who will listen to the fact that all else is worthless if we have not first attended to the condition of our soul.

Nothing compares to it in value and there is no earthly price that can be paid for its redemption and yet so many people spend their lives neglecting the central focus of every life; the human soul. Jesus is attempting to awaken His listeners to the fact that they are in jeopardy. Their eternal soul is in danger! Jesus comes to disrupt a comfortable neglect of the real issues of life. We are called to turn from our distractions. We are called to recognize that danger that we are in. This passionate appeal is both abrupt in its delivery and compassionate in its concern. Jesus is speaking with a stern reproach yet it is the most merciful thing that He can do as He witnesses multitudes of people wasting their lives on the wrong agenda. His words make clear the fact that no man will be able to buy his way out of the judgment that awaits those who waste their life on the things of this world. His words tell us “your choices are causing you to forfeit what really matters.” They call us to evaluate what we have spent our lives on! There is still time to shift the focus of our energies to those things that really matter, but the clock is ticking!

Mark 8:38 “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Will you take a stand for Jesus? Mark 8:38 addresses one of the chronic deficiencies within the church; the fear of man! Many people believe the words of Jesus, they even embrace the message of Calvary and the death and resurrection of Christ and yet will not acknowledge their belief in front of others because of fear of reproach.

Jesus is calling all men to take a stand. The context of this exhortation in Mark 8:38 is within a social climate that Jesus defines as adulterous and sinful. It is this climate of sin that becomes the pressure point for the life of the righteous. The words of Jesus in this passage make it clear that it is not enough to simply believe. One of the primary roles of God’s people within the culture is to stand up and be a voice against the tide of sin. Confrontation is the ministry of the people of God.

This passage leaves no question as to God’s intention. In the midst of a corrupt and polluted generation it is God’s intention that the stand that Jesus took, the voice of opposition to this tide of sin that He boldly raised, continues to be raised by those who claim to be His disciples. This verse reverberates with a mandate that is placed upon the church to be bold about who we are and what we believe. No room is left for doubt. No room is left for questioning. The verdict is clear. If we are ashamed of Christ and His message before people, Christ will be ashamed of us before the heavenly Father. To receive the acclaim of heaven we must be willing to face the rejection of men.

Throughout much of Mark Jesus is seen raising a standard for the believers. Though many people present the message of the gospel in a context of grace alone, which is indeed the path to salvation, the message of Christ continues beyond the gift of salvation to the cost of discipleship! Again and again Jesus identifies the standard or expectation that is placed upon every believer and Mark 8:38 is such a standard. “Do not be afraid of men… stand up for the holiness of God… stand up for the work of Christ!” With this one verse all men are robbed of any excuse concerning their responsibility to identify with Christ in a public way. With this one verse all men are expected to triumph over the fear of man for the sake of Christ and His truth! With this one verse all men are called to take a stand for the Lord Jesus and the gospel. What will you do with this one verse and all that it implies!?

Mark 8:34 - June 9, 2010

Mark 8:34 “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

As we consider this passage it comes in the context of a great confrontation. Jesus has just been tempted by the subtleties of Satan who has influenced Peter to try to dissuade Jesus from His conviction that He will die on the cross. Satan’s voice has been silenced through Jesus’ rebuke of Peter and now Jesus invests in expanding the call of the cross to new dimensions of impact and implication. Calling the crowds who followed Him to join the disciples as they all gather close for a time of teaching Jesus reverses the damage caused by Peter’s words and then continues with the message that He was bringing to the disciples at the time of Peter’s interruption. Jesus was telling those gathered that He would soon die on the cross at the hands of the Romans. It was this message that provoked the demonically inspired reaction of Peter. But Jesus now includes every one of His followers in this call to the cross. As He addresses this gathering of curious listeners He calls them to three decisions that must be in the foundation of every person who determines that they will be a disciple of Christ.

This passage, more than almost any other, identifies the reality that the calling of the Christian life is a costly calling. As Jesus introduces this new teaching to the ears of His disciples it is quickly clear that the decision to embrace sacrificial suffering is not limited to Jesus alone. Yes Jesus will die for the sins of all men and no one else could ever provide that precious gift. But there is something else included in the life of the believer. Mark 8:34 makes it overwhelmingly clear that ever man and woman of God is included in the calling to suffer for the sake of expanding the impact of the good news of Jesus Christ.

The three requirements of the Christian life presented in this passage are both clear and costly. The first standard that Jesus now raises for every follower to embrace is the calling to embrace a life of self-denial. From the moment that we give our lives to Jesus in exchange for the free gift of salvation we choose a life of willing surrender. Jesus calls every saint to deny himself. This message cannot be any more direct. To follow Christ is to lay down your own life, your own will, your own desires, in exchange for His!

The second calling of the true Christian is just is even more costly than the decision to deny our selves. It makes it clear that to be a Christian is not simply about self-restraint. Our goal is not just to be accountable for what we resist. Our goal is the reality of what we embrace. In Mark 8:34 Jesus calls every believer to take up the cross! What can this mean to us in our generation? Most Christians will never be asked to die a painful death for the glory of Christ, so what is the implication of this principle. Paul brings light to the impact of these words upon the life of the believer through some of His commentary throughout His writings. In 1 Cor 15:30-32 Paul speaks of his own costly embrace of this cross, “And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I die every day-I mean that, brothers-just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained?” To die daily is to take up the cross. To take up the cross is to live a life as if it is not your own. In fact that is exactly the concept that Paul is presenting to the people 1 Cor 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” To be a true disciple is to accept this fact that we are not our own, but have been bought with a price and to accept the responsibility that comes with belonging to another… to “honor God” with everything that we do. This is the second standard of Christ. From the moment that we embrace Him, we embrace His cross in how it affects our lifestyle and our daily choices.

The third standard to be raised invades upon our destiny like no other. A man with a free will can chose to come and go as he pleases. A man with personal independence makes his plans according to his own desire, and spends his time and money as he pleases. The third standard of Christ calls the disciple to lay these things down at the foot of the cross and follow. The believer does not lose their free will. Instead they voluntarily yoke their free will to the will of another. We do not give up the right to choose. Rather we choose to do Christ’s will and not our own! When the call to follow comes it must be yielded to, obeyed, embraced, regardless of the cost or the cross that comes with it!

Mark 8:33 - June 7, 2010

Mark 8:33 “But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Wow, I would not have wanted to be Peter on this particular day! Imagine the Son of God addressing you personally, and… Satan personally in the same phrase! This verse is potent in its tension as Jesus takes a strong and confrontational stand against the temptations being presented to Him through the voice of one of His close friends and disciples.

More than most other single verses in the scriptures this passage is layered with insights that can impart wisdom for us in our pursuit of a focused life. Jesus is in the midst of His journey to the cross of Calvary. He knows His days are short and that He will soon undergo a great trial of suffering and betrayal. The Lord is seeking to prepare all of His disciples to endure this trial with Him so that they will not despair and lose faith at the loss of their leader in death. As a result Peter’s words are not just an attack against His own personal focus, they are a subtle attempt of the enemy to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of His followers so that they will lose heart between the death of Christ and the time of His resurrection. It is for this reason that Jesus wastes no time in putting a stop to this expression of wrong values.

Each person who follows the Lord Jesus will at times be asked to do those things that to the human mind may seem contradictory to our wisdom. This is a reflection of what James teaches as he contrasts the wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish with the wisdom from above that carries with it the nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus is speaking to His disciples of things that in terms of human reasoning do not make sense and yet they are rich with God’s purpose and destiny. The Lord immediately recognizes the source of the logic that Peter is using and confronts the demonic influence that is speaking from Peter in this moment. This brings us to the reality that even good, godly people can become the mouthpiece of evil simply by allowing their minds to function on the level of human reasoning apart from the Spirit of God. Imagine that; an otherwise godly person can become the voice of Satan during a particular event if they allow their thoughts to spring from the wrong source.

Every believer who is living in pursuit of God’s purpose must take this lesson to heart and learn the reality that even our friends can become a distraction from God’s purposes. Even other leaders can become diluting force that robs those who follow us of the resolute conviction that is needed to make it through the hard times. If Satan can plant in the minds of those we are walking with the thought that perhaps we have made a bad decision and that is why things are difficult right now then our capacity for unity under trial is greatly damaged.

The reaction of Jesus to Peter’s words should be a lesson to every leader. Jesus assesses the words of Peter very quickly. He wastes no time in considering the source of these words and the impact they will have on the rest of His disciples. Verse 33 tells us that Jesus turned and looked at all of His disciples before addressing Peter/Satan. He sees the tension in the air as the disciples wait to see the Lord’s reaction to Peter’s rebuke. In one short response Jesus speaks on two levels. Immediately He addresses Satan who He discerns is now speaking from the mouth of Peter, one of His closest friends and strongest allies! He commands Satan to “get behind” him, silencing this line of reasoning before it can go any further. In His second phrase He also identifies how this demonic interference is able to operate through even a believer: “you don’t have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” It’s a problem of the mind! When we let the wrong values become the focus of our thought life it becomes fertile ground for the seeds of demonic influence!

Jesus demonstrates how to rebuke this carnal thinking and resist the influence of Satan in this one passage. He does not shelter Peter from this strong rebuke. He confronts directly and firmly! In this moment He esteems the importance of breaking the power of these words over protecting Peter from embarrassment or humiliation. So much so that this encounter has been recorded in scripture for the last 2000 years for all to read! Imagine this fact that God would allow one man’s mistakes to become the training ground for the rest of His disciples for thousands of years. Obviously what He places value on in this situation is something greater than protecting Peter’s ego or bruised feelings. This passage more than many demonstrates the truth of Isa 55:9 that declares "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”