Mark 9:24 - June 28, 2010

Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

This passage illustrates the most concise and powerful prayer a man can pray… “help me Jesus!” Mark 9:24 is a picture of a willing but struggling heart. This father is faced with the grievous condition of his son and the repeated failure of others to provide any lasting help. His most recent disappointment has been the failure of Jesus’ disciples to exorcise this demonic presence that is threatening the life of the man’s son. And now Jesus has spoken life to him. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Whispers of hope begin to rise in this wounded heart and he lifts up a cry to the Lord. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”

One of the powerful messages contained in this passage is revelation of what faith is. Faith is not the absence of internal conflict but rather the determination to not submit to the fears that assault the heart and mind. “I do believe, help me…” To some people this condition would appear as unbelief, but to the Lord this was a heart of desperate faith. What is reflected in this passage is the compassion of the Lord. When we consider this passage it becomes clear that Jesus’ response to this man is a response filled with the awareness of all that this man has suffered. There is not condemnation for his wounded condition. He had no power to help this son that he loved. All that he had been able to do for these many years had been to suffer with him as together they explored every conceivable avenue of help.

The struggle within this man to believe is immense but the intensity of his immediate response is fueled by the passion that comes from a glimpse of hope returning to his heart! Prov 13:12 states passionately “hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life,” and it is this principle that is speedily at work in the heart of this father. With the words of Jesus something that has been dead inside of Him is beginning to come to life. With the words of Jesus the hold that despair has had upon his heart is beginning to lose its grip! And so he cries out “I do believe, help me…”

How many other people find themselves at just this same place in their lives? Their hearts are shut down by their pain and they cannot see a doorway that leads to hope. That doorway is Jesus! Jesus is the doorway for the desperate heart! Turn to Him in your moments of despair, your times of weakness. You will not be despised for it. In fact the scriptures make it clear that one of the main goals of the humanity of Christ was to present to all mankind a compassionate God who is mindful of our weaknesses and who deals with us in mercy. He is slow to anger, patient and kind. Take your pain to the Lord and join yourself with the heart of this father who received mercy from the Lord by lifting up the very same cry “Lord I believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Mark 9:20-23 - June 25, 2010

Mark 9:20-23 “So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Everything changes when Jesus comes. In Mark 9:20-23 from the moment that Jesus comes into close proximity with this demonized child there is an immediate reaction from the demonic spirit. Once again we are given the opportunity to gain more insight into the nature of demonic oppression and deliverance ministry as Jesus responds to the needs of this oppressed child.

The demons oppressing this little one have such complete control over his physical body that he is thrown to the ground in convulsions, where he lays rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth. Jesus’ reaction to these symptoms is educational for us. He does not panic at such a display, nor withdraw from it. Instead Jesus acts very much like a physician and begins to diagnose the boy’s condition. He asks the father “How long has he been like this?” We can learn from this the importance at times of obtaining circumstantial information in how we conduct personal ministry with people. Jesus did not rely solely on His ability to discern but rather actively engages in searching out facts related to the boy’s condition.

As Jesus investigates more thoroughly the conditions He discovers the gravity of the situation. This father is desperate. The demonic powers are so strong in the grip they have upon the child that they have tried to kill him on numerous occasions. In fact verse 22 emphasizes the word “often” in regard to the demonic efforts to kill this child. Imagine a father whose chronic struggle is to keep his precious child safe from the spirits that are seeking to take its life. Within this context of struggle and chronic tension the father’s reaction to Jesus is understandable. He has sought help in numerous directions and it is now a struggle to believe that anyone will ever be able to help him, particularly in the context of the failure of His disciples to help the boy.

The next stage of Jesus’ deliverance ministry in this particular situation is interesting in that Jesus does not address the boy’s needs first. He addresses the father’s needs first. Right there in the midst of everyone Jesus identifies the need for faith. He speaks forth a clear but conditional ray of hope into this situation. Jesus speaks definitively into the father’s heart by saying “everything is possible…” What a powerful introduction to the ministry of Jesus. This was a precious gift given to this man to help boast him over the wall of his fear and pain. Jesus makes clear the fact that “all things” are possible. But He places this hop in a clear context. His promise is sure, but it is also conditional. Jesus turns to the man and says “everything is possible for him who believes.” There is no escaping the need for faith that Jesus clearly identifies here. In response to the uncertainty of this hurting father, Jesus brings certainty of faith. His compassion redirects this father’s focus from the impossible to the possible. Let your focus be re-directed by the Lord’s compassion as well and may you clearly see that with God there are no dead ends. With God there are no mountains to high to climb. With God truly all things are possible “for him who believes.”

Mark 9:16 - June 21, 2010

Mark 9:16 "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." 19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

Jesus had a tremendous talent for stepping into the midst of controversy and crisis. Here He is rejoining the majority of His disciples after having undergone the experience of being transfigured on the mountain top with His three seemingly lead disciples. However, this situation demonstrates the consistency of focus that was present in the life of Christ. He is not reveling in the moment past, nor seeking to demonstrate to the rest of the crowd the power and majesty of who He is. It is clear by Jesus’ reaction to His own glorification in front of the three that this was not an experience that took Jesus by surprise as if the Father was showing Him something He didn’t already know. This experience was clearly for the sake of His disciples. Ph’p. 2:5-10 makes it very clear that Jesus knew who He was and yet willingly restrained Himself to the limitations of mankind except by divine directive. And it is with the composure of one who has not been greatly impacted by the revelation of their own Son-ship that Jesus greets the crowd and immediately gets busy focusing on the current conflict at hand.

In this first portion of the story of this miracle of deliverance there is much that we can learn. The first lesson is in regard to the nature and impact of the demonic. The description of the manifestations of this boys demonic oppression provide great insight into what kinds of impact a demon can have on the human body and mind. The chronic condition of this boy is simply that he is robbed of speech. And yet when the demon inhibiting him is aggravated the boy is gripped with such force that he may be thrown to the ground, become rigid, foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth. From these symptoms it is clear that a person truly bound by demonic interference may demonstrate a wide range of physical symptoms even though the problem is clearly spiritual.

The second lesson regarding deliverance ministry is found in fact that the disciples were not able to cast this spirit out. By Jesus’ reaction there is no indication that they shouldn’t be able to cast this spirit out. He makes it very clear from His response that He is having to put up with less than ideal conditions in the hearts of His audience and that this is perplexing to Him. There is no progressive diagnosis. There is no further inquiry, but rather an immediate response of expectancy that He will be able to cast out this demon. He then says something thought provoking. His response to this situation is “how long will I stay with you…?” This response implies His goal in a rather subtle way. Under the surface lies the statement, “I am preparing you for ministry after I am gone and this is a lesson you should have learned by now!!!!” And so Jesus calls for the boy to be brought to Him and it is back to the work of training His team to carry on the ministry of the Kingdom after His departure to heaven! Now that is a focused life!

Mark 9:10-13 - June 17, 2010

Mark 9:10-13 “They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.”11 And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" 12 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

These four verses are once again a demonstration of the skill of the master weaver! The Father has a tremendous capacity to layer so many issues or principles into a short span of content within the pages of scripture. Consider first of all the challenge that Jesus has placed upon these three men who have shared such a moving experience as this. They are commissioned by the Lord to tell no one until the appointed time. It is admirable that they are so restrained as to hold this in their hearts and yet they are provoked to discuss the words of Jesus amongst themselves.

First, the disciples have been granted an experience unlike any other they have known, and second they are faced with a concept that they cannot grasp.” Rising from the dead… what could that mean?” There is an initial problem created by this concept. “To rise from the dead you first have to be dead!... Wait a minute… that’s not the plan.” Can you imagine their frustration at these words as they introduce such a totally contradictory paradox to all that they have believed and expected to this point? This is news that they most certainly don’t want to hear or deal with. As a result their debate emphasizes the fact that they are focusing on this concept philosophically rather than embracing it literally. How many of us do the same when we hear things from the Lord that we do not want to face? The disciples are no different as they struggle to let this news enter their hearts. It is amazing how their denial of the clearly stated leaves them in confusion until after the Lord is resurrected and touches their minds on the road to Emmaus. Suddenly they are ushered into a whole new revelation of God. “Oh, I get it. Dead means… dead!”

A second facet of this passage is found in the direction that their thoughts take as they dialogue with one another. Often in this kind of discussion it can be seen that reflection on a challenging issue or subject often opens up the consideration of many other related subjects. Their reflections on death, resurrection and eternity in light of seeing Elijah with Moses on the mountain turn their thoughts towards the prophetic promise they know from scripture concerning the return of Elijah prior to Christ’s coming.

These men have are remembering the prophecies that state that Elijah will come before the Messiah. It is valuable to note what their expectation of this Elijah is, he will restore all things. Jesus’ response to them is equally intriguing as He states “Elijah has already come.” There is such an interlocking prophetic discussion taking place here as Jesus connects the coming Messiah to the coming Elijah, the death of this Elijah to the death of the Messiah and essentially says to them, “you are right in the middle of this prophecy NOW!”

Jesus is pointing to John the Baptist in His reference as He says “and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it was written about him.” There are a series of powerful implications in this statement. First, it declares “this prophecy has been fulfilled.” Second, it implies that they knew Elijah in the form of John the Baptist. Thirdly because Jesus did not adjust their expectations of what this Elijah was coming to do and the fact that he had already come and gone the implication is that his mission to restore all things as described by the disciples has already been fulfilled as well. They are living in the midst of historical prophetic detail being fulfilled all around them.

Throughout this passage Jesus is constantly linking events in the minds of the disciples. In this way Jesus is using the death of this Elijah that has already come as an evidence of the resurrection. He is forcing the disciples to consider facts. They believe that Elijah never died and went to heaven on a chariot. They believe that he must return and restore. Now Jesus is telling them that Elijah has already come. In addition Jesus is pointing out that he has also already been put to death by the Jews. Finally, they are faced with the reality that this Elijah who was recently killed was just standing on the mountain with Jesus and Moses very much alive! It is in this same context of a demonstration of resurrection life that Jesus then tells them that He too must pass through the doors of death into eternal life through the resurrection power of God. And now their heads are spinning. How about yours?

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!