Saturday, October 24, 2009

Mark 6 (inexorable in mission)

So, this particular Chapter Memory Study is stretching the boundaries of my vocabulary.  In the past, I have given up to quickly with some outlines.  That is what led me to 'inexorable' for this chapter.  I don't mind expanding my (or my readers') vocabularies if it is appropriate.

The 'I' for Chapter 6 of Mark (based on the acronym "JESUS IS THE RANSOM") is Inexorable.  It means:
Not to be persuaded, moved, or stopped: relentless
Jesus and His followers are faced with obstacles and opposition in their ministry, but they remain steadfast and unmovable. Jesus models this character, and His men are learning to walk like Him.

The Thematic Outline for Mark 6 is:
  • In His hometown
  • In His discipleship
  • In John's death
  • In feeding the 5000
  • In walking on water
  • In healing at Gennesaret
(by the way, I adjusted the outline for chapter 1; see the sidebar for the update)

"Brief" Commentary  (you know you're in trouble when "brief" has quotes around it :)

In His Hometown
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped from His mission even after being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth.  Even though some were amazed at His teaching, still others mocked Him openly about His 'questionable' birth, His family and His occupation.  So His ministry to His hometown was limited to some teaching and a little bit of healing.  "and He marveled at their unbelief".

In His Discipleship
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped from His discipleship of His guys.  The training continued.  Now it was time for a test.  Jesus paired off the disciples and sent them out, with His authority, to teach, heal, and cast out demons.  For this particular mission, Jesus gave them specific instructions about what to bring, what to wear, and how to interact with people along the way (who either receive or reject them).  And off they went.  They preached repentance and the Gospel, they cast out demons and healed sick people.  Just as Jesus said they would.  If training was going to stick, there needed to be some 'field time'.  They had watched Jesus, they had heard Him preach, and they had seen Him minister to people.  With His power and authority, now it was their turn.  To be continued...

In John's Death
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped by the tragedy of John the Baptist's death.  In this section,  Mark takes an opportunity to finish the story about John the Baptist.  Mark writes that Herod (not the same Herod that ruled when Jesus was born) heard about Jesus' name and activities and feared that John the Baptist had come back to life and was operating under immense spiritual power.  Then verse 17 begins a sort of 'flashback' to what happened to John.

Apparently Herod knew of John and feared/respected him because he was righteous and holy (even though John was speaking against Herod's marriage to his brother's former wife....)  The soap opera continues.  Herod's new wife hated John.  When her daughter was given the chance to dance for Herod, she did so in a very provocative way so that Herod promised her a great reward.  By her mother's counsel, she requested John's head on a platter.  It was granted, though Herod seemed to regret it.

This is the unglorious ending to a man who was indeed 'great before the Lord' (Luke 1:15).  Jesus Himself testified that John 'was a burning and shining lamb, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light' (John 5:35).  But, in accordance with his own stated mission, John had to decrease so that Jesus could increase (John 3:30).

In Feeding the 5000
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped when He and His disciples were tired from ministry.  When His disciples returned from their mission, they reported all they had done.  But it appears that there was weariness in their eyes, for Jesus guided them to a desolate place because there had been people around all the time and 'they had no leisure, even to eat' (31). 

But it was not to be.  They were a conspicuous group now that they had taught, healed, and cast demons out of people.  People saw them and pursued them to their landing.  Jesus again leads His men.  Instead of being selfish and disappointed, He 'had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd' (34).  And so He gave them all a big hug, right!?!  Nope.  'And He began to teach them many things' (34).  He starts with what is most important; their souls and their eternity.  He stays on mission by preaching repentance and the Gospel.  That, whether they realize it or not, was their greatest need.

When it got late, the disciples started fidgeting about logistics.  'Um, Jesus.  It's getting late and the nearest Culvers is a long way away.  We should let people go so they can get some chow' (translation mine:).  Jesus' response was not what they expected; 'you give them something to eat'.  Ok, so we don't know how much later in the day this was, but let's not forget from where the disciples just returned; from preaching, healing and casting out demons in Jesus' name!  They had no doubt seen and performed many miraculous things under the authority of Jesus that very morning!  And yet when it comes time to think about doing something miraculous for people, they clammed up.

Please don't hear that I'm mocking the disciples.  I have even preached a sermon (called Philip and Me) in which I stated confidently that I would have been the first to count the people, get on Googlemaps to find the nearest restaurants, calculated the average cost of feeding that many people, and shouted out from my abacus 'we can't do it, it would be too expensive!!!'  It's me.  I would have said the same thing.  So I cast no stones toward the disciples here.  My incredulity is at us; we who follow Jesus, see His mighty work, and then forget about it when something new comes up.  It's me.  It's us.

Jesus finds out how much food they have, miraculously multiplies it, and feeds all 5000 men (plus the women and children) with a full basket left over for each of His guys.  He had compassion on those who had no shepherd, and patience with the ones for whom He was their shepherd.  He was inexorable by tall odds and doubting friends.

In Walking on the Water
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped by fatigue, weather, or His own disciples density.  After feeding thousands of people, Jesus was tired.  He sent His disciples across the lake and He went up the mountain to pray.  Apparently He could see very well from His spot, because He saw the disciples rowing very hard against the wind and waves.  Now this is astounding.  Jesus didn't go take a nap, He prayed...well past midnight until 'the fourth watch' (which is between 3am and 6am).  That's when He walked out (in very choppy water, remember) to meet and help His men.  They were freaked out and thought He was a ghost.  This imagery superimposed onto modern thought has probably helped picture Jesus as always wearing a long white robe all of the time.

I understand that in children's books and Bible stories that they need to somehow identify Jesus.  But it has taken (and will take) a lifetime for me to get the 'Sunday School poster' Jesus out of my brain.  I don't think that guessing what Jesus looked like is idolatry.  He lived as a man with a body, face, nose and ear hair.  We don't have a picture of Him, but an honest attempt to visualize a Jewish man from that time seems reasonable.  He still has a glorified body and will be recognizable when we see Him.  But many people have in their minds a humble, marginalized, Galilean peasant with long hippy-hair, sheep in one arm, child in another, walking around piously spouting off catch phrases like a fortune cookie writer.  That's not Jesus.  It wasn't Jesus.  It won't be the Jesus we see when He comes back (see Rev 19 for the Jesus whose side you want to be on).

Back to the study.  So the disciples saw Him and were freaked out.  Look what He does; 'take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid'.  What He actually said was 'I AM'.  This echos the covenant name of God given to Moses.  And the storm stops.  And the disciples were astounded, again.  He simply speaks with the power and authority of God, and things happen.  I think He also wanted to remind them who He is.  And Mark points out that even Jesus' closest friends and followers still didn't totally get it.  But He didn't give up on them.

Healing at Gennesaret
Jesus was not persuaded, moved or stopped from His continued commitment to loving people and proclaiming the Gospel.  This is a short pericope at the end of Mark 6 that describes another instance of Jesus' healing ministry.  When Jesus and the disciples finally reached land at Gennesaret people recognized them immediately.  They flocked to Jesus to be  healed.  The astounding healing of the woman with bleeding (Mark 5) may have spread very quickly through the region because they sought to touch 'even the fringe of His garment' (36).  Jesus honored this act of faith and, by His own will, chose to heal people by that means.

I find it interesting in the account of Jesus' ministry that I don't read things like 'and after He healed many, they repented of their sin and believed in Jesus as the Savior', or '...and after He healed them, He preached a killer message and thousands came forward for the altar call'.

It is clear that He taught people.  A lot.  Just a few verses up, after He 'saw the crowd and had compassion on them' He didn't turn all the water into wine and the trees into disco-balls so people could have a party and feel better about themselves.  "And He began to teach them many things".  How many times, by word and action, did He come back to this primary mission; '...that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out' (1:38).

But He loved people and cared for their needs.  He healed them and gave them the Gospel.  He constantly sowed seeds of His message for those who would hear.  And He gave His guys a beautiful model of ministering to people and proclaiming the Gospel.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Mark 5 (rescuing people)

This chapter was fun to outline.  Having to use the second of 4 'S's (out of 'JESUS IS THE RANSOM') for the outline theme drove me right to the thesaurus again.  But what I found there was an absolute jewel that I didn't foresee.

Salvage.

The picture I have in my head when I hear this word is some sort of National Geographic-esque underwater shot of some sunken ship.  So I looked it up.

Salvage:  to save something for further use, rescue something from a bad situation, save something from destruction. 
This is what Jesus did for people in Mark 5.
  • Salvaged the man with Legion
  • Salvaged the woman with bleeding
  • Salvaged the girl who died
And the key verse I chose for this chapter is beautiful:

Mark 5:19 (ESV)
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
The sunken ship can sail again.  The totaled car rolls into town.  What was bound for destruction at the hands of demons has been set free and restored by the hand of Jesus.  That is true for all three of these people in Mark 5.


Short Commentary

Salvaged the man with Legion

Here we see Jesus' confrontation with another person oppressed by foul spirits.  In this case, we find out that there were 'many' spirits inflicting upon this man ('legion' referred to a Roman regiment of up to 6 thousand men, but it also seemed to be used as a euphemism for 'a lot'), maybe even thousands.  At some point, Jesus saw the man and determined that he was demonized.  We know this because after Mark quotes the demonized man he writes that Jesus 'was saying to him "come out..."'  The man runs to the shore, falls down in front of Jesus, and professes Him to be the Son of God.  But in the same breath he (or the demon through him) lashes out and says basically 'mind Your own business, and swear You won't torment me before my time!'  Jesus responds with in authority by asking the demon what his name is.  This is where we find out that the man is demonized by many demons called Legion.  Then the demon (probably the leader) begs Jesus not to send them away.


The first thing that sticks out to me is the vast and varying range of emotions and dispositions of this demonized man.  He 'ran and fell down before him' (an act of worship or submission), he tells Jesus to 'mind His own business' (a statement of defiance), he tries to adjure (dfn. to force to take an oath) Jesus to swear that He won't torment him (an act of brash irreverence) and then begs Jesus not to send them out of the country but into a herd of pigs (a final pathetic plea of desperation).

I just love how Mark writes Jesus' response; 'So He gave them permission'.  He is in charge.  And the demons knew it even though they still tried to weasel out of punishment.

The man was grateful, and offered to follow Jesus.  But Jesus told him to go to his home and testify to the work the Lord had done in his life.  And everyone marveled. 

Salvaged the woman with bleeding
Mark picks up the story on the other side of the lake where another great crowd had gathered (I just did a quick search on the word 'crowd' in Mark; 35 times).  A man named Jairus, who was a ruler in the synagogue, came to Jesus and worshiped at His feet.  He then implores Jesus to come heal his very sick daughter.  As Jesus is going with the man to his house, He stops. 

We find out that a woman had somehow sneaked close enough to Jesus to touch His robe.  When she does, Jesus feels power go out from Him.  He then asks the disciples 'Who touched me'?  They aren't sure what to say because there were so many people around; how would they know?   But the woman who touched Jesus heard Him and was convicted to make herself, and her intentions, known.  She tells them of her disease and that she hoped that by simply touching the garment Jesus was wearing that she would be healed.  Mark says that the flow of blood (her disease) immediately dried up.  And see how Jesus treats this woman; 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease'.  She was no doubt very freaked that He sensed the healing, and came in 'fear and trembling'.  Jesus comforts her and blesses her for her faith.  It was pointed out to me that this woman would have been a social outcast in this town because of her ceremonial uncleanness.  Yet Jesus calls her 'daughter'.  He was on his way to heal the beloved daughter of Jairus, and on the way healed an outcast daughter and gave her back her life. 

Salvaged the girl who died
As he was talking with this woman, a servant of Jairus came to tell him that his daughter was dead.  They told him not to bother Jesus anymore.  Let's not forget the social implications of this.  Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue...which was filled with people (his friends) who hated Jesus (e.g. the Pharisees).  He was taking a huge social risk by coming to Jesus in this way.  Mark doesn't give us Jairus' reaction, but only tells us that Jesus overheard the conversation (how many times do we see Jesus having tremendous hearing :).  And what does He say?

"Do not fear, only believe."

If Jairus had as much faith as it took to come to Jesus so far, he must have displayed a willingness to still trust Him.  Jesus took His executive committee (Peter, James and John) and went to Jairus' house.  Everyone there was sure that the girl had died.  There were already official mourners present (as was the custom).  Jesus asks them "why are you mourning, she is not dead, but sleeping".  They laughed at Him, because it was so obvious that this girl was dead.  Notice how quickly this group goes from sadness/mourning to laughter/scorn.  Jesus walked right through it, took His execs and the parents and went in to see the girl.  He took her by the hand and simply spoke to her (the power of His Word).  She got up.  Jesus raised her from dead.  And then He further cared for her by requesting food for her. 

I have heard Jesus' mission on earth referred to as a 'rescue' mission.  And it was.  But in Mark 5 we see that Jesus also had a 'salvage' mission; saving souls from destruction for further use. 

Jesus sees beauty and value in people the world has cast off. 

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mark 4 (Jesus teaching with parables)

The key verse for this chapter sums up the chapter fairly well.

Mark 4:34 (ESV)
He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

I subtitled Mark 4 "Using Stories". It is built on the 'U' of Jesus is the Ransom (our chapter outline acronym). To add to the memory hook, each outline point has a 'u' first word and an 's' second word.
  • Using a Sower
  • Using a Shining Light
  • Using a Seed
  • Using a Storm
Brief Commentary

Using a Sower
Church health strategies, church growth initiatives, church-wide evangelism programs......one out of four. Jesus teaches that the ratio of people who receive the Gospel and trust Him to those who ultimately reject Him is 1 out of four. And this is Jesus talking. It's the ratio that He saw in His own ministry. People (including me) tend to overlook the fact that people rejected Jesus all the time in the Gospels. Even some who followed Him, whom John calls 'disciples', turned away and stopped following Him (John 6:66). And this is after walking with Jesus Himself. How can this inspire my ministry? The numbers don't look so good. I must remember when I'm preaching, teaching, counseling, leading, confronting, evangelizing, shepherding, and contending that even if I use the exact words that Jesus Himself would have used........one out of four. Even if I give the same counsel that Jesus Himself would give, some will reject it. Even if I use the same strategy of evangelism that Jesus would use, some will reject it.
My job? I need to walk with Jesus so that I do lead and speak in the very character and mind of Jesus.....and trust the response to God. I must be true to Jesus and His Word.....and trust the response to God. I must proclaim the truth and beauty of the Gospel of Jesus to the crowds and to individuals (to all who have ears to hear, v9).......and trust the response to God. Then, should He call someone and they repent of their sin and follow Jesus, we obey His commission; make disciples and baptize them.

Using a Shining Light
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.....hide it under a bushel, NO..." If the Gospel is a life-giving light, we must let it 'shine' in our lives. If we don't then we won't see where to go, and we'll never be able to help others see where to go either.

2 Peter 1:19 (ESV)
And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, (italics mine)

Using a Seed

There are actually two 'seed' parables back-to-back in this chapter. The first is about how a seed (apparently the Gospel seed similar to the one sown in the vv 1-20) grows. Jesus teaches that a man sows the seed, but he doesn't know how it grows. But it does. And when it is ripe, the man brings in the harvest. This echoes what Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ESV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

God is the originator of the Seed itself (the truth of the Gospel), but has given it to us to proclaim. God is the instigator of salvation (He alone saves people), but He has given us a role in the 'watering'. God is the initiator of growth (Holy Spirit working in us) but He commanded us to make disciples in His name. We are to sow, bring Christ to people, and make disciples. But the power of all of this lies with God alone.

The second seed parable seems to compare the growth of the Church to that of a mustard seed. Although the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, it can grow into a large plant. Jesus' mission has played this out. His investment and training into a few men grew into a world-wide church that continues to carry out His mission today.

Verses 33 and 34 are confounding and yet comforting. Jesus taught with parables. He taught that way to the crowds to (among other things) test to see who was hungry. Then He took His disciples aside and explained it to them. He walked with them and taught them continually. Even if they didn't know it at the time, the kingdom rested on their shoulders (by the grace of God). He wanted to make sure they got it.

Using a Storm
Jesus got tired. I can't believe that He was just 'faking' being asleep, or that (as some would suppose) He just 'appeared' to be tired in order to better relate to His men. He was tired. He walked a lot, taught a lot, it was hot, and working with people is draining. So after a hard day of teaching, preaching, healing, and ministering....He wanted to get out on the water and take a nap.

And a storm came up. But He still slept. So He was either REALLY tired, or His disciples were freaking out over a storm that wasn't really that bad. Either way, they were scared, He was asleep. They wake Him up, accuse Him of not caring if they live or die, and then He displays the power of His Word.

'Peace! Be still!'

Done. No more storm.

But instead of just going back to sleep, He used this moment to challenge His men.

Mark 4:40 (ESV)
He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Faith. They heard Him. They followed Him. They walked all over the place with Him.

But did they trust Him?
Did they really believe Him?
Did they know Who He was?

Jesus let them get to the point of despair and then used the moment to drive home His point; remember who I am, and trust Me.

It seemed to take a long time for His own men to really trust Him. They had to walk with Him and follow Him. They had to learn, and sometimes re-learn. They had to believe who He was and what He was sent to do. Only then could they truly be disciples of Jesus.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Mark 3 (Jesus picking fights with bullies)

I'm reminded of a scene from Braveheart (which I saw many times in college, but can hardly watch anymore; unless it's the edited for TV version :)  when William Wallace gets his army all fired up and then says to his friend 'I'm going to pick a fight'.  The British looked on the rag-tag group of Scots with scorn and superiority.  Wallace was about to change everything they ever thought about how important freedom is to those who are oppressed.

Well, that was Jesus' battle cry long before William Wallace.
Luke 4:18 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
In order to free people from the oppressive bondage of the Pharisees' religion, Jesus had to pick some fights.  The title I have given to Mark 3 is 'Skirmishes'; based on the first 's' of JeSus is the Ransom.   


The thematic outline is
  • Shrunken hand
  • Spirits proclaim Him
  • Selects the twelve
  • Sacrilege against Holy Spirit
  • Sisters, brothers and mothers


The key verse is
Mark 3:5 (ESV)
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Brief Commentary

Shrunken hand
The Pharisees were doing their homework.  They followed Jesus around trying to figure Him out.  Here, Jesus came to them in the synagogue where He found a man who had a withered hand (side note; this would have been really cool to watch).  Knowing He was under heavy scrutiny, He picked a fight with the Pharisee bullies using a carefully crafted question.  The Pharisees didn't bite (probably still smarting from the crushing they received from Jesus before).

I really appreciate how Mark includes Jesus' emotions here.  He looked at them 'with anger' and He 'grieved at their hardness of heart'.  Then He healed the guy.  Look at the faith He challenged this man to have; Jesus made the man expose his malformed arm and extend it.  It was probably embarrassing, but certainly awkward.  But when the man stretched it out, he was healed.  Whatever faith this man had in Jesus, he used it and trusted His word.  And he was healed.  Now, Jesus did the healing, but He required the man to have a part.  I suppose a debate could be waged about the possibility that if the man didn't extend his hand then he wouldn't have been healed.  We don't know because the Bible doesn't give us that information.  But it seems that sometimes Jesus commands a person to do something in order to initiate the healing; notably the 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19.  Jesus told them to go present themselves to the priest and 'while they went, they were healed'.  This was not to earn their healing, but to demonstrate faith and obedience to Jesus.  Hopefully we can track down this guy in heaven and ask what Jesus really did for Him that day.  I can only imagine that there was more to this story for that guy. 

Spirits proclaim Him
I haven't even looked at a map yet to see where some of these towns are and how far apart they are...but it doesn't matter.  Jesus was healing people, and crowds showed up.  So much so that we see Him making a contingency plan in case things get out of hand; a boat to get away from the crush of the crowd.

But the very interesting verse in this section is Mark 3:11.  (don't forget to use Ref-tagger; just hover over the reference and you'll see the verse pop up).  These demons are coming face to face with Jesus and they (obviously) can't handle it.  They cry out "You are the Son of God".  But Jesus strictly orders them to stop. 

I gave my wife free ammunition for teasing me one day.  I took one of those online IQ tests for fun.  Well, obviously it showed up that I am a genius :)  Well, she has no end of fun reminding me (and others) that I am a genius according to the internet.  My job is to play the 'shhh, don't say 'from the internet'' card.  But why?  The source of information labeling me a 'genius' is dubious indeed.  While me being a genius may be true (it's not, but for the illustrations sake, bear with me :), the fact is tainted by the one accrediting it.

The Bible does not say specifically why Jesus tells the demons to be silent.  And I always used to think that the demons just couldn't help themselves when they came into the presence of Jesus; they had to proclaim the truth because of His authority.  But I had another thought also.  Demons, being the minions of Satan, will try anything to discredit, disprove, or dismantle anyone's credibility when it comes to Jesus and the Gospel.  So here, knowing that their time was numbered, what if they were testifying about the true nature of Jesus in order to get people to think "Hey, how can we trust what demons say about this guy?  Who is He really?"...etc.  Or they might think that He was from Satan (see below).  Or they might just think He's crazy.  Our enemy is devious, clever and strategic, and Jesus knows it. And Jesus knew the correct time and place for the disclosure of His person and ministry; it was going to be on His terms. 

It's also interesting that the demons obeyed Him, but some people (see Mark 1:40-45) completely blew Him off. 

Selects the twelve
These guys are worth mentioning.  Not because of who they were, but because of who the became under Jesus.
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus
Simon the Cananaean
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

Sacrilege against Holy Spirit
Jesus then beautifully mixes logic and parable in His refutation of the Pharisees' accusation that He was 'of the devil'.  He blows up their argument by reminding them that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.  Then Jesus changed the focus and put it in proper perspective; He came to bind the strongman (Satan) in order to plunder (rescue) those whom were enslaved by him (lost people).  

And then He draws a line in the sand after being accused of being 'demon possessed.  "All sins can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" (28-29).  This 'unforgivable sin' gets some people really worked up.  Here's my basic thought; if you are worried that you have committed the unforgivable sin, you almost assuredly have not.  A lifestyle of continually blaspheming and denying God and His free gift of salvation would not leave one wondering or caring about the unforgivable sin.  If a person rejects Jesus, disregards God, and attributes the powerful, holy work of Holy Spirit to demons, one may suppose that the unforgivable sin (that is a continued rebelliousness that never repents nor seeks forgiveness) will continue for eternity.  We need to take sin (ours and others') very seriously.  I sometimes summarize discipleship to Jesus as 'loving more of what He loves, and hating more of what He hates'.  Jesus hates sin and everything about it.  Thus His call to 'repent and believe in the Gospel' (Mark 1:15). 

Sisters, brothers and mothers
First of all, His family wasn't coming to give Him some of his favorite cookies and a pep talk.  We know they aren't really sure what to think of Jesus and His antics.  But He still uses this incident to make a point; 'My family is those who obey God and follow Me'.  I don't know if it's as much a statement against His family as it is for His disciples.  There's more to following Jesus than getting some degree or prestige.  Those who repent of sin and believe in Jesus are actually adopted by God the Father into His family.  And with that adoption comes the inheritance due a child of God; eternity in heaven with Him. 



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Mark 2 (calling the sick and sinners)

So far, so good :) I think we are on track to continue as planned with the CMS (Chapter Memory Study) in Mark. The outline acronym is holding up, so we'll stay with 'Jesus is the Ransom'.

We're on chapter 2, which brings us to the 'e';

  • Extricates the paralytic
  • Extracts Levi
  • Explains fasting and Sabbath
As with chapter 1, I was able to multiply the memory hooks for this outline (not only starting with the same letter, but having the same second letter also). I can't promise this will always happen, but it's nice when it does.

The memory verse for chapter 2 is;

Mark 2:17 (ESV)
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Brief Commentary
The story of the paralytic and his 4 helpful friends has always been one of my favorites. But after studying it more deeply (and graduating from my archaic 'flannel board' version of the event) I discovered some profound implications tucked away in its midst.


Extricates the Paralytic (extricate = to release somebody or something with a difficulty from a physical constraint or an unpleasant or complicated situation)
Jesus was preaching (possibly in Peter's house) and many people had gathered to hear Him. There we so many people that the four men carrying their friend on a cot could not get close to hear Jesus or possibly get their friend healed. So these guys get up on the roof, start tearing apart, and lower their friend through a hole. There was no trap door. There was no sky light. They actually dismantled someone's roof right over top of all of the people who were inside the house listening to Jesus. Mark doesn't record this, but I'm guessing the folks sitting there were not too fond of the debris and noise these inconsiderate men were filling the house with. So, when all the craziness subsides and the paralytic is now laying right in front of Jesus (in the middle of a sermon, by the way)...'what's Jesus going to do with this guy?'

Well, here's what Mark gives us. Jesus saw their faith....pause. First, He saw faith in action. He looked past the annoyance and the interruption and saw straight to their faith. Next, He saw their faith. Notice that we never hear from the paralytic. We don't know how or how much he was paralyzed, we just know he obviously couldn't walk on his own. But Jesus doesn't say 'I notice how well you order around these slaves', or 'I'll give you points for effort', or 'because you have made an individual profession of faith'. He sees the faith of the group (at least the 4 guys who could walk and talk) and is moved with compassion to forgive the sins of the paralytic. We don't read here that He even acknowledged the other 4 guys. He goes right to the one who is sick (see theme verse :). I also wonder what the friends first thought when Jesus said that. 'Um, that's great, but we need a fifth guy for our arena-ball team, and we were hoping you could make him walk...at least enough to play goalie...' Were they disappointed? Were they confused? I can't imagine it was just the scribes who were thinking 'um, what was that all about?'

So Jesus does something radical, causes people to ask questions, and then brings home the point. (on a side note, I wonder what His sermon was about. I bet it was good, and I bet this fit right in :). He perceived in His spirit what they questioned in their hearts and He called them on it.

Mark 2:8-11 (ESV)
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

And the peoples' response? 'We never saw anything like this!' Amazing. I love how Jesus shows us that if we walk in the Spirit, no matter what we are doing we can always bring glory to God, help people, and proclaim the Gospel. I'm so glad Jesus sent another Helper to show us the way to love, serve, and proclaim like Jesus did.

Extracts Levi
So Jesus continues to teach the people who were following Him. Then He passes by a tax booth and sees Levi. What people saw was a suspicious tax collector who worked for Rome and, by reputation of tax collectors, probably dealt unfairly and unscrupulously with the Jews. I get the impression that these guys were even lower-regarded than the IRS is today :) But what Jesus sees is a man with the potential to love, serve, and follow Him as a disciple; not to mention write it all down as the first book of the New Testament.

But not only does Jesus talk to this tax collector (gasp), we soon find Him hanging out with all of this guys tax collector buddies and questionable characters. In fact, it says that now there were many of these unsavory individuals following Jesus. And the scribes were beside themselves. But notice who they complain to:

Mark 2:16 (ESV)
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Remember, the scribes just got crushed by Jesus for what they were thinking. They might have been (justifiably) a little gun shy to confront Him again. So they went to His disciples and registered their disgust. But, as they soon learned, Jesus not only has a discerning spirit, but really good hearing :)

Mark 2:17 (ESV)
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This verse was easy to pick as the theme verse for the chapter. It draws the three stories (paralytic, Levi, fasting and Sabbath) together under one main thought; 'I didn't come for the people who think they are righteous and well, but for the ones who know they are sick and in need'.


Explains Fasting and Sabbath
I put these two together because they are linked in theme (and I wanted to keep the outline to three points :). The Pharisees tried to pin Jesus and His disciples down with the application of their law. Jesus, on both counts, refutes them by teaching that the Law (probably more specifically in this case, the rules established by Jewish custom) was made for men, not men for the law. Jesus' message (the Gospel) was not intended to fit into the 'old wine-skins' (the laws). Nor were those laws and customs to keep people from faith and trust in Jesus because of their rigidness and complex systems. The Gospel of grace confronts the religion of the law at every turn. Jesus continues to confront the established 'institution of religiousness' with His message of the Gospel.


Both confrontation of religion and presentation of the Gospel are just as critical today as when Jesus first preached it.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Mark 1 (Jesus brings in the Gospel of the kingdom)

And immediately...Ethan began his Chapter Memory Study in the Gospel of Mark (a nod to one of the most used words in this action-packed adventure).

As I covered in my introductory entry, this is my systematic study through the book of Mark.  The goal is to (hopefully) create a system that helps me remember where stuff is.  This is not the whole of my walk with Jesus, but it is a way I train myself to love Him with all of my mind (one of the means of love that contributes to a whole-person love as described in the Greatest Commandments, Matt 22:37).

So, on we go with the training.

I have, for the moment, settled on the chapter acronym; JESUS IS THE RANSOM.

So, the 'J' falls on chapter one, and the outline points are built on the 'J'. These are the key events or passages found in the chapter.  This chapter has 4 (but could have more), others may have less.  My goal is 2-3. 

  • Jesus baptized by John
  • Jesus baited by Satan
  • Jesus begins His ministry
  • Jesus brings the Gospel
(I can't promise that all of the outlines will line up the same way, but my goal with each is create a 'hook' that makes it distinct and easy to remember...thus the second words all start with 'b')

The key verse for memory and meditation is
Mark 1:15 (ESV)
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Comments and Reflections
Mark wastes no time diving into the story of Jesus.  He quotes two prophets (Malachi and Isaiah) briefly before jumping straight into the action.  John the baptist was the one who would come before, and he knew it.  His ministry was important, but he was preparing the way for Jesus who would bring salvation and Holy Spirit.  One observation about John;  he is about the same age as Jesus, right?  So I assume he didn't just get up one morning in his late-twenties and decide to be the pre-cursor to the long-awaited Messiah.  He was a prophet of God, and his ministry (and location) were ordained by God.  But I believe that it is safe to say that he was also trained by God.  He had a message, he knew Christ was coming, and he had the reckless confidence of one who had received his marching orders from God.  He had been 'raised up', then he 'appeared'.

Mark then briefly mentions the baptism of Jesus and the appearance of the Trinity; Jesus in the water, Holy Spirit descending like a dove, God the Father speaking from heaven.  Then, where Matthew and Luke spend considerably more time, Mark summarizes in 2 verses the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness.  All of this seemingly leading us to verse 14 where the action begins; Jesus starts His ministry.  I obviously don't know why Mark blows by these other important events (not to mention Jesus' birth and pre-ministry life), but one thing is certain; Mark hits the ground running and doesn't stop until he's done.  He writes us a quick-cutting action/adventure story of Jesus and His invasion of the world.

Jesus starts calling disciples (16-20), healing people (21-34,  40-45), and preaching the Gospel (14-15, 35-39). 

A few observations.  Verse 17 struck me with one little word; become.  That's not how I remember the song (with the actions, of course); 'I will make you fishers of men...'.  Mark quotes Jesus saying "I will make you become fishers of men."  For some reason that really helps me.  Jesus didn't tap them on the shoulder and 'boom' transform them into mighty missionaries for the Gospel.  He invited them to walk with Him for 3 years and become His mighty men of the kingdom.  This involves time, training, and teaching.  While I deeply yearn to be farther along than I am, I know that I must become who He is making me into. 

So, why didn't everyone who saw or heard about the miraculous things Jesus did believe every word He spoke and follow Him?  He's healing people and delivering people from demons and preaching the Gospel all over.  They acknowledge His authority and uniqueness.  His fame 'spread everywhere' (28).  But Jesus wasn't fooled by this instant fame, nor did He subject Himself to its lure.  There were some people who just liked the show (like today), and some who would chase after whatever is the latest thing (like today), and some who would still not believe what He said no matter what miraculous things He performed (like today).

In what has become one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Jesus makes sure His disciples see His priority.  In verses 35-39 Mark gives us a very helpful little story.  Jesus gets up early and goes out to be by Himself to pray.  His disciples (led by Peter) eventually wake up and don't see Jesus; so they go find Him.  "Hey, Jesus, this healing and deliverance ministry You do is really catching on!  People from everywhere are coming out to see you and be healed.  Everyone wants to get in on this, Jesus.  You're a hit!  Let's go back and give the people what they want."

Jesus, in all grace and patience, with the the verbal precision of a divine surgeon replies "pack it up boys, we're moving out.  I have a mission, and the mission is the message.  I need to preach the Gospel of the kingdom, not become a side show."  He didn't let fame, importance, urgency or other people's expectations deter Him from His mission. 

One more thought (though there are probably hundreds of nuggets here, my goal is not exhaustive commentary).  This story at the end of chapter 1 about the leper that Jesus heals is very interesting.  The guy comes to Jesus with great faith and says "if You will, You can make me clean".  Jesus is moved with pity, touches the man, and heals him.  Then Jesus tells the guy to go straight to the priest (to be officially declared clean) without telling anyone else along the way.  Well, the guy is obviously pumped about his new skin and ignores Jesus' 'stern' command.  And look what happens; because of this guy's disobedience Jesus can't go into the city anymore.  He has to stay outside of town and let the people come to Him.

One guy's disobedience affected an entire town.  People could still come to Jesus, but they had to come 'out in desolate places' to reach Him.  One person can make a difference for a whole town...

See you in chapter 2.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mark (info, intro, and becoming a warrior-shepherd)

Greetings, and welcome to the first installment of the great experiment in Mark.  I have completed a CMS (Chapter Memory System) study in several other books (even ones as long as Mark), but this is the first attemt to capture a narrative-style book in a memorizable format.  Again, my goal is not to memorize the whole book, but to memorize what is in and where it is in the book. 

The first hurdle was the chapter acronym.  With other CMS studies I have had an acronym assigned to the book to serve as a memory tool.  Sometimes it was as simple as the title of the book (or a truncated version) while other times it was a single 'theme word' that had the same number of letters as the book had chapters.  Having 16 chapters, Mark provides some interesting challenges.  First of all, 'M.A.R.K.' doesn't get us very far.  And while there are plenty of 16 letter words (most end in -ology or -ism), finding one word (and then spelling that word :) has proven difficult (although, there is a great web-site for finding specific words by first letter, number of letters, and words with no duplicate letters; wordnavigator)

So I began searching for key words throughout Mark so I could piece together a description or phrase that would fit the book.  (email me if you want to hear more about the process...it's a little nerdy :)  I read several commentators who pointed to Mark 10:45 as the theme verse of the book;

Mark 10:45 (ESV)
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
By mixing and matching words (with the right number of letters, and without too many duplicate letters) I came up with (what I hope) is the Chapter Memory Acrostic for Mark:  JESUS IS THE RANSOM. 

That said, the problem I ran into with previous studies was having to cram theme and content into words that began with a specific letter.  So I'm going to work through the first several chapters before I more firmly establish the acrostic. 

Ok, if you're reading this and you don't know me personally, you may think I'm treating the Bible like a text book or a manual instead of the Living Word of God.  That is not my approach or intent.  This study is my simple way of trying to get a better handle (to 'rightly handle' 2 Tim 2:15) on God's amazing, transforming, living Word. 

I picture this process as if I am a warrior with a sword (the Sword, as it were).  If I just carry it, but don't know how to use it, I'm not doing me, others, or the Kingdom of God much good.  If I just pick it up and start swinging it around aggressively and wildly, I'm more likely to hurt myself or my allies than I am to help lost people or fight off enemies.  But if I train with it, get to know it, get to know the One who made it, and let Him teach me how to wield it...then I can become more and more of the warrior-shepherd that He has called me to be for my family, my flock, and His kingdom. 

So I study.  And I study the way that my personality and learning style lead me to.  This is not THE way, but it's my way....for now.  

Stay tuned.  If my training is of any help to you, may we learn to wield His Word in a way that honors Him and advances His kingdom. 

Ethan

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

This blog has not been abandoned....

Hello again. It's been a few months. A lot has happened.

I wonder if there is such thing as online-overload? I was doing fine when this blog (my first) was the only one. Then I got a blog for church stuff, then I got a facebook account......I think I reached a limit.

But never fear, those of you who have been anxiously awaiting another entry to the 'His Word, my heart' archives, I believe there is more to come. I need to continue my reviewing (the current thread of 'Upon Further Review') but will also be starting a new study in Mark. I had put off trying to tackle a Gospel with the CMS system because of the differences in style and length. But alas, I felt that I was reading a lot about Jesus, and not much of Jesus Himself. Ergo a Gospel. Ergo the shortest one first :).

I would like to continue the same style and approach that I have taken with other books; overall outline theme, overall outline acronym (which is tricky with 16 chapters), chapter outline titles, and chapter memory passages. I'm currently working through the first few chapters to get an idea where to go with the acronym. Then, I will start and see how it goes.

I love Jesus. I love His Word. I don't want to just learn more verses and know more stuff. I want to know Him and walk with Him. This is how my brain seems to study and process best. And I freely share it with you.

talk with you soon,

epj

Friday, February 27, 2009

Upon Further Review; 2 John

Maybe reviewing 3 John before I reveiewed 2 John opened my eyes to something I missed before.  In my attempt to 'dig in' and get everything possible out of each of these letters, I think I missed the elements that tie them together.  There are two words that appear the most in each letter; and they're the same words.  In 2 John we find 'love' 4 times and 'truth' 5 times; in 3 John we find 'love/beloved' 6 times, and truth 7 times. 
These two things themes hold true even though the focus of each letter is slightly different. 
In 2 John, John urges his readers to 'walk in truth and love one another' (4-5) in the face of opposition and false teaching from the outside the fellowship.  Apparently there were some who 'went out' from the fellowship and were deceiving others with false teaching.  John implores them to 'watch themselves' (8) and 'abide in the teaching of Christ' (9).  Holding to the truth of Christ and to love for one another is a strong defense against the opposition from the outside.

In 3 John the same teaching is applied to opposition from within the fellowship.  John commends the fellowshp for 'walking in the truth ' (3-4) and in love (5-6) as expressed in their tremendous hospitality for those traveling with the Gospel.  And while there is always persecution from the world to deal with, the focus of this letter is dissention within the fellowship.  John identifies an individual, Diotrephes, who is selfish, insubordinate, deceitful, and inhospitable.  The fellowship is not to imitate this evil example, but is to imitate the good example of walking in truth and love. 

I tried really hard in the original CMS to find a distinct outline for each of these letters.  Upon further review, I think it would be most helpful to remember them as a set; Walking in Truth and Love both Outside and Inside the fellowship.  A good shepherd must always be on guard against wolves from the outside, and 'wolves in sheep's clothing' from the inside. 

Now I have to think of a clever way to outline these.....

Friday, February 13, 2009

Upon Further Review; 3 John

Personal touch.  This letter was written by a person to a person.  (I heard a unison 'duh' from all you theologian types...)  John definitely had some straightening-out to do in this letter, but it was not terse or detached.  From the greeting to the closing, this letter drips with genuine Christian brotherhood;  love in truth.

This time through 3 John, that's what stuck with me most; the underlying themes of love and truth.  Love for God, love for each other, love for God's truth, and love for God's truth in each other.  He commends them for loving other Christians according to the truth of Scripture, and condemns those among them for not 'walking in the truth' the same way. 

Diotrephes did not walk in truth and love, but rather selfishness, dissension, false teaching, in-hospitality, and control.

Demetrius, on the other hand, is affirmed in his walk of truth and love by those around him, by John's fellowship, and by truth itself.

Just today, I caught myself NOT walking in love with my family, and definitely not living out the truth of Scripture. 

"Ethan, don't forget...."

Walk in truth (3 John 3)

Walk in love  (Eph 5:2)

Walk in new life (Rom 6:4)

Walk in humility (1 Pet 5:5-6)

Walk in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience (Col 3:12)

Walk in good works (Eph 2:10)

Walk in wisdom (Col 4:5)

Walk in light (1 John 1:7)

Walk in a manner worthy of Him (Col 1:10)

Walk in Him (Col 2:6, 1 John 2:6)

Another thing I am reminded of by this passage is that we need to keep out eyes out for wolves in the flock.  Wolves can be identified by their walk as well.  They walk in selfish ambition and a desire for power.  They walk in envy of those who have authority; often rebelling against the spiritual authorities over them.  They talk with wicked tongues; lying and slandering others in the body.  They are uber-protective of 'their turf' and their influence; not wanting outsiders to come in and mess it all up (or expose them).

Part of walking with God is loving what God loves.  Another side of it is hating what God hates.  John rejoices in the obedience and faithfulness of some of the brothers in the church.  But with righteous anger he exposes the work of the wolf, Diotrephes, and shines the light of truth on his behavior.  The truth comforts, and the truth confronts.  This takes courage.  But it must be done.


Lord, help us walk in Your love, and walk in Your truth. 

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Upon Further Review; Jude

The first thing I re-noticed about Jude is the focus on ungodliness (used 6 times in the short letter, but described in great detail throughout).  One of the ironies that I experienced as I read through Jude a few times a few times in a row is how beautiful and poetic this scathing epistle is.  It condemns, rebukes, and judges ungoldly people and their behavior with the lilt and flow of an expert sonnet.  The 'triads' of Jude (that were discussed at length in the original study) enrich the argument with precision and beauty.  It just seems that the Lord used a very creative, poetic individual to pen this epistle.  It really is a work of art.

But aside from the aesthetic character of the epistle, the section that grabbed my heart was the last portion (titled 'Direction and Exhortation' in the original outline).  Especially verses 20-21;

Jude 20-21 (ESV)
20But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
After hammering on the character and behavior of the ungodly, Jude offers direction for the believers.  We are to build each other up in faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of Jesus.  Jude reminds us to go back to the basics; faith, prayer, the love of God, and hope.  Hang on these in times of trouble and persecution. 

I would love to dig into this passage more....maybe a sermon some day? 

I was greatly encouraged by this review through Jude, and I'm thankful to the Lord that He used it in my heart in a different way than the first time through. 

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Upon Further Review; Hebrews

I need to keep reminding myself that this is an experiment.  I'm still not quite sure how all of this works together.  I spent over 2 years working through different books of the Bible one chapter at a time trying to 'learn where stuff is'.  After a few years in ministry (even preaching a good bit) I found that I had lost the overall picture of Scripture.  So I began the CMS; Chapter Memory System.  Which, upon further review should probably be renamed, since it sounds like I'm memorizing whole chapters at a time; not the case.
For a while, it was easy to review, because there weren't that many verses.  After a few books, I found that adding 3-5 verses in a week AND reviewing 30 or 40 other passages (of 3-5 verses each) became a little overwhelming.  So, at the beginning of this year, I declared a season of review.  And so far I've only been able to review one book.  It is a big one, but it's been just one.

So, for this first review entry, I'm feeling led to give an overview, impression, reaction to my re-reading and re-reviewing.

First of all, what a tremendous description of the necessity and efficacy of the work of Christ.  I actually just sat down and read straight through Heberws one day.  I came away tremendously encouraged.  Jesus went through a lot on this earth in order to accomplish His mission.  His role as High Priest was not just granted, it had to be 'earned' by His suffering.  Earned by His blood.  I've read Chapter 9 a few different times, but I was reminded this time about the tremendous cost He paid; the shedding of His own blood for our sins.

If there was a verse that stuck with me upon this further review, it would be this one:

Hebrews 10:22 (ESV)
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
So, somehow we can draw near with a true heart, with faith, and with a clean conscience.  This whole section of Scripture is full of 'let us' phrases; things we are supposed to do!  Not on our own, of course.  Not without the work of Christ that opens the 'new and living way', of course.  But once we are given a new heart, a new faith and a new conscience, we are to 'enter the holy places', 'draw near' to God, 'hold fast the confession', 'stir up one another to love and good works'';  God doesn't just do everything for us.  He prepares the way and equips us, but there are some things He wants us to do.  How else would we grow!

What do I get if I do everything for my kids instead of teaching them how to do things themselves?  Spoiled, lazy, increasingly demanding brats who never grow up.

That's not who I want to be, and I'm pretty sure it's not who God wants me to be.

And how I learn to live from my new heart, faith, and conscience is by drawing near to Him.  Walking with God.  Learning, training, growing.  He doesn't want us to try to do it without Him, and He doesn't want us to try to do it without each other.

Thus ends my first review of Hebrews.  It was good for my heart.

Ethan

Monday, January 05, 2009

Season of Review

I hereby officially declare a 'Season of Review' for His Word, my heart. After basically taking the month of December away from my systematic study, I have found that lack of reviewing has led to, well frankly, a lack of remembering. I need to review. And jumping right into another Book while also trying to review the old ones seemed a bit daunting.

So, I'm going to call the next series of posts 'Upon Further Review' (probably because it's football season ;). I will go back over the outlines and themes, review the memory passages, and reestablish a consistent interaction with God's Word.

I know, this may sound like a New Year's resolution, and I assure you it is not. In the ongoing experiment that is this blog, I need to figure out how to better facilitate the absolutely necessary review process.

Also, I've decided to work back through the studies from most recent to most distant. The reason for that is the most recent ones are the least established in my memory.

So, coming soon, 'Upon Further Review: Hebrews'.