Mark 4:11-13
“‘You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people— whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing, whose ears are open but don’t understand a word, who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.’ He continued, ‘Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.’”
“‘You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”
These verses follow upon the disciples questioning Jesus why he used stories (parables). Neither the language of Isaiah 6:9-10, Luke’s version (8:9-10) nor Marks words quoted here have exactly the same wording. This adds confusion to verses that are already hard to understand. Fortunately, the Message gives us good insight in its translation.
Jesus’ use of stories draw heavily upon the imagination. As we mull them over they help us arrive at a belief that is our own, not one pressed upon us. It is God’s Spirit sparking our imagination in story that draws us to him. His word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). We should not expect we can pin it down to each letter of the written law.
Holy Spirit, you gently clean my heart of lies that distort your Word. Knowing my imagination is part of this sets me free to ponder. I love this freedom I have in Christ. Thank you for giving it to me.
Mark 3:33-35
“Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.””
“Jesus replied, “Who are my brother?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.””
I’ve always thought this verse reflected badly on Jesus’ family, as if their desire to talk with him was amiss in some way. But we are not told what their motivation was. It is wrong of me to assign a malignant intention to them when I don’t have all the facts. This is typical of we humans, happy to ascend the judicial throne and put things in their proper cubby without fairly ferreting out the facts. Praise God for his forbearance in dealing with our childishness.
In The Message I love that Peterson has added sister in the last sentence. Not only men and mothers have a place in God’s family. Even the girl child, valued in the 1st Century only for her potential childbearing and servanthood, has a place with Jesus. How ironic Jesus’ many clear messages regarding the value of girls and women gave way to such misogynism in the institutional church.
Lord, you called me to yourself when I was a girl child. I’m amazed I was so loved. As the old hymn says, “How can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” I adore you for the honorable, loveable and mysterious God that you are. Thank you for finding me.
Mark 3:28-30
“‘Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.’ He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.”
“‘ I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.’ He told them this because they were saying, ‘He’s possessed by an evil spirit.’”
This passage confounds many young believers, who seek to quantify the sin against the Holy Spirit with actions. Peterson, in The Message, uses a modern idiom to translate and the meaning becomes crystal clear. This sin is unforgiveable because it eliminates the very person, the Holy Spirit, that draws us to Christ.
Holy Spirit, thank you for your work in my life. You anchor me to real truth. May I ever heed your quiet voice and follow you.
Mark 3:20-21
“Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was believing his own press.”
“One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.”
Jesus’ friends, those he had grown up with, were blinded by familiarity. Jesus was, “out of his mind,” because it was the only option they could think of, so that must be it. They couldn’t see God at work right under their noses because they did not know God. My Lord is always at work, drawing mankind to himself. The better I know his character, the more prepared I am to see the upside down, inside out, incredibly creative way he works.
Lord please, may I know you better and see you at work more clearly. May I look for evidence of your work in the most unlikely of places. I want to labor beside you. Prepare me. Lead me according to your good purpose..
Mark 3:17
“James, son of Zebedee, John, brother of James (Jesus nicknamed the Zebedee brothers Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),”
“James and John the sons of Zebedee, (but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),”
Jesus had a sense of humor. He acknowledged James and John for their zeal and rhetorical abilities with this affectionate nickname. I can imagine the gentle humorous kidding that took place in this first family of Christ. I image him speaking to me this way too. Increasingly I know him as a person, with a personality. He has led me a long ways from the little girl with an authoritative father struggling to find her way to God.
Lord, I thank you, over and over! You called me and led me to yourself. You are my well-deserved Lord and I worship you.
Mark 3:7-10
“Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge crowd from Galilee trailed after them—also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves. He told his disciples to get a boat ready so he wouldn’t be trampled by the crowd. He had healed many people, and now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get near and touch him.”
“Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him. Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.”
This was a mob, not the quiet orderly gathering of our Sunday School lessons. Anyone who could, left their daily chores and flocked to Jesus, some needing healing, some wanting entertainment. I wonder how many, who also needed healing, had to stay behind and tend the farm or run the business because the less responsible took off. How many of the truly sick couldn’t reach Jesus because the crush of the crowd overwhelmed them? However, Jesus is Lord of the mob too. Perhaps he healed some who couldn’t touch or speak with him, or some of those who stayed behind. We aren’t told. But I know my Lord Jesus. I believe he would have acted in accordance with his character. That means everyone who wanted Jesus got what they needed whether they knew it or not.
Lord, I trust you to give me what I need, whether or not I know it. I trust you will lead me according to your best plan for me. Thank you for the many proofs of your faithfulness I’ve received during my life. Help me to give all this love and care back to you as your servant, working with you to tell the world how much you love them.
Mark 2:27-28
“Then Jesus said, ‘The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath. The Son of Man is no yes-man to the Sabbath. He’s in charge!’”
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!’”
God’s rules are meant to serve, not inhibit us. Obeying them leads us to our fullest potential and most satisfying life. What would it be like to believe this without our sin-self wanting to take over? That self is like a parasite, gaining strength at the expense of our happiness. If only it could be silenced our true self, our hearts, minds and relationships, would work as our maker intended. How I long for this and the clear sight it would bring.
Lord Jesus may my life be a testimony to the wide-open generous life that results from following the rules. Kill off the sin-parasite within me, making me able to be your hope and light in this world. Let my life show that keeping your rules, not following my own, is the way to my fullest, healthiest self. Thank you for the work you have already done in my heart. Do more of it.
Mark 2:15
“Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers.”
“Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many of this kind of people among Jesus’ followers.”
Perhaps these dinner guests were counted disreputable because they had found no compelling religion to follow for themselves. Jesus brought his reputation and teaching which they found meaty. They wanted more. The Pharisees were the Evangelical Church of the day and their faith was found wanting. Do unbelievers see the church today as wanting also? Food for thought.
Lord, I quail at the notion I may mislead others about your truth with an errant lifestyle. Forgive me if I do this, and please, put me right if I do. I want to live the clean life of truth, to be your servant.
Mark 2:13
“Then Jesus went again to walk alongside the lake. Again a crowd came to him, and he taught them.”
“Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him.”
Crowds looked for Jesus. I wonder what their motives were? Surely many hoped for healing. Others, having once heard his teaching, craved more of it. What would my motive have been? I am like those crowds when I sit before the Lord and his Word every day. Do I want Jesus for what he does for me or for who he is? It takes a bit of honest self-reflection to answer that because I know what the answer ought to be. God mercifully grabs my hands as I sort this out. The answer changes back and forth depending on how my Self is feeling. I will keep looking for him and trust his Spirit to keep me pointed in his direction.
Lord, you are so good to me. You know what I need better than I. Thank you for the security I have walking with you. Always keep me pointed in your direction. May I always be aware of how sin corrupts my thinking. Help me in my missteps. Keep me from stumbling. Guide me as I learn how to enjoy you forever.
Mark 2:6-7
“Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among themselves, ‘He can’t talk that way! That’s blasphemy! God and only God can forgive sins.’”
“But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, ‘What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’”
In kingdom living it is important to keep our minds supple. Here a cripple’s friends get him to Jesus. Jesus forgives his sins, and the Pharisees accuse him of blasphemy. They could just as easily have asked themselves what this proclamation might mean. Especially when Jesus goes on to heal the man as proof of his right to forgive sins. The Pharisees had God in a box of their own design. They did not expect to encounter him outside of it and missed the center of history developing right before their eyes.
Lord, may I never become short sighted as these religious scholars. Instead keep me always on the hunt for your kingdom shining through the events and surroundings of my day. You are a great mystery. I look forward to solving you forever.
Mark 1:44
“Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.”
“Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
Jesus was concerned not just with the leper, but the leper’s community also. Even though a leper, this man existed in a mesh of human relationships. These were affected by his healing. Jesus instructed him how to begin acclimating his world to his new status. He had been healed physically. Now he needed to carve out a different space in society. Jesus told him, and he tells us today that, as much as possible, we must begin by submitting to the law of our land.
Lord, help me. I feel so socially handicapped. My illness keeps me isolated, and the sphere of my perspective ever narrows. Help me to stay attached to my community in spirit though I am physically absent. Keep my eyes directed outward that I may honor you, my relational Lord, with ties to my earthly community.
Mark 1:40-43
“A leper came to him, begging on his knees, ‘If you want to, you can cleanse me.’ - Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I want to. Be clean.’ Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: ‘Say nothing to anyone.”
“A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. ‘If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,’ he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:”
Then, as now, Jesus brings upheaval when he comes into our lives. Chapter 1 records Jesus visiting synagogues in the vicinity of Capernaum, preaching and healing. It closes with this record of healing a leper. Imagine the upheaval he brought to the households whose member(s) has been healed. They each had to develop a new way of daily living. Resources previously devoted to watch and care were now free for other uses. Suddenly those worn down by suffering were refreshed with energy and zest for life.
I had that experience once, after my hysterectomy. My life blossomed with energy and activity previously absorbed by pain. I long for it again.
Lord, I want to be healed, to live and serve. Please renew my body that the strength you give me each day might be directed outwards to others. Please, I ask in Jesus name.