"He Was Amazed At Their Lack of Faith"

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Mark 6:1-13

A Prophet Without Honor
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the syna- gogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

 
 

It’s a mystery that I do not understand, but Jesus clearly implies that a refusal to trust God (which is what faith is) somehow impedes the work of God. Let it not be so with us today.


P.S. Did you catch in 6:3 the names of Jesus’s younger brothers, and the reference to his sisters? How cool is that?!

 

"Little Lamb, Wake Up"

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Mark 5:21-43

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a wom- an was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 35While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37He did not let anyone follow him exccept Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 
 

There are two words in this story that make it one of the most moving in the entire Bible to me: “Talitha koum.” Those are Aramaic words, indicating yet again that this is an eyewitness remembrance from Simon Peter, who never ever forgot what Jesus said to the little girl. And by the way, although Mark helpfully translates the phrase for his is Greek audience, what “Talitha” literally means is “little lamb.” “Little lamb, wake up.”

That’s what God is like.

Just sit with that for a few minutes today.

 

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

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Mark 5:1-20

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in num- ber, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been pos- sessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

 
 

In the previous story, Jesus brings order to the natural world when he calms the storm; in this story, he restores order to a disordered mind; in both, Mark wants us to understand that Jesus is God and that we should put our trust in him.

Why are we so reluctant to put our trust in God? What would the next hour look like if you lived as if you trusted God?

 

Calming the Storm

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Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms the Storm
35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was com- pletely calm. 40He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 
 

“Sleeping on a cushion.” That’s one of the greatest details in Mark’s Gospel, and strongly suggests this is eyewitness testimony—it’s exactly the kind of homely detail someone who was there would never forget, though it makes no difference to the story.

This really happened!
So, allow me to quote Jesus:


“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

 

One of My Favorite Parables

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Mark 4:21-34


A Lamp on a Stand
21He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” 24“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scat- ters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then

the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32Yet when plant- ed, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” 33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

 

The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of my favorites—I find it so encouraging! It might not look like much now, but God’s plan is unstoppable.

Stop reading the headlines today—they aren’t the full picture of what is really happening—instead turn your focus to what God is already doing.

 

No One Can Sidestep This Responsibility

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Matthew 4:1-20

The Parable of the Sower

4:1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

 
 

You have agency and God will not exempt you from the responsibil- ity to use it. God’s work is inherently fruitful, but you and I can— through our free choices—thwart what God wants to do through us.

Which type of soil are you?
Here’s the secret: Just by desiring to be fruitful, you will be. It’s time for us to start praying to be fruitful soil for a kingdom harvest.

What Is "the Unforgivable Sin"?

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Mark 3:20-35

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

 
 

His family thinks he’s crazy, and the religious leaders think he has a demon, which causes Jesus to ask the obvious question: “If I’m evil, then how come I’m doing good stuff?” He calls this refusal to accept the work of God “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” The one sin that can’t be forgiven is calling God’s good things evil, because a person who did such a thing wouldn’t even recognize forgiveness as good!

 

P.S.  I’m teaching a Bible study TONIGHT on How to Read and Understand the Gospel of Mark (and the entire Bible, too!), 6-7 PM.  You coming?

P.P.S.  Plus we have Wednesday morning communion THIS MORNING, 7:00-7:20 AM, with Chick-fil-A breakfast to go on your way out.  You’re coming, right?  I would LOVE to see families with school kids there.


The Entire Point of the Old Testament

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Mark 2:23-3:19

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Crowds Follow Jesus

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

 
 

Jesus is the point of the Old Testament, so to speak: he is the living reality to which the entire story of Israel was pointing. As such, he is the purpose of the Sabbath—to find rest and wholeness in his presence. The Sabbath is the culmination of Creation, and where Jesus goes, he brings a living Sabbath presence with him.

Take 15 minutes to sit in silence today. May the Lord give you rest.

 

P.S. I’m teaching a Bible study on How to Read and Understand the Gospel of Mark (and the entire Bible, too!) TOMORROW, March 9, 6-7 PM. You coming?

P.P.S. Plus we have Wednesday morning communion each Wednesday in Lent, 7:00-7:20 AM, with Chick-fil-A breakfast to go on your way out. You’re coming, right? I would LOVE to see families with school kids there.

New Categories Needed

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Mark 2:1-22

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

 
 

The Kingdom doesn’t fit the categories of the world. This is because the categories of the world all have their roots in the fallenness of the world. One of the reasons Jesus will be killed is because he challenges the world’s categories. For example, the world divides between the good and the bad—difference cultures defining these groups differently—but Jesus explains that everyone is alienated from God and needs mercy. It’s an entirely new way of thinking.

How can you live into the new reality today? Why are you continuing to put new wine in an old wineskin?

 

P.S. I’m teaching a Bible study on How to Read and Understand the Gospel of Mark (and the entire Bible, too!) Wednesday, March 9, 6-7 PM. You coming?

P.P.S. Plus we have Wednesday morning communion each Wednesday in Lent, 7:00-7:20 AM, with Chick-fil-A breakfast to go on your way out. You’re coming, right? I would LOVE to see families with school kids there.

P.P.P.S. I’ve posted yesterday’s sermon below.

The portrayal of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel is of a man of great power and authority:

  • He commands the unclean spirits;

  • He heals with a word;

  • He calms the storm into silence.

But there is one thing Jesus does NOT do, one thing he never commands or coerces.
That one thing is, so to speak, the dog that doesn’t bark in Mark’s Gospel.
And it is unbelievably important.

Series: Gospel of Mark (2022)
Scripture: Mark 1:21-28; Mark 1:40-42; Mark 4:35-41; Mark 8:27-30

Date: March 6, 2022

 

Our Deepest Need is Not Material, But Spiritual

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Mark 1:29-45

Jesus Heals Many

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

 
 

The source of the Son’s power is the Father, who has given him the Spirit. (Go back and read the baptism story in 1:9 again.) But Jesus must stay connected to the Father through prayer. Mark 1:35 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and one that is most convicting— if Jesus needed silence and solitude for his work, how much more do I?

We see here again that when the Kingdom comes, there is healing. And yet we also have this strange note that Jesus seems to want to avoid crowds. Why? This is a tension that Mark is setting up for us, but I’ll go ahead and give the spoiler now: the mission of Jesus is not primarily to heal the world, but to die for the world.

In other words, our deepest need is not material but spiritual.

You need to pray more. Commit now to getting up earlier Monday morning and spending time in silence and solitude.

 

P.S. I’m teaching a Bible study on How to Read and Understand the Gospel of Mark (and the entire Bible, too!) Wednesday, March 9, 6-7 PM. You coming?

P.P.S. Plus we have Wednesday morning communion each Wednesday in Lent, 7:00-7:20 AM, with Chick-fil-A breakfast to go on your way out. You’re coming, right? I would LOVE to see families with school kids there.

 

Reality Has Arrived

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Mark 1:14-28

Jesus Announces the Good News

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us,Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

 
 

The central message of Jesus is that God’s Reality has arrived (though is not yet completely present). This reality was present in Eden, but human rebellion made it impossible. Now, however, what the prophets—and in fact the entire Old Testament—were talking about has come near, and Jesus wants people to turn around and trust his message.

What is the Kingdom like? Well, it is for everyone, not just for the important people. (Even Galillean fishermen!) And, it’s a reality in which broken things are made whole. We are uncomfortable with the exorcisms of Jesus, but they are such an important part of his ministry that Mark makes a point to highlight them for us; among other reasons, the exorcisms show that Jesus has “authority” over all other powers, and that his authority is meant to bring healing and wholeness and order.

How can you be a disciple of Jesus today (“disciple” just means “student”) and bring healing and wholeness and order wherever you go? How can we be witnesses to the Kingdom today?

 

P.S. Most of our staff went to breakfast yesterday after the 7 AM Ash Wednesday service—grateful!

The Gospel of Mark Begins Today!

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Today we begin our Lenten reading plan through the Gospel of Mark. The readings are assigned to the weekdays between now and Easter, with the exception of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, each of which has a reading assigned to it as well.

Don’t forget that we have 3 Ash Wednesday services today: 7:00-7:20 AM; 12:00-12:20 PM; 7:00-7:45 PM.

Also, don’t forget that we’ll have daily online Bible study every weekday morning, 7:00-7:10 AM, starting TODAY. Join us via www.facebook.com/mungerplace or www.mungerplace.LIVE.

And, I’ll be teaching two churchwide Bible studies on Mark: 3/9 and 3/30, 6-7 PM.

Now, on with the show.

P.S. I’ve included my sermon kicking off the Mark series at the very bottom of the post.

 
 

Mark 1:1-13

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

 
 

Mark hits the ground running, starting his Gospel with the events that are taking place in Israel as Jesus launches his public ministry. John the Baptizer is at a symbolic site—the Jordan River—and is preparing Israel to enter into a new Promised Land. Just as centuries before Israel crossed the Jordan, now is the time for God to do a new thing, and the people need to be spiritually ready. And so Jesus goes to John and endorses John’s ministry as he launches his own ministry, showing to everyone that he will be the new Moses who takes God’s people into a new Promised Land. The Holy Spirit’s presence on Jesus is proof that his mission is a divine mission—the Father loves and endorses the Son with the gift of the Spirit. (Note the Trinitarian language!)

And that’s what makes the next sentence so powerful: Jesus is immediately driven by the Spirit into a wilderness of temptation and testing. In other words, sometimes difficulty and suffering have a purpose in preparing us for our God-given mission.

How might God be preparing you today?

 
 

First sermon in our Mark series: “The Translucent World.”

 

What If We Forget Our Past?

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I believe we are on the cusp of a new dark age, a great cultural forgetting. And, this amnesia is entirely self-caused—in the name of Progress, we are unlearning much of which we used to know.

I’ve heard it said that with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, it was centuries and centuries before hot running water was again a part of European city life.

I think about the way homes used to be built and I wonder, Will we even remember how to build houses like that anymore? If you’ve ever watched an episode of This Old House, it seems obvious that the vast amount of knowledge these old artisans have stored up is likely to die with them. No one ever intends to forget this sort of valuable knowledge; what happens is that in easy times everyone just assumes that we’ll all remember what we need to remember forever, but times change slowly, and then all of a sudden, and when we need what we used to know, no one will remember.

 
 

Religious memory is even more important, as the story of Israel shows over and over and over. In the Bible, the Lord commands the Israelites to remember that they were slaves in Egypt, and that he brought them out with a strong arm and an outstretched hand and led them through the wilderness into The Promised Land.

Many of the psalms, therefore, rehearse Israel’s history so as to teach the next generation the great story of their people. Today’s psalm is one such psalm.

Psalm 89 comes from the time of Exile, after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. It’s a song of remembering and also a cry for help—”Lord, this is what you did before, please come again and rescue us!”

 
 

Psalm 89

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
    with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
    in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
    I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
    and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
    and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
    who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
    with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
    you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
    the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
    Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
    who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
    and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

 
 

The psalmist begins by recounting the Lord’s great act of Creation, and he imagines God controlling and bringing order to the primeval chaos.

 
 

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
“I have granted help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

 
 

The Lord establishes David’s family on the throne and promises never to forsake them. But, that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for their idolatry and disobedience.

 
 

38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
    you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
    you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
    and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
    For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
    Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
    which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
    and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
    with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

 
 

And so the psalmist says, “Lord, don’t forget your promises to us! We are suffering under the hands of the Babylonians, and it’s our fault, but please rescue us anyway.”

 
 

52 Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.

 
 

And the psalmist ends with a defiant note of praise, which seems exactly fitting and is a good lesson to all us:

always come back to praise.

 

Darkness

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My Morning Routine

Starting on April 13, 2020, I’ve read one psalm a day, every day. When I get to the last psalm in the Bible—Psalm 150, I just start the next day with Psalm 1; every 150 days I read through the entire psalter, and then begin again.

There is something attractively simple about this plan; I use a countdown app on my iPhone to remind me each morning of that day’s psalm. I do our church reading plans, too, but reading a psalm a day has been a constant.

Today I’m on Psalm 88. If you’d like to join in, my friend Fred has put together a list for the Psalms reading plan I’m currently in. When we get to Monday, May 2, I’ll start over again.

The Psalms teach us how to pray because they give us words for all the emotions of life; today’s psalm—as we will see below—is bitter and dark, but tomorrow’s will be more hopeful and joy-filled.

 

Mark Begins Wednesday!

Our Lenten reading plan through the Gospel of Mark begins Wednesday, and since our Ephesians plan concluded on Friday, I thought I’d write a post for today and again for tomorrow on each day’s psalm.

 
 

The Bitterest Psalm in the Bible

Today, I read Psalm 88—a psalm without hope or joy or peace: it is an anguished cry of bitter despair.

When you visit Jerusalem, one of the places you go is the high priest’s residence, which was built over a dungeon. When we were there, we went down into the pit and read this psalm. The idea is that it’s possible that Jesus might have been held in that dungeon as Caiaphas waited to transfer him to Pilate’s custody, late Thursday night/early Friday morning.

 

How to Read Psalm 88 Today

If you are in a pit of despair yourself, then use this psalm to shape your cries to the Lord today. The psalms give us the language of prayer, and since life include both misery and joy, so do the psalms.

If you are in a good place today—and I hope you are—then the way to read this psalm is to think of Jesus being held by the Temple soldiers, having been interrogated and humiliated by the Jewish authorities, waiting to be transferred to Pilate’s custody, knowing what will befall him.

This is a dark psalm, but the Passion of the Christ was a dark thing, and it’s good for us to remember that today.

 
 

Psalm 88

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
    for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
    you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9     my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
    Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.

 
 

This Really Happened

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Today is our final reading in Ephesians, and it might seem at first that the final few lines of the letter aren’t very interesting:

Ephesians 6:21-24

21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are,and that he may encourage you.

23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

But, I think these closing lines from Paul are actually fascinating, because they remind us that this is a real letter, written to real people, that this stuff actually happened!

Something about the mention of Tychicus is really moving to me—an ordinary person like you and me who got caught up in the amazing events that resulted from the Resurrection of Jesus.

The passing mention of that name is a good reminder to me today:

All this stuff really happened!

 

The Armor of God

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I preached last Sunday on the great final image in Ephesians, namely the armor of God. I actually thought it was the worst sermon I preached in our entire series on Ephesians, but I’m including it below for those of you who are having trouble sleeping.

(Note that because our reading plan broke up Paul’s paragraph over multiple days, I am addressing tomorrow’s passage today and will not be posting tomorrow. Check back on Friday for our final post on Ephesians.)

 

Some quick thoughts on this passage from Bible scholar Tim Mackie:

“Paul explicitly links his imagery in his letters to the divine armor of the messianic king in Isaiah. The point is that God’s weapons have now been transferred to the new humanity, who are united in and with the Messiah.”

More:

“The command to take up the armor of God is a summons to the community as a whole. Taking up the armor of God is a communal practice integrally tied to the unity of the Church. Paul wants church communities to know that the “schemes of the slanderer” (Ephesians 6:11) will be aimed precisely at the unity and mutual interdependence of the new humanity, which is why they need to be prepared. They have been called to live as a unified new humanity in the Messiah, but they have a real enemy in the powers (note: not an enemy in each other). So whether it be defensive or offensive, they will need to put on the character of the Messiah and be prepared to fight.”

 
 
 
 

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

The Opposite of Being Drunk Is Not Being Sober

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The problem of breaking up a letter like Ephesians into bite-sized portions is that it’s then easy on any particular day to lose sight of a broader theme or topic. In today’s passage, Paul is continuing to contrast the old life versus the new life, the flesh vs. the Spirit, the present age vs. the age to come.

Today’s Ephesians reading: Ephesians 5:15-21

 
 

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

 
 

First contrast: between wisdom and foolishness.

When Paul says, “the days are evil” what he means is that the world is still lumbering along in the present evil age, but followers of Jesus should “make the most of every opportunity” to live into the reality of the new age to come. It would be foolish to live therefore like everyone else, and wise to live like Jesus—and living like Jesus is his will for you anyway.

 
 

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 
 

Here is another contrast:

  • Being drunk, i.e., being under the influence of alcohol;

  • Or being filled by the Spirit, i.e., being under the influence of the Spirit.

So, the opposite of being drunk is not being sober; the opposite of being drunk is being led by the Spirit.

Paul seems to take it for granted that you and I will be under the influence of something. The question is, What, or Who?

I like how Paul describes what life in the Spirit will be like:

  • your very speech will be influenced by the words and songs of the Bible;

  • you will be constantly “singing” praise to God;

  • And you’ll be reflexively grateful.

And, of course, in the paradox of the Kingdom, those actions are both the signs of being filled and led by the Spirit and the way to be filled and led by the Spirit.

Try it today.

 

Wake Up, O Sleeper

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There is a very simple theme that runs through today’s Ephesians passage:

You used to live by the world, but now you live by the Spirit.

Paul hits this theme over and over and over: you are part of the New Creation, Ephesian Christians, and so therefore live into that reality. Stop living in the old ways!

Good reminder for all of us today.

 
 

Ephesians 5:1-14

5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive youwith empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

 

Don't Hang Onto Anger--It Will Inhibit The Work of God

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I’m including my thoughts on today’s passage before the passage itself; I hope this is helps you get the most out of your reading. (And you know that in February I’m writing new commentary each day, not just cutting-and-pasting from January, right? I do it because I love you, here in my sweatshop churning out posts for you. Hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day.)

 

It strikes me that one of the key themes of this passage in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is anger—not that anger in itself is the problem, but rather that the holding onto, enflaming, and nursing of anger is the problem.

Anger will come. Because the world is in rebellion against the Lord, the people of God will experience righteous anger when the beautiful creation the Lord called into being is marred, scarred, torn.

Don’t ever forget that Jesus flipped over the tables of the money-changers.

And yet it seems to me that our problem is not that we get angry, but that, once angry, we choose to hold onto it tightly.

I think this is what Paul is getting at with his twinned instructions:

  • “be angry, and do not sin” and

  • “don’t let the sun go down on your anger”

So much of what he warns against—”Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice”—either directly result from holding onto anger or is impossible unless we let go of anger—”Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

So, whom do you need to forgive today? Remember, forgiveness is giving up your desire to get even and giving that need for justice over to God.

What anger are you still holding onto today?

Let it go.

 
 

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

If You Harden Your Heart, This Is What Will Happen

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Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

 
 

It’s the “because” that gets me.

  1. They harden their hearts;

  2. And so they are ignorant in understanding and separated from God;

  3. And the result of this is that they have live only for physical comfort and sensations.

All because they made a choice to harden their hearts.

 
 

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 
 

I wonder if that choice—to harden your heart—is the main problem, which would mean the opposite choice would be the way forward: to keep an open heart.

Maybe that’s our main task today—keep our hearts open.