1.30.09, Mark 9:38-41

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

All In It Together

Sometimes, it is just one phrase or sentence within Scripture that can really trip us up, and here is one of those moments.  The disciples run across someone casting out a demon in Jesus’ name, and are alarmed and tell him to stop, but Jesus corrects them by telling them “whoever is not against us is for us.”  What does this mean, that as long as someone isn’t an atheist or against God, he is automatically on Jesus’ side?  That doesn’t seem right, does it?

In fact, it isn’t.  The other exorcist in this passage wasn’t a neutral person – after all, we know that the man was exorcising in the name of Jesus, and so was probably a follower of Jesus (although not one of the 12 disciples).  So the point of Jesus’ correction is not to imply that every person who is not against Jesus is automatically on his team, but that every person on his team can do real ministry!

You see, the disciples wanted the right and privilege of ministry to be limited to themselves – they alone have the right to do amazing things in Jesus’ name, like casting out demons.  This is the mentality that Jesus is correcting here, reminding the disciples that anyone who is for Jesus (a.k.a., a disciple) has the right to do ministry, not just the select disciples that follow Jesus in his journeys.

This has two different applications to us: first, some of us are like the disciples – we want the roles and responsibilities and privileges of ministry to be limited to a small group of people, usually including ourselves.  We get mildly jealous and annoyed if someone has a competing ministry, or seems to be reaching out to people effectively.  At our worst moments, we poke holes in their character and their qualifications to do ministry.  We feel like they are competitors, encroachers.  You don’t have to feel this way – anyone who does ministry is on your side, a disciple, not a competitor or an enemy.   Everyone has the potential to do great ministry, even those who we sometimes look down upon.

The other application is opposite, and for a different population of people.  Some of us think that we can never do ministry, that that is only reserved for those really holy people who have gone on missions, who serve on leadership, who know how to play guitar.  But no, this passage reveals to us that is not just the core disciples who get to do ministry – EVERY disciple can, and is expected, to do ministry.  So whoever you are, wherever you are, if you are disciple and follower of Christ, there is some place you can be serving for God’s glory.

Questions

1. Which group do you think you fall more into – 1) the disciples who think ministry should only be done by them, or 2)  people who don’t think they can do ministry at all?  Is there a reason why you tend to think or feel this way?

2. If you belong to the first group, is there someone whom you have felt jealousy or annoyance towards?  What good things can you say about their ministry or character?

3. If you belong to the second group, what is one way in which you can serve the church or your fellowship, even in small ways?

1.28.09, Mark 9:33-37

Who is Greatest?

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Simplicity Itself

I don’t want to overcomplicate this passage with too many comments, just this: the single qualification that makes you a great woman or man of God is servanthood.  

Being superlative in the world’s eyes – richest, smartest, most popular, most successful – means nothing to Jesus.   In fact, men and women who are smart, rich and successful have an unfortunate tendency to walk away from Jesus, saddened because they know they can’t give up their wealth, like the rich young man in the gospels.

Instead, you are measured not by how many people serve you, but by how many people you serve.  And verse 36-37 reveals that as we serve others, especially those who need our help most, like children, we are in reality serving God.

So, if you are going to be good and successful and expert at anything, let it be your willingness to serve others.  This may make you a failure in the world’s eyes, in your school’s eyes, maybe your friends’ and family’s eyes, maybe even in your own…but a great success in God’s eyes.  And those really are the only pair of eyes that count.

That’s it.

Questions:

1. How do typically judge if your life is going well, or decide that you are satisfied or successful?

2. What is the main influence in your life that tells you that something besides servanthood makes you great?

3. In what ways do you think you can serve someone who really needs help right now?

1.26.09, Mark 9:17-32

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 ” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

The Reality of Faith

The second element that I want to highlight within this passage is the short conversation between Jesus and this father.  Jesus challenges the father by reminding him that everything is possible for he who believes – this challenge reminds me of Jesus’ conversation with the Syro-Phonecian woman.  As before, Jesus doesn’t always give simple “yes” or “no” responses to our requests.  Sometimes he challenges us, trying to draw more faith and boldness from us.  Too often, our response in that situation is to give up, to stop asking, to stop believing, but we have to be more like the father here – to cry out and ask again!  And this is what the father does, responding, “I do believe – help me overcome my unbelief!”  

Now, the father’s response seems contradictory – how can you believe and yet have unbelief?  To understand this, we have to understand something about faith:

First, you don’t have to be a perfect “I believe with 100% of my being” kind of person to have faith.  We have a misconception that when we doubt God a little, we have no faith.  But remember that Abraham laughed at God when he was told he would have a son – that definitely is not what you would call perfect faith.  So a measure of unbelief is okay, and doesn’t mean that you don’t believe – it just means that you are human, and God works very well through humans.

Instead, what is more important about faith is not just believing something is true, but acting upon that truth.  Sometimes when it comes to faith, we think it is a mental thing – that you believe something is true.  This is definitely part of the story, but remember that James tells us that demons believe there is one God – obviously faith is more than just believing in something.  But true faith is acting upon what you know is true – this is what James concludes in James chapter 2, and this is what Jesus tells us in the parable of the wise builder, that a wise builder is one that hears Jesus’ words and acts upon them.  

This helps explain the father’s response.  No, he didn’t believe 100% that Jesus would or could heal his son.  But what’s more important is that with the imperfect, incomplete 50% faith that he has, he acts upon it and brings his son before Jesus.  You may not have perfect faith either – maybe it’s an 85% faith, or 50%…or 10%.  That’s not what’s important.  What’s important is that you take that small faith, that mustard seed, and you act upon it in some way.  And remember what Jesus tells us about a mustard seed faith:

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Questions

1. Has there ever been a situation in your life where you really doubted God could do anything about it, and yet he did nonetheless?

2. What is one current situation in your life where you know you don’t have enough faith?

3. We learned above that more important than believing something 100%, is acting upon what little faith we have.  In regards to your answer above, in what ways can you act with the little faith you have?

1.23.09, Mark 9:17-32

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 ” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

The Reality of Spirt

(We’ll cover this passage in two installments)  The first thing that I want to highlight about this passage is that it is a stark reminder of the reality of the spiritual world.  Now, I have to be one of the most skeptical and pessimistic people on the planet.  I came out of very fine schools that taught me to think rationally and to only believe in that which could be physically quantified and measured, things of science and math.  So know that I am not someone who belives in ghosts and vampires and the like.  I instinctively doubt people who talk about aliens or the supernatural.  That is the kind of person I am, one who doesn’t believe things very easily.  And I think that a good number of you are just like me in this regard…

But believe me when I say that the spiritual warfare described in this passage today is real, and happens to this day.  I’ve only come into personal contact with it a few times, but it has happened.  It was frightening and shocking, but at the same time, always ended as this passage did – with the ultimate victory of Jesus over darker things.  

And believe it or not, it is important to read accounts of demon-possession in the gospels and elsewhere, and remember moments like this in your own personal lives – not for the purpose of the heebie-jeebies or to spook out your friends, but because it reminds us that our faith is far bigger than ourselves.  Sometimes we can forget that there is a truly spiritual side to our faith, thinking that being a Christian is all about friends and small group and grabbing lunch – dinner – coffee – boba tea.  But if we go too far down this road, Christianity takes on characteristics of a club, help group, or a social organization, largely the same as other worldly groups.  And many times, that can be one of the most discouraging realizations you make as a Believer: the realization that your life does not seem to be any different than anyone else’s.

But when we remember that there is a spiritual battle being waged all around us, we know that Christianity is not a club.  We become very acutely aware that we are weak and can’t do this on our own – believe me, nothing makes you realize how unequipped you are as someone telling you they hear voices to kill themselves and others.  We know, as Jesus states above, that our victory won’t come from proper planning and execution, or the strength of our degrees and education, but on prayer alone.  It reminds us that our faith is not just an affair of this world, but a spiritual and eternal reality.   You are not part of a club called “Christianity” – you are a players and participants in a larger spiritual struggle between light and dark, a struggle where the outcome has already been decided by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  That is your reality, right now.

Ephesians 6:11-13 – Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  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.  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.

Questions

1. How aware do you feel you were/are about the spiritual dynamic of Christian life?  Why do you feel it is difficult to remember this part of your faith?

2. Is there a situation in your life currently which you think may be more of a spiritual battle than a physical one?

3. What practical effects can this reality have on your life?  Does it change the way in which you act?  The way in which you pray?  The way in which you view certain situations?

1.21.09, Mark 9:2-8

The Transfiguration

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

None But Jesus

We have journeyed to the halfway point of Jesus’ ministry – the Transfiguration.  Before this, we saw Jesus performing an abundance of miracles, and hiding his true intentions from the public.  But after the Transfiguration, we will see fewer miracles, and he talks very openly about his upcoming death and resurrection.  It’s such a radical shift that it’s almost as if Jesus changed his mind about where he was headed.  But as we had made clear early on in these devotionals, this focus on the cross was actually present even from the very beginning of his ministry, that he shunned popularity and the earthly and political expectations of those around him, focused instead on God’s larger plan for salvation.  So again, it is very important to read Scripture in light of larger contexts, not only in light of what a small sliver of the text seems to indicate.

But for me, the highlight of this text is that moment when Jesus is surrounded by Eljiah and Moses.  For Israel and the disciples, Elijah and Moses represented two of the most important leaders/prophets of Israel’s history.  They were powerful men of God who had led Israel out of bondage from Egypt and Ahab.  They had worked incredible miracles like parting the Red Sea and the Jordan, causing it to stop and begin raining through prayer, even raising a young boy from the dead!  And so the Israelites, and the disciples, looked up to these men – they found their sense of security and identity in Elijah and Moses.  In the case of Elijah, they had even looked forward to him returning again to earth!  

And yet, when the disicples look again at the hill upon which Jesus, Moses and Elijah stood, seemingly as equals…they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.  Their security, identity and hope were not found in Elijah and Moses, but in Jesus alone, and no one else.

We have our own Elijah’s and Moses’ – things or people that we find our sense of security or identity in, or place our hope in: Our Education.  Our Wealth.  Our Ethnicity.  Our Family.  Our Spouse.  These are not bad things in themselves, just as Elijah and Moses were not bad men.  But as with the disciples and the people of Israel, our hope is not found in Moses, or our material wealth.  Our security and identity are not bound up with Elijah, or what school we graduated from. When we look at the mountain of our own lives, only one thing stands there who can give you peace and hope and eternal security: Christ alone.  No one else.

Questions

1. For most of us, Jesus is an important part of our identity and self-worth, but only part of it.  In what else besides Christ do you find your sense of identity, security, or hope?

2. In reference to the above question, have other elements in which you find your worth ever failed you?  A relationship?  A school?  A job?  A friend?

3. In what ways does Christ provide with an enduring identity?  In what ways does he provide us with eternal security?

4. As stated above, these other elements are not bad in themselves, but only when we place our hope and trust in them over Christ.  How can you balance that other element of your life from question 1, without it competing with the Lordship of Christ in your life?

1.19.09, Mark 8:31-38

Jesus Predicts His Death

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

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

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Great Expectations

Ah, these disciples.  When we read these gospel accounts, the disciples don’t come off very well, do they?  Here, we find the hothead Peter rebuking God, the one who rebuked the very waves!  Our immediate response is one of disgust, thinking to ourselves, “What is Peter thinking?  He can’t rebuke Jesus for saying this – Jesus’ death was God’s plan for salvation!  I would NEVER do that!”  It seems so crystal clear to us…

But we have to understand the motivations behind Peter’s rebuke.  Peter was so upset by this because Jesus wasn’t fulfiling his expectations.  You see, Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah who would spiritually and politically lead the Jews to freedom from the Romans, the one would re-establish the earthly kingdom.  So if Jesus dies, then Peter’s hopes and expectations would be dashed.  In essence, he is saying, “No, you can’t do that!  You can’t die, because you have to do all the things I hoped you would do!”  But Jesus rebukes him right back, sharply reminding Peter that he has come to do the Father’s will, which is not just the political restoration of one nation, but the restoration of all creation!

When we look at the passage in this light, we are not very different, are we?  We get frustrated and upset with God when he doesn’t fulfill our expectations.  We question God when we don’t get what we want.  We even get angry when his plan for our lives is so different from the plan that we had for ourselves.  And we think exactly as Peter thought: “No, you can’t do that!  I have to go to this internship this summer!  I have to get married!  I have so many plans, and your plans don’t fit with mine!”  If Jesus were in our midst, there is a good chance that we would be rebuking him, just as Peter did.

And there is a good chance that Jesus would be rebuking us right back: ”Whose plans are more important, mine, or yours?“

But there is an important final note to this passage, and that is the realization that we don’t submit plans under God’s out of simple obedience, but because his plans are so much better and bigger than our own!  Peter’s plan was for political freedom – God’s plan was for universal redemption!  Our plan is for a stable job – God’s plan is for you to live with purpose and passion!  When we take this into account, we realize that submission is actually the more logical and blessed path.

Questions

1. Have you ever had God frustrate a plan of yours, only to realize that he had something better in mind?

2. Do you feel like God is currently frustrating a plan or hope of yours – what might be the larger goal that God wants to achieve through this?

3. What is one area of your life that, if God’s plan conflicted with your own, you know you would be very upset and disappointed?  Why do you think it is so difficult to trust God in that one area?

1.16.09, Matthew 16:13-20

Peter’s Confession of Christ

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

The Greatest Idea Ever

No, I haven’t forgotten what book of the Bible we were in.  We were previously in Mark 8, which also has the account of Peter’s confession of Christ.  But the account in Matthew holds an important truth that is not recounted in Mark.  When it comes to reading the gospels, looking at the other corresponding gospel accounts is a good thing to do when you’re stuck because it gives you a different perspective on the event.  Just be careful when comparing it to the gospel of John, because it is a very unique kind of text!

What is unique about Matthew’s account is verse 17, where Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”  Now, superficially, this statement seems like a typical biblical statement from Jesus, “blessed is this guy, blessed is that guy”, but there’s more to it than that.  If you expand it out, Jesus essentially tells Peter, “You know that I am the Messiah, not because you could have figured it out on your own, or that anyone could have told you – it was because God revealed it to you.”  The knowledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah is beyond the ultimate human comprehension – it’s greater than Newton and Gravity, beyond Einstein and Relativity – it is the greatest, most world-changing truth ever.

And yet, more often than not, we trivialize this truth, making it out to be something that we learned during Sunday school and nothing more.  It loses its importance, pushed out of the way by studies and worries, and when we are doing especially badly, even seems to lose its truth.  But the truth that Jesus is Savior, YOUR Savior, is the most precious and incredible thing you know, that you could ever know!  It really is nothing less than divine revelation.  Today, try to remember that “Jesus is Savior” is the most amazing and life-changing piece of information that you have in your life, and ever will!

Questions

1. How would you respond if someone asked you, “Why is the fact that Jesus is the promised Messiah and Savior such a big deal to you?”

2. What ideas or concerns do you find takes up most of your time throughout the day?  Your future?  Relationships?  Money?  Grades?  Career?  How does the fact that Jesus is the Messiah affect how you think about and through that idea? 

3. We probably have experienced a moment that “Jesus is Savior” WAS the most incredible thing we had ever heard – maybe when we first accepted Christ, or on a missions trip or retreat, or seeing someone else accept Christ – we just have forgotten it.  Have you ever had a moment when this was true?

1.14.09, Mark 8:14-21

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” 
      ”Twelve,” they replied.

 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” 
      They answered, “Seven.”

 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

“Um…nope.  I don’t.”

This is an interesting passage, and I want to point out just a couple of themes from it.  First, yet again, we have this contrast between what Jesus is talking about, and what the disicples are talking about.  Jesus is talking about the influence of the Pharisees, how it’s like yeast, where just a little of it can affect everything.  And this is true, that a judgmental and hard-hearted attitude can absolutely destroy our lives of faith.  

But what is really striking is the disciples’ response, which if I could rephrase it, is: “He’s mad because we didn’t bring any bread.”  Jesus clarifies that he’s not mad about the bread, because after all, just in the previous passage he had fed four thousand men!  Would a God who can multiply loaves like that be concerned if the disciples forgot lunch??  Of course not, he’s thinking about things much deeper and bigger than that!

A couple of things that we can take away from this.  Sometimes, we can get really hung up on little worldly things – this internship vs that internship; a 3.89 GPA vs a 3.91 GPA; this gadget vs that gadget.  We agonize over getting little awards from our university when Jesus has promised an eternal crown if we run this race!  We work to get jobs that pay six figures, when God has promised every spiritual blessing in Ephesians!  Jesus is telling us not to get hung up on little things of the world like the disciples were, but instead to be focused on the larger, eternal issues and values of the Kingdom.   Be fixated and ambitious and obsessive not about things of this world…but the things of God.

Secondly, on a more personal note, this passage was very difficult for me.  At first, I really had no idea what Jesus was talking about.  So when Jesus asks in the final verse, “Do you still not understand?”, my response was, “Um…nope.  I don’t.”  I was thinking of skipping, but the next passages were pretty difficult to!  But I kept with it, and with Carol’s help, thought my way through it.  So the encouragement I want to give out of this is that it’s okay to be confused by Scripture – even your pastor is not exactly clear on it all the time.  But don’t give up – keep wrestling with it, even the difficult bits.  Even the act of wrestling with the text is a type of blessing in itself.

Questions

1. Is there something in your life that you are fixated on, that you know God is not fixated on in the same way?

2. Sometimes we are very good at justifying our behavior, saying that things that we want are really good for God and for his Kingdom – is there something in your life you have been justifying in this way, but mostly pursue for yourself?

3. What are some larger, eternal, Kingdom issues and values that you think God wants you to be more concerned with?

4. What typically is your stumbling block when it comes to reading Scripture, that thing that makes you lose your enthusiasm with the Word and with QT?  How can you persevere through that stumbling block?

1.12.09, Mark 7:31-37

The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.  32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!” ). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

All This And More

I want to point out one more thing about this miracle of Jesus.  We assume here that Jesus heals only the physical limitation of this man’s deafness and muteness, that he gave the man the ability to hear and talk.  But if this is the only thing that Jesus did, if he just addressed the man’s physical, bodily limitation…he still would not have been able to talk.  The man was deaf, and had been so for some time, and of course we need to be able to hear conversation in order to learn to talk properly.  So healing his physical deafness and muteness in itself would not have been enough for this man to speak.

So this means that Jesus must have done more than this, more than just addressing the physical brokeness and bodily limitation, but going deeper – addressing the lack of communication.  Teaching the man speech.  Giving him the experiences he needed to have to talk.  Re-wiring the part of his brain that controls how we talk.  We don’t really know how it happened for sure, but Jesus’ healing for the man was not a mere unplugging of the ears and loosening of the tongue, but included everything the man needed to speak for the first time.

I think this is a good reminder as to what healing at God’s hands is like.  God doesn’t just make us feel better, but leave our deeper wounds unhealed.  He doesn’t just address one aspect of our brokeness and leave other parts broken.  God’s healing for us is complete.  His desire is to heal us through and through, physically, spiritually, and emotionally!  

But this may take time.  And I think the real problem for us personally is that we are so impatient in this process of healing, that once God heals one small part of us, we bolt off of the operating table and say, “Gee, thanks God!  I feel one hundred times better!”  And we leave before God’s work in our lives is completed.  Because we do this, because we leave before our wounds are completely healed, it of course breaks open again later.  We have to be more patient as God works on us, because he wants to heal us deeply and fully and finally.  And nowhere do we see this absolute and complete healing more clearly than the cross:

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!  My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more – praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!“

Questions

1. Have you ever thought you had been healed or dealt with something in your life, only to see that issue come up again…and again?  

2. In order for that issue to be fully healed, what else do you think God needs to accomplish?

3. In what practical ways can you give God more time to work on your character and bring full healing?

1.9.09, Mark 7:31-37

The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.  32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!” ). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Christ, M.D.

This may seem like a run-of-the-mill miracle (if there can be such a thing!) – Jesus heals a man who is deaf and can hardly talk.   But I like this passage because it includes rare details about how Jesus accomplishes the healing.  It is so personal –  Jesus just doesn’t lay his hand on the man and then walk away from him.  He draws the man aside, away from the crowds.  He puts the man’s head in his hands, and places his fingers in his ears as if manually giving him his hearing.  He even pulls on the man’s tongue, as if preparing it, loosening it, to receive speech again.

For most of us, this seems intensely awkward, and there is no way we would let nearly anyone handle us in the same way.  But believe it or not, there is one group of people that we would allow to do this, and even more: our doctors.  We let our doctors put things into our ears and mouths and against our chest all the time.  We let our doctors ask us for samples of this and that, and don’t blink an eye!  We wear gowns that are open in the back.  If it were necessary, we would even let our doctors take a knife, cut into our chest and swing open our ribcage, and put a new kidney or heart into our body.  We trust doctors with the most intimate parts of our body and don’t mind because we know that they are trying to make us better, and can be trusted to do so.

Sometimes when God is at work in our lives, the process is uncomfortable.  He may call us out of our comfort zones.  He may call us to give up something we think we cannot go without.  He may touch a place in our lives where we are very sensitive, where we have a lot of pain.  He may have to discipline us, to show how our sins and habits are destroying ourselves and others.  He may even have to do surgery on us, to cut away something that is killing us.  But we allow this to happen for the same reason we allow medical doctors to prod at our bodies, because Jesus is our doctor, our healer.  We know, we trust, that all that Jesus does in us is to make us more whole and more healthy, and there is no one better at it than he.

Questions:

1. Have you ever learned an important spiritual or life lesson through an uncomfortable or difficult experience?

2. Is there a situation in your life currently that is difficult in the same way?  What is God teaching/doing through that situation?

3.Is there a part of your life that you don’t want Jesus to mess around with?  What is the problem with this mentality?