Mark – God is On Our Side!
For our country, it is a day to celebrate our independence from another country who ruled over us. It’s also a day in the summer time of life to get out the grill, have as many family members and friends gather to eat hamburgers, brats and hot dogs. It’s a day we will watch fireworks being launched by our more generous neighbors. Sometimes, in the celebrations, we miss the point, don’t we? Many gave their lives so we can be free.Jesus has performed many miracles in full view of his followers. Jesus has healed the lame. Jesus has shown his authority when He speaks and tells side story parables to help them understand how God’s Kingdom works. Jesus, Son of God, is showing them God and how He works before their very eyes. And yet, they are still missing the point of just WHO is living among them when the storm hits. They had enough faith to follow but then life gets choppy in the boat with the Master Teacher.
I caught something in the New Living Translation this morning as I read this very familiar passage. It was an aside…”(although other boats followed)”. Wait, what!? OTHER boats were on the sea when the storm came up. They were following Jesus to wherever he was going next! They experienced the choppy waters of the storm, too! What were they thinking when the storm came up? What did they tell their friends and family when they got home? “We were in a ton of trouble because of the storm!” “We thought we were going to lose our lives, but just as suddenly as the storm rose up, it calmed down.” “It was amazing!” “The water was like a sea of glass.” “We think it was Jesus!”Jesus calmed the storm for his disciples. He also calmed the storm for all who followed in other boats. Camp on this for a bit in your thoughts, as I am. Jesus is not just for you or for me. Jesus gives life eternal for ALL who find and follow Him.
We live in a world that is focused greatly, sometimes solely on self. Sometimes we need to look around and see others who are trying to journey with Christ, too. We are not the only ones saved by grace. We are not the only ones who have needs. We are not the only ones who need Jesus every hour. We are not the only ones He has saved from all the storms that have blown our way. We are not the only ones who have been redeemed!
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NLT)
God sent part of Himself to earth for ALL who believe in Him! Jesus is for all. His disciples are still trying to wrap their minds around this thought in this passage. “Who is this man?”, they ask. WE know how it all ends. It ends on a cross as the beginning of new life for all of us. Our old self is laid to rest as dead and no more! Christ is risen to new life in all who believe… for eternity!Jesus is for all. Jesus lives in all who believe. He is living in you if you believe. He is living in me. He is living in the hearts, minds and souls of many others. So when you feel alone in your belief, look around you, there are many in the same boat as you!
Call out to them. Form a community with them. Help each other stay focused on the One who saves and has set us free forever! THAT is something to celebrate!
Mark 4, NLTJesus Calms the Storm
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
GOING DEEPER STILL…
How often in the trials of life we are prone to imitate the faithless disciples and cry out, “Lord, don’t You care?” Of course, He cares! He arose and rebuked the storm, and immediately there was a great calm. But Jesus did not stop with the calming of the elements, for the greatest danger was not the wind or the waves: it was the unbelief in the hearts of the disciples. Our greatest problems are within us, not around us. This explains why Jesus gently rebuked them and calledthem “men of little faith.” They had heard Him teach the Word and had even seen Him perform miracles, and yet they still had no faith. It was their unbelief that caused their fear, and their fear made them question whether Jesus really cared. We must beware of “an evil heart of unbelief” (Heb. 3:12).
This was only one of many lessons Jesus would teach His disciples in the familiar environs of the Sea of Galilee, and each lesson would reveal some wonderful new truth about the Lord Jesus, Son of God. They already knew that He had the authority to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to heal diseases. Now they discovered that He even had authority over the wind and the sea. This meant that they had no reason ever again to be afraid, for their Lord was in constant control of every situation.
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior,Thank you for coming to save us all from certain death. Thank you for guiding all of us who believe toward you in all we think, do or say. Thank you for comforting us in our hurts and brokenness. Thank you for leading us to victorious outcomes in You, because of You for Your glory! Thank you for helping my brothers and sister through their storms of disappointments and troubles. Thank you for your Holy Presence for all of us who believe and follow you. Thank you for setting all of us free to follow the beat of your drum and the rhythm of your grace.
In Jesus Name, Amen
If we can have simple faith in things, why isn’t our faith in God, the Creator of all, greater still? Why isn’t our faith in God consistent, growing, knowing He is on our side continually? When troubles come in this imperfect world, does God leave the building? Absolutely not! He uses what evil or mere circumstance throws at us to teach and grow us…and our faith in Him. 
But the growth of the seed is only one part of the story; we must also account for the birds in the branches. In the parable of the sower and soils, the birds stood for Satan, who snatches the seed (Mark 4:15). If we are to be consistent in our interpretation, we must take this into consideration, for both parables were taught on the same day. 
Through faith in Jesus Christ, we become citizens of the heavenly nation, children in God’s family, and subjects of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a privilege it is to know the Lord Jesus Christ! 
What is the “fix”? Turn your heart, mind and soul back to God completely. Don’t give him part of your life. Make Jesus your whole life! Repent of false faith that only holds up in the good times. Be redeemed and restored to faith in our God that knows no limits. Plant the seed of faith and let it grow a tree of faith that believes and assumes all is well without even thinking about it. Know God. Know Faith. He will not let you go. He is on our side!
Parable of the Growing Seed
We join God in HIS work. Most times, God’s ways are a mystery to us. Wise planters don’t question His motives when we realize HE is God and we are not. HE knows best and we do not. We plant when and where HE tells us to plant. HE shows us how to plant. But the growth of each individual person (seed) is up to God and that seed. 
We like to hike in the woods, put together a camp site, build a fire, cook over the open fire, eat, talk or just be quiet and listen. What we do not like is getting up in the middle of the night, especially when it is cloudy, to answer nature’s call. It is a bit scary trying to find the path, in your pj’s, to the bathroom with only a small flashlight in your hands. You imagine, if you are like me, all the ways you could be hurt on the way. You watch for animals and creepy people possibly lurking in the shadows. 
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
In this parable, our Lord used a common object (a lamp) in a familiar scene (a home). The lamp was a clay dish filled with oil, with a wick put into the oil. In order to give light, the lamp had to “use itself up”; and the oil had to be replenished. If the lamp was not lit, or if it was covered up, it did the home no good. 
Our spiritual hearing determines how much we have to give to others. There is no sense trying to “cover things up” because God will one day reveal all things. I now remember what a great speaker told a crowd of listeners many years ago…”You cannot take a person farther down the road than you have been yourself.” What that means is you cannot speak God’s Word into someone else if you have not first been in God’s Word yourself with understanding for what God is telling us. Does that mean we know it all? Oh, no, of course not. BUT, it does mean that we KNOW where to go for help. We can tell others what has helped us along the way. We KNOW Who has the answers. We have the LIGHT in our hearts and hands to point the way. We point them to Jesus!
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior,
That’s how it is with seed planting. The conditions have to right for a harvest to be had. Jesus is talking to those who know about planting. He is speaking Truth into their hearts by starting with what they already know. Some will listen and “get it” and some will not. Some will refuse to get it and some will take it all in quickly and ravenously like a stared child. 
3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
At this point, Mark introduced a new word— parables (see Mark 3:23; 4:2, 10–11, 13, 33–34). Jesus explained the kingdom, not by giving a lecture on theology, but by painting pictures that captured the attention of the people and forced them to use their imaginations and think. Our English word parable comes from two Greek words that mean “to cast alongside” (para—alongside; ballo—to throw or cast). A parable is a story or figure placed alongside a teaching to help us understand its meaning. It is much more than “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,” and it certainly is not an “illustration” such as a preacher would use in a sermon. A true parable gets the listener deeply involved and compels that listener to make a personal decision about God’s truth and his or her life. So penetrating and personal are parables that, after they heard several of them, the religious leaders wanted to kill the Lord Jesus! (See Matt. 21:45–46.)
The FRUITFUL HEART (vv. 8, 20). This heart pictures the true believer, because fruit—a changed life—is the evidence of true salvation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 5:19–23). The other three hearts produced no fruit, so we conclude that they belong to persons who have never been born again. Not all true believers are equally as productive, but from every genuine Christian’s life, there will be some evidence of spiritual fruit. 
SO….as I read this passage of the enormous, but the completely possible work load of Jesus, I understand his family’s concern for his human well-being. But He is God and we are not. His family needed to realize that once more.
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
Our Lord was not being rude to His family when He remained in the house and did not try to see them. He knew that their motives were right but their purpose was definitely wrong. If Jesus had yielded to His family, He would have played right into the hands of the opposition. The religious leaders would have said, “See, He agreed with His family—He needs help! Don’t take Jesus of Nazareth too seriously.” Instead of giving in, He used this crisis as an opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson: His “family” is made up of all those who do the will of God. Our Lord’s half-brothers were not believers (John 7:1–5), and Jesus felt closer to the believing publicans and sinners than He did to James, Joses, Judah, and Simon, His half-brothers. 
Imagine being in the crowd of people following Jesus around town and country observing the miracle of sick people be restored to health. Imagine watching lame people walk again unassisted just by His word. There is something about Him that draws you to see what He will say and do next. Sometimes, no always, He does what you do not expect! It surprises and sometimes shocks you, but in a good way.
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles
When you compare the lists, it appears that the names are arranged in pairs: Peter and Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael [John 1:45]); Thomas and Matthew (Levi); James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James, not Iscariot [John 14:22]); Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. Since Jesus sent His apostles out two by two, this was a logical way to list them (Mark 6:7). 
Has God called you out the crowds to do a particular task for His glory? As a believer who is committed to learning and growing deeper in relationship to Jesus, loving and serving, while helping others find and follow Jesus, then you are doing what Jesus told his disciples to do! You’re called! You’re in!
Word has spread about The Healer, Jesus Christ. People are coming from cities and towns many miles away to get close enough to get a glimpse of Him. Hope of healing drives most of the people to Jesus. They do not know that His real mission is to save them and restore their relationship with God. They only know they are sick in need of being well again.
7 Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, 8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
No matter where He went, God’s Servant was thronged by excited crowds. Had Jesus been a “celebrity” and not a servant, He would have catered to the crowds and tried to please them. Instead, He withdrew from the crowds and began to minister especially to His disciples. Jesus knew that most of the people who pushed to get near Him were shallow and insincere, but His disciples did not know this. To avoid these mean from taking this “success” seriously, Jesus had to teach these men the truth about the crowds and the kingdom. 
Jesus has come to seek and to save the lost who need a way to come back to God. Jesus has the power to heal. We learned yesterday that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. But those who have been in charge before Jesus are not happy. Their power over people is being threatened. He is doing things they cannot and never thought about doing. Now, he has healed a hurting man with a deformed man…ON THE SABBATH! (Refer back to yesterday’s discussion.) 
3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
Jesus could see “the hardening of their hearts” (literal translation), and their sin made Him angry. Our Lord never became angry at the publicans and sinners, but He did express anger toward the self-righteous Pharisees (Matt. 23). They would rather protect their traditions than see a man healed! The man, of course, knew little about this spiritual conflict. He simply obeyed our Lord’s command, stretched out his hand, and was healed. 
Have you accepted His offer? 
Many waiters and waitresses in the restaurant industry will tell you that the most difficult day to serve people is Sunday! Many people who dress on the outside to fit the followers of people at the church where they attend are demanding and snarky to servers in the local establishments they hit before or after church. 
23 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. 24 But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
The Sabbath was cherished by the Jews as a sacred institution. God gave the people of Israel the Sabbath after they came out of Egypt, and it was a special sign between Israel and Jehovah (Ex. 31:13–17). There is no record in Scripture that God ever gave the Sabbath to any other nation. So, when Jesus began openly to violate the Sabbath traditions, it was like declaring war against the religious establishment. He began His campaign by healing a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years (John 5), and then followed with the events recorded in this section. 
Jewish tradition stated that there were thirty-nine acts that were strictly forbidden on the Sabbath. Moses had prohibited work on the Sabbath, but he did not give many specifics. It was wrong to kindle a fire for cooking, gather fuel, carry burdens, or transact business. But Jewish tradition went into great detail and even informed the people how far they could travel on the Sabbath (two hundred cubits, based on Josh. 3:4). In short, the Sabbath day had become a crushing burden, a symbol of the galling religious bondage that had captured the nation. 
QUESTION FOR REFLECTION
