Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

As a young child, caught in the act of peer pressure in behaving badly, my mom and dad sat me down and proceeded to deliver the punishment with the words many of us grew up with in our childhood: “If they decided to jump off a bridge, would you do it, too?!”  The first of many times I would hear this growing up, put fear into my being!

This question was not asked to be answered by me; but a definite way to tell me I am not to be that way in this family who follows Jesus.  This statement/question was usually followed up with a sermon of strong focus on: “Do not follow others into bad behavior—do what you know to be right and good.”  This kind of behavior of following the crowd is not going to be in your best interest.  Be different.

Two young disciples of Jesus are caught up in the world of power-seeking for a moment in their growing and learning.  With a little success under their belts in their followership of Jesus, their new hearts’ desires are to have greater positions with Jesus in the Kingdom of God! And why not?  That’s how the world around them displays power—in rank and position—so others will know how important they are.  Isn’t that how it works?

Mark 10, The Message

The Highest Places of Honor

³⁵ James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”

³⁶ “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”

³⁷ “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”

³⁸ Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”

^39-40 “Sure,” they said. “Why not?”

Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”

^41-45 When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

James and John need an attitude adjustment with a heart checkup.  Jesus, our Great Physician, is quick to diagnose with a remedy for healing.  “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.  Be different that the world!

Jesus was His followers Supreme Example, (and for us who believe) who had a desire to be like Him.  “I came to serve, not to be served—and then give away my life in exchange for many who area held hostage.”  This is different that what the world says and does.  Most of disciples will internalize this message and do great miracles and deliver powerful message in Jesus Name later, after Jesus goes back to His Father in heaven.  But for now, Jesus uses James and John’s foolish request as a teachable moment. Jesus helps them to see the difference between seeking Him and seeking what the world seeks.  He points out the differences.  World thinking seeks position and power so they can be on top and in control over others?  Well, “it’s NOT going to be that way with you.”  Jesus then shows them with His own life. 

Lesson learned—except for Judas.

Our response? 

If we truly believe in Jesus and want to follow in His steps to be like Him, we will seek to serve, not to be served. We will not be of the world but go into all the world and tell the Good News to the hostages held by sin that they too can be freed from the bondage, free to love, free to serve with freedom to tell others!  

Oh Lord,

This wanting it all, to lord over all, is an age-old problem that began with Satan who wanted not just to be like you but want to be You! But You changed everything, dear Jesus, when you gave your life in exchange for ours!  You defeated once and for all the real enemy—the prince of this world. 

Thank you for not only saving our souls but giving us power to live differently—to be more like you—which is different that how the world teaches us to be.  Help me to be more and more like you and less like my nature that tends to follow the crowd because it’s easier. 

Be our strength and wisdom to be different.  Give us the right words to say to make a difference in this world by telling your story for your glory so others will also know how to escape and follow you.  May our new life of service be pleasing to you—even today.  This world is not our home, we are only travelers on our way to You.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

As I was putting away supplies after Sunday School class before the worship service began, I saw a little girl frantically run by the door.  She was on her way to the bathroom.  Not having quite mastered all the skills of potty training, she was doing her best to take down her overalls in order to make it on time.  I asked if I could help her.  Because I knew her well, had cared for her and brother often, she accepted my help.  She almost made it.  I was encouraging her but she sadly said, “I’ll never be good at this and I’ll never be a big gurl.”  Toddlers try so hard to do good and be good.

Sometimes we adults act like toddlers when we think that doing all the right things, attending many church meetings, volunteering for everything, and going to church every time the doors are opened is the way to be considered “good” and will earn us a place in God’s Kingdom.  However, it is not.  Wait, what?!

Mark 10, The Message

To Enter God’s Kingdom

¹⁷ As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

^18-19 Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”

²⁰ He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

²¹ Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

²² The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

^23-25 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

²⁶ That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

²⁷ Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

²⁸ Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

^29-31 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

^32-34 Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Working hard in an effort to earn our way into God’s Kingdom, on our terms, breeds boasting and arrogance within us and feeds our egos.  This is not of God.  Earning “points for goodness” is not how God works.  Blessed are those who know this!  Blessed are those who know they need God, the only One who is truly Good. There is nothing we can do to be good enough compared to the goodness of God. It is in the being with God who makes us holy unto Him. 

God looks at the heart as our true measure of devotion to Him.

Is Jesus telling us that all the things we do will never be good enough?  Absolutely not.  He is warning us that focusing exclusively on doing good things can get in the way of what God wants to be and can stand in the way and actually block our view of God!  We who are told excessively and consistently from infant to adult to “be good” and “do your best” progresses at times to “be the best—better than all the others.” It is then that we digress to being good as if our goodness was the goal.  It is not.  A heart fully committed to God, believing in His Son, trusting in His plan and obeying what He says is the goal. God is good.  Follow what He says because He is good. 

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

We followers can get so easily wrapped up in the busyness of doing good that we become no good to anyone.  We begin to tire easily when just “doing good for goodness’s sake” becomes our mantra and habit.  This way of life leads to pride, especially when we are doing good craving for the attention, applause, and recognition.  I’m pretty sure that’s what the rich man who followed all the commandments to the letter thought he was going to hear from Jesus— “what a good man you are”!  But that’s not want he heard!  Jesus knew what was standing between the young man and God—his wealth.

BELIEVE, BE STILL BEFORE GOD, THEN DO—IN THAT ORDER

James says, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:14-17, NLT 

In other words, our faith in God leads the actions of our belief in God!  It’s all about God!  Our love and devotion to God leads us to do what God asks…be of good service in Jesus Name for His Glory! 

Lord,

Don’t let us become so busy doing that we forget being with you.  As one who makes lists to accomplish, I pray that your agenda, your will be done, in every detail of my life every day.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

We are about to read the passage that prickles the hair on the backs of those who have experienced divorce.  I am praying for you and I hope you will keep reading.  I’ve watched as men and women grieve in the pain of separating “what no man (or woman) should have torn apart” in vows originally said. Divorce is wildly acceptable in our culture today but full of hurt and devastation. But guess what this malady was also rampant in Moses’ day.  But there was a definite difference in how it all played out.  Women were not considered in the separation—just let behind. Men treated them as property to be discarded. 

So, Moses asked God what to do about the situation of selfish men leaving their wives in destitution with no means of survival. As a temporary solution and concession, a “certificate of divorce” was created for this act of whim and selfishness of men.  It also became a way to protect the woman left without means of support and freed them to marry again.  Down through the generations, it became a matter of “legality” and a concession for men to walk away from what God intended for good. 

It seems mankind continually seeks “loopholes” to avoid complete obedience to God.  This is just one more way.  The hurt that causes bitterness grieves God as He watches those who go through it and are affected by divorces of relationships.

Perspective: God’s Word tells us clearly “God hates divorce” but do we realize why? (Malachi 2:16) God hates and grieves over what clearly hurts us deeply in ways that affect families forever.  I was told from a grieving divorced woman that death of a family member is final and though we mourn it is a little easier to move forward than in a divorce situation where the hurt plays out repeatedly as it affects our children and their children.  So yes, God hates what hurts us deeply and affects our relationships with each other forever. 

Marriage takes work—daily and forever! This work pays off exponentially!  Since marriage is God’s work of “art” in two people who love each other, God helps us in the work of perfecting His love in both the man and the woman who love Him.  Realize also that God designed man and woman to be different—on purpose—not just for reproducing and not to produce quarrels over our differences, but to bond a man and a woman with His strength, power, and wisdom to face the challenges of life on earth together while doubling their contribution in this world.  God’s Word also points out that because of our differences, “two become better than one!”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

Mark 10, The Message

^1-2 From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”

⁴ They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”

^5-9 Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

^10-12 When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”

* * *

^13-16 The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Marriage is a work of art by God’s design.  I pray for all who are married to let God do in our marriages what He wants—for what He wants is always best!  If you don’t know what that is—Pray, ask God, He will tell us!  He would rather we face our difference with His wisdom and help as opposed to seeking a certificate of divorce that causes pain forever.

If hopelessness overwhelms, seek forgiveness for failed relationships. He is the God who heals!  God sees us, knows what we need, knows what we are going though and knows we are not perfect.  God offers perfect and complete forgiveness through Jesus.  Jesus restores hope and heals our broken hearts.  There is nothing that we have done that He won’t forgive.  God loves us and wants to help us.  God tells us He even delights in all the details of our lives, so tell Him!  (Psalm 37:23) There is no one like our God!

Parents who brought their children to Jesus are to be commended for their dedication to Jesus.  The disciples missed it, but we who are parents do not miss what the parents were doing.  We do the same as we strive to consistently bring our children to the One who saves us all for eternity. Childlike faith that trusts God completely—without seeking “loopholes” to disobey, which is childish—is what God seeks from all of us.  Jesus said it and I believe it!

Trust God.  Here’s why—

“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  Isaiah 41:13

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  John 3:16-17

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.” Isaiah 54:4

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  I Corinthians 13:1-7, ESV

“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.  God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus.Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear.  We love because God first loved us.” 1 John 4:16-19

Lord,

I praying in gratitude over these promises and help for direction!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

We all want to be first, be the best, be the star of the show, and be chose to lead the group.  Being first means we can do what we want and not be told what to do by anyone else. Being first is what we seek above all else because we think that is the most honored place to be.  And isn’t that what we are seeking most—respect and honor as well as one who is important?  It’s so elementary.

I have spoken about this flaw in our being often in this blog.  As a first grade teacher, I groaned and signed as first graders fought wildly to be the first in line to go anywhere!  What a display of basic human nature!  Do we teach our children that or do they come by it naturally?  Either way, it’s not pretty or pleasing to God.

We see it even in Jesus’ disciples, those who walk with Him each day.  His followers who left home to follow Jesus watch Him pray to God, work tirelessly to serve others while relating to people with a tender love they have never encountered.  They watch Jesus as He consistently looks up as if getting a nod from God before doing anything significant as He listens for His Father’s response with direction. Yes, these disciples, who are human, but are learning and transforming, as they watch the Son of Man/Son of God be guided by God, who is greater still and Who gives His Son the power to heal the numbers of people who will stand in line for hours just for His touch of love that heals all wounds and disabilities.  Their minds are blown by Jesus who serves.

However, while Jesus displays the ultimate way to be a Servant, what do they do?  They argue about who will be first, who will lead the group, and who desires the honor of being the greatest disciple ever!  They even complain to Jesus about another group who are doing good but not in their group. Wait, what?!  Yes, and I am sorry to say, we still do this regularly in God’s church today—subtly and arrogantly at times.  Sigh.

Mark 9, The Message

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the road?”

³⁴ The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest.

³⁵ He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”

^36-37 He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me.”

* * *

³⁸ John spoke up, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t in our group.”

^39-41 Jesus wasn’t pleased. “Don’t stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath slam me. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.

⁴² “On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.

^43-48 “If your hand or your foot gets in God’s way, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.

^49-50 “Everyone’s going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you’ll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23 NIV

This is a familiar verse, but let’s back it up and read what comes before and after this verse—

“Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

There’s nobody living right, not even one,
    nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.
They’ve all taken the wrong turn;
    they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.
No one’s living right;
    I can’t find a single one.
Their throats are gaping graves,
    their tongues slick as mudslides.
Every word they speak is tinged with poison.
    They open their mouths and pollute the air.
They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year,
    litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,
Don’t know the first thing about living with others.
    They never give God the time of day.

This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.” Romans 3:9-20, MSG

And then Paul explains further that Jews and Gentiles (everyone else not born a Jew), who are in the same boat, have a Way out—Jesus!  Only Jesus can save us!

“The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.”  Romans 3:21-26, MSG

Believe and be saved!  We cannot save ourselves even though we think we can if we are arrogant and push others out of our way, work hard enough to earn it or are boastful enough, thinking God owes us.  Yikes!  Don’t play that game!  No, instead we lay down this “wanting to be first and best” in our human nature and put on the new nature of Jesus—who served.  (See Philippians 2) We are only redeemed by the One who died in our place for our sins. What Jesus did set us free and made us right with God.  Only Jesus.

“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:26-28, NLT

Our response?

• Be different.
• Be like Jesus.
• Be a servant who loves Jesus and others.
• Believe, then be last in line and first to serve so others may know Him, too.

Lord,

Thank you for your supreme example of how to serve, not seeking to be served.  Thank you for teaching us how to run from the temptation to seek first place as we become servants guided by you. Thank you for saving our souls and making us right with you.  Continue to daily cleanse our hearts, remove all that offends and saddens you, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your new mercies, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us to make us more like you.  I love you, Lord.  I’m yours.  All of me.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

And we’re singing…Old hymn (1898) with timeless truth…We can only live for Jesus by His power living in us…we have nothing to boast about but Christ in us!

Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?
Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?
Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?
Let Him have His way with thee.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

We use the word if many times each day.  If I get to it, then I’ll do it.  If you do this then I can do that.  If food is bought a meal can be made.  If money comes in then bills can be paid.  If becomes a bargaining chip and is a weak prayer that all will be well if… 

We are all ‘iffers.” Admit it.  We need more confidence in the One with whom we believe and commune with daily.

Here is the story of a loving parent who cares for his son who has truly debilitating problems that affect the quality of life for both father and son.  The boy’s issues keep the father on high alert for his son who could hurt himself at any time, day or night.  Demons have also taken over the boy with the goal of ending his life tragically.  This parent must be tired, stressed, and full of constant worry.  Then he hears of a healer with followers who might be of help to his son.  He takes the boy to him but only a few disciples are there.

This father is in dire need so he turns to the disciples. The disciples go through the motions they think Jesus would do but healing does not happen.  And the father’s prayer over the years of watching over his boy hasn’t been with much confidence, but the answer is, and the result reminds us:

The power is not in the prayer; it’s in the One who hears it.

The father of this boy prayed out of desperation. His son was deaf with epileptic seizures, and demon-possessed since childhood.  This evil spirit prodded the boy to throw himself into fires and water to harm himself.  Imagine the pain of the father who watched his boy go through this daily. While other boys run and play, his boy suffers greatly.  While others were teaching their sons an occupation, he was just trying to keep his son alive. He was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both;

“If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

How many times has the if word slipped into our prayers of desperation? 

Mark 9, The Message

There Are No Ifs

^14-16 When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, “What’s going on? What’s all the commotion?”

^17-18 A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”

^19-20 Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.

^21-22 He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

²³ Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

²⁴ No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

^25-27 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.

²⁸ After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”

²⁹ He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer.”

^30-32 Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know their whereabouts, for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive.” They didn’t know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is God.  We are not God.  We all worry over that which we cannot fix which leads to our doubts.  Yes, this is not the best way to think but we go there when stressed.  However, God knows us well.  God created us.  He knows exactly what we need when we need it.  Jesus’ lesson on using the word “if” when asking for help teaches not only the man with his son but also informs his disciples around him as well as the crowd looking on who are wondering what will happen next! 

But take heart!  This is only the beginning of teaching all of us to pray with confidence minus the doubts of “if;” taught by Jesus himself to those who want to grow in our faith!

Max Lucado writes;

“One word would have made a lot of difference. Instead of if, what if he’d said since? “Since you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.” But that’s not what he said. He said if. The Greek is even more emphatic. The tense implies doubt. It’s as if the man were saying, “This one’s probably out of your league, but if you can . . .”  More meek than might. More timid than towering. More like a crippled lamb coming to a shepherd than a proud lion roaring in the jungle. If his prayer sounds like yours, then don’t be discouraged, for that’s where prayer begins.  It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. Ordinary people staring at Mount Everest. No pretense. No boasting. No posturing. Just prayer. Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless.” 

At first read, we may only notice Jesus’ reprimand and miss the lesson of trust and assurance.  Though the man used the word if—Jesus healed his son.  Though the disciples didn’t heal the son, Jesus continued to teach them because of his love for them.  Everyone watching saw the power of the One to whom our prayers are directed.  Jesus teaches a different way of talking to God with confidence.  Lesson learned.

“Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”  Maybe we should add this cry for help to our feeble prayers caused by desperation.

And remember— The power is not in the prayer; it’s in the One who hears it.

Avoid going through the motions of others who we have watched pray.  Avoid wondering if we are saying it right.  Have the confidence to know that God hears and looks at the heart of the one talking to Him with knowing what we really need and delivers us.

Since you know, Lord, we believe in what you think is best! 

One word changes our perspective.  Praying in Jesus Name, trusting He hears us, changes everything!

Lord,

Hallowed is your Name.  May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In Jesus Name,  Amen

A visit from a loved one is so special! The arrival of someone you care about is such a joyful experience.  We always plan fun activities with this dear friend or family member who we haven’t seen in ages as they prepare to come.  Excitement builds as we prepare a place for them to stay in our home so we do all we can to make their stay special.  We clean out the closets, spruce up and decorate that part of our home where they will stay.  We fill the fridge with good eats that we know they love. And we cancel everything else in our schedules so we can sit and enjoy each other without interruptions.  It is a joy to please those we care about and serve them in ways we know will please them.  It’s not about us, it’s about them.

What if we knew when the arrival of Jesus was going to happen, in all His glory ready to display the Kingdom of God?  

Are we ready? 

Are plans being made to please Him now and then when He comes? 

Are we ready and willing to serve “in the wait”?

Is our excitement building? 

Are we anticipating Him with “joy unspeakable and full of glory”? (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Yesterday we read this as a precursor to Jesus driving the point home about our “soul trading.”

“Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

“If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”  Mark 8:34-38

Mark 9, The Message

Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”

In a Light-Radiant Cloud

^2-4 Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.

^5-6 Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.

⁷ Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”

⁸ The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.

^9-10 Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. “Don’t tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you’re free to talk.” They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth “rising from the dead” meant.

¹¹ Meanwhile they were asking, “Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?”

^12-13 Jesus replied, “Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus’ three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, got a foretaste of the arrival of the Kingdom of God in “full force” of glory and power—a glimpse of what it means to be transformed from this life to our forever Kingdom life.  Wow!  Pause to take it all in!

Peter, still learning, interrupts the majesty of the moment—just like that student in class who is asks questions or offers comments before all the instructions are given.

But God interrupts Peter!  It’s almost as if God is saying to Peter, “Quiet, listen to your Teacher!  “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”

Who is a Peter?  I am!  I don’t know about you, but God must interrupt me with thoughts of higher, heavenly thinking more often that I care to admit.  God’s Holy Spirit calls me to truly “be still,” let go of self, to gain more of God so I can know Him intimately.  (Psalm 46:10) God interrupts my agenda to remind me of His ultimate purpose and plan.  God loves me enough, more than enough, to interrupt and remind me that His plans are “not meant to harm me but to prosper me” in my relationship with Him and with others. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Oh, how I love God/Jesus/Holy Spirit even more when He does this because this helps to remind me of His promise to always be with me.  My puny plans cannot come close to the glory and power of what He wants to do in me and though me.  Like Peter, it took me a while to learn to “listen to Him”!

The three closest to Jesus, after seeing the transfiguration of the Son of Man as the Son of God, still did not understand what “rising from the dead” meant—but they will.  And because of their passionate testimony of Jesus while passing on the Truth about Jesus death and resurrection—we do!  Or we should.  This is what Peter will preach (and write in a letter) later—

“What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation”. 1 Peter 1:3-9, MSG

Jesus rising from the dead is the victory over death, enabling all who believe in Him to have eternal life.  Jesus is our Hope!  Jesus’ work on earth changes everything for us for eternity!  And Jesus is coming back! 

Are we planning and preparing for the Great Arrival of the One who loves us most? That will be the Day!

Lord,

You restore hope in us as we read this passage today!  Your Word and Spirit living in us remind us who we are in you, why you came, what you did on earth to make a Way—the only Way to reconcile us in relationship with You, God, the Father.  Help us to love like you love us.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your new mercies for today, interrupt as often as needed, remove what offends you in us, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us.  Now, I’m ready for your arrival!

In Jesus Name, For your Glory, Amen

You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You, I worship You

You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness My God, that is who You are…

(Way Maker by Osinachi Okoro, Sung by many!)

Mark 8, The Message

The Messiah

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”

²⁸ “Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’”

²⁹ He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”

^30-32 Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.

^32-33 But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”

^34-37 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

³⁸ “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

First we worship and praise Jesus, unashamedly, for who He truly is…

You are here, touching every heart
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, healing every heart
Healing every heart
Oh, I worship You
Jesus, I worship You
You’re turning lives around
You are here, oh, turning lives around
I worship You, I worship You
You mended every heart
You are here, and You are mending every heart
I worship You, I worship You

And You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You’re the way maker
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are…

Yes, Jesus confronts us with the same question as we daily come to Him,

“Who do YOU say I AM?” Do you really believe that what God says about Me, and what I say with what I did for you, really real?  What we say we believe will always be reflected in our behaviors.  So, will our behaviors be a reflection of Jesus Christ or those in the world? 

Will we go along with what media and other influential people tell us we must do to be liked and acceptable to them?

Who guides our decisions of what to wear and how to wear it, what to eat, how to “have it our way” in all circumstances, what to drive, what home to live in, what job to do that will give us power and pleasure along with what we do to our bodies, and how we manage the environment in which we live?

Who do our souls belong to?  Jesus clarifies simply and directly: “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

Who is Jesus?  What do you say?  I ask myself this morning, am I the “fickled and unfocused” who isjust trying to get by without a thought or care about who God is and what He wants to do in me or one who unashamedly proclaims who Jesus is and what He has done for, not only me, but for the world of all kinds of people that God loves with a desire to save them from themselves and His enemy? 

God wants no one to perish but have everlasting life!  That’s who God is and why He sent His One and Only Son to earth to die for our sins at the hands of a torturous world of unbelievers so that we who believe can be saved!  This is the gospel.  THIS is real Love demonstrated for us.  THIS is what we tell others about Him!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Lord,

Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing my soul by removing all that offends you and hinders our relationship—all while restoring your joy and peace of your salvation at work within me!  You are Jesus Christ, Messiah come to save us!  You are King of kings and Lord of lords.  You are my Savior and my Lord.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever, Amen!

In Jesus Name, Lead us. Yes, and Amen!

And we’re singing…

Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working

Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
that is who You are

Oh, His name is above
His name is above depression
His name is above loneliness
Oh, His name is above disease
His name is above cancer
His name is above every other name

Yes, That is who You are
That is who You are
And that is who You are
Oh, I know that is who You are
That is who You are…

Thank you, dear Jesus!

Years ago, one of my tasks in full time ministry was to plan the yearly denominational event where representatives came in to praise, worship, learn, and grow in Jesus.  If attenders didn’t know Jesus, they were given an opportunity to know, accept and follow Jesus in this week-long celebration for all ages.  The work assigned to me was to make sure all ages had a safe, loving environment so that the “most was made of every opportunity”, as Paul writes, to tell the story of Jesus through special speakers, infamous musicians, comedians, and other artists.  This included securing many caring adult volunteers to help attenders feel welcome while meeting their needs.  Our goal was for all in attendance to have nothing that stands in the way of growing in Jesus.  But we are humans—not everyone “gets it.”  And we missed a detail.

As a staff we would give the attenders opportunity to evaluate their experience in efforts to improve our service to reach the intended goal of knowing and following Jesus.  Most people wrote beautiful testimonies of how God’s Spirit spoke to their hearts, taught them a new perspective of thinking, or led them to Jesus for the first time! 

But one year, there was this one evaluation that troubled me greatly.  She wrote a scathing, all caps, review of our lack of concern for hot tea drinkers.  Wait, what now?  She wrote paragraph after paragraph of the prejudice the planners had against those who drank tea and it was proven each day by not providing hot water and tea bags at the hospitality table where coffee, water and cookies were provided after each session of the event.  She spent a week with others who were seeking to learn more about how to follow Jesus and she just didn’t understand the goal.

“Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?” Oh, Jesus, I hear you!                         

Mark 8, The Message

Contaminating Yeast

^13-15 He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side. But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn’t a crumb in the boat. Jesus warned, “Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod.”

^16-19 Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard and said, “Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all? Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

They said, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?”

“Seven.”

²¹ He said, “Do you still not get it?”

^22-23 They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch. Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man’s eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, “Do you see anything?”

^24-26 He looked up. “I see men. They look like walking trees.” So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus. Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, “Don’t enter the village.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

No one is perfect.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Everyone needs of a Savior and Lord to lead and navigate us through this world. 

Not everyone gets it when we get it.  Be like Jesus, who lovingly goes over it again and again and again…until that ah-ha moment when truth sinks in.

Sometimes we don’t get it!  His Holy Spirit will patiently guide us to Truth as many times as it takes until we internalize what Jesus is really saying to us with love, mercy, and grace.

Jesus’ warnings are for us to keep us from falling for evil’s temptations to sin which leads us through unnecessary pain and hurt and eventually to death unless we heed his words of compassion to us. 

Our sins hurt us and those around us.  But we sin anyway.  God knew we would and made a Way.  Jesus took our sins and carried them to a cross where they were crucified.  He died so that we may live.  He redeemed us!  He rose again three days later to prove He was indeed King of kings and Lord of lords.  This is Truth in the flesh who came down to seek and to save the lost—us! 

This is God’s demonstration of His love for us! 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?

I cried at the words written by “tea bag” lady all those years ago as I sat in my office. What she said broke my heart—but not for me.  I cried, not because she hurt me but I wept over her inability to see, hear, or grasp the “point of all this.”  I prayed that someday she would.  God taught me to do that and gave me the power to pray this prayer.  To Him be the glory.

We are all at different stages of growth and understanding as we gather in God’s church and then be sent out to tell the world about Jesus.   So, I pause here to ask myself, am I as willing as Jesus to go over the Truth as many times as it takes to be understood? 

Do I understand Truth enough to tell it?  Does His Holy Spirit take me aside at times to ask, “Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?” (Yes, He does!) 

None of us have arrived, but this one thing I know…I believe what God says is real.

I still don’t get all of what God is saying to me—no one can!  It’s more than we humans can wrap our brains around! But what I do know I share. I really believe all that God says to be Truth.  I believe His Son, Jesus, was born of a virgin, grew in stature from boy to adult as the Son of Man while being the Son of God.  I believe Jesus was God in flesh sent to the earth with one important mission—to save us and reconcile (reconnect) us to our Father, God.

Oh disciples—bless your hearts—I get you, I’m just like you at times!  Once I was blind, but now I see.  Once I was lost but now I’m found.  All because of Jesus.

Lord,

Thank you for your compassion even in our dullness. Thank you for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, refreshing and feeding our souls while restoring the joy of your salvation at work within all of us seeking to learn more so we can be more—like you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

A better question to ask ourselves these days might be, “What do we expect of Jesus?”  Mankind is so fickle.  A man or woman will “try” Jesus expecting a 30-day guarantee of a miraculous, trouble free, no pain life or their investment of money/time back as they return Jesus if not fully satisfied—as they would any product.  How sad we humans are that we have fallen to this level of thinking in our world.  We demand the greatest return while investing little to no trust, faith, belief, commitment, devotion, with an unconditional deep love for Jesus.

I’ll love you—but only if you do what I say and feel what I feel and satisfy all my needs. 

I’ll help you—but only if you applaud me for helping and for sure, help me when I need you. 

I’ll give—but only if I see what is in it for me.

Is this condition of humans found only in the world—or among His followers?

Mark 8, The Message

A Meal for Four Thousand

^1-3 At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, “This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they’ll faint along the way—some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples responded, “What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?”

⁵ He asked, “How much bread do you have?”

“Seven loaves,” they said.

^6-10 So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected. There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home. He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha.

^11-12 When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall. Provoked, he said, “Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you’ll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

His disciples responded, “What do you expect us to do about it?  The prince of this world (Satan) was probably smiling when the disciples who had done this before expressed their feeling to Jesus with this question.  What were they thinking?  The disciples had fed even more people—over 5000 people with less bread and fish not too long ago on their journey with Jesus.

We in the church so quickly forget when we are tired, worn out in doing good, and just want to live life without all the interruptions of people who need us to do what Jesus asks us to be and do, right?!  We are not perfect people but we are perfectly forgiven by a Savior who understands all our “feels”.  I don’t know if you have noticed this about yourself, but I have discovered that I must put my own feeling aside or nothing of value will get accomplished in God’s Kingdom work of seeking the lost and pointing them to salvation in Jesus. 

“What do you expect us, Lord?

Confession: There are days of weariness when I sit and wonder if following what God says to be and do worth all this effort.  It is then I am quickly reminded by God’s Holy Spirit that my “feelings” which change hourly don’t have anything to do with God’s power working in and through me.  If we are too weary to care—take a nap, stop, and breathe—which sometimes is the most spiritual thing we can do when sarcasm enters into our thoughts, flows through our lips and affects how we feel along with others around us.

The disciples’ comment seems a bit sarcastic: “Buy food out here in the desert?”  But Jesus does not let their sarcasm or weariness stop Him from doing what God, His Father, has given Him to be and do.  Seven loaves of bread turned into seven baskets of leftovers!

As soon as this miracle took place they left by boat to another town to seek and to save the lost.  The badgering, arrogant Pharisees came out in full force against Him.  Show us a miracle to prove who you are was their mantra but that is not really what they are after—they want to maintain their positions and control.  Jesus isn’t having any of this human desire of seeking and answers, “Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you’ll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee.”

Mm.  Is that the only thing I expect from Jesus? –A miraculous guarantee to get me out of my troubles caused by poor decisions or unfairness? 

Lord, what do you expect of me?  Well, there IS scripture that tells exactly what God expects…“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Jesus will fulfill this requirement and more as our example of living God’s way.  Jesus is the standard for believing, trusting, loving, and behaving. 

Lord,

There are so many lessons from this short passage in Mark for us to “chew on” and apply to our daily lives of thinking and behaving.  Help us, Lord to hear your voice above all other voices and follow you. When we are tired, remove the sarcasm that seeps in that offends you.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your new mercies, and restore the joy and peace which energizes us as you work out your salvation within us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

At first reading it disturbs our thinking because we have been taught that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Even non-believers know or have heard of this verse.  Is Jesus for everyone or not?  When we reread the passage, we see the compassion in Jesus for the woman who is not a Jew, not a person deemed “God’s chosen people,” but a person who has only heard of Jesus and believes strongly in His power to heal—and Jesus is impressed.

Could it be that Jesus, Son of Man guided by God, know that leaving the highly Jewish populated area to travel into Tyre and the Ten Towns, regions mostly populated of Gentiles would solidify God’s proclamation that He loved and provided for everyone who believes?   

Mark 7, The Message

^24-26 From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn’t think he would be found, but he couldn’t escape notice. He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet, begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter.

²⁷ He said, “Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.”

²⁸ She said, “Of course, Master. But don’t dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?”

^29-30 Jesus was impressed. “You’re right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone.” She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.

^31-35 Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns. Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him. He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man’s ears and some spit on the man’s tongue. Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, “Ephphatha!—Open up!” And it happened. The man’s hearing was clear and his speech plain—just like that.

^36-37 Jesus urged them to keep it quiet, but they talked it up all the more, beside themselves with excitement. “He’s done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus performed miracles as He ministered to the Gentiles in the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is the only recorded instance of our Lord actually leaving Palestine. He was practicing what He had just taught the disciples: There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, for all are sinners and need the Savior.

Against all odds…There was resistance in this story of the Gentile woman. It must have seemed to her like everything was against her. First, her nationality was against her: She was a Gentile, and Jesus was a Jew. Besides that, she was a woman, and society in that day was dominated by the men. Satan was against her, for one of his demons had taken control in her daughter’s life. The disciples were against her; they wanted Jesus to send her away and let Him (and them) have some rest. For a time, it looked as though even Jesus was against her! It was not an easy situation, and yet she triumphed because of her great faith.

Her reply revealed that faith had triumphed. She did not deny the special place of the “children” (Jews) in God’s plan, nor did she want to usurp it. All she wanted were a few crumbs of blessing from the table, for, after all, “salvation comes through the Jews” (John 4:22). It must have made Jesus’ heart rejoice when she took His very words and used them as a basis for her plea! She accepted her place, she believed His Word, and she persisted in her plea, and Jesus not only met her need, but commended her for her faith!

Warren Wiersbe helps us to understand the culture and times with his commentary:  “The region of “Ten Towns” was also Gentile territory, but before Jesus left the region, the people were glorifying the God of Israel (Matthew 15:30, 31). The man they brought to Jesus was handicapped both by deafness and an impediment in his speech, and Jesus healed him. This miracle is recorded only by Mark and would have been especially appreciated by his Roman readers, since this region was like a “Rome away from Rome.”

“Jesus’ word “Ephphatha” is an Aramaic word that means “be opened, be released.” The man did not hear Jesus speak, but the creation heard the command of the Creator, and the man was healed. Both the tongue and the ears functioned normally again.”

I don’t know about you, but my response to this passage is joy unspeakable and full of glory!  I am rejoicing that God is for everyone one of His created!  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost without God—everyone! 

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:9-13, NIV

“In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.”  Galatians 3:28, MSG

I’m standing on the promises of God! 

Lord,

You are God and we are not.  I trust in you, dear Jesus.  I lean on the Your Holy Spirit for wisdom, insight and understanding that goes beyond my own.  Thank you for balancing the scales that are skewed by the world of prejudice, judgement, jealousy, position seeking, arrogance, and pride.  You love each individual in the world who believes and follows in Your ways.  EVERY person no matter where we come from or who we associate with before knowing you, is welcomed into your Kingdom to grow in an intimate relationship with you through the work of the cross.  The cross indeed was the final word and work of salvation for all!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I want to love like you love me—with no conditions.  Help us, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

And we’re singing and praising…

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Verse 2
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God…