Tag Archives: Gospel of Mark

Short Attention Span Theater

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 Many people were coming and going, so there was no time to eat. He said to the apostles, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” 32 They departed in a boat by themselves for a deserted place.

33 Many people saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran ahead from all the cities and arrived before them. 34 When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

35 Late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, “This is an isolated place, and it’s already late in the day. 36 Send them away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy something to eat for themselves.”

37 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

   But they said to him, “Should we go off and buy bread worth almost eight months’ pay and give it to them to eat?” (Mark 6:30-37, CEB)

They had just returned from a successful ministry trip. They had laid hands on the sick, cast out demons, proclaimed the gospel, and they excitedly told Jesus everything.

Then… POOF! Their memory is gone.

Jesus turns to them when this huge crowd shows up and says, “Well, go to it, guys!”

And they freak.

We have short attention spans when it comes to incredible blessings of God. We watch God come through in some powerful way and then the very next obstacle we hit we’re panicked all over again.

It happened to Elijah. He takes on the prophets of Baal and wins, then runs for his life when Jezebel threatens him.

Don’t live in the short attention span theater. Get the long view. Recount what God has done for you.

We used to sing out of this thing called a hymnbook in church when I was growing up. (It was a bit of a misnomer since many of the songs were really gospel songs, not hymns, but that’s another issue.) And in this hymnbook was a song called “Count Your Blessings.”

Name them one by one. Count your many blessings and see what God has done.

Take the time. Remember. Recall. Thank God. And get after the next miracle he is asking you to do!

Speaking Truth to Power May Cost You Your Head

The utopian thought we have with the “Occupy” movement (and other things) is the beautiful thought of “speaking truth to power.” It is so bold.

Unless, of course, it’s not.

Too often that phrase just really means, “I’m looking for a photo op.”

Speaking truth to power costs.

Ask Gandhi. Ask Martin Luther King, Jr. Ask Abraham Lincoln. (And Lincoln was “power” in a certain sense.)

Ask John the Baptist.

14 Herod the king heard about these things, because the name of Jesus had become well-known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and this is why miraculous powers are at work through him.” 15 Others were saying, “He is Elijah.” Still others were saying, “He is a prophet like one of the ancient prophets.”16 But when Herod heard these rumors, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised to life.” (Mark 6:14-16, CEB)

Sometimes you speak truth to power and you lose your head. It’s not quite as glamorous then.

Two Possible Responses to Jesus

In Mark 6 there are a couple of responses to Jesus.

In vv. 1-6 the people familiar with Jesus didn’t think much of who he had become. They launched into stories of “I remember little Jesus when he was following his daddy around with a hammer…”

In vv. 7-12 there is a different response.

7 He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put on two shirts. 10 He said, “Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. 11 If a place doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you leave, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should change their hearts and lives. 13 They cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with olive oil and healed them. (Mark 6:7-13, CEB)

We could actually go out and do what Jesus did.

He is our Savior. How will we respond?

Desperate Times and Desperate Measures

A swarm of people were following Jesus, crowding in on him. 25 A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors, and had spent everything she had without getting any better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. 28 She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll be healed. 29 Her bleeding stopped immediately, and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed.

30 At that very moment, Jesus recognized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:24b-30, CEB)

Imagine the incredible desperation, faith, and strength it took for that woman to make her way that day. It wasn’t just finding strength to get to a church and find a seat. It was to drag herself through a crowd just to get the opportunity to touch Jesus in some way.

And when she did touch him, the power left Jesus. He knew something had happened.

It’s not a matter of “touching Jesus,” it seems. It is how we touch Jesus.

May we be given to a holy pursuit… a desperate pursuit… in our lives!

The Willingness to Give Up the Distractions

When the Kingdom of God invades your life there is a decision to be made. The disciples hear the call of Jesus in Mark 1 and by the time he calls to them, they have determined he is worth it. They set aside the distractions of nets, and boats, and servants. Jesus was worth their full attention.

The Kingdom comes calling. The Kingdom invades our world. Are we ready to give up the distractions to give him the attention he deserves? He is worth it.

16 As Jesus passed alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,”he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 18 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 19 After going a little further, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. 20 At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers. (Mark 1:16-20, CEB)

Demons and Authority

In Mark 1 there is the story of Jesus casting out the demon in the synagogue. While we focus on the power encounter, Mark focuses on the authority. Twice in the same story he mentions the authority of Jesus to teach.

22 The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts.

27 Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, “What’s this? A new teaching with authority! (Mark 1: 22,27, CEB)

When we walking in the authority of the Kingdom, the enemy recognizes it. Jesus never went hunting for a power encounter. Power encounters found him.

The apostles never went hunting for power encounters. So it is with us.

When we are walking in the authority of the Kingdom, our priority is Matt. 6:33. Whatever happens after that is something we are truly prepared for. We need not worry or fear. The tools have been given.

When the people of God show up and are walking in authority, just know that sometimes that means the spiritual waters stir. Don’t seek it out specifically. And don’t shy away from it when those waters stir.

The Leading of the Spirit

12 At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. (Mark 1:12-13, CEB)

The Spirit did not lead very softly. The same Greek word for “force” is the same word used to talk about Jesus casting out demons.

We may not always understand that “force.” I have met many who do, and the stories they tell are amazing. When there is a compelling of the Spirit they know it.

One missionary I knew was under the direction of the Spirit to go to a village hostile to the gospel for several days. Every day he went they would physically harass him in some way. He would often come home bloody. The next day the Spirit would compel him to return to that village and stay at the task.

In so many ways we are just too soft in our culture. It is so hard to rise up and sense a compelling Spirit leading us into hard areas to go through something so necessary. Jesus was “forced” into a wilderness experience that empowered him for ministry.

Where are those areas in our own lives where the Spirit is truly compelling us… driving us… to move into a whole new realm of spiritual depth and insight?

Sudden Winds

I met with my spiritual mentor yesterday and we both found ourselves in awe of the Word of God yet again. It was one of those times where I think, “Good grief! How many times have I read that and NOT seen this?!”

The text was the end of Mark 4 and the beginning of Mark 5. The chapter break hurts us. We see the story of the disciples in the boat in Mark 4. The storm comes. Jesus is asleep, they wake him up… you know the story. And we leave it there.

Then, we pick up with Mark 5. Jesus sets the Gadarene demoniac free. Separate story.

What we pondered yesterday was how the stories were the same story, and the repercussions of that fact. The storm… sent by Satan? Why not? What was on the end of that journey? The Gadarene demoniac. A man who was tormenting an entire region. Satan had a stronghold. If Jesus gets there, the demoniac would be set free. The region would be loosed of its grip, possibly. (Now, the region still chooses to fear. They chase Jesus away, which is another sermon altogether!)

But Satan could see the pattern.

Thus, the storm.

The storm could be seen as “normal,” or it could be seen as a direct attack. A way to keep Jesus from reaching the demoniac.

It’s a powerful thought. What are the times in my life when I’ve identified “storms” and missed something? Was it an attack instead? The enemy blowing me off course so I didn’t reach some destination? I can look back and see some points in life where I could use 20/20 hindsight. There were times I was blown off course but at the time didn’t see it.

It’s a good way to stay alert. My own life needs to be able to discern those sudden storms. It’s not that they’re all “the devil.” But it’s not always “just a storm,” either.