The Pharisees have begun their plotting against Him, so Jesus withdraws to the sea. But it wasn't a quiet withdrawal because a "great multitude" is mentioned in both verses 7 and 8. People come from all the surrounding areas. His popularity is increasing.
But why do they come? Because of the "many things He was doing". They come not to hear the preaching or even the teaching but to see miracles!
How often do I want God to "do something" when He offers far greater?
Jesus fears the crowds would crush Him. I get the feeling that He is uncomfortable with this popularity. Sure He meets their needs for healing and getting rid of the unclean spirits, but He sternly warns the spirits "not to make Him known". He has enough popularity and pressure.
Once again the unclean spirits know who he is and bow down to Him. They have fought against Him in heaven because they wouldn't worship Him. Now they bow and admit He is indeed God.
But Christ has no need of spirit preachers and commands them to stop.
I have to have more than just a knowledge of Jesus before I can "make Him known". And Mark in the next section tells what this qualification is.
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miracles. Show all posts
Friday, 10 August 2007
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Mark 3:1-6 Sabbath: Good
I don't get why Jesus had to provoke this incident.
He could have waited and healed the man later, couldn't He? He knew the Pharisees were watching to see if he would heal on Sabbath, an offense in their sight, so why provoke them?
Mark, I guess, is trying to continue the theme of "new wine in new wineskins" ie. the new kingdom of God is to be lived out from very different motives. He already quotes Jesus saying "the Sabbath was made for man", now he's showing what "for man" means.
But is this really worth making people so mad that they would work together with their political enemies to destroy Him? He obviously thought so!
I really like the fact that He asks a question that would entrap his enemies. Obviously the Sabbath is a day to do good and to save life, even to the Pharisees keeping the Sabbath so God will notice them. But they are far too busy trying to catch Him breaking their little rules. So they won't answer.
This really irks Him. He looks angrily at each one.
I like this Jesus. Yes... there is a big problem here. They are concerned about looking good, God with doing good. God with saving life and they with immediately, on their precious Sabbath, going out to plot, with the Herodians of all people, to destroy Jesus.
Jesus is angry because they have hard hearts. My Strongs defines hardness as stupidity or callousness, blindness. They were blindly defending themselves and their ideas in the face of reality. We usually can't treat long-term brachial palsy these days, this man's hand could not be healed by a human. Couldn't they see that their little test proved that Jesus is indeed Lord?
So I guess Jesus is saying:
Hey, this has been another great Bible time for me. Thanks, Jesus! Make me more self forgetful and more healing.
He could have waited and healed the man later, couldn't He? He knew the Pharisees were watching to see if he would heal on Sabbath, an offense in their sight, so why provoke them?
Mark, I guess, is trying to continue the theme of "new wine in new wineskins" ie. the new kingdom of God is to be lived out from very different motives. He already quotes Jesus saying "the Sabbath was made for man", now he's showing what "for man" means.
But is this really worth making people so mad that they would work together with their political enemies to destroy Him? He obviously thought so!
I really like the fact that He asks a question that would entrap his enemies. Obviously the Sabbath is a day to do good and to save life, even to the Pharisees keeping the Sabbath so God will notice them. But they are far too busy trying to catch Him breaking their little rules. So they won't answer.
This really irks Him. He looks angrily at each one.
I like this Jesus. Yes... there is a big problem here. They are concerned about looking good, God with doing good. God with saving life and they with immediately, on their precious Sabbath, going out to plot, with the Herodians of all people, to destroy Jesus.
Jesus is angry because they have hard hearts. My Strongs defines hardness as stupidity or callousness, blindness. They were blindly defending themselves and their ideas in the face of reality. We usually can't treat long-term brachial palsy these days, this man's hand could not be healed by a human. Couldn't they see that their little test proved that Jesus is indeed Lord?
So I guess Jesus is saying:
- Sabbath is a day of forgetting how I look and doing what others really need
- Others really need salvation
- My hardness of heart bothers God, when my plans and positions take precedence over people
- Jesus is more concerned with having his enemies and me face reality than He is with His own preservation.
Hey, this has been another great Bible time for me. Thanks, Jesus! Make me more self forgetful and more healing.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Mark 1:44,45 Say Nothing
This morning I had just arrived at work when I got a phone call from my wife. My 17yo son had lost control of the car in the wet and had an accident. My 21 yo daughter was a passenger. My wife asked me to come immediately.
The spot was only 5 minutes drive away and the police were there directing traffic to a detour around the accident, which we couldn't see. It had happened on a downhill right-hander with a cliff rising from the left side of the road.. I was worried.! But apart from being shaken, neither driver nor passenger were injured. The car is already fixed and ready to go again.
He was running late for college, driving within the speed limit but too fast for the heavy rain. He had lost control on the corner, spun to the wrong side of the road, and then back to the left where the car spun up the side of the cliff prescribing an arc 20 metres long on the sandstone, back down to the verge over some shrubby trees and came to rest, still on the left side of the road, about 100 meters from where the slide started. At that busy time of day, no other car was near! The damage: one flat tyre, a broken headlight and a bent and mud-filled exhaust system!
The policewoman gave him a stern lecture on driving in wet conditions, but didn't book him. The firemen turned off the LPG in case of leaks and the tow truck operator (from Sydney - up here to help clear the 5000 storm damaged cars from the roads) made an interesting comment that I would not have expected from such a man.
He said "God was a passenger in this car today, it should have rolled!"
Yes God was good to our family today, even miraculously good.
Shouldn't we witness to the miracles in our lives and tell others about what God has done for us? Yet Jesus tells the healed leper not to tell anyone about it!
There are a few reasons I can think of:
The man proclaimed it freely, a very natural human response, one I just made!. And it looks like reason number four came true as Jesus could no longer "openly enter" Capernaum. He had to stay in the desert. But people still came from everywhere. He was still very attractive.
Do I concentrate just on the miraculous when He wants to do something more for me? Do I overlook the greatest things for just something good just now?
It seems Jesus never succumbed to the lure of fame. I would have become a showman, but Jesus retires. he would only meet people on His terms. Sure He would heal people, but only in the context of His preaching. It must have been around this time that He preached the sermon on the mount.
Reason 3 is all about fame and power in this world., But Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, a very different kingdom to any in this world.
Reason 2 is all about this temporary old world. Jesus didn't want to change the world., He wanted a completely new one, with a whole different way of operation, which we will see more about in Chapter Two, where we find out what is more important to Christ than miracles.
What could be more important than my kids being safe and well?
The spot was only 5 minutes drive away and the police were there directing traffic to a detour around the accident, which we couldn't see. It had happened on a downhill right-hander with a cliff rising from the left side of the road.. I was worried.! But apart from being shaken, neither driver nor passenger were injured. The car is already fixed and ready to go again.
He was running late for college, driving within the speed limit but too fast for the heavy rain. He had lost control on the corner, spun to the wrong side of the road, and then back to the left where the car spun up the side of the cliff prescribing an arc 20 metres long on the sandstone, back down to the verge over some shrubby trees and came to rest, still on the left side of the road, about 100 meters from where the slide started. At that busy time of day, no other car was near! The damage: one flat tyre, a broken headlight and a bent and mud-filled exhaust system!
The policewoman gave him a stern lecture on driving in wet conditions, but didn't book him. The firemen turned off the LPG in case of leaks and the tow truck operator (from Sydney - up here to help clear the 5000 storm damaged cars from the roads) made an interesting comment that I would not have expected from such a man.
He said "God was a passenger in this car today, it should have rolled!"
Yes God was good to our family today, even miraculously good.
Shouldn't we witness to the miracles in our lives and tell others about what God has done for us? Yet Jesus tells the healed leper not to tell anyone about it!
There are a few reasons I can think of:
- Healing was secondary to something else in Jesus ministry
- Healing is only here and now. Christ is focused on eternity
- Miracles would focus our attention on earthly power
- Focus on the miraculous doesn't allow Christ to do His real work
The man proclaimed it freely, a very natural human response, one I just made!. And it looks like reason number four came true as Jesus could no longer "openly enter" Capernaum. He had to stay in the desert. But people still came from everywhere. He was still very attractive.
Do I concentrate just on the miraculous when He wants to do something more for me? Do I overlook the greatest things for just something good just now?
It seems Jesus never succumbed to the lure of fame. I would have become a showman, but Jesus retires. he would only meet people on His terms. Sure He would heal people, but only in the context of His preaching. It must have been around this time that He preached the sermon on the mount.
Reason 3 is all about fame and power in this world., But Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, a very different kingdom to any in this world.
Reason 2 is all about this temporary old world. Jesus didn't want to change the world., He wanted a completely new one, with a whole different way of operation, which we will see more about in Chapter Two, where we find out what is more important to Christ than miracles.
What could be more important than my kids being safe and well?
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