Monday, April 30, 2007

Mark 10:46-52

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.



BACKGROUND READING:


Matthew 20:29-34


Mark 10:35-45


Isaiah 35



Dig Deeper

As we have seen previously, one of the major themes that Mark has stressed throughout his book is the topic of sight. In particular, he has raised questions about seeing and understanding who Jesus is. His disciples have had difficulty in understanding who he is, and what his kingdom movement is about. When Jesus asked James and John what He could do for them, their response was to ask for favors. They were only thinking about themselves and did not yet understand what it meant to give up everything and take on a Kingdom way of thinking and viewing the world.


Now, Mark will bring all of those themes and threads together in this one, brief story about a blind man named Bartimaeus. Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. It is important to note that Jericho is a usually very warm city. On their way out, they see Bartimaeus by the side of the road, begging. When he sees Jesus he begins to shout: Jesus, Son of David. The crowds react negatively to his pleading, but the question is why. "Son of David" means that this man was calling Jesus the rightful king of Israel. This is the kind of thing that could get you killed in a province that was controlled by the fearsome Roman empire. There was also a danger that they might kill several people in the crowd, thinking that this was some sort of revolutionary movement beginning. They don’t want Bartimaeus drawing any unnecessary attention to them. Bartimaeus, however, doesn’t seem to care. He realizes that this Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Mark’s point in conveying this story to us is that this man has the kind of faith and understanding of who Jesus is, that took his disciples so long to understand.


Jesus eventually has the man called over to him, and then Mark draws our attention to a small but remarkable detail. He says, throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. Why would a man need a cloak in such a warm town? It is because he was using it to spread on the ground to collect donations. In understanding who Jesus is, Bartimaeus has demonstrated a tremendous amount of faith. He has cast aside everything he has to come to Jesus. There is no hint of clinging to his past life for security. He’s not worried about what might happen to him without his cloak, his faith has been put in Jesus. Thus, rather than picking up his cloak and bringing it with him, he has very intentionally cast it aside. He seems to know that he will no longer need it. In Mark’s eyes, Bartimaeus is showing us the kind of faith that Jesus has said is necessary to be a part of his Kingdom. Bartimaeus has truly laid aside everything he has to follow Jesus.


When he comes to Jesus, Jesus asks him a familiar question: What do you want mean to do for you? Does this question sound familiar? It is the same question that Jesus asked James and John. Their response was to ask to be honored by Jesus when he came into his glory. Mark draws a clear distinction between these men and Bartimaeus by recording his response. He does not ask to be given any position of glory, He just says, I want to see. Mark has made such a point to tie in the concept of sight to understanding the nature of Jesus as Messiah and the purpose of his Kingdom, that we can hardly miss his point. Bartimaeus is displaying the kind of faith and understanding that followers of Jesus need to. In asking Jesus for his sight, he has demonstrated that he understands more than most people who can physically see.


In the end of this passage, Jesus tells him to go, your faith has healed you. The text here, though, says that Bartimaeus follows him down the road. Did this man that just demonstrated so much faith, turn around and disobeye the Messiah? I don’t believe so. The original language actually says that "he followed Jesus in the way." In trying to make the text understandable, the NIV has actually obscured Mark’s meaning. "The Way" was the term used by the early Christians to refer to Christianity. Mark’s point is that Bartimaeus went and followed Jesus in his new Kingdom way of life. He does not mean to imply that he simply followed Jesus down the road. The meaning is much more significant and profound.



Devotional Thought

Take some time to meditate on this passage; imagine that you were one of the people in the crowd that day. What would you have thought? What would you have done? Now imagine the story from the perspective of Bartimaeus. What would that have been like? What would you have been feeling before, during and after this incident? Although Mark wants us to identify with Bartimaeus, that is not his ultimate goal. The place Mark wants to ultimately take us, takes a great deal of courage: He wants us to live out this story on a daily basis from the perspective of Jesus. What would it look like if you began to spread the Kingdom of God in your own way, just as Jesus spread it in his way?

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Mark 10:32-45

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

32They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

The Request of James and John

35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 51:17-23


Jeremiah 25:15-38



Dig Deeper

This is the third time now that Jesus has warned his disciples of his coming fate in Jerusalem. Whatever else his vocation may include, it is clear that Jesus fully realizes that his own death is part of it. In repeating Jesus’ warnings about his death, warnings that the disciples still don’t grasp because they think Jesus is speaking in code, Mark is doing at least three things that will become more and more clear as his gospel unfolds.


The first is Jesus’ firm belief that he is to become the suffering servant of Isaiah 40-55. His mission as Messiah will involve dying at the hands of his enemies in the city of Jerusalem, the very city that should be embracing him as king.


The second thing is that Jesus was determined to speak plainly and openly about his death, and continue to march straight towards it. This might shock us, but it is no more shocking than it was for his disciples. They were frightened and confused by what he was doing. A proper understanding of all this, however, should end the ministries of those who attempt to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without making the Cross the central aspect of his mission. The point of Jesus’ ministry was not about healing, happiness, or fulfillment. The point was about the kingdom of God bursting into the present age, an event that could only happen because of Jesus’ brutal death, the very thing that many today would like to forget or ignore.


The third thing that Mark wants us to begin to see is the far-reaching implications of Jesus’ vocation. Many that do acknowledge the Cross, want to relegate it to a personal level, where it has deep meaning, but has virtually no effect on the rest of life. This is precisely the point that the next passage will address. James and John clearly see this trip to Jerusalem as a march to glory. All of this talk about death and suffering, they assume, must mean that things will be tough but they will come out on top. The Cross, though, is not a difficult thing that must be gotten through so that the happy ending can come. It is the point. It is precisely the way that God is dealing with the world’s power and authority and standing it on its head, turning it inside out.


One of Mark’s primary statements about the Cross is a political statement. It is isn’t just about God forgiving sins, although that is central to the Cross. This is the way that God is putting his fallen world to rights, and that means that it is a direct challenge to all rulers, authorities, and powers throughout the world. It challenges and undermines all human systems and governments that make claims to be able to set things to rights. The point that James and John missed is the same point that so many today still miss: The Cross and the kingdom repudiate all attempts at human pride and glory. They turn it upside down in a way that carries dangerous political meanings for those who would embrace them.


James and John have other visions of the kingdom in mind. When Jesus asks them, what do you want me to do for you, (a phrase that will be stressed in the next passage) they want to be glorified in his kingdom. When Jesus asks them about the cup, he is referring to the cup of God’s wrath that is about to be poured out on him. God’s wrath was what happened when he poured out his judgment on the wicked; Jesus would take the full brunt of that judgment. His reference to baptism here, probably refers to his coming death; going beneath the waters of death, but soon to be raised up. This is precisely how the early church saw their own baptism (Romans 6:1-4).


James and John wanted to sit at Jesus’ left and right when he came into his glory. What they didn’t understand was that those places had already been determined. Following Jesus didn’t mean glory, it meant that they would eventually drink from the cup and participate in the same baptism of death that Jesus did, but now right now. But what about his right and left? Was he referring to places in heaven? Absolutely not; the answer to the question lies in realizing when Jesus came into his glory. He did it on the cross and the places to his right and left had already been prepared for two other men. He was not going to come into glory in a manner that they had imagined.


Again, Jesus tries to stress to them that they need to change their thinking about the kingdom. It is not about status and glory. It is about turning all of those ideas upside down.



Devotional Thought

Following Jesus means turning all the world’s concepts of power and glory on their head. It means being a servant in the kingdom of God. Have you let go of the world’s values or do yo still cling to them? Is your life about serving others for God’s glory or about lifting yourself up and being comfortable whenever possible?

Friday, April 27, 2007

Mark 10:17-31

The Rich Young Man

17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."



BACKGROUND READING:


Exodus 20:1-21


Isaiah 2



Dig Deeper

Most Jews in the first-century believed that the history of the world could be split into two ages. The one they were living in was the 'present age'. This was characterized by sin, hate, violence, rebellion against God, and the fact that Israel was still in exile. They believed that Israel was in exile because, although they had returned to their homeland, God had not yet returned. The ancient promises of the prophets of old had not been fulfilled, their sin had not yet been forgiven.


So, most Jews waited anxiously for the next reality, the 'age to come'. This is when righteousness would be restored. God would set things to right. Israel would be restored as God's people and the righteous would be raised to this new life. This great event in history would bring justice, peace, ultimate freedom for Israel, and punishment for all evildoers, be they Jew or Gentile. All the lying, anger, and hatred of the present age would pass away and be gone forever once the age to come had burst forth into history.


This all meant that there was one main question on the mind of every Jew who believed in all this: "How can I know that I will be one of the righteous that will inherit the age to come?" Talking about the kingdom of God was another way of referring to the age to come in the mind of most first-century Jews.


This is the very question that the young man asks Jesus in this scene. Most people tend to think that the man is asking Jesus about how he can go to heaven. This is not the case, however. There was no thought of an existence in 'heaven' somewhere apart from one's body and the physical world. The 'age to come' would be here on a restored earth. No Jew would want to be in a disembodied heaven when God brought the new earth to fruition. The phrase that is translated eternal life here, literally means 'belonging to the age'.


Another potentially confusing situation here is Jesus' response to being called good teacher. What Jesus is not doing is somehow denying that he is divine. He has taken the man where he is at, and tried to challenge his thinking at that point. If Jesus is just a teacher, then he should not be called good. Only God is good.


The question this man asked, then, was a fairly common question at that time. If anyone asked a Pharisee or a member of one of the other sects, they most likely would have first received a detailed interpretation of the law, and second, been encouraged to join their particular group so that you could be assured of gaining life in the age to come.


Jesus' response was no doubt a bit confusing to this man. All he did was recite commandments 6 through 9, adds do not defraud, and then goes back to number 5. He makes no mention of 1 through 4 and number 10. What Jesus does masterfully is bring the rest of the conversation back around to the commandments that he has left out (with the exception of the Sabbath), which concern honoring God, not having idols, not misusing God's name, and not coveting. Jesus is not calling for a stricter observance to the law, he is calling for this man to radically rethink what putting God first, having idols, misusing his name, and coveting might really mean. He is drastically redefining what it means to be the people of God, to follow the law of Moses. Because the Messiah is here, the 'age to come' is not just some future hope. It is a present reality that is breaking through now.


The man leaves, saddened and disappointed by Jesus' response. In fact his own disciples seem shocked by his words. This is because in the Jewish mind, wealth was a sign of God's blessing in upholding the Covenant. Jesus challenged one of the very things that they held dear as a sign that they were God's people. Jesus is clear, wealth can't come into the age to come anymore than a camel can go through the eye of a needle (which is use of a typical Jewish hyperbole to make a point).


Everything will be upside down in Jesus' new kingdom. The first will be last, the last will be first. Those who have given up all the old identifiers as the people of God (family, wealth, etc.) will not only inherit the age to come, they will find that they have come into an ever-enlarging family of fellow disciples with homes that will be open to them wherever they go (and persecutions, Mark is careful to point out, lest they think that everything will be rosy in God's kingdom). The belief of the early church was that with Jesus' death and resurrection, the age to come had broken into the present age, pointing to the time when it would be fully consummated at his Second Coming.



Devotional Thought

The rich man had tightly held beliefs and traditions that were coming in direct conflict with Jesus' vision of the kingdom. What are some of the most prevalent beliefs and traditions that people in our culture have that keep them from truly seeing the kingdom for what it is? How can you tailor a message that will challenge their beliefs and show them that what we often hold so dear is actually the very thing keeping us from God's kingdom?

Mark 10:1-16

Divorce

1Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

2Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

3"What did Moses command you?" he replied.

4They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

5"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 7'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

10When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

The Little Children and Jesus

13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

BACKGROUND READING:


Genesis 2:18-15


Deuteronomy 24:1-4


Matthew 19:1-12



Dig Deeper

Recently, I was watching a television show in which a major evangelical TV evangelist was being interviewed. He was asked a question concerning whether he thought that George W. Bush had been chosen by God to be the President of the United States. He quickly answered in the affirmative, he did believe that to be the case. This was not the real point of the question from the talk show host, however. He was carefully laying a trap. He followed up this question with another. "Was Bill Clinton also God's choice to be president or is God not powerful enough to choose every president?" Sufficiently caught in the trap, in the mind of the commentator, the evangelist nervously joked that God wanted to drive the nation to their knees, but the trap had been sprung, and the commentator proceeded to hammer the pastor's shaky logic.


This is something of the sort of question asked here by the Pharisees. They are asking Jesus about divorce, but that is really not their primary agenda. This question seems innocent enough, though. So why does Mark say that this was a test (the word can also be translated as 'trap')? Why does Jesus not give the same stinging answer in public that he gives to his disciples in private?


The key to understanding all of this is in the location of this incident. This account takes place near the Jordan river in the Judean wilderness. This is where John the Baptist used to teach and baptize. Why was John imprisoned and beheaded? Because he had the nerve to criticize Herod Antipas for marrying his brother's wife. Now the shadows of the trap begin to come into focus.


This doesn't mean that Jesus' words about divorce aren't still insightful and true, it's just that understanding the situation brings everything into better focus. It was obvious, however, to John the Baptist, and many other faithful Jews that Herod's behavior had made it obvious that he was not the true king of the Jews. Plus, any kingdom announcement like the one that Jesus was making was already an affront to Antipas. There was no point in falling into the trap of the Pharisees here and making some sort of treasonous statement.


Jesus can see the trap from a mile away and loses no integrity in his answer. He answers their question in public, but in private gives a stinging rebuke against divorce. He also, seemingly, specifically addresses Antipas' wife Herodias, who divorced Antipas' brother. It is important to understand that ordinary Jewish women would not have been able to get a divorce. This likely means that Jesus' only point in saying anything about a woman divorcing her husband was as a specific commentary on Herodias.


Jesus' public discussion on divorce is quite interesting. The question from the Pharisees is whether divorce is lawful. Jesus asks them a question which they don't really answer: What did Moses command you? They respond by citing the exceptions to divorce that were contained in the law, but that is not what Jesus asked them about. Jesus' then answers his own question by quoting for them what had been commanded about marriage in the law. This was Moses' command concerning marriage and it speaks for God on the subject: What God has joined together let man not separate. This isn't to imply that Moses was wrong in his exception, but that one needs to go back to the account of creation itself to see what God's will for marriage is. Marriage creates not a new partnership but a new human being that should never be separated. In Jesus' mind, what Moses wrote in Genesis (Jesus assumes that Moses was the author) spoke for God on the subject of marriage and divorce.


Moses gave exceptions because of the hardheartedness of the Israelites. They were unwilling and unable to hold to God's intentions. This has implications for Jesus' own ministry. In Moses' day, Israel was unable to fulfill God's intentions and needed laws that represented the second best reality. In the same way, Israel was to have been God's light to the world, but hardheartedness had foiled that ideal as well. In suggesting a return to the strict ideal standards of Genesis, Jesus is either hopelessly idealistic or believes that his work of inaugurating the kingdom will somehow offer a cure to this hardheartedness of human beings.


Jesus' final words in this section, concerning children make more sense when we keep in mind the low first-century views of children. The key words here are such as these. He is not talking specifically about children (although he certainly loved and was concerned about children), he is saying that the kingdom of God is not about personal status, it is about humility.



Devotional Thought


Jesus had a great deal of wisdom in realizing that it was not always the time and place to say everything that he believed. What can we learn from this? Has there ever been a time when you shared your feelings on a subject, but in retrospect realized that it was not the best time to say it? What can you learn from Jesus' actions here to apply your life?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Mark 9:38-50

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

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

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

42"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where

" 'their worm does not die,

and the fire is not quenched.' 49Everyone will be salted with fire.

50"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."



BACKGROUND READING:


Leviticus 2:13


Numbers 18:19


2 Chronicles 13:4-7


Matthew 5:13-16



Dig Deeper

This is one of the few passages in Mark in which he takes a series of sayings from Jesus and puts them together in one section without giving much context to most of them. That doesn't make them less important. It simply means that Mark has most likely taken them from their original contexts to make a more complete point. This point is not exactly clear at first, but when we realize that these all have to do with the idea of a battle being joined and the serious consequences that might follow, this string of three short sayings makes more sense.


In the first account, John sees a man that has been driving out demons in Jesus' name. Jesus tells John to leave the man alone. Someone who drives out a demon in Jesus' name in one moment, will certainly not be speaking against Jesus in the next. Jesus seems to assume that all of Israel is taking sides as to whether his mission is from God or not. John wants the mission of Jesus to be limited to only those who are part of the 'official' group of followers. This isn't so much a disagreement between an inclusive or exclusive view of Jesus' mission, as it is difference in seeing Jesus' work as a private and privileged operation or a war that is quickly moving toward a showdown.


This is a warning, for us, however, to never think that we 'own' the kingdom of God. It is far too easy to come to think of the way that we worship or do things as the only way to do it. There are probably many Christians out there that Jesus would include in the category of 'little ones' and woe to those of us who might exclude them because we think we have things all figured out.


This gives us the proper focus for what comes next. The immediate point of Jesus is for his disciples. If their desire to be exalted and honored gets in the way of them being disciples, they should be careful lest they find themselves not being disciples of Jesus at all. Whatever might get in the way needs to be eradicated.


The wider issue, though, is what does this saying about cutting off feet and hands have to say to us? It has become quite popular these days to present Christianity as a feel-good philosophy, one that is all about developing a way of living that promotes health, wealth, and comfort. If you are at all unhappy, they say, then you don't have enough faith, because God wants you to have a life that is all peace and prosperity. Yet, this is not the version of God's kingdom that Jesus presents here (or anywhere else for that matter). His is a mission that is real and dangerous. A way of life where evil and sin are real and dangerous. A war is on and there is no room for philosophies that shirk any hint of personal cost, and argue that all desires are God-given, and so, must be realized.


The second lesson we can learn is that what they are asked to cut off are not sinful or bad things, in and of themselves. Rejecting sin is an obvious task for most of us, but Jesus tells us that there is more to it than just that. We must also be prepared to cut out things that might be good in another context, but which steer us down the wrong path. This is the only wise way of behaving when you are in the middle of a war.


Those who can't or won't grasp the danger of sin will be in danger of being thrown in Gehenna (translated hell here). Gehenna was a valley that served as garbage dump for ancient Jerusalem. It was perpetually smoldering and had, by Jesus' time, become a metaphor for the lake of fire that was prepared for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41), but to where all who reject God will eventually go.


At the end of this passage, Jesus returns to speak directly to his disciples, which implies that the primary meaning of the rest of these sayings was also for them. They were being called to be the salt of the earth. This had been Israel's job but they had failed. Now it was up to the disciples. If they lose their flavor like the rest of Israel had, they are in danger of becoming worthless to God in the same fashion that Israel had.



Devotional Thought

Are there any 'good' things in your life that are, in reality, leading you away from a full commitment to the kingdom of God? What do Jesus' words in this passage mean for you when it comes to things like that?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Mark 9:30-37

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

Who is Greatest?

33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

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



BACKGROUND READING:


Jonah 1:17-3:10


Matthew 12:38-42


Luke 11:29-32



Dig Deeper

Shortly after graduating from college with a degree in secondary education, I was asked if, as a favor, I could come in and substitute teach at an elementary school for a day of summer school. I agreed and showed up the next day for my one-day as the third-grade teacher of the class. To this point, I had never worked with children of that age, and had no idea of what I was in for. Two particular incidents that I will highlight that day both involved unfortunate choices of language on my part. In one instance, an especially rowdy student asked if he could move his desk. I responded that he could take it wherever he wanted. On another occasion, a student asked me if they could get a pencil, to which I said, "sure, knock yourself out." On both occasions, the rambunctious little souls found it amusing to take my words quite literally.


A great deal of confusion and frustration can result if there is a misunderstanding between speaker and listener as to whether the message is to be received as literally or figuratively. This is the problem here as Jesus again tells his disciples that he will be killed and then raised from the dead. He has been speaking so often to them in parables, that when he does finally speak plainly, they are trying to figure out what he means. The assumption is that he is giving them another parable, but they don’t want to risk looking foolish and asking yet another question. They are quite possibly assuming that the three days is a reference to the story of Jonah, to which Jesus has alluded in his teaching (Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29). Perhaps Jesus is saying that he will be swallowed up by the authorities in Jerusalem for three days, before bursting out into his glorious kingdom and preaching repentance the way John did with the Ninevevites. The idea of one person experiencing the resurrection before God came fully in his kingdom just would not have been on the radar screen for a Jew in the first century. So, if they did think he was talking about literal death, they would have likely taken the phrase, after three days he will rise, to be a code that they didn’t understand.


We can, of course, sympathize with the disciple here. Taking in the radical new message of Jesus, and deciphering between his literal and figurative language was no easy task. In our own lives, think of how often we see something new in Scripture, or hear it in a sermon and we just aren’t prepared to have our old way of understanding something taken apart so that a new way of understanding can be opened up?


A sure sign that the disciples still weren’t completely seeing and understanding the new concepts Jesus was announcing with his kingdom is shown by the disciples on the way to Capernaum (pay special attention here because it is often this same kind of response in us that demonstrates that we haven’t grasped the new way of understanding what God wants form us). The disciples have a disagreement about who is the greatest among them. This is a clear indicator that they understand that Jesus is the Messiah, the king, but they still haven’t grasped what his kingdom is about. They think they have won the lottery, and the only thing to be decided is how to split up the power and glory of Jesus’ kingdom.


When Jesus confronts them about what they were talking about, they realize that there is no honest response that they care to give Jesus, so they simply don’t say anything Jesus must have been disappointed that all they were thinking about was themselves. That’s usually the problem when we only understand half of the message; it’s usually the half that benefits and concerns us. At this point, however, they think that they are going to be the inner circle of the true king of the world. It will be awhile yet before the truth dawns on them.


Jesus tries to shake them out of their backward thinking here, by using a child as an example. Children were seen quite differently in the first century than they are now, which often leads 21st century readers to misunderstand Jesus’ words. Children had no real status or social rank in the ancient world; they were not highly thought of, nor were servants. So when Jesus says that must become like a servant or like a child, his point is not that hey need to hear the teaching of the kingdom with great innocence. His point is that being associated with Jesus means that they will not be thought highly of in the world. They need to get visions of glory and grandeur out of their head and realize that being kingdom bearers in this new type of kingdom means being the servant of all and accepting people into the kingdom that are not the sharpest, best, and brightest by the world’s standards.



Devotional Thought

Many people seem to think that becoming a Christian somehow means that all of their needs will be met. Jesus made it very clear, however, to his first disciples that this should not be the focus of being a disciple. He wanted his disciples to realize that their needs would be met but not at all in the way that they had imagined. What are the areas in your life in which you tend to focus on yourself and your needs rather than being a servant?

Monday, April 23, 2007

Mark 9:14-29

The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit

14When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

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

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

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

21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

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

23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

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

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

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

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



BACKGROUND READING:


Matthew 17:14-23


Luke 9:37-45



Dig Deeper

By this time, Mark has made it clear that the disciples have understood at least part of the point. They have begun to grasp that Jesus is the promised Messiah. They also comprehend that he is announcing a very different type of kingdom than anyone expected. For that matter, he is a very different type of Messiah than anyone expected.


As Jesus comes down from the mountain, he encounters the remainder of his disciples engaged in an argument. Apparently, the father of a demon-possessed boy has brought his son to see Jesus. With him unavailable, the disciples took a shot at it, and why not? They had cast out demons before. The problem is, they find, that they are unable to cast this demon out.


When the man comes to Jesus to ask him to drive the demon out, Jesus is a bit frustrated. After answering a few questions from Jesus, the father says if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. Jesus response is priceless: If you can? He seems to be saying that he can do anything. The issue is not his ability, it is the faith of this man. The man’s response shows that faith is difficult for him, but he is trying.


After healing the boy, the disciples ask Jesus in private why they couldn’t drive this demon out. Jesus responds with a somewhat enigmatic response: This kind can come out only by prayer. What could this possibly mean? Does he mean to imply that the disciples have been slacking on their quiet times, and thus were unable to perform? They had cast out demons before and hadn’t realized that some are more powerful, more difficult to deal with than others (Paul said as much in Ephesians 6:12). We can assume that the disciples have, of course, been praying, and so that Jesus is referring to a special level of prayer. We are, perhaps, meant to assume that the time on the mountain was a particularly intense time of prayer (the type of prayer in which heaven and earth overlap) which allowed him to face a challenge of this magnitude.


Let’s go back a bit, though, and look at this from another perspective. When Jesus comes down from the mountain, things have changed. Mark has told us that the disciples have finally figured out that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus has begun a new level of teaching. Now he goes up into the glory cloud, in the very presence of God, the place where heaven and earth have overlapped. When he comes down he finds many things, but strong faith is not one of them. This seems to cause some consternation on Jesus’ part. He wonders how much longer he will be with them.


A powerful demon that wouldn’t come out, disciples that weren’t up to the challenge, a confused crowd; what is Mark trying to tell us? Up to this point, the faith required has been pretty easy. People come to Jesus or the disciples and they are healed. Now, though, things are getting difficult. Mark is emphasizing the point that the mission is serious now. Things are going to get more difficult, and Jesus knows it. Now that the disciples have begun to understand who he is and what the mission is, things are going to get much more difficult. This is quite the opposite, perhaps, from what we (and his disciples for that matter), would have expected.


It’s the same for us, really. Things can seem pretty easy while we are coming to understand who Jesus is, and what his kingdom is really about. Once we have begun to comprehend it, though, we often expect things to get easier as we coast into heaven. We have all, at some point, however, discovered the very point Mark is making: When we really understand what Jesus is calling us to and take up his mission, it gets much harder, and the forces of evil become far more challenging.



Devotional Thought

When situations get really intense and difficult what do you do? This is where the words of the father, I do believe, help me with my unbelief, can be helpful. The words are a mixture of faith and despair. The next time things are seemingly more challenging than you can handle, turn to God and pray faithfully not for him to deliver you, but for him to increase your faith.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Mark 9:2-13

The Transfiguration

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

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

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

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

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

11And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

12Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

BACKGROUND READING:


Exodus 34


Revelation 1:9-20


Leviticus 23:33-44



Dig Deeper

This event, known as the transfiguration, was such an intense and overwhelming experience that it seems that even those who were there had difficulty in fully comprehending or describing what happened. We can be sure of one thing, this was not a case of hallucination as some critics have claimed. How can we be sure? For the simple fact that there were three witnesses. Three people simply cannot have the same hallucination any more than they can share a dream.


The three disciples are no doubt frightened, and Peter, as we are coming to see as a pattern, blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. From our perspective his offer to build tents for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses, is a bit amusing. He probably had two motivations for doing so. First, was his desire to prolong the moment and keep Moses and Elijah with them for as long as possible. Second, was the fact that this was most likely at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, where Jews would build a tent called the sukkoth, to remember when God brought them out of Egypt. It’s hard to imagine that Peter’s response is a later invention by Mark. No one inventing this story would include such a funny response, and risk lowering the magnitude of the moment. No, we are left to conclude, reasonably, that this incident really happened.


Let’s look at this account from the perspective of the gospel as a whole. Jesus has led his disciples up the mountain of viewing God’s kingdom from a whole new perspective. He has unveiled God’s work in new, shocking, and profound ways. Those on the outside can look, but they don’t really ‘see’. The disciples, though, had their eyes opened for the first time. They are seeing the reality of God’s kingdom, and the truth that even though it was not at all what they expected, this is the Messiah. Once again, Mark is telling us a story about their eyes being opened. Mark is, again, brilliantly telling the larger story through one incident.


Now Jesus takes his disciples up this mountain and opens their eyes, on a whole other level. Our Western minds tend to view heaven as a separate entity from our reality, but that was not the way the Jews of Jesus’ time viewed it. For them, it was more that heaven was another dimension, that would break into ours at certain times and places. There were literally, in their worldview, times when heaven and earth overlapped. This is what they believed was happening when Moses saw the burning bush or when God’s presence descended in the glory cloud. Here, the disciples were being allowed to see one of those times when heaven broke into our realm.


This did not, however, necessarily demonstrate in Mark’s mind (or the disciples that were present) that Jesus was divine. Mark is yet to explain to us why they believed that. If this incident, in itself, demonstrated Jesus’ divinity then it would also be demonstrating the divinity of Moses and Elijah. No, this incident was demonstrating God’s approval of the inner reality of Jesus’ work. He was continuing and completing the work of the two great prophets of the Old Testament. Theologian N.T. Wright says, "this is a sign of Jesus being entirely caught up with, bathed in, the love, power, and kingdom of God, so that it transforms his whole being, in the way that music transforms words that are sung. This is the sign that Jesus is not just indulging in fantasies about God’s kingdom, but that he is speaking and doing the truth. It’s the sign that he is indeed the true prophet, the true Messiah."


This is why God says that Jesus is his beloved Son. Jesus is the full revelation for which Moses and Elijah paved the way. God has always wanted to reveal himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and Moses and Elijah were simply forerunners to make that possible. Again, we must understand that these words of God would have confirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, yet the disciples still haven’t grasped his divinity.


Jesus’ words concerning keeping quiet about this incident until he was risen from the dead were very confusing for a first-century Jew. The expectation was that the resurrection would happen when God transformed the whole world and raised all the righteous from the dead. They simply had no concept of one person being resurrected ahead of and pointing to the resurrection of everyone else. Like many things that Jesus said, they really didn’t understand the significance of what Jesus was saying until after his death.


The disciples are still trying to figure things out when they ask about Elijah having to come before the Messiah. Was this the event? Had Elijah come in fulfillment of Scripture? Jesus’ response indicates that Elijah has already come in the work of John the Baptist; that job is done . Now the only thing left is the messianic vocation, which Jesus has already announced will involve his suffering and death.



Devotional Thought

None of us will probably ever experience anything like what Peter, James, and John did here, but there are times when God reveals things to us. When Jesus speaks to us about our own life, we are called to listen to God’s words just as the disciples were. This is God’s Son, in whom he is pleased. Listen to him; Follow him.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Mark 8:31-9:1

Jesus Predicts His Death

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

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

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

Mark 9

1And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 52:13-53:12


Zechariah 1:7-17



Dig Deeper

Danger and death were a fairly regular part of life in first-century Palestine. The people were pretty used to harsh leaders, rebellions, and executions. Anytime a new leader popped up with a new message, death was always the possible end of things. If Jesus wasn’t already sure of that, the death of John the Baptist would have confirmed it for him.


Although that was always a possibility, this is seemingly something different beyond the usual danger. Following his disciples’ realization that Jesus is the Messiah, things quickly change in the mind of Jesus. It is only once they begin to grasp who he is and what he is truly doing that he can begin to teach them some of the things that he is about to reveal. The new lesson seems to be not that there may be danger ahead, but that they will be walking straight into it. There are, of course, lessons from this point that Mark wants us to pick up on. Once we begin to understand who Jesus is and what he wants from us, the stakes are raised and things begin to change drastically. Jesus calls us, just as he called his disciples, to go on the mission with him, and true discipleship always involves walking right into the middle of difficult situations.


This cannot be what the disciples had in mind from Jesus, though. Maybe they had already put together that he wasn’t going to be a military leader, but they had no conception of him marching straight towards his death. He seemed to be saying that he was going to fail and that they were going to fail with him. There also seems to be a degree to which they were totally confused. Jesus had been speaking rather cryptically to this point, and it appears that although, they understood that he was predicting failure at some level, they didn’t understand the references to him being killed. Perhaps he is speaking in parables again?


Whatever he was saying, though, it had to be wrong. A Messiah doesn’t get killed by the authorities. There was no conception of the Messiah predicted by the prophets and sent by God experiencing failure. A Messiah who did that was no Messiah at all, he was a false Messiah. So what was he saying? Mark will answer that more fully later, but he does give a hint in verse 38. Dying and rising again is the way that Jesus will come into his Father’s glory. This is clearly the way that Jesus saw his vocation. This was his destiny as Israel’s representative (which is what the Messiah was), and his disciples would have to be prepared to follow in his footsteps.


Any opposition to that plan, as vital as it is, must be seen as satanically inspired, even if it comes from one of his closest disciples, Peter. Peter, no doubt, challenged him on his dismal view of his mission. Perhaps, in his own mind, Peter was even trying to challenge and encourage Jesus. It is always a challenge for those who would follow Jesus to view the world from heaven’s standpoint rather than an earthly one. This is what Peter failed to do. He had the wrong worldview.


Jesus then clears things up for those who would follow him on this mission. Following him would mean denying themselves and picking up their cross. This was not just a metaphor for a first-century Jew. They all knew he was saying that they might die on this mission. Yet, he reminds them that those who hold on to what they have and reject discipleship, will forfeit their place in the kingdom. Those who accept the kingdom will get it, and the life of the ‘age to come’ to boot. Jesus makes it clear by verse 38, that this was a particular message for those sitting there that day contemplating whether they would follow him or not.


Jesus continues to demonstrate that he thinks all this is going to happen soon, in the lifetime of many of those listening to him on the day he uttered these words. He is not talking about some misplaced hope of a future existence. What Jesus is saying is that he believes that the kingdom of God will come with power through his own death and suffering.


Again, there are lessons from all of this that Mark wants us to learn. Although the mission that we are called on is not identical and does not usually involve the same kind of immanent danger, following Jesus still involves denying our own agenda and picking up Jesus’. It means that we commit ourselves to following him no matter what that might mean. In the end, this is what being a Christian is all about; this is how we too can enter into the kingdom of God.



Devotional Thought

Mark’s concept of being a Christian is that of following Jesus. In order to do that though, Jesus, said his disciples must abandon their own agenda in life and pick up his. Have you truly done that? In what areas of your life do you still cling to your own agenda? What will it take for you to truly sacrifice every area of your life to Jesus and his kingdom?

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Mark 8:22-30

The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"

24He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

25Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."

Peter's Confession of Christ

27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 2:1-5


Micah 4



Dig Deeper

If we put together the scene from yesterday’s reading along with these two passages, we find another Mark sandwich of sorts, in which he puts one scene inside of another one. The only difference here is that verses 11-21 and 27-30 are not really one story, but for Mark they are closely related, and really continue the same thought. The question is then: why would Mark include this somewhat odd story of Jesus healing a blind man in between two passages that speak to the ability or inability of the disciples to understand who Jesus is?


When he arrives at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They are begging Jesus to heal this man, so he takes him outside of the village. Jesus then spits on his eyes, places his hands on him and seemingly heals him. But we find that something is wrong. The man says that he can see, but not in the right way. He says that the people look like trees walking around. After putting his hands on the man for a second time, he can see everything clearly. What just happened here? Did Jesus have a small power outage? Was he unable to completely heal the man the first time? This is the only miracle recorded in any of the gospels in which Jesus must perform an act twice to complete one miracle. So, we go back to the original question: Why does Mark include this strange story here in the middle of a discussion of who Jesus is?


As we said earlier, in Mark’s thinking, seeing is a related concept to understanding. With that in mind, this story begins to become clearer. This blind man had some contact with Jesus, yet he still couldn’t fully see. He needs to re-engage with Jesus. Once he does that he finally receives his full sight. And this is the point that Mark doesn’t want us to miss. The previous passage described the disciples inability to understand who Jesus was and what he was doing. Jesus is demonstrating for his disciples, and Mark is telling us that they needed to re-engage with Jesus, to be touched again by the Master, in order to truly see who he is.


The crowds, the disciples, they haven’t really been able to see who Jesus is. They think that he’s just a prophet. But now the disciples are touched by revelation from God; some things begin to come clear. He is not a prophet, he’s not John the Baptist; he’s not Elijah; he is the Christ. They finally are beginning to see clearly (Mark will continue to show us that they still don’t have everything figured out, but at least now they are on their way.)


This understanding that Jesus is the Messiah is not the disciples comprehending that Jesus is divine or the second person of the Trinity. This is more about them understanding the politically dangerous and theologically risky claim that Jesus is the true King of Israel. In claiming him the Messiah, they are naming Herod Antipas, and others like him, as imposters. No one was expecting a divine redeemer of mankind. They were looking for a king, and the disciples think that they have finally found him. To this point his behavior has been strange and un-king like, so this revelation was probably a bit of a relief for them. Now they think they understand who he is. Jesus is not just announcing the kingdom, he believes he is the king.


We shouldn’t miss Mark’s point, however. I believe in one sense he is letting us know that this is the second touch and the disciples finally get it. But his main thrust is that this is, in many ways, the first touch. They didn’t really see at all before; now they can see, but not yet as clearly as they will.


The understanding that he is the Messiah changes things. A Messiah that was announcing God’s kingdom was a direct challenge to and slap in the face of the Jewish leadership and of Rome. Things were about to change for Jesus and his disciples, as we shall see in the next passage.


But first, let’s review a few things about this idea of Messiah. The disciples now see that the miracles and things that Jesus has been doing have been pointing to the fact that he is, indeed, the Messiah that is announcing the kingdom of God. Not all Jews wanted or were really expecting a Messiah, but those who were, expected him to do three things. The Messiah would rebuild the Temple, defeat the enemy of God’s people, and he would bring God’s justice to Israel and then the world around Israel. In other words, the Messiah would restore the kingdom of God through the kingdom of Israel.


Jesus had bee going around completely redefining those tasks. He wasn’t assembling an army, nor was he announcing an agenda that would take down the Jewish leadership. Jesus has been doing the things that people thought the Messiah would, but in a radically different way. Now, Mark tells us that the disciples have grasped the first point, at least, they realize he is the Messiah, with a new way of doing things. Just how new that way is, is yet to fully emerge.



Devotional Thought

What is it about Jesus or his kingdom that you don’t yet understand? What area of your life have you not turned over to him? You will find, just as this blind man, and the disciples for that matter, found that if you allow him, Jesus will touch you again and help you to understand things fully.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Mark 8:11-21

11The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 13Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

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

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

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

"Twelve," they replied.

20"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

They answered, "Seven."

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



BACKGROUND READING:


Jeremiah 5



Dig Deeper

Mark clearly includes this brief exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees in order to set up the following passage which contains a pivotal conversation between him and his apostles. Things were beginning to move quickly now, and were getting serious. The Pharisees demand that Jesus give them a sign of his authority, as if he hadn’t been doing that all along. That’s the real point of their question. It wasn’t that Jesus hadn’t been performing signs that would demonstrate that he was the true Messiah, it was that they weren’t the type of signs that they wanted the Messiah to perform.


Jesus’ responds to their request for a sign as a sign, of sorts, in itself. It is representative of the Jews of that generation. They were determined not to hear the message of the kingdom that Jesus was announcing. They didn’t want his version of the kingdom; they were still clinging to the vision that they had of what it would be and how it would come. Jesus was operating in the belief that his vocation was to announce the kingdom through the signs that he was performing. They were refusing that kind of kingdom, and thus, were in reality, refusing God’s kingdom itself.


Picking up from there, Mark brings us into one of those great, very human moments that help make the gospels so authentic and personal. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and evidently, this fact reminds Jesus of the Pharisees and their yeast that is oozing through the whole society. They think that Jesus is upset about the bread, but that’s not his point at all. Jesus wants them to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. In other words, he wants them to be careful that they don’t buy into the kingdom vision that the Pharisees preferred, or the one that Herod is trying to pass off. This is the kingdom that is brought about by getting rid of the sinners in their society, in holding harshly to the law; the one that will exalt Israel and the Temple above all nations, and get rid of Israel’s enemies, namely Rome. In warning his disciples about this, Jesus implies (and of course Mark wants us to see) that they have not fully grasped what his kingdom message is all about. If they did, there would be no need for his warning.


It is becoming increasingly urgent that they understand what they are a part of, yet it is still of such a nature that it is something they must discover on their own, with the help of the Holy Spirit (every good teacher knows that a student must discover truths for themselves in order to really grasp the material). Word is clearly leaking out about what Jesus is doing, which means the situation is about to get more dangerous. The more the authorities know about his mission, the more dangerous it becomes. The time is drawing near, when they will they will accompany him to Jerusalem with a mission, not of feeding and healing, but of challenging the very system itself. They will only be willing and able to come if they can understand that he is more than a healer or prophet, but that he is much more than that. The time of intense confrontation between Jesus and his rivals is coming fast and the disciples need to be ready.


Jesus then quotes from Jeremiah 5:21. His point is not that he is frustrated at how blind they are, the point is that they do not understand (again, Mark draws a parallel between seeing and understanding) and are in danger of going down the same path that the Jews in Jeremiah’s day did. They were so distracted with their own concerns that they forgot about injustice and evil in their society. God had little alternative but to abandon them to their fate in the hands of pagan nations. They had worshiped things other than God, and gave those things the power in their lives. In the same way, most Jews had come to put their own version of God and his kingdom in place of the real God, and so it had become a stumbling block.


Jesus then asks them about the significance of the fact that there was twelve and then seven baskets of bread left over after his miraculous feedings. He seems to have expected that they should have known what those signs meant. Some scholars have put forth the idea that perhaps the 12 baskets represent Jesus’ ministry to the Jewish world (with its 12 tribes), while the seven baskets left over represent his promise to the Gentile world (according to Jewish idioms, the rest of the world contained 70 nations). Perhaps this is it, or one of the other viable theories that have been put forth. What we ultimately are left with, however, is the need for humility and to admit that, like the disciples, we might not fully understand the meaning of the left over bread either.



Devotional Thought

Many Jews made the mistake of limiting God and his kingdom to the perceptions that they had of what it was and how it would work. As a result most of them missed out on the kingdom altogether. God wasn’t working outside of the Scriptures, they had simply missed the point of the Scriptures due to preconceived notions. Is it possible that we, too, tend to limit God and put his kingdom in a box with our preconceived notions? Make a determination today to approach the Scriptures and to approach God, with a fresh and humble approach and see if you have been limiting his power and how he desires to work in your life.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Mark 8:1-10

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

1During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2"I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."

4His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"

5"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.

"Seven," they replied.

6He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.



BACKGROUND READING:


Genesis 1:26-31


Genesis 3:17-19


Matthew 15:29-39



Dig Deeper

Anyone who watches sports very often will know that upsets can happen. A seemingly lesser team that is fully expected to lose, will somehow find a way to beat the supposedly better team. A strange thing happens, though, after an upset win. The team that wins the upset, is still not usually considered the better team. It is supposed that any fluke can happen once. An unheralded team must generally pull off another shocking win to demonstrate that they are 'for real'. Once they have done it twice, then it can be believed that they are really capable of such a thing.


Perhaps this is something of the effect going on here, the reason that Mark chose to include a second, and similar, account of Jesus feeding a hungry crowd. Does doing it a second time prove that it was no fluke? Perhaps Mark wants us to see that Jesus did, indeed, have power over the physical realm. We have to wonder what the reason would be for including such similar accounts. So similar, in fact, that some critics of the Bible have claimed that they are two mythical accounts of the same supposed incident.


A careful look, however, will demonstrate that these are two separate and reliable accounts of two separate incidents. There are some significant differences in this account. Mark draws attention to the fact that the people had been with him for three days already. They were not near any towns or villages as they were in the first incident. They were in a remote place, so the situation was much more dire than it was in the first instance. Of the course, the most obvious differences in this story from the first is the fact that we have four thousand men present rather than five thousand, and that there were seven basketfuls of bread left over rather than twelve.


So, why did Mark include this mirror-account of Jesus' miraculous feeding? Was is simply to demonstrate that it was no fluke? Certainly that's part of it, but apparently Mark also wanted to set the theme for the next section when Jesus confronts the disciples about their lack of understanding. Jesus seemed to find specific purpose in the amount of bread that was left over each time (we'll discuss that more in the next section). Mark does seem to be emphasizing that Jesus was demonstrating that the feedings, the exorcisms, and the healing, are ways in which the true Messiah was being unveiled to the world. We cannot be too harsh on the disciples for not getting all of this on the first, or even second take (and Mark is certainly not, although he does demonstrate their lack of understanding). No Jew in the first century expected this kind of Messiah, one that was more concerned with multiplying fish and bread than with creating an army that would defeat Rome. This was all very difficult to compute.


It is also quite possible that the inclusion of this second account has to do with the point Mark is trying to make about the need for people around him to take a second look in order to clearly see (or understand) who he really is and what he is really doing. Mark will do more of this quite clearly later in this chapter.


There are perhaps a couple of practical lessons that we can take from this account. The first thing is that Jesus continues to have compassion on those who follow him. He provides for them. He is demonstrating in living color, his words recorded in Matthew 6:33. If people will seek God's kingdom above all else, God will provide for them, even if it is in very unlikely ways. This is how it is with God's people going all the way back to the Garden of Eden. When we are in a pure relationship with God we will be able to follow him and work for him. In turn, he promises to provide all of the things in life that we really need that we might otherwise be tempted to spend our time going after and worrying about. When we find ourselves focusing on providing for ourselves, that is a sure sign that we are working for ourselves rather than God. Seeking to provide our needs first is a sure sign of rebellion against God.


The second point of interest is that Jesus didn't just feed the crowds by himself. He had his disciples help in the work of distributing and collecting the food (of course Jesus had done the difficult and miraculous work but expected the disciples to do what they could). Jesus wants to bring his followers into the work in which he is engaged. The closer we are to him, the more assuredly we will be called to share in his work of compassion.



Devotional Thought

Whom do you find yourself working for most of the time? Do you worry about your own affairs, where you will work, what you will eat, or what you will wear? Or do you take Jesus' words to heart and seek first the kingdom of God? When we are in a restored relationship with God we will take part in his work of compassion and not worry so much about our own affairs.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Mark 7:31-37

The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

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

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

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



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 35



Dig Deeper

I taught in a high school in my town for nearly ten years. A year or so before I left teaching, I felt that God had called me into the ministry. In following that path, I knew that God wanted me to go back to school and to leave my teaching job. I realized that this would have an impact on the school at which I taught, and I knew that the time was not right for that news to become public right away. I told only a very few people and asked them not to tell any students or the administration just yet. I would inform the right people at the right time, but not too soon. Despite my best efforts, the word got out pretty quickly. This created a few difficulties and a few long weeks of my students not understanding why I was leaving them.


This is kind of the situation going on here. Jesus takes a man who was deaf and tongue tied (apparently he wasn’t mute but had a serious speech impediment of some sort) away from the crowd to work a miracle privately. This doesn’t work as the crowds soon learn what has happened. Then he tells the crowd to keep quiet about what they have seen, but that doesn’t work either. Neither the healed man or the crowd can keep a secret.


This raises the question: Why would Jesus want to keep secret a message that he came to proclaim? The answer is, of course, that his message was a difficult and dangerous one. There was all sorts of room for misconceptions, rumors, and danger for Jesus if word of his kingdom movement got to the wrong people too soon. This was, after all, a world where rumor spread fast and prophets didn’t fair very well (think of what happened to John). Despite all the potential dangers, however, the mission must move forward.


Mark describes several times when Jesus makes an effort to get away from the crowds and slow things down, but it never quite works that way. We can speculate that perhaps Jesus wished for a bit slower pace with his ministry; perhaps he hoped for more time to spread the news of the coming of the kingdom to his beloved, but obstinate Jews. Jesus had to realize that a few more miraculous acts would push the rumor mill to critical mass; news of his works would take on a life of its own and go beyond his ability to control it. If things were to keep going like this, the authorities would close in on him pretty quickly. Jesus must keep on with his work that pointed to and ushered in the kingdom of God, but he could not he keep people from talking about. It appears that Jesus must have come to the realization at some point, that his work must carry on but it must become a much more urgent mission than he at first desired.


Mark is laying the ground work for the next chapter in which things come to a head rather quickly. If Jesus’ hand is going to be forced and his time cut short, then the mission is about to get dangerous and his disciples need to know that. Mark also stresses the significance, in the minds of the people, of the healing Jesus has just performed. The people are overwhelmed and announce that he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. The crowd, no doubt, had in mind, Isaiah 35:5-6, a passage that describes the time when Israel would be renewed through the work of the Messiah, after long years of exile. This healing was a matter of God’s love for his people breaking through into the present world, pointing ahead to a time when that healing would fix the entire world. That was the time when the present age would be turned fully into the age to come.

Devotional Thought

When we follow Jesus, it is not a boring and mundane life, but rather, astonishing things happen. It is not a life of rote religion, but a lifelong adventure. How is your life when it comes to following Jesus? Is it more like an astonishing adventure, or has it become boring and predictable. What can you do to unleash the power of God throughout your life?

Friday, April 13, 2007

Mark 7:24-30

The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

28"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

29Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.



BACKGROUND READING:


Matthew 10:5-6


Matthew 11:20-24


Matthew 15:21-28



Dig Deeper

One thing that sets apart truly great athletes from the rest of the pack is their incredible ability to focus. It makes no matter the pressure of the situation, the amount of time left on the clock, or the crowd screaming and pulsing around them. The great athlete can block all of that out, leave all that behind and concentrate on what needs to be done. Lesser players will often get distracted by all the other incredible things going on at the moment, and lose the focus on the primary task at hand.


Understanding this type of concept, will help us to see this story in its proper context. After several particularly intense exchanges and incidents which were significant enough to be remembered and recorded by Mark, Jesus retreats to a decidedly Gentile town to try to lay low for a little while.


As has become typical for Jesus, he was trying to keep his presence secret, yet was unable to do that. The Greek woman approaches Jesus in an urgent, but apparently a somewhat teasing manner. In other words, this exchange was probably a bit more good-natured than when we might think at first. In any case, she clearly approaches Jesus with humility. She begs Jesus to heal her daughter of the demon that has possessed her. Jesus responds with an apparent insult. She accepts that insult and even turns it to her own advantage.


The point of this story is really more political than just another healing story. Jesus had a particular vocation during his ministry. He was well aware of it throughout his time before the Cross. In the twenty-first century we often forget that truth but Jesus never did. He stayed focused on the task at hand. His vocation was to spread the news of the coming kingdom to the Jews, it was not to spread the gospel to the Gentile world. Although Jesus did occasionally have contact with Gentiles, that was not his mission. He believed (a typical Jewish belief at the time) that when Israel was redeemed, that would be the time to carry the saving rule of God to the rest of the world.


It is not that Jesus was denying the saving love of God to the Gentiles. Rather, Jesus was careful about sticking with the reason he came. He came to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, and did not want to be drawn away from his work into other areas. This would be to divert his attention from the difficult and dangerous work that was his focus.


This is also a reminder that Jesus’ mission was not to just go around and heal the sick and help everyone he could. Jesus had specific, dangerous, and controversial things to do. Jesus wasn’t a universal problem-solver, he was the Messiah that had come for a specific task. If Jesus wouldn’t be distracted from his messianic vocation, then we too, should not be distracted. It is up to us to recognize Jesus’ main task and focus on that both when we learn about him, and when we carry his message to the world of our day.


We also shouldn’t miss another purpose that Mark probably had in mind for including this passage into his gospel. Mark has just described some intense discussions about cleanness and uncleanness. The old barriers, the old way of doing things were being swept away. Mark is now giving a living, breathing example of that. This woman, is one of those that is on the outside in the mind of the Jews. She is one the dogs under the table, one of the unclean.


Was this, then, a matter of Jesus doing exactly what I just said he didn’t do, losing focus. Not at all. This is not part of Jesus’ vocation, and he will not be distracted ultimately, but he does have a purpose in this act that is related to his vocation. Jesus performs this miracle, as he does so many other times, for the purpose of what it points to rather than the mere healing itself. He heals this woman’s daughter because of the message that it will send to the Jews. In healing this woman’s daughter, Jesus (and Mark by including this account) is pointing to a time that he has been warning the Jews about. The dogs under the table are already beginning to share in the children’s food. There is a time when they will no longer be dogs, when they will have free and full access to the kingdom. If the Jews do not repent, then not only will the dogs be part of the meal as children, the children will be cast out and be like the dogs.


We must understand Jesus’ mission and words here then, as a short-term, urgent message. A message that Israel needed to hear and heed before it was too late. This incident was yet another symbolic act by Jesus meant to point to the new order that was being instituted by God.



Devotional Thought

Why do you think that Jesus’ vocation was to come to the children of Israel rather than to the whole world? If his message was for all nations, why did Jesus focus on only the sheep of Israel? How does the answer to that question provide direction and insight for the Church today?

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Mark 7:14-23

14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "

17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "



BACKGROUND READING:


Jeremiah 17:1-8


Leviticus 11



Dig Deeper

Imagine the reaction of most Americans today if someone came along teaching that everything that we held dear about being an American had missed the mark of what God wanted. All of our ideals had gone terribly wrong and we were careening into a head-on disaster with God if we didn’t radically re-think everything about our collective worldview. What would this mean for everything that most Americans hold dear.? Would it mean that our concept of what a good citizen is, was completely wrongheaded? Would it mean that our place in the world was not nearly as pleasing to God as we might have thought? Would it mean that all of our heroes that have sacrificed their lives for God, country, and the American way have died in the wrong ditch for the wrong cause?


That would be a truly radical message that would be hard to swallow. Yet, this is basically what Jesus was telling the Jews. The ancient world is full of stories of Jewish martyrs being tortured to death for their refusal to eat pork or defile themselves. The Jews were proud of their beliefs and their heritage. To come right out and say that the things that someone holds most dear are the very things that are the most wrong in their way of thinking doesn’t display courage, it often displays folly. This is a large part of the reason that Jesus spoke in parables. Had he been straightforward from the very beginning he would have been killed.


Jesus spoke in parables so that he could be heard by those who wanted to hear. He wanted to address the wrong teachings of his time, including that of the Pharisees, but he did it in a subtle and far more effective (in the long run) way. Jesus was not about to say something straight out before people were ready to hear it. He was not about to hand the Pharisees a propaganda victory.


Jesus had, however, hoped that his disciples would get the point of what he was saying. (This is the beginning, really, of a series of passages where Mark will use the metaphor ‘see’ to relate to the level of understanding of Jesus’ message. They were as confused as everyone else. Into his stomach, and then out of his body, was this some sort of bad bathroom humor?


Jesus wasn’t talking about the physical aspects of what goes in and out of a person. Thinking that was to miss the point entirely. What he was saying was that purity laws weren’t the point and they never were. The food laws, along with all of the other laws, pointed to what was happening now. They were like the college guy that has a picture of his girlfriend back home in his dorm room. Would he stay in his dorm room for the holidays, staring at the picture, or go home and be with his girlfriend? The answer is obvious. The food laws had become the point for many Jews rather than what they were pointing to. They were intended to teach God’s people about the need for purity before God, and awaken an awareness for the need of real purity of heart and motives. By focusing on outward things, they were avoiding the real work that needed to be done, the inward purity.


One point of caution must be made here. The Greek philosopher Plato taught that the spiritual realm was what really mattered, while the physical realm was inferior and to be despised. Over the years, a lot of Christians have fallen into that same type of thinking, and passages like this, at first glance, may appear to bolster that belief. Jesus is saying quite the opposite from that line of thinking.


He is not saying that what we really need to do is to simply get in touch with our hearts and feelings and then will discover what life is really about. He is saying that good and bad external and physical actions come from internal, spiritual sources. The real problem is the human heart that causes sinful actions, that’s what all the purity laws were pointing towards.


So why were the Jews so attached to the purity laws? Because in a world that was out of their control in almost every other way, they could control this. It set them apart as clean and everyone else as unclean. In challenging their concept of what it means to be a Jew, Jesus is throwing the doors to the kingdom wide open to anyone who would repent, be baptized, and believe. Now what happens to the symbols? Mark answers that in his little side note in v. 19, all food is clean. The purity laws are fine as far as they go, but they are not necessary. You don’t need the picture when the real thing has arrived. The fact that the signs aren’t necessary anymore doesn’t mean that they were worthless, they aren’t needed anymore because they were correct. They pointed to what was to come and it’s here. The laws didn’t touch the real human problem; this is precisely what the kingdom of God addresses.



Devotional Thought

Do you feel that the Church today has lessons that it should learn from the way Jesus spoke in symbols when dealing with touchy subjects? Are there any areas of our culture have we been so quick to condemn in the name of the Bible, that we have done more harm than good? How can we find that fine line between speaking the truth but doing so in a way so that people will hear us and not just immediately tune us out?

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Mark 7:1-13

Clean and Unclean

1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"

6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

" 'These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

7They worship me in vain;

their teachings are but rules taught by men.' 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

9And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 11But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."









BACKGROUND READING:


Exodus 21:15-17


Leviticus 20:7-9


Isaiah 29



Dig Deeper

Some have argued that this section proves that Mark was written to a Gentile audience. The point of this passage wouldn’t make a lot of sense if you don’t understand the Jewish culture in which it takes place. If his audience, was intended be Jewish, goes the argument, then he wouldn’t bother explaining some of the details that he does. It is only because Mark knew that his audience was not Jewish did he feel the need to explain certain details from the Jewish culture. I don’t think that this is necessarily the case. All that is necessary to know, however, is that Mark was aware that both Jews and Gentiles would read this book, not one or the other. Jews, of course, wouldn’t need the extra explanations, but the Gentiles would.


Mark interrupts his stories about healing and awesome displays of the coming kingdom, in order to describe a debate between Jesus and the Pharisees and teachers of the law over Jewish traditions and customs. The obvious question is why, but first we have to examine a few things.


We can all appreciate cleanliness, especially in a society where we almost demand that people wash their hands after using the restroom or before they eat. We understand the importance of cleanliness. The Jews had a great many customs to do with remaining ceremonially clean, which Mark briefly explains. These would eventually be codified and written down about two centuries after Jesus’ death, but by this time there was already a great deal of oral tradition that had built up. Seemingly, cleanliness is a good thing, so why would there be an issue with this? Why does Mark include this incident?


The question that Jesus was asked was about the observance of the purity rituals of his disciples. The answer Jesus gives concerns the controversy between Scripture and tradition. This is not, however, the same type of argument over Scripture and tradition that is often debated today between the Protestant and Catholic Church. The real debate here was about two different concepts of what it meant to be a good Jew in the first century. The charge that Jesus is leveling against them is teaching human custom as fundamental law. This is, in Jesus’ mind, hypocrisy. They claim to be teachers of the law, but are really teaching tradition.


To clearly demonstrate the hypocrisy of their position on tradition, Jesus gives an example of how they were using tradition and custom to circumvent the law rather than uphold it. They were like creative accountants looking for a loophole in the rules when it fit their fancy. Rather than upholding the law’s standard of honoring and supporting their parents, they were claiming that all of their money and possessions belonged to God (they were just the stewards holding his possessions). That way, they didn’t have to live up to their obligations to take care of their parents; they just claimed that they didn’t have any money. By claiming to give the money to God and not really honoring their parents in the process, they were actually making a mockery of the God they were claiming to honor.


At the heart of the matter, then, was who spoke for God? Was it the Pharisees and those who had built up hundreds of years of extra laws, rules, and traditions? They had moved Scriptural interpretation in a particular direction. Not the least of that direction were certain political agendas, and the view of God’s kingdom that called for revolution against Rome. Believe or it not the purity laws were all a part of that mentality that desperately wanted to distinguish the Jews from everyone around them, highlighting the belief that the pagans were the unclean ones and the Jews were the only true, clean children of God.


Jesus says that in doing what they were doing, they were joining the not-so-fine tradition of Jews that Isaiah had described as claiming to honor God in their words, but doing so in vain. In creating a form of worship and honor to God that was comfortable for them, they had really created a situation in which they were not honoring God at all.


The reason that Mark includes this passage then becomes clear. Jesus wasn’t entering into an abstract argument about one set of Scriptural interpretations over another, he was challenging the entire foundation upon which they had built their worldview, and their belief in how the kingdom of God would come about and what it was like. Jesus’ vision of the kingdom was feasting, celebrating, and including all. If he was correct, then the Pharisee’s whole vision of the kingdom was wrong from the very beginning.



Devotional Thought

The Jews of Jesus’ day had started out with the good intention of following YHWH’s law. They had, however, lost sight of God and began to serve the law and their interpretations and additions to it instead. Do you ever have the tendency to go through religious motions and do things out of obligation rather than due to your love of God? What can we as Christians do to keep from doing that?