The church as family, day by day - Mark 3

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

today's scripture is based on Mark 3.

In this chapter we read about a man with a withered hand, a great crowd that follows Jesus, the 12 apostles that follow Jesus about Jesus using the words of the Jewish Leaders to defend himself and about Jesus stating where his first allegiance lies.

It's an awfully varied chapter and it's hard to pick where to focus, and reading through what Charles Swindoll had to say on it wasn't particularly helpful...and I'm really not sure how this passage pertains to memories and how the church becomes family... didn't make any sense to me, so... I'm back to reading it over again and seeing how God will speak to me today.  :)

I read through this passage again and what jumped out at me where two things

1. Jesus is making a new way - he challenged what could be done on the Sabbath by healing a man, he chose apostles, he taught people, he forbade the evil spirits to talk about him, he went without food in order to teach, he challenged the religious leaders and he chose his ministry and his love of God before his physical family.

2.²⁰ Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹  And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” I read that and thought HUH?  What is this all about?  I do not understand why this would cause his family to think he'd lost his mind.   It still doesn't make sense to me.

And when they came to get him, he refused to go with them saying that those who do the will of God are his family.  

³¹  And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. ³² And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” ³³ And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵  For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

ah... and thus I see where Charles gets his family thing. :)   Family ..... do we truly consider the people that we worship with, who are part of the visible and invisible church of God.. do we truly consider them to be family? Jesus did.    In fact he left his family who wanted to pull him away from his ministry to teach and lead and guide his spiritual family. 

I have to admit, I don't feel like I have family in this church, with the exception of a few.   Maybe that's my fault, maybe it isn't.   I don't know.   There are times when I long for closeness with those I worship with.   But I don't know how to gain that either.  Today I'm left with more questions than answers...

Some Devotional Ramblings.....

From Romans 15 comes this verse :

For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

I was just reading, feeling tired since I was waken up early, having a hard time focusing on what I was reading, and this verse kinda said... HEY! Made me think. You know how missionairies come to talk, or displaced Christians come to talk about missions or life as a believer in the land they came from. Often they ask for money to support their work or their people. ... well this verse points out why we should do that. If we share with others spiritually, then we should care for them materially as well. So it's not just duty that causes people to share with us about what they are doing, it is also to share the blessings of their work ... so that spiritually we can share with them the joys and sorrows of what they are doing/were doing. By doing so, we have a "duty" to help them out physically. I hope that made sense, I think my tired brain isn't functioning as well as it aught! :)

I also read from Mark 15 this morning. Therein I found these verses

1And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." 3And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you." 5But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

I have read the passages of Jesus' crucifixion over and over and over again. It has become one of those stories I know well, as it should for any believer. But "Pilate was amazed". This was a part I didn't remember. I remembered that Pilate didn't know what to do with Jesus. To Pilate it seemed obvious that Jesus deserved none of what was happening to him. He merely assented to his death in order to keep the people happy. And here I read "But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed."

I suppose I can understand that. Pilate would be used to innocent people screaming or crying or proclaiming or otherwise making it known that they were innocent of all charges. And here is Jesus, quietly standing before him. The charges have been read. Pilate asks "are you the king of the Jews" and Jesus only response is "You have said so" and that's it. Not a word further. And yet Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But Jesus said nothing. If it were me in that position I think I would have been amazed as well.

Shows how Jesus CHOSE to die for us.
Shows how Jesus didn't have to, but he did.

The depths of love, the depths of grace shown us.
Jesus suffered beatings, mockings, crucifixion, and death for us.
Jesus felt totally abandoned by God.

He did this for one reason only..... so that God could show his love for us by showing us mercy. Through Jesus' death, God's grace was showcased.

like a lamb he went.....

A Spark of Wisdom

Reading today in Mark 12, these verses just jumped out at me.

28And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" 29Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Do you see how this fellow came up to Jesus and just asked simple question, Jesus answered him, and light dawned on the questioner. Jesus' simple observation, "you are not far from the kingdom of God."

Faith in God is demonstrated in much more than works. It is faith in God. It is more than burnt offerings. It is more than sacrifices. Jesus' questioner realized that. He understood that loving God is more important. That understanding God was more important. That loving your neighbour as you love yourself, was more important. This understanding brings him close to the kingdom of heaven.

It's like, oh... I don't know if you've ever had a conversation with a non-believer, and seen them with this glint of understanding in their eyes when they just realize an important truth about God and salvation. It's like a little light goes on. And you just have to feed that light by saying, yes, now you are getting it. That's what Jesus did here. He said, yes, you are getting it.

Faith in God is some much more than what we do. It's what we are. We are a people who love God, who want to understand him more, and who want to treat those around us the way that we are treated. This is what faith is.

Now to go out and increase that faith... read his word, study it, practice it. Don't just give God "stuff" that really doesn't matter. Love him, read and study his word, go out and do it. That is how you show your faith. That is what matters.

Offer encouragement to people along the way. Be like Jesus. :)

The Real Story

One of our boyo's books is the story of the blind man. I have read it to him so many times that I could almost tell it by heart. :) Aren't you glad I'm not doing that right now? One of the lines in the book is where Bartimaeus is calling "Jesus, Jesus"

Anyways, I was reading from Mark 10 this morning and came across this story:

46And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." 50And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." 52And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

As I read this story, the book came to my mind. How Bartimaeus kept calling out, Jesus, Jesus! Regardless of what those around him said. He didn't stop. He didn't take the rebukes offered him.

And did Jesus ignore him? No. In fact, he said to those around him... call him. His listeners did what Jesus asked.

Bartimaeus could have been struck with stage fright, but no, he immediately jumped up, threw off his cloak even, and went over to Jesus.

When Jesus asked him what he wanted...Bartimaeus was not slow to respond. He immediately told Jesus that he wanted to see.

Jesus granted his request. Why? Because of Bartimaeus' faith. For no other reason.

Bartimaeus followed Jesus as he immediately recovered his sight.

Just makes me stop and have to think.
1. how often do I just call out to Jesus?
2. how often do I let the cares of this world keep me from continuing to call out to him?
3. when Jesus says come, do I immediately jump up and go? Am I so impatient to get to Jesus that I will throw off whatever hinders me so I can get there quicker?
4. when Jesus says, how can I help you? Do I stammer around or do I just tell the basic story. Jesus, I want to see.
5. Do I have faith that Jesus would answer my request?
6. When he does answer me, do I follow him from then on?

Sometimes I have to admit, I fail in this. I let myself be sidetracked by the rebukes of the world. I am often silenced when I should not be. God forgive me for this. Help me not to be silent. Help me to immediately leave whatever needs to be left so I can just come at your call.

He Marveled.....

Today my one of my readings was from Mark 6. (and yes Kim, I looked it up, I am following the McCheyne Plan). :) Anyways, when I was reading this passage seemed important today.

Lately I've been feeling like I've been beat around the head by life. Why? Who knows, it's just a part of life. I hope, that for the most part, I haven't been making the lives of my loved ones miserable. But sometimes life just seems to weigh a person down.

Last night the boy managed to make me laugh, this morning the older dog made me laugh. Laughter often seems to make the weight seem lighter....don't you ever find that? Anyways, this passage just kinda struck me this morning.

The first six verses of Mark 6.

1He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." 5And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

Do you see it? Do you see that Jesus himself marveled at the unbelief displayed around him?

I read that and I was stunned.

Yes, I marveled that Jesus marveled! :)

To marvel means: to express astonishment or surprise about something

So often I ask my hubbie....what do people think? Why do they do thus and such? How can someone conceive of doing _____________ (some atrocity) He often says, sin. We are sinners at heart. He doesn't ever seemed stunned. And sometimes I feel a bit stupid or naive, but some of the things that I see and learn about in this world just stun me with how "ick" they are. And when I meet people that wrongly interpret scripture and yet are very fervent for the gospel (i.e. people who say that homosexuality is right, that scripture supports abortion and such like) I am stunned. I marvel at how stuck in their wrongness they are.

So reading this today makes me really see Christ's humanity as well. Makes me able to identify just a tad bit more with Christ.

I know that Christ was divine and human. I know this. I know that as God he knows everything. That marveling at the refusal of his own people to acknowledge him just seems out of character in a way. But it shows his humanity.... it just does.

No, I don't have any profound insights. This is just where it is at for me today.

Christ marveled at his own people. They managed to astonish him.

So when I am astonished at the world today, I am in good company. :)

Why did the Pharisees plot?

i was reading today in Mark 3 and I was struck by this query, did the Pharisees want Jesus dead because he claimed to the Son of God, or did they want him dead primarily because he attacked their traditions of what could be done when?

I raised this question to myself (or perhaps it was the Holy Spirit's prompting) when I read these verses in Mark.

1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath AFTER he asked the Pharisees if it was "lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill". They never answered him, but as soon as he healed the man they plotted on how to best destroy him.

It was like the whole point was....he is challenging our traditions. He must be stopped.

Jesus had a large following, they knew this as well. So you can't just destroy a man, kill a man, for a flimsy excuse, the people would have gone wild, so looking for additional charges against him would have been important.

I just wonder if the catalyst was the fact the Jesus promoted GODs' way, and not the Pharisees' way.

I suppose I'll never really know. It does point me though in the direction that God's way is the only way to go. Jesus died because it was more important than anything else. He angered the Jews and yet he continued to bring salvation and healing to all he met.

How do we then keep Sunday's special?

Have you ever had this passage used as a defence against legalism about Sundays? It comes from Mark 2.

23One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" 25And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

I was raised to believe that Sundays were a day of rest and worship. One doesn't do things on Sundays that one really doesn't need to work-wise. It doesn't mean you can't have fun, or that meals can't be made or that cows can't be milked, but you don't go out and put in the hay, and you don't do laundry and so on and so forth.

I still, for the most part, hold to that. Not just because I was raised that way, but because God says "remember the sabbath and keep it holy." Yes I know, old testament law and we live in New testament times and the sabbath is Saturday not Sunday so therefore that doesn't hold true does it? My only response to such people is well....so what... you keep Saturdays as your day of rest and worship and do nothing that you don't have to?

I"m generally met with silence when I ask that.

I know lots of people who treat Sunday like any other day of the week with "church" being just another activity that is done. Just like Justin and I go to the library for book club on Friday, many people treat going to church just like that! And the rest of the day is filled with "laundry, grocery shopping and the like." And asked why... I've had this passage thrown at me... but you are just being legalistic. Sundays are made for man! We can do what we want.

So what then makes Sunday special? How do we keep Sundays special? How do we give due reverence to God and not make it seem like worshipping him is just "another thing" that we do?

I do know it's not is just doing whatever we want.

What do you think?

UPDATE ON THIS ENTRY.
Since a reply was made I was forced to re-post what my query really is. For people who choose to work on Sunday...whether that work be laundry, grocery shopping, sweeping the floors, working on the car etc.... For people who choose to do these activities AND go to church, how do YOU make Sunday special? How do you make the Lord's day important? If you have children, how do you teach them that church isn't just another "thing" that you do -- especially if the rest of the day (on Sunday) is no different than the rest of the week?

Today's meditation

I read this passage this morning Mark 12

1And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not read this Scripture:

"'The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

Made me think of how often the messengers of God are killed. God sends out people time and time again, and they all get killed or beated or set away, by the very people God is trying to communicate with. And then he sends his most precious messenger...and he is destroyed as well.

Not only did this actually happen physically...but it also happens mentally and emotionally. Christ was crucified, he was dead. he was alive again. he rose and is now sitting besides God in heaven.

But his people, who call upon his name, are being martyred around the world daily. People are harassed, beaten, sued, denied jobs, driven out of their homes, just because they believe in Christ and have the "audacity" to tell others about it. God sends these people out. he's given all believers the ability to tell others about him, and it's something he actually tells us to do. Unfortunately many of us are too afraid to do anything about it, but we still need to. We can't let .. oh i want to say we can't let the world win... but that's not what I mean. We can't let all those lost souls perish for the want of hearing God's word.

We need to be obedient to Christ.

It's like those servants who were sent out. They knew what happened to the previous servants...beaten or killed. They still obeyed the will of their master. As Christians today, we can't let the fear of loss of position, money, life, liberty, and so forth stop us from heeding the word of our risen Lord and Saviour.

Your thoughts?