Posted by Pastor Pat on May 14, 2009
Read Mark 4:21-25
“The opening for of verse 22 indicates a close connection with what precedes. What had just been said in figurative language is now elucidated in literal terms. The double statement stresses the idea of purpose. The underlying law is that when things are hidden, the intention is that in due time they will be revealed.” (D. Edmond Hiebert, Mark: A Portrait of the Servant, 107).
In our context, what was unknown about the kingdom is now being made known. Jesus is unfolding and revealing those things that were previously unknown and concealed. His disciples are to be assured of the kingdom’s victory. The truth of God will triumph. Those who are opposed to Him are equally assured of their demise. No matter what man might do, God will win.
The Pharisees and Herodians sought to destroy Him (3:6) and the scribes accused Him of being demonic (3:20-30). This parable speaks directly to their actions. Instead of celebrating and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, they sought to place it under a peck-measure or a bed (4:21). Jesus assures His disciples that what they seek to hide will be disclosed and what is secret will come to light. Like the previous parable of the soils and the triumph of the good soil producing abundance, so also this parable assures His audience that victory is certain. The program of God is unstoppable.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on May 10, 2009
Read Mark 4:1-20
This parable of the soils is part of our Lord explaining the mystery of the kingdom of God. There are aspects of the promised kingdom presently being manifested.
An aspect of the kingdom revealed is pictured in the wide broadcasting of seed. The seed finds various receptions. The truth of God’s kingdom will be openly resisted by some. And because of misunderstanding of the true program of God, others will initially receive it with joy, but in time will abandon it because of failed expectations. Only a remnant will receive it with joy and see enduring fruit. This parable explains what is happening. In Mark 1 the authority of the King is established. In chapters two and three there is open resistance to the authority. Now in chapter 4 the reason this is true is explained. The primary idea in the parable of the soils is not to emphasize the ¾ who resist, but the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom in the world.
So far in the narrative, Mark has placed the person and work of Jesus in a context of strenuous opposition, whereby the religious establishment and political authorities are openly hostile to Him and are desirous of seeing Him destroyed. In this context, anyone who would claim to be His disciple would be discouraged and depressed. This parable seeks to show them the end of God’s program. In so doing, His disciples are to be greatly encouraged.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on May 6, 2009
Remember the previous paragraph. Jesus notes how those who are for Him are a part of His kingdom. Those who are against Him have committed an unpardonable sin. The issue in our present paragraph is not whether you are in His immediate family by physical descent, but if you are born again and have pledged your allegiance to King Jesus.
What is interesting about this statement is what is not said. First, our union with Christ is not based on one’s social standing. Whether you are a Pharisee, tax-collector, scribe, or sinner, none of these things matter as it relates to one’s inclusion in God’s family. Second, our union with Christ is not based on one’s financial wherewithal. Whether one is rich or poor, financially strapped or independently wealthy, none of these things matter as it relates to one’s inclusion in God’s family. Third, our union with Christ is not based on one’s genealogical alliances. One’s pedigree has no bearing on whether or not one is included in God’s family. Such preferences often related to heritage are of no consequence when it relates to one’s inclusion in god’s family. Finally, our union with Christ is not based on gender. Whether you are male or female, rich or poor, bond or free, all may be included and no one will be excluded if the right path is chosen.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 26, 2009
Our text is found in Matthew and Luke, but excluded from Mark. If we follow Mark’s reading, Matthew 12:30 is wedged between the statements concerning the strong one and the sin of blasphemy (Mark 3:27, 28). In looking at the passage there is a primary idea.
Jesus is King, and His kingdom has overthrown the prince of the power of the air. He is removing enslaved citizens of darkness and transferring them into the kingdom of light. The story begun in Genesis is coming to fruition in the arrival of the woman’s seed, the seed of Abraham and of David. Jesus has subjugated sin, separation, and Satan. He has conquered and we are living in His victory. Jesus Christ is the victor. He has destroyed all of His opponents. All who oppose Him will bow before Him.
Early church father, Augustine, noted how, “Christ came to plunder the strong man’s good – the devil’s hold upon the ungodly.” ([emphasis added] Augustine, in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament II – Mark, 41). Jesus has dethroned the Devil; the one who bound others would now be bound. The text shows us two kingdoms in conflict. One sits in a position of possessor, and the other comes to take back what is rightfully His. Ultimately the two lie in mortal combat. It is impossible for the two ever to be reconciled.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 15, 2009
Read Mark 3:13-19
I find this statement intriguing. Why twelve, and why these twelve and not some other group or number? Although the purpose of God is knowable, it is not exhaustible. The intricacies of God’s purpose will forever be shrouded behind the veil of infinity. Even though we cannot exhaust the subject as to why God appointed these twelve to be with Him, it still permits us to note several salient features.
First, what is of interest is that Jesus chose individuals to be a part of a larger community, a fellowship if you will. Christianity is not lived in isolation. The idea of being a hermit for Jesus is untenable.
“The Christian is something which from the beginning had to be discovered and lived out in a fellowship. The whole essence of Christianity was that it bound men to their fellows, and presented them with the task of living with each other and for each other.” (William Barclay, Mark, 73, 74).
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 10, 2009
Read Mark 3:7-12
The paragraph before us (Mark 3:7-12) forms a transition from one idea (Mark 2:1-3:6) to that of selecting His twelve disciples (3:13ff). It is both a summary and an introduction. In summarizing the ministry of Jesus, no statement is made concerning His teaching ministry. Such an idea is assumed and established earlier in chapters 1 and 2 (1:21, 22; 2:13; 4:1, 2; 6:2, 6, 34; etc.).
Jesus taught. He always was teaching. Jesus used every means at His disposal to preach God and call people’s attention to God. Yet, how do we “mesh” the two ideas of preaching the gospel and helping our fellow man?
The gospel of Jesus Christ addresses the whole of the individual. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not simply proclamational. It is also incarnational. The gospel feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and provides a cup of cold water to the thirsty (Matt. 24). The gospel produces humanitarian activity. Christianity causes us to care. Ministries of mercy are intrinsic to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For many years I was only focused on the proclamation of the gospel, caring little about the physical needs of those around me. I was not taught to care. The church’s “business” was to preach Christ. I still believe this, but I have fleshed out what this preaching looks like considerably in recent years. I now have come to understand the other aspect of the good news. What does this look like based on the statement of our Lord in Luke 4:18? WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 6, 2009
Read Mark 3:1-6
How do we live so as to produce life and not death? Christ brings liberty to the captive, sight to the blind, healing to the sick, and power to the impotent (Luke 4). How do we become ambassadors of such truth without “selling out”? How do we maintain the purity of the gospel without forsaking the purpose of the gospel?
First, it is the truth that sets people free (John 8:32). Paul celebrates this idea in the letter to the Galatians. The power of the cross frees people in captivity. Regardless as to the means, when the content of the cross is shared, people go free. The cross cannot help but do what it was designed to do. It brings hope, heals, and restores wholeness to the despairing, the diseased, and the dysfunctional. Second, from Mark 2:23-3:6 one can see how it is possible for the “shadow” of rules, rituals, and regulations to rob people of their relationship with God. Yet how do we guard ourselves and the ministry entrusted to us from becoming consumed by those things that kill rather than bring life. Is it possible to know if the shadow has become the end rather than the means to the end? Consider the following two thoughts.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 3, 2009
The essence of the Christian life is the relationship His people have with Him. There is nothing else comparable to or capable of replacing this. No amount of form, asceticism, indulgence, discipline, method, structure, program, or religion can replace the centerpiece of the Christian faith which is a relationship between God and His people.
This relationship is secured by God in the offering up of His Son for the sins of His people. The relationship begins in God and is sustained by God. Unfortunately, all we seem to do is clutter the relationship with nonessentials. Everything created and all biblical revelation points us to Him. Somehow in the journey we deviate and find detours that lead us from God by stopping us short of enjoying Him, and we end up existing in the shadow-lands of God’s person and work.
I cannot speak for everyone, so I will not attempt to. What I will do is speak what I know and experience. I have a propensity to replace the best with the good and the good will always be the enemy of the best. Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, singing, reading, and fellowship (to name just a few) are all good things, but none of them were ever meant to be ends in themselves. Such things, if noted incorrectly, will becomes ends, and in so doing, take us away from God and will not draw us to God. Is it not simply amazing how something that is good can become the enemy of the best? When any of our disciplines become duties, then its time to take a break and evaluate why we do what we do. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
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Filed Under: Mark
Posted by Pastor Pat on April 1, 2009
“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins,
and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Read Mark 2:18-22
As a pastor of a long standing fellowship (50 plus years), I find this thought, “New Wine in Old Wineskins,” a persistent tension in today’s church. In failing to differentiate between the message of the gospel and the manner in which it is celebrated, we have generational divide and church families that are only one age and thus one dimensional. This is not the Church Jesus builds. Churches are to be generationally diverse and, if community dictates, ethnically varied. No one would ever think of having a church of only men or only women or only children. This would be unwise and foolish.
Any church that targets, and or has, only one thing will become stagnant and predictable. Such a church is either dying or dead. How can we keep a generationally diverse fellowship and still celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ? It has been a grievous thing to see the young and the old leave the church because of change or non-change. Either the change is too fast or the church is not changing fast enough. Either way everyone loses. The gospel is not changing, but the manner in which it is celebrated must change and that change might happen every twenty years.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 29, 2009
Read Mark 2:13-17
This is the rub. How can we be “in the world” but not “of the world” (John 17)? What are we protecting? We must protect the purity of the gospel without isolating it from the purpose of the gospel.
How have we come to this point in our lives where “church” is identified by a structure or building and not the living body that meets in the building? How have we come to the point where contact with the unbelieving or association with the non-churched is something to be avoided? Why are we so guarded about what people might think of us? When we are more concerned about our “image” rather than our “audience,” we have become Pharisees. How we understand the idea of “being in the world” and not “of the world” will shape our purpose as a church.
Sunday morning services are “for the people of God whereby we gather to worship Him.” But from our worship comes life and in the context of living, we demonstrate and declare the gospel to everyone, everywhere, at all times. Going where the sinner lives, does not make you a sinner. Our Lord’s appeal is to be who you are where you live.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 27, 2009
Read Mark 1:40-45
As I work through Mark’s Gospel and the life of Jesus Christ, I have been challenged to become more aggressive in emphasizing the role of the local church in mercy ministries. It appears unfortunate but we fail to hold in tension evangelism of soul and ministries of “healing.” We must become the cup of cold water to the thirsty, we must become fathers to the fatherless, and we must become a shelter to the homeless. How do we come alongside those who are buckling under the weight of life? To have the mind of Christ without His hands or feet is restrictive and one dimensional. We must maintain the gospel, we must engage our culture, and we must build His church. None of these three items are capable of being neglected.
Our involvement in our community should be a real ministry expression of this local community. Our community is already trying to address these issues, but all attempts on their part are one dimensional. We must not deceive ourselves. It is only Christ and His church that can address the souls of these individuals. The church fails when it focuses on only one area and not both. It is never either or. It is always both the soul and the body. William Barclay notes how there are three pairs of things which Jesus never separated and we would do well to consider his observations.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 25, 2009
There are certain vocations that expose the practitioner to those who suffer and are in pain. All those within the medical profession encounter people in ill-health and chronic pain. Those in the ministry of the church are likewise regularly faced with those who suffer either emotionally and/or physically. Everyone inside those professions must wrestle with the nature of suffering and pain.
John Stott has said that “the fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith.” It is unquestionably true that there is no greater obstacle to faith than that of the reality of evil and suffering in the world. Indeed, even for the believing Christian, there is no greater test of faith than this — that the God who loves him permits him to suffer, at times in excruciating ways. And the disillusionment is intensified in our day when unrealistic expectations of health and prosperity are fed by the teachings of a multitude of Christian teachers. Why does a good God allow his creatures, and even his children to suffer? (“The Problem of Evil: How Can a Good God Allow Evil?” Rick Rood)
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 23, 2009
You would think with the ease in which the word “heresy” is used an understanding of it would be apparent. Unfortunately, such is not the case. The word is used carelessly of those who do not conform to another person’s position.
In the New Testament, it is used in Titus 3:10, “A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject.” Our English word is a transliteration of the Greek. It means, “A schismatic.” It is used of a person who stirs up division. The noun form is used only here.
The verb form is only used in Matthew 12:18, “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.” The idea of “setting apart” is clearly seen.
The noun is used negatively and the verb is used positively. The heretic is not necessarily the one who differs from us in our theological position, but rather the one who makes the theological position a point of contention. If this is true, then perhaps there should be a greater level of tolerance toward those who differ with us on issues that are of no eternal significance. This would force us to determine what is primary and what should be considered secondary.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 21, 2009
Read Mark 1:14-15
All of Scripture points to this singular idea: God reigns over all He creates. There is no area, anywhere, at anytime that does not fall under His reign. Although this reign shows itself in various ways, there can be no question that He reigns. Often we are found struggling against the idea that God’s kingdom is present. Our Lord offered a simple prayer to guide His disciples in prayer, “Our Father who is in heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth even as it is done in heaven.” Such a request suggests that there is a kingdom that is yet future. If future, then it cannot be present. This thinking, however, diminishes the “already-not yet” theology of the New Testament.
The Gospels clearly portray Jesus Christ as king and His kingdom as present. His miracles and teaching all speak to this idea. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ secured for Himself the citizens of His kingdom, and His rejection and death did not stop the kingdom from existing. The kingdom Jesus brought still exists today. It looks differently than it did before Jesus came, when Jesus came, and will look differently when He comes again, but there is still a present kingdom.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 19, 2009
Read Mark 1:12-13
“Calvin: Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?
Hobbes: I’m not sure that man needs the help”
With tongue in cheek, Bill Watterson captures the dilemma faced by all. Temptation is an undeniable experience of anyone living. In the narrative of Mark, four thoughts come to the forefront concerning temptation, with two more offered by Matthew and Luke. I would like us to consider this for our personal edification.
First, there is a purpose behind every temptation (“the Spirit sent Him out”). Regardless as to how we might understand this thought, it was the Holy Spirit who drove Jesus into the wilderness in order to be tempted of the devil. The temptation of Jesus and His willingness to resist the devil and obey His Father was directly tied to the death He was to die. If He would have failed in His temptation, then the sacrifice He offered would be blemished and would not have the power to forgive sin. Whenever we are tempted, we must understand that the temptation is neither random nor arbitrary. There is a purpose behind it even if we cannot see it or understand it.
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