All posts by Luella Campbell

MARK’S GOSPEL…PICKY IRRITATION -10

Bible Study, ,

Mark 2:15-17 NIV
[15] “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [17] On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Strange, isn’t it, that the religious leaders just couldn’t leave Jesus alone. Wherever He was, whatever He did, they were there, on His case, picking on Him for daring to challenge not only their authority but also their very philosophy of life.

The difference between the Pharisees and Jesus was simple.They focused on the “don’ts” while Jesus focused on the “do’s”. What do I mean? For the Pharisees, their preoccupation with being “holy” meant that they were careful not to do anything that they believed would displease God.

God’s laws were protected by a multiplicity of additional laws and prohibitions added by the learned rabbis over years of study, and preserved in the Mishnah.

Google explains…

“The Mishnah is a third-century Jewish collection that expands upon the legal material and language of the Old Testament and is considered to be “oral Torah.” Mishnah (the Hebrew term מִשְׁנָה means “study by repetition”) is the foundation of all subsequent Jewish law and praxis, from the Talmuds up to modern-day Jewish literature.”

To the Jewish religious leaders, the Mishnah was as authoritative as the Tanach. They were incensed when Jesus did what they considered to be violations of these additional laws, and they were quick to pick on Him for every infraction.

Jesus had chosen Matthew to be one of His disciples, a despised tax collector who worked for the Roman government. Matthew had arranged a dinner to which he invited Jesus and his circle of friends, outcasts like himself, of course. The Pharisees, nosing around as usual, noticed this event and immediately lodged their objection. “Why does Jesus share a meal with the riff-raff?”

On this occasion, Jesus dared to fellowship with those whom the Pharisees considered to be undesirable people, the outcasts of society, “sinners” in their eyes since these people didn’t care about “the law”.

In Hebrew culture, sharing a meal with people was much more than that. There was significance in eating together. It was a declaration that the participants were at peace with each other, no issues, no animosity.

How could Jesus be at peace with these “sinners” if He was who He claimed to be, the Son of God? In any case, He was a recognised rabbi, and rabbis don’t eat with sinners.

As usual, Jesus declared His intention not to condemn people for their sinfulness but to rescue them from self-destruction and call them into fellowship with Him.

Mark 2:17 NIV
[17] “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus had declared His intention not to do away with God’s law, but to fulfill it in the way that God meant it to be lived, not by being hypocritically holy but by treating all people with kindness and compassion.

Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
[17] “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. [18] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”

Since God’s word is eternal, what He intended in His law (instructions), was meant to be understood in the context of His nature and attributes, not according to human opinions and interpretations.

Jesus declared His purpose in His words to Nicodemus…

John 3:17 NLT
[17] “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

Once again, by their picky irritation with Jesus, the Pharisees revealed the nature of their hearts, self-serving and, by contrast, the nature of the heart of Jesus, selflessly serving.

MARK’S GOSPEL…FORGIVENESS – 9

Christian life

Mark 2:1-5 NIV
[1] “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. [2] They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. [3] Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. [4] Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

What a shocking thing for someone to say! It’s one thing to tell people about forgiveness, but quite another to declare a person forgiven, especially in the religion of Israel where only the priests had that prerogative and only after all the prescribed rituals had been performed.

The Pharisees were quick to jump on Jesus in their thoughts for speaking words that they considered to be blasphemy.

Mark 2:6-7 NIV
[6] “Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, [7] “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Exactly! How could Jesus forgive sins if He was not God? DoescHe think He’s God? Is He God?

I think what shocked them even more was that Jesus knew what they were thinking!

We could talk about Jesus’ awareness that this man needed forgiveness of sin first before he needed healing. However, the context demands that we examine the Pharisees’ accusation of blasphemy.

What was the big issue between the Pharisees and Jesus? Authority! Blasphemy! Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and confirmed His claim by doing works that only God can do. One of those works was to forgive sin.

The general belief in Isreal was that physical conditions were the consequences of sin. For example, the disciples questioned Jesus about the blind man in John 9.

John 9:2 NIV
[2] “His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus even confirmed this belief when He cautioned another blind whom He had healed not to go back to sinning.

John 5:14 NIV
[14] “Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

Since the Pharisees were accusing Jesus of blasphemy, the only way to prove that He was not blaspheming was to do a miracle that would prove that He was telling the truth about His identity, and that He had the authority to forgive sin.

Mark 2:8-12 NIV
[8] “Immediately, Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? [9] Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? [10] But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, [11] “I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.” [12] He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

What could the Pharisees say? Jesus did exactly 2hat He saud He had the authority to do…He forgave his sin and healed the man.

Well, did this miracle convince the Pharisees that Jesus was who He claimed to be? Not at all! In their stubborn unbelief, they were even more determined to get rid of Him. Whats more, the oeople were beginning to believe in Jesus.

Mark 2:12 NIV
[12] “He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Everything Jesus did to confirm His claim enraged Hisc opponents more and fueled their determination to have Him arrested and tried for blasphemy.

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE “MESSIANIC SECRET” – 8

Bible Study, ,

Mark 1:40-42, 44-45 NLT
[40] “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. [41] Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” [42] Instantly, the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed…
[44] “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” [45] But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.”

Leprosy! Not just a common cold, or ‘flu…or even measles or bronchitis. Leprosy was a slow, agonising death sentence but, not only that, a solitary, lonely death sentence with no friends and family to provide support and comfort. Every leper was automatically cancelled, thrown out and ostracised, forbidden from participating in society.

Imagine if you, a leper, discovered that there was one person in all Israel who was healing people! Wouldn’t you break your neck to get to Him? Wouldn’t you ignore all prohibitions, defy all opposition, overcome all obstacles, just to get as near to Him as you could?

One man did! Mark doesn’t tell us who he was or how he did it. He just records that this leprous man got to Jesus, fell at His feet, and begged Him for healing. The man’s only concern was, not could He, but would He do it?

Isn’t this often our concern, too? We know that Jesus can heal, but will He heal me? This man’s story reassures us that Jesus is always willing. There may be other considerations but never His willingness to meet our needs.

Jesus healed him and sent him to the priest to get confirmation of his healing and to fulfill his obligation to offer sacrifice for his ritual cleansing as required by the Law. These requirements were to witness that he was clean, perhaps so that he could be integrated back into his family and society.

However, Jesus gave the man another instruction, which, incidentally, he ignored and consequently made life difficult for Jesus.

Theologians called this instruction “the Messianic secret.” Why did Jesus instruct him not to tell anyone about what had happened to him? His obedience to ritual law would be sufficient testimony to his healing, according to Jesus.

Let’s look at it like this. Jesus didn’t want to be popular because of what He could do for people. He wanted people to believe in Him because of who He was. The greatest question He ever asked of His disciples was…

Matthew 16:15 NIV
[15] “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

… and the only answer we can ever give is…

Matthew 16:16 NIV
[16]… “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Romans 10:9 NIV
[9] “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The trouble is that, in much of today’s preaching, people are invited to come to Jesus for what He can do for them, not for who He is. Take, for example, some of the great “healing” campaigns. People are urged to attend, to “Come and get your healing.”

Only when we are convinced that Jesus is the Son of God, only when we can confess, with conviction and commitment, that He is Lord, will we know and experience the truth of His salvation. Jesus’ desire is that we never follow Him just because of what people tell us or what He can do for us. He demands that we obey the gospel because it is the right thing to do. We must follow Him because we believe that He is Lord, our Supreme Authority, and we willingly bow to His authority.

In his mistaken enthusiasm, the healed leper did more damage to Jesus’ ministry than good because his testimony fostered people’s attraction to Jesus for what He could do for them without any conviction of who He was. Oh yes, there were debates about Him, but little faith in Him because, to follow Him meant death to self and selfish living. Few would respond to a condition like that.

Matthew 16:24-26 NIV
[24] “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [25] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. [26] What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

The same principle applies today even if preachers mistakenly present Jesus as the answer to all ills. He is Lord. He commands us to repent and believe the gospel because this is the only way to be reconciled to God.

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE MISSION – 7

Bible Study, ,

Mark 1:35-39 NIV
[35] “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. [36] Simon and his companions went to look for him, [37] and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” [38] Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” [39] So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”

What an opportunity to make a name for Himself, to win the popularity poll for the most compassionate, most caring, and…yes… most effective miracle worker Israel had ever known! Jesus didn’t need a campaign manager or a marketing expert. His fame spread before Him like a prairie wildfire.

When the disciples awoke, Jesus was missing. They hunted high and low, but He was nowhere to be found. Didn’t He know how popular He was? People came from everywhere, ignoring their need for sleep and food, clamouring to get near Him. The streets of the village resembled a hospital waiting room, every kind of sickness and disease represented in the milling crowd.

Just imagine! Here was a man who, unlike any person they had ever met, could cure disease with a touch and drive out demons with a word…but He was missing!

The disciples were frantic. They searched everywhere and finally…they found Him. Indignantly, they rebuked Him.. “Everyone is looking for you!”

Don’t you understand, Jesus? “This is an opportunity of a lifetime. You are so popular that people are flocking to you from all over the country. Here’s your chance to make a name for yourself.” Who wouldn’t jump at an opportunity like that, especially because He was God’s Messiah, after all! Didn’t He want to reach as many people as possible?

Jesus’ response left them bewildered, flabbergasted.

Mark 1:38 NIV
[38]… “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Instead of capitalising on the situation, Jesus walked away. He left the bewildered crowd with all their desperate needs, clamouring and crying for help. He simply walked away!

Why, Jesus? Why?

Jesus, the Servant of Yahweh, was under orders from a higher authority. It was not for nothing that He spent long hours in prayer. In the quietness and darkness of the night, while His disciples slept, He was in touch with headquarters, fellowshipping with the Father, receiving instructions for His next assignment. He may have been separated from the Father by geography by not in heart.

Without His daily instructions, without the Holy Spirit’s intimate presence, Jesus would be rudderless, left to His own devices to steer His own course. He had a divine and eternal mission to fulfill. Despite His divine nature, He had laid aside His divine power and privileges, making Himself utterly dependent on His union with the Father and His partnership with the Holy Spirit to plot His daily course and to fulfill His divine calling.

What took precidence in His life above all other needs and demands? Not food..not sleep…not creature comforts…not even rest or recreation. When people interrupted His rest time with the disciples, He was quick to respond to their needs, but… above all else, His response to His mandate was…

Psalms 40:7-8 NIV
[7] “Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. [8] I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

The Father’s Word and the Father’s will stood out above every other demand…and Jesus pursued His purpose with diligence and dedication. To neglect daily prayer and intimate fellowship with the Father would make shipwreck of His mission.

So, Jesus moved on, not because He was unaware or unfeeling towards human need…not because He was oblivious to opportunity… but because He was the Servant, always under orders from heaven. He was never need driven…always Spirit led. When the Father said “Go!”, He went. When the Father said, “Speak!”, He spoke…and what He said, so He assured even His fiercest opponents, was only what He heard the Father say.

John 12:49 NIV
[49] “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. [50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

These few verses in Mark’s gospel speak volumes about the Servant of Yahweh. Without engaging in extended and detailed explanations, Mark tells us, in graphic stories, that Jesus was under orders. He was dedicated to fulfil His mission. He was careful to stay in touch with His authority and to obey every instruction.

Despite His disciples’ blundering efforts to assist Him, Jesus steered a straight course through human demands and needs to do the Father’s will and to fulfill the Father’s commission… Even to death!

So, how do we respond, as servant/sons of the Most High God, to this magnificent example of the Servant/Son? We can do no less than He did, through diligent and faithful prayer…not by issuing orders but by reporting for duty.

MARK’S GOSPEL…OPPOSITION – 6

Bible Study, ,

Mark 1:21, 23-26 NIV
[21] “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach…
[23] Just then, a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, [24] “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” [25] “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” [26] The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.”

Jesus’ appearance on the public scene stirred up a hornet’s nest of demonic activity. In the synagogue, of all places, the place where God’s people met together to worship and to hear God’s Word… one of the resident demons voiced its objections! How could demons be comfortable in the synagogue? Surely, the very Word of God would stir them to frantic opposition!

It seems that demons were quite at home in Israel, judging by the number Jesus encountered in His movements around the country. Like flies on a rubbish dump, demons infested many of the people of Israel, sucking life out of them and being an embarrassment to their fellow Israelites.

How fitting that the first record of the Servant’s work, according to Mark, was a frontal attack on one of His fiercest enemies. Demons were the devil’s footsoldiers, the infantry of hell, occupying ground that Satan desired to possess completely. The people of Israel were meant to be the front line of attack and defense in the battle between heaven and hell for the souls of men and women. Instead, their lives of sinful disobedience to the covenant of their covenant-keeping God had made them vulnerable to enemy occupation.

One thing the demon recognised when Jesus arrived on the scene, was that the commander-in-chief of the armies of heaven was right there, in its face, if you please! There was no negotiating, no peace agreement, no cease-fire pact. This was not a balancing act between two equal enemies. This was war to the death!

Demons were usurpers, squatters in God’s territory. This was not a battle. This was an eviction order…and the demon knew it. Despite its objection to being disturbed, this demon understood authority. It had to obey. In view of all the people in the synagogue, the demon bowed to Jesus and, with a final show of defiance, fled the scene, leaving Its victim dazed but free.

Imagine the effect of the deliverance on the worshippers! This was power and authority they had never witnessed in all Israel. As much as their spiritual leaders swaggered around, claiming the authority and power they could not produce, Jesus had done the unthinkable with just a few words!
“Be quiet!”… “Come out of him!”

Mark 1:27 NIV
[27] “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits, and they obey him.”

So, the battle lines were drawn for all-out war. Most of His struggles were not with Satan’s henchmen but with his representatives…the men who posed as God’s representatives but who, in fact, resembled the devil more than the God they claimed to worship.

Jesus had identified His territory, the kingdom of God, under the authority of the Father… and His weapon of choice, the infallible Word of God, “It is written,” which He used with devastating effect.

Jesus never allowed His reputation or His emotions to take centre stage. In every encounter with the enemy, be it with demons or humans, He always wielded only one weapon…truth. All the Father’s authority and power flowed through His Word.

His first hand-to-hand combat with the devil in the wilderness was convincingly His victory. He had proved the effectiveness of His weapon and established His authority over the only one who had ever dared to challenge His position in heaven.

For the rest of His time on earth, Jesus continued to overcome the world and its opposition forces with one defence…faith, and one weapon…truth. He trusted, submitted to, and obeyed the Father. He did the Father’s works and spoke the Father’s words… a true Servant of Yahweh!

Through the Word, the universe came into being. Through the Word, Jesus upholds all things and all creation functions in harmony. Through the Word, the Son has been assigned the power and authority to judge all people…and, through the Word, He will conquer all opposition.

Revelation 19:11-16 NIV
[11] “I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. [12] His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows, but he himself. [13] He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the WORD OF GOD. [14] The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. [16] On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Jesus’ victory was not His alone. He passed on His conquest to those who would follow Him by faith.

John 16:33 NIV
[33] “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus unmasked Satan’s plan to enslave all people by holding them accountable to the law of God. He broke Satan’s power by perfectly fulfilling God’s law, then dying as a law breaker to pay our debt for disobeying the law.

The devil can no longer deceive us into believing that he has us in his power.

Colossians 2:13-15 NLT
[13] “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. [14] He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. [15] In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”

Jesus stepped in, paid the debt, reversed the charge, and cut us loose from any obligation to obey the law to be righteous. So, with His word, these squatters were evicted, and their victims freed from all accountability.