Monthly Archives: June 2015

Time To Tell

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TIME TO TELL

Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man – and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region (Mark 5: 14-16).

What a sensation! Never had the people of the region heard of anything like this before. A madman becoming sane – just like that! And who was this man who did it? The news of the miracle-worker had obviously not reached them across the lake. Of course they were Gentiles, so who would have told them about Jesus? And they were full of superstition. No one had ever done something like this before. He must be a god or at least a magician. What would He get up to next?

They were scared. Without an explanation they didn’t want Him around. What if it wasn’t only pigs that landed in the lake next time! And what about their pigs? It didn’t seem to matter to Him that He had just destroyed their livelihood. You can‘t sneeze at losing two thousand pigs in one go! No, they didn’t want Him around doing any more damage to them even if the local village idiot was suddenly miraculously sane.

Coming as close to Him as they dared, they begged Him to go. “Just go!” they insisted. ”We don’t want you around.”

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘God home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.’ (Mark 5:17-19).  

Why did the newly-delivered man want to go with Jesus? Was he afraid of what the locals would do to him? After all, wasn’t he indirectly responsible for their loss? They didn’t seem to care that he had been set free from his madness. They were more concerned about their pigs! In any case, what guarantee did they have that he would not become crazy again after the miracle-man had left? They had never seen this happen before. Perhaps it was just a temporary remission and then he would become even more dangerous than before.

Perhaps his reason was far less sinister. Wouldn’t you want to stay close to your deliverer? Gentile though he was with no background or knowledge of the true God, there was something about this man that he just could not get enough of. Never had anyone treated him with such love and compassion. Those who had tried to restrain his bizarre behaviour with shackles and chains had been harsh and cruel, using force and hurting and enraging him even more. That much he remembered in his tormented mind.

But this man – and he didn’t even know His name – was different. And He came from the other side of the lake. A Jew! He must be a Jew and yet He was kind and gentle – not like the other Jews who made no bones about their hatred and contempt for the Gentiles. Even if the others hated him, he decided, he would stick with Him. His love was something he lapped up like a thirsty traveller.

Why did Jesus refuse to allow him to go with Him? Why did He instruct him to go home to his own people and tell them how much the Lord had done for him? Didn’t He tell those whom He had healed not to tell anyone about Him? Why was He so contradictory?

On the Jewish side of the lake the crowds flocked around Him like pigeons in a field of grain. He had to preach from Peter’s boat to avoid being pushed into the lake. But here the people were afraid of Him. They chased Him away because they did not know what to make of Him. He needed a witness like this man to convince them that He was not a magician with evil intent but “the Lord” who had mercy on one demon-possessed man.

So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for Him. And all the people were amazed (Mark 5: 20).

How effective was the witness of this one man? On another occasion when Jesus visited the region again, the people flocked to Him. Why? What made the change? Was it the testimony of this one man? He obviously didn’t relapse into madness again. His life had been transformed by Jesus. Their fear turned to curiosity and some even to faith because this man did what Jesus told him to do.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

Devil-Mad Crazy

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DEVIL-MADE CRAZY

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. (Mark 5:1-5).

It seems that Jesus was on an assignment from the Father when He and His disciples set off across the lake. Was the storm devil-induced or was it just a natural phenomenon that happened when they were en route to the region of the Gerasenes? I am inclined to believe that it was the latter. Jesus and His disciples were part of the natural world. A storm could blow up any time as it often did. Why attribute to the devil what happened all the time?

On their arrival, they were met by a mad-man. They did not need to seek him out. He came to them. Was he drawn to Jesus in spite of the demonic inhabitants inside him? Not even the demons could resist Jesus even though they knew who He was and were hostile to Him. It was like that with Jesus. He drew people like iron filings to a magnet.

Mark took pains to describe the condition of the man. He was the local villain. People had long since given up trying to tame him. Not even chains and shackles could restrain his crazy and often violent behaviour. They left him alone in his wild misery and stayed away from the graveyard and the surrounding hills where he roamed. I can imagine how the children would taunt him from afar and run away when he raged against him.

This man was an example of Satan’s ownership. Wild, violent, tormented and suicidal. In his suffering he could not even destroy himself. All he could do was to inflict pain on himself continually. What did he look like? Filthy, unwashed, bloodied and scarred! I can imagine his body covered with infected sores where he had gashed himself with any sharp stone he could find. His screams would have echoed around the hills, striking terror into the hearts of the people.

How did he manage to stay alive? Did his family take pity on him and leave food for him each day? Was he sane enough to find it and eat it to keep himself alive? He was the picture of hopelessness, trapped in a situation of his own making and unable to release himself from his bondage and suffering.

Gentile thought he was, Jesus knew about him – no doubt prompted by the Holy Spirit – and went on a mission to rescue him. Mercy in action! No questions asked!

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. He shouted on the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’

For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you impure spirit!’ (Mark 5: 6-8).

Notice the interaction between the Son of God and the invading spirits from the dominion of darkness. Jesus did not waste His time trying to find out who they were or how they got there. That’s how it is with Jesus. He is more concerned about healing the sufferer than the reason for his suffering. He was pure authority and the demons knew it. They bowed to Jesus. They knew who He was. They knew their place. They did not resist Him. They could not.

Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demon begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned (Mark 5: 9-13).

What’s in a name? There was an important reason for asking the man his name. His name was who he was. He had to acknowledge who he was – a man possessed by a devilish nature, full of uncleanness. His confession was his key to freedom.

Pigs were a fitting place for them to go – unclean animals according to the Law. But even the pigs could not tolerate their presence. The demons turned them crazy and they fled down the steep bank into the lake. What a sight – two thousand bloated carcasses floating in the lake! That’s what the devil does – turns life into death!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

 

Who Is This?

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WHO IS THIS?

That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was on the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him. ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!’ (Mark 4: 35-41).

Such a familiar story that it hardly moves us any more. Of course we know who this is – Jesus, the Son of God!

But put yourself in the shoes of these twelve men. They thought that they were learning to be disciples of the latest graduate from the Beth Talmid. However, they soon began to realise that, in following Jesus they had bitten off more than they could chew. He just was not what they expected.

First of all, He was unpredictable. Just when they thought they were with a very successful rabbi, crowds following Him, amazing teaching flowing from Him, He took off for another place and started all over again. Why didn’t He stay in one place and build His ministry where He was successful?

Then He kept falling foul of the authorities. Sometimes it was quite embarrassing – the way they attacked Him and the way He talked back to them. Fairly undressed them with His words! One thing they realised – He was smart. The religious types tried to get the better of Him but they could not get it right. He always had an answer right out of the Torah and, enraged though they became, the boffins knew in their hearts that He was right. This didn’t make for good relations with the authorities. Somehow His disciples knew that He would overstep the mark and the religious leaders would get Him.

But He didn’t seem to care. He had His own agenda and no amount of antagonism or opposition He aroused seemed to slow Him down. It was as though He was being guided from another source – not His circumstances but a Person with whom He was in intimate contact all the time.

Did He know, when He decided to go on a boat ride, that He was about to take His men into a crisis? Why put their lives in danger? He knew very well how the weather behaved on the Galilean lake – one moment bright sunshine and calm, the next a furious wind whipping up huge waves on the water. Perhaps He wasn’t aware of what was about to happen. After all, didn’t He take things as they came?

He was worn out after all the teaching and healing and clamouring crowds, desperate people all wanting attention. He also needed to take time out and where better than on the other side of the lake where He could escape the people for a little while? The boat had hardly set sail when He fell asleep on a cushion. How considerate of Peter to have a cushion in the boat just for Him!

Then the wind began to blow. Clouds gathered and blotted out the sunlight. The once sunny sky turned dark and gloomy. The calm water was whipped up into mountainous waves. The tiny craft rose and dipped like a cork on the water. The frightened men tried desperately to keep the boat facing the waves so that they would not be swamped and capsize but, in spite of their experience and their strength, these seasoned fisherman were losing the battle.

And Jesus slept through it all! How could He sleep in the midst of such a furore? The disciples were not only afraid, they were indignant. Didn’t He care about them? At least He could help them although He didn’t know anything about sailing a boat!

They shook Him awake with a sharp rebuke. “Don’t you care what happens to us?” Jesus nonchalantly stood up and spoke to the storm. Just like that! How would that help? “Be quiet!” He commanded the wind. “Be still!” He rebuked the waves. And it happened. One minute they were up on a crest and down in a trough and the next, perfect calm, clouds gone, sun out as though it had never happened.

The disciples were stunned. How did He do that? Another startling experience to add to their list of baffling questions. Who was this Man? Then He turned on them. “What is wrong with you guys? Why are you so scared? Don’t you trust me?” Was this the reason for this outing – to expose them to another aspect of their Master so that they would grow an unshakeable trust and conviction that He was, indeed, the Son of God?

One day they would have to answer His question, “Who do you say that I am?”

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

Mysteries Of The Kingdom

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MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM

He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ (Mark 4:26-29).

God’s kingdom is real, but it is different from any other kingdom on earth. It has no geographical boundaries; it is here but unseen; it is among us now but yet to come; its influence spreads across the globe like yeast in a lump of dough; it transcends colour and culture; it unites all people under one rule and its constitution is summed up in one word – love.

How does one explain a kingdom like that? Jesus used many parables to highlight aspects of God’s kingdom because it is like a diamond with many facets. It is like a seed which has within in the power to germinate and grow. A farmer sows seed in his field with the hope that it will grow without he is heal. If he has prepared the soil well and provides water to sustain its growth, the seed will do what it is designed to do.

As he waits patiently, the field begins to turn green; the tiny plants appear above the ground; the plants thrive and eventually produce the awaited harvest. What does the farmer do when the harvest is ripe? He brings in the crop because the seed has served its purpose.

Jesus had already explained that the word of God is seed. Like a grain of wheat, it has the capacity to germinate in the soil of people’s hearts. Given the right environment, it will grow and produce a harvest of righteousness in the lives of those who respond to its truth. How it happens, no one knows. Just as the farmer knows what the seed can do, so we, who scatter the seed of the word, have the confidence that, given a favourable environment, the word of God will take root and change the lives of those who receive it.

His disciples were to be encouraged. Theirs was the task to do the sowing in the days to come, “Take heart,” said Jesus. “There will be a harvest of new life just as there is a harvest of grain when the farmer sows his seed.”

Again He said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when it is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’ (Mark 4: 30-32).

Another mystery! We may not get the point of this parable if we do not understand the background to the parable. In ancient Israel, the householder owned two pieces of ground. Once was outside the village where he planted his crop to sustain the family during the year. Around his house he had a small piece of ground, a garden in which he planted herbs for the kitchen. To plant a mustard seed in his herb garden would be foolish because it would encroach on the garden.

Unlike our mustard seed which is relatively big, the mustard seed was as fine as ground pepper. The mustard plant in Israel was a weed which a farmer would not knowingly plant in his garden.

However, in this story a man did plant it in his garden. For what purpose? To give shelter to the birds! Birds were a nuisance to the farmer because they devoured the seed as he scattered it on the ground. Symbolically, birds represented unwelcome people – Gentiles if you will. Yet, the kingdom of God made room for them as well.

What was Jesus saying? God’s kingdom is about mercy. When a man deliberately plants a weed in his garden to provide shade and shelter for birds – the unwanted ones who are a nuisance to him – he has understood the nature of the kingdom. He overrides his own need for the sake of others for whom no one else cares. Such is the kingdom of God!

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His disciples, He explained everything (Mark 4: 33-34).

True to His intention, Jesus taught the people in parables but explained the meaning to His disciples. Those who had a desire to understand the truth would grasp the meaning of the stories while those who were hangers-on who go away none the wiser. To His disciples was given the honour of deeper truth as they followed and learned from their rabbi.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Light Of Truth

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THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

He said to them, ‘Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’

‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ He continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’ (Mark 4: 21-25).

Some important principles for life which Jesus wove into His teaching over and over again.

Who and what was He talking about when He used the illustration of the lamp? In context, I think He was talking about the reason for speaking in parables. God’s word is the light. Jesus brought the light to them as He taught and preached God’s word and showed them how to live in the light in their daily lives. What would be the use of coming to earth if He did not shine that light for people to see what was in their own hearts? People are afraid of the light because it exposes the darkness in their hearts. It was Jesus’ role to bring the light so that the sin in the human heart could be brought out into the light.

“It is inevitable,” said Jesus, “that everything hidden in the heart will eventually be brought into the light. No one can hide from God. He is inescapable. How much better that you respond to my word now so that your hidden sins be dealt with before Judgement Day.”

One of the reasons for speaking in parables, Jesus had explained to them, was to confirm the hardness of people’s hearts. If they had no intention of receiving His word, every time He taught them, their hearts would become harder. The sun that melts wax hardens clay. It was up to them, His disciples, therefore to listen and respond to His teaching with all their hearts because the measure of their hearing would be the measure of their receiving.

It seems harsh, doesn’t it, that those who have will receive more and those who do not have will lose the little that they have. But that is just how it works. God has offered us forgiveness for our sin and grace to live a new life. The measure of our response to His mercy to us will determine the measure of our experience of His grace to live.

God is absolutely fair. His judgment is not arbitrary. He has set the standard but He has also given us the choice to obey or not to obey. The outcome will depend on our response to His truth. He does not force us to obey but He will judge us by our response to His requirements. We will, in the end, be our own judges when we stand in the light of His revealed truth.

Imagine a bride dressed in her dazzling white bridal gown. In the centre of her bodice is a stain which does not show up in ordinary light. However, when she steps outside into the brilliant sunlight, there it is, visible to everyone and spoiling the beauty of her garment. Imagine her walking down the aisle to meet her bridegroom with the awareness that a stain spoils the purity of her gown.

It is the pure light of the Son that shows up the stains of sin on our hearts. We can either pretend they are not there, try to hide our sin from Him, or come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing so that the stains are washed clean and removed forever from us.

Why did Jesus keep on preaching to those who were hardened in their unbelief? The religious leaders and Pharisees, the very ones to whom had been entrusted the responsibility of teaching the people the word of God, were the ones who refused to receive the light. Every time they heard the word, they were given another opportunity to believe but also another reason for God’s judgment to fall on them when they rejected the word.

How important for us to heed Jesus’s warning. “Be careful how you hear. Don’t be like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil because, if you lose the word of God, you have nothing to guide you on the path towards the Father. We are all on a journey. Our destination is determined by our response to the truth of God’s word. If we choose to ignore or reject His word, there will be consequences. We will have no one to blame but ourselves if we arrive at a destination which we did not plan.

Jesus said that His way leads to life. He is the way to the Father. Anyone who follows Him will never walk in darkness. God’s word is the light on our path. Without His light we will find ourselves off the path and lost in the wilderness.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path (Psa. 119: 105).

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com