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THE GOSPEL OF MARK – “GO HOME AND TELL…”

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“GO HOME AND TELL…”

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 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 5:18-20

A tense situation – the demon-possessed man had once been a danger to the people of the region. He was wild, violent and unpredictable. No-one could go near him as he roamed the area, emitting eerie screams and moans and mutilating himself in his torment and despair. Now he was sane, calm, clothed and ready to return home as a useful member of society.

However, his fellow Gadarenes were suspicious and ill-disposed towards him because of their lost pigs. Was this part of the reason why he begged to go with Jesus? Was he seeking safety in company with Him and His disciples? Was he afraid of the repercussions of his deliverance? Gently and reassuringly, Jesus urged him to return to the environment where he had lost his sanity. In spite of their hostility, what an impact his story would have on his people! His kind of cure was no everyday event.

Possibly reluctantly, he turned homeward while Jesus and His men set sail across the lake again. How long had it been since he had walked the streets of his home town, stopped to exchange a greeting with his fellow citizens? Slowly their anger turned to curiosity and finally their interest to sympathy and friendliness as he told his story over and over again to whoever would listen.

The people’s hostility to Jesus began to wane as they saw Him in another light. They felt the man’s torment, his rage, his terror as demonic voices accused, taunted, sneered at him day and night. They saw the scars on his body, his gaunt appearance from years of starvation; they watched him slowly regain his health, his place in the family and in the community. Jesus, a Jew from across the lake, had come to release him from all his pain and give him back his life. Who was this man? Why did He come? Was it really His fault that they lost the pigs? Hearts began to soften as the full impact of this man’s new-found freedom played out before them.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – WHO IS THIS?

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WHO IS THIS?

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-

This could be a tense situation. A violent storm on the lake; the twelve disciples battling to keep their little craft afloat while their Rabbi, who was supposed to care about them, was asleep in the stern, oblivious of their danger and His! It was perfectly natural for them to be annoyed. Had Jesus been an ordinary rabbi, they would have been justified in their accusation of Him. Didn’t He care that they were at the point of sinking? They did not yet have enough evidence, or realise fully who He was.

This isn’t just another story about the miracles Jesus did. This is one of those defining moments when light begins to dawn on the mind. Jesus’ counter accusation, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith?” puts the incident in perspective. Who was responsible for the storm? Did God whip it up or was it the result of some demonic “water spirit” plot to drown them? Could it have been a natural phenomenon that God used to drive home two lessons: for Jesus a lesson in trust and for the disciples the exposure of unbelief?

Accusation and counter accusation! What was the difference in their perspectives? The disciples were embroiled in their present circumstances. For them, there was no thought of the bigger picture. By contrast, Jesus always took the long look and related everything to the Father’s love and the Father’s purpose. Going to the other side was part of the Father’s purpose and so “going down” was not part of the equation.

This is what it meant to be ECHAD with God. Jesus spent so much time with the Father that He knew exactly where He was going, and He knew where He was taking His disciples – towards leadership in a world-wide mission. There was no possibility that a storm on the lake would take them all out. There was too much at stake. These disciples still had a lot to learn.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – PERFECT GOD…PERFECT MAN

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PERFECT GOD…PERFECT MAN

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41

What a lovely story, Jesus’ fragile humanity and His sonship in perfect unity! In contrast to the disciples who had not yet come to understand or practise their sonship in God, Jesus’ attitude presented the perfect balance between an ordinary human being at the mercy of circumstances, and the Son of God whose confidence in the Father’s love and His purpose for Him, which nothing could derail because what God wants will always prevail, provided such security that He could sleep in a howling gale.

This shows the difference between us humans who are suspicious of God, and Jesus, who knew the Father and could therefore trust Him all the time, no matter what happened. Jesus called it “my rest, my peace, my joy.” This really speaks to our hearts because this is where God wants to take every child of His. This is what sonship is all about. Part of Jesus’ mission was to show us how to be sons. He took His disciples through some gruelling training so that they could see, feel and experience what sonship was all about.

On this occasion, they were more amazed by the miracle of the wind than they were about the attitude of Jesus. Why did Jesus calm the storm? Was it because it had, and had not served its purpose? It did serve its purpose by showing the disciples what trust is all about and by exposing their failure to trust God, but it didn’t serve its purpose because they fell into a panic instead of being at peace as Jesus was.

Is that why God allows stuff to happen to us that isn’t the kingdom of God? If we interpret it as “the attack of Satan”, we have completely missed the point. If Satan causes the problem, God allows it. Jesus made that clear when He warned Peter of his coming denial. Jesus didn’t forestall the attack. He focused on Peter’s faith. Adverse circumstances are an essential part of building our faith muscles. God wants to root out all suspicion of Him by allowing or setting up circumstances to expose the remnants of our mistrust.

Don’t blame the devil when stuff happens. He is only a tool in God’s hands to fashion you into someone who resembles Jesus, our elder brother. Trust God to work all things for your good because His intention is to conform you to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:28-29).

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – FOUR SOILS… FOUR DESTINIES

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CHAPTER 4

FOUR SOILS… FOUR DESTINIES

​1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:1-20

Although this is a long passage, this parable and its interpretation need to be read and understood together as one. This is a familiar story, but its significance can easily be missed. In the Hebrew mind, stories were read for identification. According to Jesus, the Word of God is the seed. The soil is the attitude with which the seed is received.

Hard ground implies that beliefs and attitudes are so fixed that new ideas and new understanding have no place in the mind of that person. He refuses to entertain the idea that he may be wrong and needs to be transformed by the renewing of his mind. He is not open to truth and continues to live by the lies that shape his thinking and behaviour. The Word of God has no impact on his thinking and he just keeps living the old way with his unsolved hang-ups and issues.

Shallow soil represents hearts that readily receive the Word which begins to germinate and grow. However, the tender young roots soon meet the resistance of a hard layer under the shallow topsoil. There is an expectation based on a belief system that this new life does not meet – and the heart begins to resist the tests that are part of the character-building God is busy with. The new life eventually withers and dies.

The third soil already has stuff growing in it. The new plants of Christian character germinate among the weeds but, since there is no room for both, and since troubles and trinkets have a powerful hold, the delicate plants of character lose their foothold and die.

The fourth ground is fertile and free of other encroachments. The heart is open and willing to receive the truth and patiently applies it, learning to submit to discipline and receive the grace that transforms the life through a mind that is being renewed day after day. The fruit of the Spirit is being formed in the life; the character of Jesus slowly becomes a reality and there is eventually a full harvest of righteousness that imitates God’s character.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE -SPEAK TO YOUR STORM!

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SPEAK TO YOUR STORM!

“One day He and His disciples got in a boat. ‘Let’s cross the lake,’ He said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and He fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ Getting to His feet, He told the wind, ‘Silence!’ and waves, ‘Quiet down!’ They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘Why can’t you trust me?’ They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, ‘Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what He tells them!’” Luke 8:22-25.

So many interpretations to this story!

Some think that this was a demonically inspired storm sent to drown Jesus and His men because they were on a mission to set a demon-possessed man free. Perhaps! But why not a perfectly natural phenomenon that happened all the time because of the geography of the region? Could it be that this storm was regulated and perfectly timed by the Father to expose what was in the hearts of the disciples?

So many lessons in this story! The way we understand it depends on perspective.

From the disciples’ perspective, they were in terrible danger. Jesus was asleep and out of the picture and, if He didn’t wake up, they were finished. They screamed out in terror, not really believing that He could do anything, but needing Him to be aware of what was going on anyway. They were victims of their circumstances and they were powerless to change them. Fear drove out all their confidence in Jesus and paralysed their sane thinking. They had not yet learned to use the power of the Word to save the day.

Jesus, on the other hand, was perfectly at rest, fast asleep, storm or no storm! He had been given a commission to go to the other side of the lake. There was someone there who needed Him and the storm was no deterrent. No doubt He was acting in obedience to the Father. Whatever stood in His way would be brushed aside as of no consequence.

Unlike His disciples, Jesus was never controlled by circumstances. If circumstances were the controlling factor, His life would have been a roller coaster ride and who knows where it would have ended? He was in intimate contact with His Father and took His instructions from Him. Like Peter, when Jesus invited him to walk on the water, Jesus walked on the Word of God. His perspective was always the kingdom of God, God’s rule, God’s instructions and God’s way.

Jesus also used circumstances to reveal His Father’s power and glory. Whatever obstacles stood in the way of restoring wholeness in any situation, Jesus spoke, the obstacle was removed and those present caught another glimpse of the true nature of the Father.

The death of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend, was one such incident. Jesus was not fazed when He received the news of Lazarus’ illness. “When He heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.'” John 11:4 (NIV).

God’s Word is powerful, not matter from whose mouth it is spoken. The disciples eventually learned this lesson. The book of Acts is full of incidents where the power of the spoken Word of God changed situations for them. Disease, demons and even death fled when they spoke to them, just as Jesus had done when He was with them in the flesh.

How sad that so many of us believers don’t really believe this! We rehearse our woes and even pray them to God instead of confidently speaking out what God has spoken. Jesus’ rebuke is equally true of many of us, ‘Why don’t you trust me?’ Jesus is Lord over all things, even wind and weather.

Speak to your storm! It must obey.