Tag Archives: spit

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – A DOOR OF HOPE FOR THE GENTILES

Bible Study, ,

A DOOR OF HOPE FOR THE GENTILES

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:31-37

Although Jesus came primarily to bring His own people back on track with God’s plan for them, He seemed to gravitate to Gentile areas wherever the Father directed Him towards a need and towards people who would bear witness to His compassion and mercy. He went from Tyre and Sidon in Syo-Phoenicia to the Decapolis, a region of ten Greek towns on the east side of the Jordan, most probably where He had delivered the demon-possessed man earlier. Although the people of the region had chased Him away because of the pigs, He left behind a man with a powerful testimony who no doubt sang His praises wherever he went.

When Jesus returned on this occasion, He was no longer a “persona non grata”. As soon as He arrived, a deaf-mute was brought to Him for healing. Forgotten were the lost pigs and the ruined economy. This time there was more concern for a man in need than for a herd of demon-demented pigs that ran themselves into the lake!

Jesus led him away from the crowd. He was not there to entertain them. He was there on a mission of mercy. Why was there a heavy weight on Him on this occasion? He was in a region where there was no awareness of God. All the focus and worship were directed towards Caesar, a puppet of Satan and usurper of Jesus’ name, position and honour. He was locked in an ever-on-going conflict with the devil – rescuing and freeing his slaves and redirecting men’s hearts towards the true God. He was never on a road show and He shied away from people who treated Him as an entertainer.

As He reached out in pity towards this afflicted man, a deep groan of anguish rose up in Him, perhaps a cry of sorrow for suffering humans whose ignorance and rejection of the true God had robbed them of experiencing the life and peace that flowed from Him along the channel of faith. What opened that day was more than the man’s ears. His heart heard and recognised truth.

God’s promise, through Isaiah, that His Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles, was beginning to shine in His encounters with the despised people on the periphery of the Promised land, but the full blaze of God’s glory would only shine in their hearts when the Holy Spirit was given.

Who Killed Jesus?

Bible Study, , ,

WHO KILLED JESUS?

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on Him. And they began to call out to Him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’

Again and again they struck Him on the head with a staff and spit on Him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark 15: 16-20)

Imagine the scene! Jesus was a stranger to the Roman soldiers. O, they may have heard about Him, even encountered Him in Jerusalem, but what did they know about Him as a person? What had they heard about Him? Anything suspicious, or sinister and evil that prompted their vicious attack on Him? No, only good, except perhaps from the religious hierarchy who were so prejudiced against Him that there was no end of their criticism and lies about Him.

So why did they behave in this atrocious manner towards Jesus when they had no axe to grind with Him? Were they simply giving vent to the basest in their human nature? Were they trained to hate by their role as Roman soldiers? Had they picked up the offence of their Jewish subjects and used the opportunity to sympathise with their Jewish allies in the Sanhedrin? Were they using the opportunity to discharge their hatred of the Jews on this innocent Jew who did not fight back?

As we go through the story of the crucifixion, it does not take us long to realise that every section of society was against Him. Those who masterminded the plot, carried out the mockery of a trial and stirred up the crowd to condemn Him; the mob who arrested Him and treated Him like a common criminal; the Roman soldiers who mocked and abused Him; the crowd who yelled for His death; Pilate who sentenced Him on to death on behalf of Rome in spite of His innocence; those who carried out the sentence with callous contempt – they were all representative of the human race for whom He paid the ultimate price.

Before we protest our innocence, we must remember that we are all part of the reason why He was there. None of those who were physically involved in His murder can carry the blame alone. They stand for every member of the human race who was condemned to death for treason against the God of heaven.

Jesus’ response stands in sharp contrast to the behaviour of those who had anything to do with Him during the final hours of His life. Why did He not resist? Why did He not defend Himself? Why did He not protest His innocence and fight to preserve His life? Why did His disciples and those He had ministered to for three years not stand up for Him and challenge the authorities for the illegality of their actions? Why did He not prove His power by calling for heavenly backup as He could have done? Why the foolishness of the cross?

There was only one way to defeat the devil and expose the treacherous deceit he had perpetrated on the human race. His modus operandi for perpetuating evil was through hatred, retaliation and revenge. You hurt me, and I will hurt you back. You hit me once and I will hit you ten times. By swallowing the devil’s lie in the Garden of Eden, mankind through Adam, has destroyed the unity God intended between us and Him. True to his fallen nature, he has kept sin going and escalated it from one generation to the next.

What was the solution? Wickedness could only be brought to an end by one who had no sin of His own, and who absorbed everything the human race could throw at Him without retaliation, and with love and forgiveness.

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. ‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Peter 2: 23-24)

Who killed Jesus? We all did because:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53: 6)

We cannot distance ourselves from those who treated Him with cruelty and contempt and crucified Him. We were there, siding with them because it was our sin that brought Him to that moment. And it was our sin that His death paid for so that we can go free.

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.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

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