Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:26-29   ‘Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter." ‘

 

 

            We send a great deal of time puffing up our chest and seeking our rights and entitlements.  For example:  In this country we have the right to bear arms.  Let any one suggest regulation of gun ownership, firearm registration and the like and the NRA will begin a lobbying effort like no other.  We behave the same whenever we perceive our rights or entitlements are threatened. Try to deny free speech to someone and find out what happens.

            But, not everyone is entitled to God’s mercy and grace.  In the end result, none of us are entitled to it.  The Syrophoenician woman was a Gentile, a non-Jew and therefore not Christ’s stated concern.  Jesus’ work was intended among God’s chosen – Israel.  So, what right did this Gentile have to believe she merited His attention at all?   None.  In that respect she is like every one of us.  We do not deserve God’s attention or care.

            Paul writes in Galatians that God has chosen to make us heirs and children of the promise through Christ.  And that is what the Syrophoenician woman demonstrates for us.  She and we were not worthy or the initial focus of Christ’s efforts.  But, by recognizing that all of us need Christ she makes an important point.  Once we are exposed to God’s mercy and grace in Christ we cannot help to be changed, healed and transformed.  It may only be an afterthought, but contact with the Lord will change us all.

 

Gracious Lord, we are like the dogs, only worthy of the crumbs which fall from the table.  Help us each day to recognize the bounty we receive and honor you more with each breath we draw. This we ask in the name of Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Mark 6:30-46

Mark 6:30-32; 45-46  “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves… Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

Today’s verses bracket Mark’s account of the feeding of the 5000 and precedes the account of Christ walking on the water.  I’m struck by the fact that in all of this, Jesus’ intent was to get away from the crowds and give the disciples some quiet time.

 

Pastor’s, churches, and leaders in general, have a nasty tendency to identify the best workers and then work them without rest or break, especially in volunteer staffed organizations.  As a result, we may burn ourselves out or we burn out the people in our care.  

 

As leaders we have a responsibility to look after ourselves and those who carry out work for and with us.  The best way to do this sometimes is to tell someone to take some time off and get away. 

 

I can recall a church event several years back where one elderly woman, a tireless worker, insisted on working the entire day.  Even though she had just had a pacemaker installed three days prior.  Despite my efforts and those of her spouse she just wouldn’t go home and rest!  Eventually, we convinced her to lie down for an hour or so and escape to a quiet (at least relatively quiet) place and rest.

 

The point is this, in our walk of faith we all need a sabbath, a rest period to recharge and re-create ourselves for what lies ahead, and it need not be one particular day of the week.  Sabbath in Hebrew means rest, and that is what we all need from time to time.  Jesus said:  “Humanity was not created for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for humanity!”  We give our best to God when we too find a quiet place and time to rest, eat, pray, and spend time with our Lord.

 

Gracious God, you create the sabbath for us rest from our labors.  Help us to heed the messages of our body and honor that need for rest.  Grant us the wisdom to find quiet times and places to recharge our soul and body, so we can better serve you this day.  Amen.

Mark 6:1-6

Mark 6:2-6 “On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.”

As I read this passage I was reminded of the story of two young men. One named Richard and the other named Bobby. Richard loved to sing and did so in his church’s choir for a number of years. One day he discovered some new types of music, new at least to him. When he started singing the new music around the house and the town, people were horrified. They called in the pastor to find out how to cure Little Richard of his obsession with the “devil’s music.”
Fast forward about 40 years. Another young man, this one raised on AC/DC, ZZ Top, and other pure rock acts. Bobby discovered a new sound in parts of town he is not supposed to frequent. To his parents’ horror, Bobby, has taken a liking to the rap clubs. Eventually, Kid Rock, as Bobby is known today, hits it big and proves that sometimes music can cross every barrier we try to put in front of it.
In many ways, I believe the situation was similar for Christ. Here is a man, the people think they’ve known all their life, performing deeds of great power and interpreting the Word of God in Scripture, better than the rabbis! How can this be? He has no education, no formal training and he is not a Levite. His hand are rough and he is now wealthy. So his teaching, preaching and deeds are not recognized for what they are; the work of God in their midst.
What they failed to understand is that God is much bigger than our preconceived notions. God chose to live among us as Christ. So the person they thought was just a local carpenter was really the author of the Scriptures he read. The son of Mary was also the only begotten Son of the One who brought Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. The same individual who gave Elijah the power to cure Naaman of leprosy, stood before them and they couldn’t believe or accept it. And as Scripture shows again and again, faith and belief are the things that open our eyes to God’s work and power.
Jesus was always the Son of God. The people’s disbelief prevented them from recognizing what was happening in their midst. We too, frequently suffer from such unbelief. We begin to view ourselves as the masters of our universe and claim credit for all we do. Perhaps we need to stop and take another look. For God may be using one among us to do a great thing, and we may not even see it!

Gracious Lord, your work goes on around us all the time. Open our eyes that we may recognize your handiwork. Open our mouths that we may proclaim your glory each day. This we ask in the name of the carpenter, who astounded many, Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mark 5:21-43

“Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.” - Mark 5:25-29 (NRSV)

Have you ever watched someone who had an incurable or puzzling (to the doctors) disease? They frequently go from one doctor to another hoping and praying they will get some relief from their ailment. One doctor says the problem is psychosomatic, another that it is this disease or that. Every one of them has an opinion and may provide some symptomatic relief but never really addresses the underlying problem or illness. Eventually, the ill person gets frustrated and gives up or they find a doctor who through good fortune and God’s blessing stumbles upon the cure.

The woman with the hemorrhage reminds me of these folks. She too spent years and probably all her livelihood attempting to find a cure for a debilitating illness, all to no avail. Then she encountered Jesus and everything changed. She encounters a great man of God and feels sure that by just touching the hem of his garment she can be healed. And she is!

We too have a similar opportunity for healing in our lives. Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the only begotten son of God came into the world to heal each and every one of us! And the cost of that healing is very much more than many of us are willing to pay. The cost is faith and belief.

That faith and belief are not casual things. Our belief must be as certain as our belief that the sun will rise tomorrow and barring disease or accident, we will continue to draw breath. It is a belief that is founded and backed by something more reliable that any monetary standard the world has ever known, the Word of God. And that type of belief is what cured the woman and will cure us of many of the ills we face each day. May the words of Christ echo in our ears; “Child your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Mark 5:1-20

“When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me….As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed“ (Mark 5:6-7; 18-20 NRSV).


When I was a child I developed a sweet tooth. In fact, it is still with me today. But I was particular in what kinds of sweets I would eat. Chocolate was a must have and so were a candy known as “Sweet Tarts.” I savored the combination of something sweet and something at the same time sour, but not quite bitter. It was the same with pies. Apple was okay but a lemon meringue was even better. The sweetness of the meringue and the pucker power of the lemon just made it all worth it for me.

I was reminded of my sweet tooth and its distinct choice as I read this passage. All of us, have a little of the demoniac within us. We have a sweet face we project to the public most of the time, but occasionally, the other side comes out to play. We all have a darker side that we do our best to keep hidden. Sometimes, the refusal to acknowledge that darker side makes us seem superficial or phony. Yet, the Word of God calls us to bring that which is hidden out into the light of day.

Because of our faults and hidden failings we often ask the same question of Christ the demoniac asks; “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” And Christ’s response to us differs little than that to the demoniac. Jesus’ entire reason for being has to do with healing of the state of our souls and our lives. His life, his cross, his resurrection, and ascension all served one purpose; to cure us of the ills that make up the human condition.

Our response to this action should be no less than the demoniac’s. We are not just to follow Christ, seeking to draw ever nearer to God through Him. Instead, we are to go to our friends and proclaim with a loud voice just what the Lord has done for us. Only then will we discover the answer to the question: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God?”

Psalm 14

" Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good." Psalms 14:1 (NRSV)

How sad it is to think that there are people who do not believe in God. If there is no God, how does one explain the joy we share at the birth of a child? If there is no God, how can we describe the thrill of true love's first kiss? If there is no God, how do we know what right and wrong are? How can we ever find hope if there is no God? Without God, the very concept of faith in anything becomes little more than a dellusion.

C.S. Lewis once wrote: "Deep down in the heart of every person is a knowledge of good and evil. It is God who instills that knowledge in us." The mathemetician Pascal is credited with saying: "In the question of God's existence, it is always better to err on the side of God. For if there isn't a God, and we live as if there is we are none the worse for it. If however, we choose to live as if there is not a God and God does exist, we will pay the consequences."

As Christians and people of faith we know that God does exist. We know without a doubt the He loves us and sent His Son to be one of us. And armed with that knowledge there is much good we can and must do in this world. Our faith in God leads us to show mercy to the sick, the injured, the downtrodden as God shows mercy to us. Ouf faith in God leads us to treat others as we wish tobe treated. And our faith in God leads us to the Truth that there is one God over all. May we never lose sight of that Truth.

Welcome

Today marks a new addition for our web page as we begin a blog of devotional meditations. I hope to share my thoughts on scripture as we go along.