Mark 2:1-12 December 31, 2008

Mark 2: 1-12

verse 1: Jesus returns to Capernaum

verse 2-3: many come to hear Christ

verse 4-6: four men remove roof for paralytic friend

verse 7: Christ forgives paralyzed man of his sins

verse 8: Pharisees doubt Christ’s ability to heal

verse 9-12:  Jesus responds by healing paralytic

Interpretation:

Ground Zero. Jesus returns to where it all started – Capernaum in Galilee. It was as if Christ had gone on tour and returned home. Now people knew Him. Verse 2 says that there were so many people that the house was packed. People couldn’t even fit into the doorway. What was He doing? He was preaching to them. This was an intense bible study. We don’t hear from Mark about whether the attendees are faithful. Mark does describe four guys who carry, supposedly a friend or a realitive, a paralytic man to Christ. They literally tear the roof open and lower him in becacuse it was so packed. Because of these men’s faith Jesus forgives the friend of their friend/realtive. This promts the Pharisees to thinking ‘He’s not God – He can’t forgive sins.’ Jesus freaking reads their minds, ‘percieves in His spirit,’ and calls them on this sinful thought.  His response? What’s easier – say something holy sounding or to do something awesome. He heals the paralyzed. And therefore says – I am God. And people were amazed by it and they gave glory to God for it.

Application:

The Christ vs. the Pharisees.  We have two perspectives at war.

1. Pharisees – Religion.  Hypocrisy.

2. Christ – God in Reality. Perfect truth.

Unfortunately, we think in terms of religion and belief. Just like the Pharisees. God thinks in terms of reality. Religion, as an current idea, is a belief in the untrue, the unplausible, the unreal. If you say ‘I believe in God’ you are sadly implying that he doesn’t exist. Becasue belief is based on our thoughts and perception, and we’ve been known as humans to fail, it implies we could be wrong about the existence of God. It’s unfortunate we think in these terms because God does exist. He calls himself existence. It’s his name – ‘I am’ – He is.  It doesn’t matter what we believe – He is. When the Pharisees doubt Christ in verse 8 He doesn’t explain the scripture to them. He says He’s God by more than just words. He says ‘I am God’ by knowing their thoughts and healing a crippled person. Christ says in verse 9 that it’s easier to say something spiritual or to act or to believe than it is to live it as true. And He demonstrates that their doubt or accusations are irrellevant because indeed He is God anyway.

Do you believe in God? Or recognize the reality?

Mark 1:40-45 December 21, 2008

Chapter 1: 40 – 45

Verse 40-42: Jesus cleanses the leper

Verse 43-44: Jesus commands the leper

Verse 45: The leper’s response

Interpretation:

In verse 39 we see Jesus’ departure from Capernum into the greater area of Galilee. In verse 40 a leper finds Christ, where he found Him is not identified in Mark. The interaction is something similar to other accounts of Christ’s healing power. The leper finds Christ, recognizes His power to heal him, and Christ takes pity on him and cleanses him of leprosy. Verse 40 showas that the leper didn’t really ‘ask’ Jesus to heal him. He simply recognized that He could heal him – ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ After Christ cleanses him he ‘sternly charges’ him in verse 43. Christ tells him to leave and be silent and commands him to go to his priest and offer a sacrifice. Instead of being obedient he runs around town proclaiming what had happened. We understand his excitement but his disobedience causes Christ to move away from towns and into desolate places. Christ wanted his healing to be inward and spiritual but everyone wanted Him to heal them of external suffering instead.

Application:

As I am looking at this passage I am struck with a couple of things. This man who’s affliction and suffering is so great I could never comprehend it is healed. He is cured. He recognizes God’s power in verse 40 and disrespects it in verse 45. This is me on so many levels. We are quick to run to God and ask for suffering to be removed but do we respect his requests in return? No. And we think it doesn’t hurt anyone. But it does. Our sin radiates from us and affects everyone around us. In the leper’s example his disobedience to God caused Jesus to start ministering in the ‘desolate places’ instead of the Galilean cities where he had been teaching. Christ wasn’t unaware or surprised when the leper disobeyed him and caused this to happen. It was simply another consequence of sin He had to deal with. Something I find interesting in this account is that the leper doesn’t necessarily do something ‘evil.’ He starts running around proclaim the power of the Christ who saved him. We can sympathize with him. It’s wonderful to share what God is doing in your life. But because he was commanded to keep silent his actions became sinful – he was disobeying God.

Ask yourself if your obeying God or if you’re doing what you think is right or good. Are you making sure your doing what’s right to God or are you just what is right to you? How do you know what his will is? How can we make sure to obey him? By listening to His commands! Read – Pray – Listen. Look to what He has said! Otherwise we’ll find ourselves invested in good things like homework, friendship, family, church, etc. and we’ll have the whole time been disobeying God. May it never be!

Mark 1:29-39 December 18, 2008

Chapter 1: 29-39

Verse 29-31: Christ heals Simon’s mother-in-law

Verse 32-34: Word spreads and many are brought to be healed

Verse 35-37: The response of the people of Capernaum to the teaching and exorcism

Verse 38-39: Jesus leaves Capernaum

Interpretation:

Right after healing the man with the unclean spirit at the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus and the disciples go to Simon and Andrew’s house sometime in the evening. Simon’s mother-in-law is very sick and Jesus heals her. Soon all of Capernaum starts to bring their sick, and those possessed or tormented by demons, in hopes Christ will heal them. The Gospel of Mark records that Jesus healed many but not all of the people who came to Simon and Andrew’s home. Because Christ wanted to keep his ministry as private as possible he would not allow the demons to speak as he removed them. In the early morning, ‘when it was still dark,’ Christ committed himself to prayer. People were still lingering outside Simon and Andrew’s house looking for healing. When Simon and Andrew finally find where Jesus had been praying He informs them that it was time he started proclaiming the gospel to the greater area of Galilee. Verse 39 summarizes the section of time where Jesus had went about in the area teaching in Synagogues and casting out demons. It seems as though Christ systematically purged the area of unsound teaching and any demons that would try to interrupt his work.

Application:

In this section we see Jesus Christ’s perfect work ethic. Jesus’ teaching in verse 21 and 22 was vivid and powerful. It says He spoke with authority. No kidding!  Can you imagine hearing THE CHRIST give a sermon!? Jesus’ teaching that evening and his removal of the unclean spirit sent a message to the people of Capernaum and we know it was a big one.Verse 33 says the ‘whole city’ gathered at Simon and Andrew’s door. S0 first we see Christ’s teaching prompting a whole city to action. Then we see Him heal many people from the city. Demons are commanded out and quieted. People were free from crippling disease and impending death. The divine Physician rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty. He didn’t heal ‘all’ of them but he did heal ‘many.’ He work hard and He worked into the night. Then we see Him get up in the morning when it’s steel black out and find a hidden place to pray. See, Christ didn’t treat ministry like a job. The overtime would be too much to bear. He didn’t come in and work His shift and then leave. Because when you follow Christ you aren’t employed – you’re owned. Following Christ is like being in the Military. You fight all day and all night if needed. No food no water sometimes. Sometimes suffering and torture. Sometimes laughter and peace. Often war and violence. You’re called to lay down your life for Him. Re-read verses 21 through 39: Do you have Christ’s work ethic? Do you treat the Gospel with urgency? If not – figure out what’s holding you back from it and get it out of your way!  Let’s work like Dad worked!

Mark 1:22-28 December 10, 2008

Chapter 1: 21-28

Verse 21-22: The authority of Christ’s teaching in Capernaum (near the Sea of Galilee)

Verse 23-26: Exorcism of an unclean spirit.

Verse 27-28: The response of the people of Capernaum to the teaching and exorcism

Interpretation:

Jesus has called his disciples from Galilee. ‘Immediately’ after he takes them as disciples he starts to teach at a synagogue in the city of Capernaum, on the coast of Galilee. Can you imagine what he was teaching? These were some of the first people to experience Christ’s teaching! He taught unlike the religious leadership they were used to. Christ spoke with authority and he made the scripture real before them. Instead of propagating rules to make himself look holy he spoke truth and breathed reality and hope into what the people at Capernaum considered ‘religion.’ As Christ was teaching a possessed man burst into the Synagogue and interrupted Him. He proclaims Christ as the Holy Son of God and fears that Christ will destroy him. The goal of this unclean spirit was to interrupt Christ and jump the gun, he wanted to frustrate God’s timing. Instead Christ simply says ‘be silent’ and removes the unclean spirit from the man – no one interrupts God. After the spirit dramatically departed the man’s body, the people were even more amazed at the power and authority Christ commanded.

Application:

Your God is real. He came to earth and went about destroying false religious ideas. Christ instead points towards truth and reality as it really is. When Christ speaks He is the authority because he is God. The application? Forget religion and recognize Christ is Lord. Webster’s second definition of the word ‘religion’ is: “A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices.” Don’t conform to religion – conform to Christ. If He is not the basis, the center, the totality, of your ‘institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices,’ you are simply enslaving yourself to rules and mechanical belief. I’d personally much prefer serving a God who exists and speaks with authority, rather than serving scribes and teachers that are only teaching for the sake of teaching. And together, like those in Capernaum be amazed at His authority and follow Him. Here is something practical to try: read a passage and say out loud afterwards, this is true. This happened. He is right. Reflect on it being true and real.

Mark 1: 16-20 December 8, 2008

Chapter 1: 16-20

Verse 16-18: Christ calls Simon and Andrew
Verse 19-20: Christ calls James and John

Interpretation:
Jesus is now in Galilee and he makes his way to the sea, a ten mile wide sea, and he begins calling his disciples. The first two men he calls are fishermen tossing their nets into the sea, probably from the shore making Simon (Peter) and Andrew’s fishing a smaller operation. Jesus asks them to follow him, saying he will make them “fishers of men,” and immediately they drop their nets and followed him. Jesus also calls James and John. Same thing again, except James and John are with servants mending nets in boats when their called. Boats and servants imply their operation was larger than Simon and Andrew’s.

Application:
Wouldn’t you think the best place Christ could have called disciples would have been Jerusalem? Or at least a city in Galilee? Instead Christ starts talking to fishermen and calls them to be his disciples. Don’t miss this – Christ decision was radical. It directly opposes the approach other Rabbi’s took. Disciples of a Rabbi would be intimately associated with that Rabbi. Christ chose disciples that had faith instead of choosing disciples for any other reason. And what faith! Some random dude on the beach is saying just ‘follow me,’ and they drop their nets. When they hear this they instantly quit their jobs and followed this man. What’s holding you back from following Christ? Your career? Your desire for a family? Your fear? Time? Whatever it is take the disciples lead and drop your net, whatever is holding you back, and Christ will make you his disciple.

Mark 1: 9-13 December 2, 2008

Mark Chapter 1: 9-13

Verse 9-11: Christ is baptized
Verse 12-13: Christ is tempted
Verse 14-15: Christ begins his work

Interpretation:
At this point Jesus has been mentioned only once directly, as the Son of God in verse one. After Mark explains John the Baptist’s ministry, which was preparing the way for Christ, he introduces Jesus Christ in verse 9. We learn he is from the city of Nazareth in the region of Galilee, Northern Israel. Mark shows three crucial events before he starts detailing Jesus Christ’s life: Christ being baptized, Christ being tempted, and Christ starting his ministry. Christ’s baptism can be perceived as God’s coronation of Jesus’ ministry. The sky is torn open and the Holy Spirit descends on Christ like a dove. Not in the form of a dove but metaphorically like a dove. On top of this God the Father Himself states explicitly that Christ is his Son and that Christ’s ministry was approved. Shortly following his baptism the Spirit pushes him into the wilderness or desert where Satan personally tempts Jesus to sin in everyway a man can be tempted for forty days. Wild animals were around Jesus, and the Angels themselves were ministering to him. This was spiritual warfare of epic proportions- in the end God is victorious and Jesus does not sin. Then John the Baptist is arrested and Jesus starts to proclaim his name, the gospel. The time of wait for the Jews had ended the messiah had arrived. Christ proclaimed that God’s rule was soon to be established in the hearts of men and that they should turn from their former ways and place faith in Him.

Application:
Christ was not baptized to symbolize the death of his sin and his repentance but to foreshadow his death and resurrection on the cross. Stop and think about how ridiculous it is for him to be baptized. A perfect human being involved in a ritual that symbolizes repentance. He associated himself with our sinfulness even unto his death on the cross. I dislike doing the dishes if they aren’t mine. It is often hard to associate with Christ because we only consider him God. But he is also a man. After his baptism, Christ is tempted in every way a man can be tempted. He was tempted with sexual sin. He was tempted with substances. He was tempted with food. He was tempted with power and money. He was tempted in every way but because he relied on God the Father, God the Spirit, and scripture, he perfectly rejected all of Satan’s attempts to make him sin. That is something we cannot do perfectly but we CAN imperfectly reject the attempts of our enemies to make us sin by relying on the scripture: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we look at Christ’s gospel preached in Mark 1:15 we see a simple message. You do not have to be an amazing speaker to proclaim this message -‘Christ has died and been resurrected to establish a kingdom in men’s hearts. Turn from the rule of your enemies and invite Christ to become your king.’