Author: Don Guthrie

Re:Verse reading–Mark 7:1-23 (day one)

” This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”–v 6.

It is a problem.

No, it is THE problem.

And religion doesn’t make it better. Worse actually. Because religion hides from us the severity of the issue and the urgency of a fix.

We don’t WANT to do GOD’S WILL.  Not when it is costly or uncomfortable. Apologize! Wait on the Lord! Rejoice in the Lord! Honor your parents! A clear and comprehensive list rising from an ancient picture of who He wants us to be. Clear. Unbending, and sometimes unwelcome.

In Mark 7, Jesus confronts the Pharisees on this issue. Ignoring the 5th Commandment, they have found “religiously acceptable” ways to NOT care for their parents.  A loop-hole. A rationale.

Proof and warning, isn’t it? It is one thing to SAY that we love the Lord. It is ANOTHER to surrender our hearts and DO His will.

Re:Verse reading– Mark 6:1-13 (day seven)

“And they went out and preached that people should repent.”–v 13.

My favorite holy day.  Better than Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving because it captures the spirit of them all.  New Year’s Day calls us to repent.  To change.  To think again (meta noia).

Sure, I love Christmas Eve Candlelight,  Easter sunrise service,  family around a Thanksgiving table, but none of these equal, for me, the energy of this day!  “Forgetting  the things that are behind I press forward toward the prize! ” shouts Paul.  (Philippians 3:13)

Unless I am careful, I will miss this exciting day!  I’ll be lazy.  Procrastinate. Make excuses. Take another day off. But, as the disciples observed in Nazareth, people who can’t change and grow forfeit the assistance of God.  “He could do no miracle there”–v 5.

Today, will you rethink your life, your call, your love for God?  Will you start again with fresh enthusiasm?  Happy New Year, everyone!

Re:Verse reading–Mark 6:1-13 (day one) 

Nazareth was a small town.  In several ways.  Small in population.  Small in imagination.

The people of this village all knew Jesus.  They had seen him grown up.  Known his father, his family.

Good to a point, except that it made them, as individuals and as a group, resistant to viewing Jesus through different lenses, to thinking of Him with a larger mind.  When He began to do miracles that strongly indicated His identity, they refused to go down that road.  He was a puzzle, but they steadfastly refused to consider that He was more than they already knew Him to be.  The idea offended them.

“Familiarity breeds contempt” is the old proverb.  In the case of Nazareth, it bred unbelief. (see Matthew 13:58 for this insight)

Do WE resist steps forward with Jesus because we think we already know Him?  Are WE willing to consider that He is more than we presently know?

Re:Verse reading– Mark 5:1-20 (day seven)

“And they came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind”–v 15

There are two sides of the Christmas message.  The first is that Jesus is LIGHT.  We celebrated it last night in the Christmas Eve service.  The second is the Jesus is LORD. GOD with us!  He doesn’t just show the way, He makes it possible for us to walk it. He has power over dark forces  we struggle with every day.

In some ways, the demonized man in Mark 5 is a strange story to tell on Christmas morning.  In another way, it is perfect!  Until life is transformed by the power of Christ,  Christmas hasn’t come, no matter what the calendar says.

Christ has come!  We should all rejoice in this truth.  Come to Christ!  We should all obey this truth and find power for holy living.  Then, it will be Christmas!

Re:Verse reading–Mark 5:1-20 (day one)

“Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region”–v 17.

It surprises me every time I read it.  Shocks and saddens me.  They want Jesus to leave!

They’ve just seen a miracle (or heard about it).  Rather than be attracted to the purity and power of His life, they are offended and threatened.

Was it the pigs?  It’s possible.  Animals in the ancient world were currency, wealth, livelihood.  To suggest that God would sacrifice a fortune just to save a man was an unacceptable notion!  Like the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, God is fine until He begins to mess with your finances!

“Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ “–Hebrews 13:5.

Hmmm. . . do I want the Lord, do I rejoice in Him alone?  Or am I a pig person?

Re:Verse reading–Mark 3: 20-35 (day seven)

“Whoever does the will of the Lord is My brother and sister and mother”–v 34.

Family of origin is God’s choice.  Without consulting us, He assigns us to a particular family.  Dad.  Mom.  Brothers.  Sisters.  Crazy cousins.  His decision, entirely.

Along the way, however, a different family develops.   Drawn to Christ,  our hearts change to a new priority ( doing God’s will).  As we surrender to this new purpose, we discover others who have the same heart.  God is our Father.  We are family, and often closer to each other than to our blood relatives.

In Acts 9, Ananias goes to see Saul.  When he enters the room, he says, “BROTHER Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road. . .has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Ananias understood.  New birth means a new brother.  God calls us to a new family.

Re:Verse reading–Mark 3: 20-35 (day one)

“He is possessed by Beelzebub!”–v 22

Reality check #1.  The way of Christ is narrow.  Not many people are going to actually walk it toward an eternity with God.

Reality check #2. Those who don’t follow Christ will arrive at some conclusion (evaluation) of Christ and His followers.

Reality check #3.  These conclusions may not always be kind.

Mark 3 describes the growing opposition to Jesus.  “A man who goes around talking about God and healing people has got to be stopped!  Am I right?”  So, His enemies turn to a familiar tactic.  Rumors.  Gossip.  When in doubt, sling mud!

“He is demon possessed”, they whispered to the tabloids.  Without any mention of the demonic, even His family seems concerned about His mental stability–v 20.

Such encouragement to see Jesus unwounded and undefeated by such unfair criticism!  Secure in the Father, He answers the critics as best He can and then He moves forward!

Great lesson!  Great Savior!

Re:Verse reading–Mark 2:1-12 (day seven)

Healing a paralyzed man is something only God can do and signals (is a sign) of Christ’s identity.  Like the Father, Jesus is caring and capable and competent.  Nothing is too hard for Him.

But physical healing, at least in this story, is sort of an afterthought.  For Jesus, the spiritual healing of the man is more important.  The visible miracle points to/proves a larger truth.

Reflection on this event leads to two powerful conclusions.  1) Sin is the real problem. Always.  For all.  2) Christ has authority to “send it away” (literal meaning of forgive).

When Christ first met me I was paralyzed too.  Not physically, but spiritually.   Helpless to move in righteousness.  Numb to feelings and duty.  A silent and invisible killer had entered my life, weakened my limbs, confused my thoughts.

Christ sent my paralysis away.  Commanded me to walk in the Spirit.

What does Mark 2 tell you about your life?   About Jesus?

Re:Verse reading–Mark 2:1-12 (day one)

“And many gathered together, so many that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door.”  v 2.

In his gospel, Mark skips most of the first year of Christ’s public ministry  “The year of obscurity” scholars call it.  So too, he omits the nativity narratives.  Other gospels teach us these facts.

Mark’s preference is to plunge “immediately” into the “year of popularity” and the “year of opposition”–years two and three.

Chapter 2 is an illustration of both.  Throngs of people.  Intense public interest.  Crowds seeking Jesus wherever He goes.  But, the opposition is also growing.  The rulers are shocked by his reception of sinners, angered by his teaching re Sabbath.  Early in his account, Mark wants us to notice these two themes.  People loved Him.  People hated Him. People wanted to be near Him.  People wanted Him gone.

Hmmmmm.  Sounds like our day.  He is the same.  So are we.

Re:Verse reading–Mark 1:21-39 (day seven) “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” 1:35
Mark portrays Jesus as a busy man. Nine times in chapter 1, he uses the word “immediately”. No pause in the action. Continuous movement. Sort of feels like my schedule at Christmas!
But Mark also pictures a man who knew his own need for quiet time with the Father. Unrushed. Time to pray, to speak, to listen. The busier He was, the more necessary this time became.
When the disciples find Jesus in v 37, he is “interrupted but not disturbed”. In prayer, the Lord had received fresh new perspective on “what to do next”.
We walk by faith. Fast when we know the Father’s will. Slow when we don’t. Like our Savior, we need both pace and peace.