Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Mark 3:31-35 (day seven)

This passage is one of the greatest proofs of the resurrection of Jesus found in Scripture. Help me connect these dots:

“Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Mark 3:32

“For not even His brothers were believing in Him.” John 7:5

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” James 1:1

How does James (presumed to be James the brother of Jesus) go from thinking his brother is insane to calling himself a “servant” to his “Lord Jesus.” Extra-biblical sources tell us that James goes on to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem and eventually a martyr for Christ. How is this possible if just a few weeks before Jesus died, James didn’t believe? Something extraordinary must have happened to prove to James that Jesus is Lord.

Answer: The Resurrection! If Jesus hadn’t returned from the dead, do you really think his non-believeing brother would go to his death claiming that Christ is risen?!

He is risen indeed!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 3:20-30 (day seven)

^“but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” vs 29

I often get asked by young Christians, “What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? And how do I know I haven’t committed it?” It is a tricky question to answer, especially when you are trying to explain to a new believer that there is no sin too big for God to forgive… except that one…

I usually end up explaining that the blasphemy of the Spirit is the rejection of the Holy Spirit’s calling on your life.  In my study this week I was enlightened to a new way of presenting this idea. David Guzik described the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as “an attitude of the heart that cares nothing for God’s forgiveness. It never has forgiveness because it never wants forgiveness God’s way.” The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a one time event that leads to eternal condemnation, but rather a perpetual rejection of the forgiveness and grace of God. The attitude of a heart that is filled with the Spirit leads the individual into frequent repentance.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 3:13-19 (day six)

“And He went up on the mountain” vs 13a

When you hear the words “mountain top experience” as it pertains to a physical mountain, what comes to your mind? Do you think of a great view? Do you think of the feeling of accomplishment of reaching the top? Do you think of the hard work that it took to get there?

Jesus often went up the mountain with His disciples. Why? Was it just to get away or was it more? Being on top of a mountain gives you a new found perspective. It causes you to look up and see where you are going. It causes you to look back and see where you came from. It causes you to look out and see a beauty that is not visible from the ground, only from above.

Jesus shows us that when we encounter Him, we have a mountain top experience. We are given new perspective from above!

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Re:Verse passage – Mark 3:1-12 (day seven)

“Stretch out your hand.” (5) vs “He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready.” (9) Two commands from Jesus, two very different situations.

Situation number one: we see a man whose life was put on hold. His livelihood was likely taken away with the paralysis of his hand, and yet, he was at the synagogue on the Sabbath faithfully worshipping God, not expecting his life to be changed. Jesus asked the man to be obedient to Him. The miracle was a result of obedience.

Situation number two: people have heard that Jesus can heal, so they rush Him to the point that He must have an escape plan in place. Jesus knew these people. He knew their hurt was real, but they were not coming to worship Him, they were coming to demand that He perform a miracle. They were asking Jesus to be obedient to them.

Today we gather in worship similarly to those listed above. Why have we come to worship? Have we come to ask Jesus to be obedient to us or are we coming to ask Jesus how we can be obedient to Him?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 2:23-28 (day seven)

“The Sabbath was made for man.” vs 27a

Rest. A precious gift from the Lord. I write this as I am up late at night with a newborn child. Over the last few weeks I have learned that rest is essential to our livelihood and a true gift. You take it when you can get it. If you have been a parent you know what I am saying (don’t worry I have been warned that two weeks is only the beginning).

If we are honest with ourselves, this is how we approach the Sabbath. We take it when we can get it. Sabbath has become a luxury instead of a necessity. God created the Sabbath for us! It was a gift! God didn’t need to go take a nap after creating the universe. He wanted us to see that we needed to take a scheduled step back and re-charge our batteries. This doesn’t mean do nothing like the pharisees were implying, but we are to spend concentrated time replenishing our physical and spiritual tank so that we can go full speed with the work that He created us to do. Receive His gift this week and spend concentrated time with Him.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Re:Verse passage – Mark 2:18-22 (day seven) 

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.” vs 21

These other disciples were stuck trying the same routines and rhythms that had been in place for centuries. To put this verse in to modern context, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” What they were doing was not working (not because of the fasting but because of the mindset behind it). In fact what this verse tells us is that if they continue in these ways, they would make the tear even bigger. Why? Because if we attempt to solve our problems with anything that is of our own doing as opposed to God, we are simply covering up the problem, not fixing it. In order to fix the problem, we must become of the same material in order that we might be sewn together seamlessly. We must become like Jesus!

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

“[…] there came one like a son of man […]
 And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;” Daniel 7:13-14

Rick, you got the Re:Verse wrong! Daniel was the passage in Spring of 2020. Okay, okay some of y’all are still recovering from the apocalyptic literature overload, but that study laid a great foundation for our Mark passage. Look at what happens here: The pharisees ask “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (vs 7b) and Jesus responds “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (vs 10) Jesus is pointing the scribes back to the prophets. Specifically, Jesus is referencing where Ezekiel and Daniel called this coming Messiah, the Son of Man. Jesus is saying that He is that Messiah! He is God! What caught the scribes so off guard was in their perception of what this Messiah would do. They thought He would have come and make the world bow down and serve Him (them). Instead this Son of Man has come to forgive, heal, and teach. He came to serve!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:36-45 (day seven) 

Jesus could have (and according to the law, should have) turned away from the leper and went about his plan to preach and teach, but Jesus was about to teach a lesson the disciples would never forget through his actions. Watch what He does,

“Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him.”

Jesus didn’t have to touch him. We see other miracles of Jesus where His words were enough. The touch was as important as the words in this instance. Touching this man would make any normal person ritually “unclean,” but Jesus is not only still clean, He has made the “unclean” clean. Jesus’ touch is physically life giving. This was also the first touch this man has presumably had in years. It was love. It was compassion. It was raw emotion. The touch of Jesus was spiritually life giving! No wonder the man couldn’t contain his joy…

“He touched me
And oh, the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole” – Gaither