The Everyday Prayer

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

And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. vs. 13

He wanted them. I’m not sure this can be overstated: Jesus wanted to be around these men. You’ve heard about how God has consistently used flawed people to build his Kingdom, but have you considered the tedious nature of our rebellion? It’s one thing for flawed people to make good choices when it counts, but quite another to know these less desirable personality traits are a daily reality. Knowing that, he wanted them. Friend, Jesus wants you. This shouldn’t surprise you, but I hope that you will consider the fact that he can redeem even those rough parts, or use them for his glory. He wants you to be near him.

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 3:1-12 (day six)

Lest we forget why he came, Mark provides a summary of the same. A wilderness of opposition. The religious elite with their rigged systems, their tower of Babels, exalting the self-righteousness of men. Silent and stone hearted before a not-so-subtle moment of grace, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, to give a man life?”

And the people who followed him to the shore, clamoring for more, oblivious to his true mission. They didn’t want him, just the blessings he could give. An allusion to another day when they would celebrate him one day, and reject him the next.

And if the wilderness wasn’t dry and rugged enough, stifling enough, there were the demon possessed men yelling divine declarations, as if to control the Son of Man, or remind him whose territory he was in.

The truth is, they all three remind me of…me.

This is Mark reminding us, proclaiming, “And this is why he came to die!” There is no other way to turn hearts from stone to flesh, give sight to the blind, and set the captives free, but to put him up on that tree.

 

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

“They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.”

We have another occurrence of the mounting tension between Jesus and the Pharisees. It seems relentless. We get a glimpse into their perspective.  They were looking for opportunities to accuse and confront Jesus. How did it come to this?  Why were they so unaware of who and what was going on?  They have completely lost perspective. The perspective of the law and subsequently the perspective of the mission and message of Jesus.

The Pharisees because of their inward and insecure focus, believed that the Law was designed and given to make men “like themselves”. When in actuality, the Law was given and designed to make man more like God- loving, serving, worshipping. As believers, the goal of the gospel- for us, for other believers, and for unbelievers is never to make others like us, but rather make them (and us) more like Jesus- the full and complete revelation of the living God.

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

The unclean spirits knew who Jesus was.  They recognized Him right away.  Their proclamation to the people around Jesus though was not meant as praise.  They had no doubt who He was, but they also had no intention of aiding Him in His mission.  Crowds are not known for making wise and calculated decisions.  The group mind tends to run on emotions, resulting in misdirection and chaos.  The unclean spirits sought to derail Jesus’ mission by confusing the response of the people.  They wanted to pre-empt Jesus’ authority and call for Him to respond contrary to God’s purpose.

You would think that proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God would be a good thing.  The end though does not justify the means.  Jesus faced the same heresy in the desert temptation.  Satan sought to entice Jesus to accomplish His task…just not like God had prescribed.  We fall into these same temptations.  Often, we respond to circumstances with a good end in mind, but not according to biblical instructions.  Seek to serve like Jesus!

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

“All those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him.”

There is something poignant about the description of desperate people reaching out for Jesus. The emotional power of that picture doesn’t arise so much from sentimentality, though, as much as it arises from the heart-wrenching reality that Jesus was the only one – the only one – who took the time to address the hardships that burdened people to the point of despair. Where were the attempts to help from those who should have known better – from those who did, in fact, know better? Jesus gave freely of his power; he even told his disciples that they would wield the ability to do greater things than these. The reason Jesus was the only one dispensing heaven’s compassion wasn’t because heaven was stingy and proprietary, but because those in power were.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 3:1-12 (day two) Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples…vs. 7a

Retreat is not defeat. Look at this pattern in Jesus’ life and ministry. He was pressed on all sides. He was challenged at every turn, all while he was teaching and healing. Jesus stepped away. He didn’t step away from his assignment and purpose. He stepped away to honor the covenant of God the Father. We are commanded to stop and rest. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and he took time to be still and quiet. This beautiful act of obedience should cut us to the quick. Doing more is never mandated in the scriptures. Doing wisely is our task. Wisdom demands our stillness more often than most of us are comfortable with. He didn’t get to rest long, but it was a priority nonetheless.

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