The Everyday Prayer

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

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

“So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”-Jesus, Mark 2:28

The pharisees questioning Jesus had to be infuriated with his answer. Jesus never responded in the way they expected; he always had a way of turning the tables, and this time was no different:

“Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did…?”

How dare he compare himself to David, they likely thought. Jesus didn’t have to ask them a follow up question, because what was left unsaid was clear enough.

If you won’t condemn David, then why do you condemn me?

If they had ears to hear and eyes to see they would have realized Jesus was in fact greater than David, and even Moses. David was the king after God’s own heart, Jesus is King eternal. Moses merely received the law; Jesus spoke it into existence. He is Lord!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 2:23-28 (day five) The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”  This is the second “interaction” (in a row) that Jesus has with the religious leaders over legalism. Previously, Jesus was challenged over fasting.  In the Re:Verse passage this week He is confronted by them, about sabbath rules. Jesus both recognizes and chastises their legalism.  Jesus has strong words against legalism. Why?  Because legalism impairs a right relationship with God. Legalism causes humans to look at the shortcomings in the lives of others rather than in themselves. (Notice how external this is) Legalism promotes a man-centered righteousness rather than a Christ-centered righteousness. Legalism is dangerous and destructive.
We can/must look to Jesus to find righteousness and abundant life- not follow man-made rules. That is the gospel. That is good news.

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

One of the tasks of Mark in his gospel was to establish the identity of Jesus.  We are introduced to a new name for Jesus in our passage…”Lord of the Sabbath.”  Jesus was declaring His deity and authority to the Pharisees and it did not go unnoticed by them.

The commandment to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy had been given to free God’s people to be able to focus on and worship God.  In John MacArthur’s commentary, he identifies 24 chapters in the Talmud that regulated the observance of the Sabbath.  The Jews were not freed to worship, they were bound to slavery to a set of extra-biblical rules.  Jesus was confronting, head on, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

Jesus was not one to let things slide.  Are we as diligent to confront false teaching and misunderstood truth with those around us?  We may not be faced with the likes of the Pharisees, but truth and understanding of God’s Word are vital to our right relationship with God.  Ask God to surround you with truth!

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

“Have you never read…?”

If ever there were an argument for free and unfettered access to the scriptures for all, this is it. The scriptures said what the Pharisees said it said. Jesus opened that lockbox right up. In the hearing of everyone, he posed questions that circumvented the Pharisees’ preferred interpretations. Of course, many people couldn’t read anyway, and that reality presented an opportunity for the powerful to build a worldview on the backs of the powerless. Nonetheless, Jesus’s questions required people to think for themselves, which took power away from the religious establishment. There will always be people – laity and clergy – who will interpret the scriptures in unhelpful ways. Peter says as much in his second epistle. But the Bible is best read in communities where everyone has a voice so that we can all teach one another.

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

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. vs. 27

As I was studying this passage this morning I referred to the notes in Bible’s commentary section. After referring to the passage that Jesus referenced,   (1 Samuel 21:1-6), it spoke of the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. I am not a legal scholar, but I do know that Jesus was not trying to be above the law. He did, however, understand why they law existed. He knew the tendency of man to sin and the necessity to point back to a better way. He also knew that meeting people where they are is crucial to getting them to where they need to be. Caring for people is never wrong. Do we see the needs of our neighbors, or do we see how they are not living like us? How can they ever know love if we refuse to see them until they are like us?