The Miracle Worker

Mark 3:1-19

What kind of “man” could take nothing and make it into something?

What kind of “man” has the power of creation available to Himself, and how is that power made available to Him, and when?

As we continue to walk with Jesus, bearing witness as a member of His crowd of followers to the things He does, one of the things we may notice is He never seems to do anything ordinary.

All His works are clearly extraordinary, and they all have to do with what is most needed.

As Jesus entered the synagogue at Capernaum, as His follower I would not have been thinking He was entering a trap. The synagogue was a place of worship and devotion to God, and men would gather on the Sabbath to demonstrate their culture, their heritage, and their loyalty to Judaism, if not to God. This was a very special gathering which would take place each Sabbath day.

Normally, a man with a defect would be restricted in their presence because of their defect, perhaps even restricted from being in the synagogue at all. (See Lev 21:17-24.)

One thing those in opposition to the works of Christ could already trust was that He would always go to the person in the room with the greatest need. Could He be trapped into performing a ‘work’ on the Sabbath – which would therefore publicly reveal Him to be in opposition to God?

The man with the withered hand is immediately noticed by Jesus, and Jesus is angered because He rightly perceived the Pharisees were using this man in a way that was an embarrassment to the man - and also in a way that was intended to trap Jesus. Would Jesus break the Law, and perform a work on the Sabbath?

Jesus’ question pierces like a knife: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil, to save life, or to kill?” (How I answer that question reveals the heart of God in me, and also for me.)

-Pastor Bill

In the Spotlight

Mark 2:1-28

Now we see how Jesus ministers under the spotlight, in the din of the crowd.

Many a good man has folded under the intense pressure of expectations. Would Jesus be yet another example of the flash in the pan?

The thing we must remember is at this time in His ministry life Jesus was still an unproven entity. While this may be difficult for us to imagine, (since we are so familiar with the gospel accounts,) it is important for us as readers to place ourselves in the story and try to imagine what it must have been like to have been there.

Jesus has much to overcome.

He must overcome spiritual opposition in a manner and power I think we know not of, He must overcome material shortcomings that only One with creation power can, and He must overcome doubt - which is perhaps the greatest obstacle of all.

Who is this?

Who would say to a paralytic their sins are forgiven? (The scribes are CORRECT in their thinking ONLY GOD can forgive sin.) Who would say, “your sins are forgiven,” and then tell you to, “get up and walk?” Who would do that? Who COULD do that?

Who would call a tax collector to be one of His followers, and then double down on that inscrutable act by dining with not only tax collectors but known sinners? Would Messiah do that?

Who would be content to skip the present practices of fasting, in a culture when voluntary fasting two days per week is how devotion to God is demonstrated? Who could get away with such a contra-version of standard religious practice?

When the glare of the spotlight is turned on, what would this ‘Man’ do? Now we know. Everything He does is confounding on every front. Nothing will ever be the same. There is now no such thing as status-quo.

-Pastor Bill

God is For Us

Mark 1:16-45

Romans 8:31 declares, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Indeed.

Immediately, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus sets out to demonstrate this fundamental truth: God is for us.

It’s why He came in the first place. He is for us. He loves us. He sees our needs. He knows our desires.

But it is more than knowing what our needs are, or understanding our desires; it is having and demonstrating the authority and power to do something about it.

We face a powerful enemy in this world. All of mankind always has. Jesus has come to defeat our enemy. His power is greater than Satan. His authority is over Satan.

Even after 40 days and nights in the desert, without food and water, Satan has no power over Jesus. None at all. This is the pronouncement of Satan’s defeat.

Since Satan is the greatest power the world can throw at us, (usually employing our own flesh in order to defeat us,) isn’t it comforting to know Jesus has the power to defeat Satan? Isn’t it wonderful to know that He wills to do just that - and that accompanying the power to defeat Satan is also the power to save mankind? (Me.)

All of our needs are met in Jesus Christ. He is our all in all. We are MORE than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us and has come to die for us and to help us and to demonstrate He is for us in every way we require.

Usually when someone meets your needs there is a payment required. Even in this, God meets our needs. Jesus is our payment for God’s love. And, He is willing to heal, He is willing to help, and He is willing to save. How could it be further proven that God is FOR us?

-Pastor Bill

Head First

Mark 1:1-15

Who shall believe our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1.)

The ‘report’ of the Word of God is amazing, fantastic, complete in every way, and extraneous of any unnecessary content.

The Gospel of Mark is a prime example of the spare-ness and specificity with which the Holy Spirit delivers His report.

THIS is the beginning of THE GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

It jumps off the page. Jesus is thirty years of age, and we are diving in head first. There is no mention of Jesus’ birth or childhood. There is no character development or foreshadowing or any other such thing normally practiced, especially in modern literature.

Modern literature doesn’t have anything of real meaning to say; Mark does. And he gets right to it. In this Gospel is salvation. There is salvation no other.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is great news, because it means death has been conquered. Given that death is an enemy to all people – and that death has been tracking and pursuing each and every one of us since the moment of our births – this is nothing short of fantastic!

Have you ever wondered why you have a sense of the eternal – and always have since the moment of your birth - even though no one taught you about it? (It is because God has designed YOU to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to be one of those who literally believe the report of the Word of God.)

Upon believing the report of the Word of God we receive everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven – which begins, wonderfully enough – in His Church, (which is also known as the kingdom of heaven.) The Gospel of Jesus Christ places each of us who believe into His Church for safe-keeping until we graduate into His Kingdom undefeated by death. That’s the Gospel Truth.

-Pastor Bill