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Mark 7:14-23: How’s your heart?

^“14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.¹⁵ Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.’  ¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ ‘Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.’” NIV UK

The Jews, in their traditions, followed strict dietary rules. They believed that certain things you ate could ‘’defile’’ you. ‘Christ the controversialist,’ flatly contradicted that point. The heart of man’s problem is the problem of man’s heart. Jesus showed that we don’t have tummy problems so much as a heart defect. As Proverbs says, above everything you need to guard your heart, for out of it flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

To draw from a picture painted by C.S.Lewis, in my ‘cellar’ I can see lots of ugly ‘creepy-crawlies.’ If I don’t deal with them radically and immediately, they will proliferate, and eventually take over the whole house. I could be overrun and eventually destroyed by them.

Can you see what’s at stake?

You don’t have to be overly concerned today about what’s on the menu today. But it should bother you if you are letting things run riot down in the ‘cellar’ – ‘squatters’ who really don’t belong there.  It is a human trait to get massively worked up over things which don’t really matter, and to neglect the most important issues.

The big New Testament picture would say to those in Christ, ‘Put these things to death, because you can by the power of the Spirit.’ Nail them to the cross; crucify the flesh.

Kill them, before they destroy you. There is a need for spiritual ‘pest control’.

PRAYER: ‘’Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.’’ Psalm 51:10.

Mark 7:1-13:Truth v tradition.

“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the market-place they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)  ⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, ‘Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?’  ⁶ He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.’

⁹ And he continued, ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, “Honour your father and mother,”^[and, “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.” ¹¹  But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) – ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.’ NIV UK 

The concept of ‘’Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,’’ takes a hammering in a passage like this. John Stott wrote a book entitled ‘Christ the controversialist.’ Jesus did not avoid difficult conversations when they were necessary. He was ready to confront wrong believing and faulty practice.

Not all traditions are bad. At best, traditions preserve what is best from the past, and transport it into another age. Good things can get carried forward by traditions. But wherever tradition clashes with truth, the truth must win. Tradition must bow to Biblical revelation. All tradition must be judged at the bar of Scripture. Let it be measured against the plumb line of the Bible (13).

Worship is about more than singing. It concerns living. It’s about obeying ‘’teachings’’ (7). If we follow the ‘’rules’’ of men, rather than the Word of God, our worship is empty (6, 7).

Jesus refers to a practice prevalent in His day where Jews would use a tradition of promising a gift to God as an excuse for not helping their parents. Is that the kind of worship God desires? Of course it isn’t. It’s been pointed out, from this, that we must not use one part of the Bible to avoid obeying another bit. Hold all truth in balance. God does not contradict Himself.

PRAYER: Lord God, I want you to have the final say in my life, and not any tradition.

Mark 6:53-56: Anchorage.

^“53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried those who were ill on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed those who were ill in the market-places. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. ” NIV UK

Life can get stormy. We all know it. We need an Anchorage.                                             Disciples anchor in the Person of Jesus (54) In ‘recognising’ Him; in coming to know Him,to know Who He is, and in knowing Him as He is, we find our Bedrock.

Disciples anchor in the Work of Jesus (55). He is all-powerful. There is nothing we face He can’t help us with.

An old hymn says: ‘’Within the veil, thy spirit deeply anchored. Thou walkest calm above a world of strife…’’

‘’Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?…We have an Anchor that keeps the soul…’’

Mark 6:47-52

^“47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.  Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

What do you do when Jesus seems distant? (47).

What do you do when the wind is against you and you feel the strain? (48a).

What do you do when it looks like Jesus isn’t interested? (48c).

This story encourages us to keep trusting. Know that the Lord will come to you at the right time (48b), but it will be the time of His choosing. We, by then, may be tempted to imagine all is lost. But He is always on time.

• He still comes to us at the perfect time (48b);
• He still speaks words of comfort and encouragement (50);
• He still reveals Himself in troubles (50);
• He still brings storms to an end (51)
• He still amazes (51).

We, on the other hand are often in unbelief because of what we don’t understand (52).

PRAYER: As painful as it may be, please show me Lord where my heart is hard, and melt it; fill my ignorance with a deeper knowledge of Jesus. I need you Lord…so much.

Mark 6:45-46: Jesus at prayer.

^“45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.” NIV UK

We never get the impression from the gospels that Jesus prayed at one particular time. He prayed much, that is obvious. He prayed at different hours and in varying circumstances. I believe we can safely say that His life was soaked in prayer. We can’t help but feel inspired (and rebuked) by His example.

But Jesus didn’t just say prayers; He walked with the Father. His prayers were not religious; they were an expression of a relationship. We, too, are sons of God. No-one else can be a Son of God in the unique way Jesus is. He is the eternal Son. Nevertheless, we are adopted as sons through Jesus, and we too can seek to keep in step with our Father.

In this prayerful enjoyment of God, we will not only say things, and ask for things. We will also hear things. We will receive direction (43) from the Lord Himself. When you run into a storm, it’s a precious thing to recall how you got into this boat in the first place. If Jesus ‘’made’’ you set sail, He has a reason for you finding yourself in these angry waters; tossed to and fro by pounding waves. Everything is right that seems most wrong when you’re in God’s will.

Make it your aim to walk with God; and remember, ‘If you want to meet Him everywhere, you must meet Him somewhere; if you want to find Him all the time, you must find Him some time.’

PRAYER: I believe Jesus is my pattern in prayer, as in everything else. Help me please, Holy Spirit, to follow my Lord into the ‘secret place.’

Mark 6:35-44: Life begins at…

^“35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. ‘This is a remote place,’ they said, ‘and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ ³⁷ But he answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’ ³⁸ ‘How many loaves do you have?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’ When they found out, they said, ‘Five – and two fish.’ ³⁹ Then Jesus told them to make all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.” NIV UK

I saw a card in a shop the other day. It bore the message: ‘’Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’’ There is no little truth in that. Many of us will have had moments when we heard Jesus say, ‘’You give them something to eat’’ (37a). At least we will have had equivalent times in which the Lord Jesus asked of us something we could not do. Then we found He put into our hands ‘’immeasurably more’’ (Ephesians 3:20).

In his excellent book, ‘On being a servant of God,’ Warren Wiersbe says that ministry takes place where divine resources meet human needs, through loving channels, to the glory of God. That is exactly what you have here in this story. Wiersbe also says that in ministry we are tempted to imagine that God has called us to be manufacturers when He has in fact given us the work of being distributors.

 Jesus asks us to do what we can’t do. We put into His Hands the little we have, and He performs a miracle with it. He puts it back into our hands, bigger and greater than ever it was before, and we share with the world that which He gives to us.

PRAYER: ‘’Why should I ever anxious be, when such a God is mine…?’’

 Mark 6:30-34: The Shepherd’s heart.

^“30 The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ ³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” NIV UK

It’s good to know that we can (and, I believe, should) talk to Jesus about our work. We ought not to speak about it to others in a bragging kind of way, but we can tell Jesus in an honest sort of way. Talk it over with the Lord: the concerns on your heart, the problems requiring solutions, the ministry you have performed and that which still lies ahead. You can tell Him about your successes, and give Him the glory. You can also discuss the failures – whether real or apparent. When I was a little boy, I had a lovely pastor called George. He taught us a simple song that went: ‘’A little talk with Jesus makes it right, alright.’’ It’s amazing how it does. Even if the situation doesn’t change, you will change on the inside as you cast your burden on Him. It’s what He wants you to do.

Jesus knows our needs better than we do. He is aware of them even before we tell Him. On this occasion He knew His disciples needed rest. They had just returned from a ‘ministry trip’, and found themselves in a situation of constant demand. Few of us will ever have been so busy as the disciples were at this time.

Jesus called them into rest. But as well as showing for all time the legitimacy of rest, He also demonstrated that there are times when our own needs must take a back seat to those of others. In ministry, we have to train ourselves to be open to interruptions. Jesus’ Shepherd heart could not hear bleating sheep and not care for them; He could not see hungry sheep and not feed them. However, in the first place, He stepped up and took responsibility. It seems He kept His disciples out of the picture until later in the day. He showed loving, protective concern for the under-shepherds too. After all, were they not also His sheep?

Note that true rest has time with Jesus at its heart; and whatever we do to rest, it will not turn out to be rest if it is not Christ-centred (30, 31, 32).

‘’Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’’ (Matthew 11:28-30).

Mark 6:21-29: Hush my mouth!

^“21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of  Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’ ²³ And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’ ²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ ‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered. ²⁵ At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a dish.’ ²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, ²⁸ and brought back his head on a dish. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ²⁹ On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.” NIV UK

It’s a sad and sordid scene, full of sex and violence – the kind of scenario lots of movie-goers love, to be honest! It seems that when Herodias’ daughter danced her presumably erotic dance for Herod and his presumably drunken (or partially inebriated) guests, the door was opened into further sin. Herod ended up doing what he did not want to do:

• Because of a relationship he shouldn’t have been in;
• Because of a state he shouldn’t have been in;
• Because of words he shouldn’t have spoken (26).

In these moments, Herod showed that he had a backbone of gelatine. Instead of living by his deepest convictions, he capitulated in the face of social pressure. John the Baptist died because Herod made rash promises and didn’t want to look bad in front of his dinner guests.

‘’Do not be quick with your mouth…’’ Ecclesiastes 5:2;

‘’When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise’’ Proverbs 10:19.

Be very careful what you promise. You may be unwittingly setting a trap for yourself.

PRAYER: Lord may my heart be a wise well out of which may be drawn wise words

Mark 6:17-20: Silence the preacher.

^“17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. ¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ ¹⁹ So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, ²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled ; yet he liked to listen to him.” NIV UK

I have seen this same sort of thing in people. Have you? Where they are fascinated by Christianity. They have huge respect for it, and for particular people they know who are believers. Yet at the same time they feel drawn, they also keep a safe distance. Also, they never seem to fully understand.  Although John’s words must have stung Herod, it was Herodias who wanted him dead. Stories about royals and sex scandals always sell papers. People are very interested in these things, even though they may pretend they are not. There had been a big scandal involving Herod and his brother’s wife. John the Baptist spoke prophetically into the situation and ‘’called a spade a spade, and not an agricultural implement.’’ We don’t like to be told we are in the wrong. Deep in his heart though, I believe Herod knew John was right, and he had way too much admiration (and fear) to want to kill him. But a compromise solution was to lock him up. When the preacher says things you don’t want to hear; speaks penetrating words that expose your sin, you may want to silence him, or her. Such desires are regularly turned into reality in some cultures. Perhaps more likely, you will do your utmost to avoid hearing that preacher. If you have to be in church, then you will metaphorically, if not literally, put your hands over your ears. One way or another, you will silence him. Conviction of sin will make certain people raging angry.

‘’The kingdoms of the world are indeed to become the kingdom of God, but those who speak of this in advance are likely to suffer the anger of those who feel their power slipping away from them.’’ Tom Wright: ‘Mark for everyone,’p.76

Wright also makes the telling point that within a decade Herod had been banished to Gaul; left to die in disgrace in a foreign land. Within a decade, John’s story had been written up by Mark, showing him to be a fearless witness to the Kingdom of God.

PRAYER: Please give me the courage to stand in the face of an oncoming tide of evil, and not be swept away by it.